If you stick to the smaller niche subreddits—subscribing to the ones that interest you and never venturing into r/all or r/popular—then you’ll find that Reddit can be quite useful and entertaining. The problems often start surfacing when a subreddit grows too big: unrelated content that appeals to the lowest common denominator starts getting thousands of upvotes, and pretty soon the entire subreddit is derailed by low-effort posts. But there are a handful of big and popular subreddits that have managed to maintain some semblance of quality despite an explosion in subscribers and popularity. Here are the biggest subreddits that are still good in their own ways. We’re focusing on communities with 1+ million subscribers, and communities that aren’t just memes and junk.
20. r/subredditoftheday
Subscribers: 1+ million If you’re always on the prowl for new subreddits to check out, you’ll want to subscribe to r/subredditoftheday. Every day, a new thread is posted that highlights a notable subreddit and why it’s noteworthy. You might only find a few worthwhile ones every month, but that’s better than nothing—especially since staying subscribed and checking once a day requires zero effort on your part.
19. r/askhistorians
Subscribers: 1+ million r/askhistorians is one of the most rigorous subreddits when it comes to factual replies that are sourced with real sources, not just blogs and random internet musings. The moderators do a fantastic job making sure all replies are serious, and they frequently remove comments that are jokes, memes, or unfounded answers without proper sources. If you often have questions about history, or if you want to learn more about history from the questions others ask, you’ll want to subscribe.
18. r/suggestmeabook
Subscribers: 1+ million If you burn through books and often find yourself scrambling for more books to add to your reading list, r/suggestmeabook is one of our favorite ways to find new books worth reading. All you have to do is post a new thread and explain what kinds of books you’re looking for. Any additional information, details, and context will help people provide better recommendations. And if you’ve read a ton of books and want to help others out with your own recommendations, this can be a fun place to participate!
17. r/podcasts
Subscribers: 1+ million For avid podcast listeners, r/podcasts is a must-follow community as the largest gathering of podcast fans on Reddit. Most of the threads come down to people asking for suggestions, people giving their recommendations, or thoughts and discussions about specific podcasts. It’s a great way to find new podcasts. There’s also the much smaller r/podcast community. You might prefer this one if you prefer a tighter group of people who aren’t as hiveminded when it comes to recommendations and discussion.
16. r/skincareaddiction
Subscribers: 1+ million While r/skincareaddiction isn’t the perfect subreddit—it’s been the subject of a few controversies in the past—it’s still a solid resource for anyone who’s struggling with skin issues. You’ll learn how to take care of your skin (especially your face) and help fight off acne outbreaks, dry and flaky skin, oily skin, unsightly blemishes, and more. A lot of skincare products get namedropped here, and a lot of them are done as stealth marketing by shills. But as long as you keep your eyes peeled and do further research, it’s an informative place.
15. r/bodyweightfitness
Subscribers: 2+ million Of all the fitness-related subreddits, I’ve enjoyed r/bodyweightfitness the most. They seem to have the most realistic sense of what’s possible in a given timeframe, and there’s little emphasis on equipment. It is, after all, fitness using your own body’s weight. A lot of the value in this subreddit comes from the guides in the sidebar, but it can be helpful to browse the threads as well. Questions are asked and answered regularly, and you can throw in your own questions if you have trouble grasping bodyweight fitness.
14. r/netflixbestof
Subscribers: 2+ million Feel like all the good stuff on Netflix has slipped away and now there’s nothing left to watch? r/netflixbestof is a great subreddit to check. As you can tell from the name, it’s a place where people can talk about the best stuff on Netflix—movies, TV shows, anime series, documentaries, and whatever else. People will recommend their own favorites and explain why they’re worth checking out, but you can also post your own request threads where people will suggest things to watch based on what you’re looking for. It’s a great way to get more value out of Netflix!
13. r/games
Subscribers: 2+ million There’s no shortage of gaming-related subreddits, but r/games is the most solid option out of all the big ones. The main feed for this community is comprised of news—articles, videos, and tweets that showcase gaming content. You can discuss each thread in its own comments section, but most of the community discussion happens in the daily megathread. I like this subreddit because it’s a great way to stay on top of gaming news without having to sift through the memes and low-effort content that plague other gaming communities on Reddit.
12. r/scifi and r/fantasy
Subscribers: 2+ million (r/scifi)Subscribers: 1+ million (r/fantasy) For lovers of speculative fiction, these two subreddits should be at the top of your list to check out. r/scifi is all about science fiction and r/fantasy is all about fantasy, and both cover all kinds of media: movies, TV shows, games, but mainly books. These two communities are equal mixtures of news and discussion. You’ll find everything from blog posts to tweets to trailers to recommendation threads.
11. r/malefashionadvice and r/femalefashionadvice
Subscribers: 3+ million (r/malefashionadvice)Subscribers: 1+ million (r/femalefashionadvice) If you want to learn how to dress like an adult—which is not the same thing as dressing up—then r/malefashionadvice and r/femalefashionadvice are both extremely helpful. Both communities are geared towards people who don’t know much about personal style, so a lot of the advice tends to emphasize basics, fundamentals, and timeless concepts. You don’t have to obey everything they say. Learn what you can, incorporate the parts you like, and develop your own style.
10. r/boardgames
Subscribers: 3+ million Are you a fan of board games who’s interested in an active online community about board games but don’t like the general attitude or atmosphere of BoardGameGeek’s forums? Then r/boardgames is where you want to be. It’s a great place to explore your favorite board games, find new recommendations, make suggestions of your own, and just shoot the breeze about anything that’s even remotely related to board gaming. While it’s nowhere near as organized as BGG’s forums, the community here is both welcoming and helpful.
9. r/eatcheapandhealthy
Subscribers: 3+ million If you’re on a tight budget but you still want to eat healthy, r/eatcheapandhealthy is a must-subscribe community. This place is a treasure trove of helpful and creative advice. You’ll learn all kinds of staple recipes that’ll stretch your dollar and fill you up in healthy ways, along with offbeat tips for unique snacks that don’t cost much and ways to save money while shopping for groceries. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never cooked your own food before, or if you’re truly on a shoestring budget, or you have no idea what to do. This community is a solid starting point.
8. r/buildapc
Subscribers: 4+ million Whether you’re thinking of building your own PC for the very first time or you’ve already built a few, r/buildapc is the best subreddit for tips and advice for everything related to building computers. Not sure where to begin? Need help choosing between CPUs or GPUs? Want to know where to buy stuff while saving the most money? Want to share your own knowledge and expertise? Everyone is welcome and you’ll fit right in.
7. r/personalfinance
Subscribers: 14+ million Are you living paycheck to paycheck? Does money stress you out? Want to take control of your spending but feel overwhelmed? r/personalfinance will get you on your feet and help you become the master over your money rather than its slave. This subreddit is pretty much a one-stop shop for all things related to money: budgeting, credit cards, debt relief, mortgages, spending habits, retirement savings, tax questions, investing, and more. There’s a lot to learn, but spend a year lurking in this community and reading through its threads and you’ll soon find yourself a lot more comfortable with money—and building a better life for yourself.
6. r/television
Subscribers: 16+ million r/television is the all-encompassing subreddit community for TV shows, TV series, mini-series, TV streaming platforms, and more. People are free to post their own discussion threads—and said discussions can be about anything related to TV—but most of the subreddit’s feed is comprised of articles, videos, and tweets pertaining to TV news. It’s a great way to stay on top of TV announcements. But I also recommend participating in the weekly megathread where people talk about what they’re currently watching and ask for recommendations on what they should watch next.
5. r/askscience
Subscribers: 17+ million Have a science-related question? Want answers from qualified scientists and experts, or at least people who know what they’re talking about and can back it up with sources? r/askscience is great because the moderation team enforces two main policies: answers must be in-depth and supported by peer-reviewed sources whenever possible, and joke replies are not allowed. You can really ask about any field of science, including biology, chemistry, earth science, medicine, physics, social science, and more. If you’re an expert in a scientific field, you should participate!
4. r/gadgets
Subscribers: 18+ million r/gadgets is a news aggregation subreddit for all things related to electronic gadgets. There are no text posts allowed here, so discussions can only take place in the comments for links. And that’s what makes this subreddit good, even with so many subscribers. The moderation team ensures quality control on submitted links, making this an excellent way to stay on top of gadget news without drowning in memes or low-effort posts. It’s also why r/gadgets is generally higher quality than other popular tech-related subreddits like r/technology.
3. r/explainlikeimfive
Subscribers: 19+ million r/explainlikeimfive (often abbreviated as “ELI5”) has blown up over the past few years into one of the most popular and most active subreddits on the entire site. Want to know how something works but you can’t understand the stuff you find on Google? Ask about it here and people will try to dumb it down, explaining the answer in a way that should make sense to even five-year-olds. (Figuratively speaking.) No question is too stupid to ask, but the sidebar does put forth a few restrictions on the types of questions you can ask, so make sure you read them before asking anything.
2. r/movies
Subscribers: 25+ million The cousin to r/television, r/movies is the main gathering spot for movie fans to discuss all things related to movies. The moderation team is pretty active, and they’re quick to create review megathreads whenever new movies are released. These megathreads are fun and interesting, allowing people to share their thoughts while a movie’s buzz is at its buzziest. The rest of the subreddit is comprised of trailers, news, recommendations, and general discussions about specific movies, genres, or trends in the movie industry.
1. r/videos
Subscribers: 25+ million If you’ve spent any time on Reddit before, then you’ve likely come across dozens of videos from r/videos already. Simply put, this subreddit is a dumping ground for cool videos. You’ll find things like:
Movie and TV trailersComedy sketchesVideo essays about anything and everythingHow-to videos and explanation videosMemes, parodies, and general nonsenseNostalgic videos from the past
I recommend starting with the top posts of all time in r/videos to see some really cool, really informative, and really weird videos. Read next: The best subreddits for geeks
