Sex & Relationships

9 Best Sites For Free Erotica

Let your imagination run wild at no cost.

by Emma McGowan
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
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Confession: I don’t really like porn. I talk about porn a lot; I write about it; I even advocate for your right to watch whatever the hell porn you want — but I’m not into porn myself. Personally, I find video porn kind of limiting. My erotic imagination is simultaneously vast and very specific and I feel like videos are just too prescriptive. They put the image and action in front of your face and… That’s it. That’s what’s happening. That’s what will continue to happen until either it ends or you switch over to something different. Which isn’t to say that porn isn’t arousing — I am human, after all, and sexual images flick that switch in my reptile brain. But I just prefer written erotica to visual porn, probably because it lets my imagination go wherever it wants to. I can skim read, go back and forth between the parts that I like, imagine the characters anyway I want because, with written erotica, the possibilities are endless.

And I’m not alone in my smut preference. The biggest cultural example of recent years was, of course, Fifty Shades of Grey, which was such a hit not only because it introduced so many women to BDSM sex play but also because it’s smutty, smutty erotica. And who can forget those Harlequin “romance” novels? They’re another mainstream source of smut that helped women get off for generations before the word “internet” even existed — and I’m sure plenty of ladies are still swooning away to those bodice rippers.

So if you’re like me and prefer written erotica to visual porn, here are nine great sources for erotica online. Oh, and if you don’t find one that you like, head over to Kinkly’s Sex Blogger Directory (which I where I discovered most of these myself) for more options.

1. Literotica

Literotica is like the PornHub of written smut. You can find anything and everything here. There are thousands of stories about thousands of topics, which makes this a great site both for people who are looking for something very specific and those who are just exploring. Oh, and they also have an app for Android, so you can read your stories wherever you go.

2. Girl On The Net

Girl On The Net has a great combination of erotica, true sex stories, and interesting sex-related blog posts. She’s articulate, frank, and her stories are hella hot. They even have a collection of audio porn if audio erotica is more your thing.

3. Sugar Butch Chronicles

Interested in queering things up a bit? Sugar Butch Chronicles is written by Sinclair Sexsmith. The stories you’ll find on their site focus on “queer sex, kink, gender, and relationships.” Sugar Butch Chronicles is a great option for those of you who are tired of the “tan-skinny-blonde-cisgendered-money-shot” tropes of mainstream visual porn. You’ll find none of that here.

3. Bellesa

Bellesa is a platform that was created by women for "everyone who wants something real." Not only does the site offer a wide range of ethical porn, but it also offers free erotic stories and premium e-books. If you ever have trouble choosing a story, the editor's picks are usually worth a try.

4. Sex, Life, and Everything

Sex, Life, and Everything is a blog run by a real-life couple who opened up their relationship after years of monogamy. The site follows their adventures with a combination of smutty stories, sex toy reviews, and some sexy photos thrown into the mix.

5. Lush Stories

This erotica-focused adult social network has over 60,000 published work. It may take some time to find something that appeals to you on Lush Stories. But with categories ranging from your basic romance to something more specific like monster sex, you're sure to find something you can get into.

6. My Sex Life With Lola

Into hot wifing? Cuckolding? Then you’ll be into My Sex Life With Lola. The site purports to be written by a cuckold who calls himself H.H. and his hot wife, Lola. They offer a bunch of free stories about their exploits, alongside more content that you can buy.

7. Mr. Racy

Mr. Racy is a blog that’s aimed primarily at men, and that includes the free erotica section. Here you can find hot stories told from a man’s POV, including prostate play and BDSM content.

8. The Casual Sex Project

If you're into reading stories about real hookups of all kinds, The Casual Sex Project may be for you. The site was created by Zhana Vrangalova, a sex educator and NYU professor of Human Sexuality, as an outlet for people to share their sexual experiences both good and bad. The stories are even color-coded by category like sex with an ex or short-term fling, so you know what you're getting into right away.

9. A View From The Top

A View From The Top is BDSM erotica, written by a real Dom. If you liked Fifty Shades and are down to explore something a bit more connected with reality, check out the stories and tips that this marketing exec cum smut writer shares.

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