[1] The site is split into main categories: Anime/Manga, Books, Cartoons, Games, Comics, Movies, Plays/Musicals, TV shows, Crossover, and Miscellaneous.

Users who complete the free registration process can submit their fan fiction, maintain a user profile, review other stories, apply for a beta reader position, contact each other via private messages, and maintain a list of favorite stories and authors.

The site also owns a Twitter account called FictionPress where users of the website are updated on changes and improvements made.

While Fanfiction.net is still prolific as a viable source of fanfiction creation, the site has shown a decline in popularity due to a number of factors such as a lack of updates, an outdated system, rampant advertisements, and restrictions on types of fanworks.

[3] Initially made by Xing Li as a school project, the site was created as a not-for-profit repository for fan-created stories that revolved around characters from popular literature, films, television, anime, and video games.

While its function may be self explanatory, it's important to note that authors may receive a private message (PM) from anyone who has an affiliated account.

Additionally, the site has a feature that filters basic profanity for both incoming reviews and PM messages.

The site asks that forums must adhere to the rules that both complies to terms and service and creates a nontoxic environment for other users.

Steven Savage, a programmer who wrote a column for FanFiction.Net, described it as "the adult version of when kids play at being TV characters" and that the content posted on the website serves as examples for "when people really care about something".

[15] FanFiction.Net has nine categories for various fandoms: Anime/Manga, Books, Cartoons, Comics, Games, Miscellaneous, Movies, Plays/Musicals, and TV shows.

Excluding crossovers and as of July 2023, the top fandoms on the site are Harry Potter, Naruto, and Twilight.

[17] The ratings are no longer done on the MPAA system, due to cease-and-desist demands from the Motion Picture Association of America in 2005.

Since the site's founding, several professional authors and producers have asked that stories based on their copyrighted or trademarked works be removed, including Anne Rice,[11] P. N. Elrod, Archie Comics, Dennis L. McKiernan, Irene Radford, J.R. Ward, Laurell K. Hamilton, Nora Roberts, Raymond E. Feist, Robin Hobb, Robin McKinley, and Terry Goodkind.

Fan fiction based on professional wrestling, however, is still allowed, being the number one fandom in the "Miscellaneous" category.

Story titles and summaries must be rated K.[22] FanFiction.Net experienced a temporary shutdown for two days in July 2024 due to a policy update regarding explicit content and depictions of child abuse.

"[22] A few speculate that the issue with these types of works were due to writers using the space as more of a blog to interact with readers rather than creating a story.

[26] The official Fanfiction.net Content Guideline states that lists fall under the line of non-stories, along with bloopers, polls, previews, challenges, author notes, etc, thus they are not allowed on the site.

[27] According to Hitwise, as of August 2007 FanFiction.Net comprised 34.7% of all traffic directed to sites in the Entertainment, Books and Writing category.

[29] Due to the site's demographics leaning primarily towards women, researchers have also considered fan fiction as an online organization that could potentially be utilized for feminist thought and discussion.

[30] However, ultimately, in this current age, online relations have become more prevalent, and the manners of how interaction influences creative thought has been a significant role of Fanfiction.net's user activity from when it was conceived to now.