- Reddit is working on introducing a paid subreddit later this year.
- Existing subreddits won’t be affected instead new paid subreddits will created with exclusive content.
- There is no clarity on the pricing of those paid subreddits and which subset of users will be able to access them.
Reddit, the popular community social media platform will soon introduce a paid subreddit. CEO Steve Huffman has revealed that the social media platform is working on locking content behind a paywall.
In a recent AMA (Ask Me Anything) video, Huffman answered questions about plans to monetize the platform. He confirmed that the social media platform is working on a paid subreddit system in 2025.
Reddit Plans to Monetize the Platform
“We will unlock the door for new use cases, new types of subreddits that can be built that may have exclusive content or private areas, things of that nature,” said Huffman. The CEO previously hinted at paywall content back in August last year.
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Huffman said “It’s a work in progress right now so that one’s coming. We’re working on it as we speak.” According to Huffman, existing subreddits won’t be locked behind a paywall, instead, the company will introduce paid subreddits with exclusive content or private stuff.
It is a major churning point for a platform that has remained free since its inception in 2005. However, the company does have a subscription known as Reddit Gold that provides an ad-free experience. Its r/Lounge community is exclusively limited to paid users with Reddit Gold.
But Huffman has clearly stated that despite the introduction of a paid subreddit, free content will “continue to exist and grow and thrive”.Given the majority of the users don’t have Reddit Gold, the company cannot risk alienating its free user base.
Paid Subreddit Good on Paper, Tricky to Implement
While Huffman has clarified that existing subreddits won’t be locked behind a paywall, there are no details on the users who will be able to access them. Will it be only exclusive to Reddit Gold users? Do you need to purchase a subscription for each paid subreddit? Who will decide the price of this subscription – the mods or the Reddit team? How will users in a paid subreddit be rewarded for creating content?
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Even if we get the answers to these questions, the main question remains: Are you willing to pay to access paywalled content on Reddit? If not then what if half of the members of the subreddit create an alternate subreddit to provide the same content for free?
The company’s past decisions haven’t exactly been widely favored by the community. From the increase in API fees to the closure of third-party apps like Apollo and Boost, Reddit has faced a lot of backlash for its brash decision. Since the company’s IPO last year, there has been increasing pressure to monetize the platform and increase shareholder values.
Huffman hasn’t been shy about sharing his plans to generate more revenue, including a new marketplace for buying products on the platform and showing ads in comments. Reddit COO Jen Wong also highlighted how crucial it is for the company to license content for chatbots like Gemini and ChatGPT. Furthermore, Reddit also has its chatbot known as Reddit Answers which can provide answers from the community.
