r/software rules, stats, and what to post
Know the rules before you post. So easy grandma can do it.
- To post
- No minimum in the rules
- To comment
- No minimum in the rules
- Self-promotion
- Allowed with conditions
- Self-promotion is allowed on Wednesdays for open-source software with appropriate flair and community value.
- Links
- Allowed with conditions
- Do not share links to copyrighted content without permission.
- Promo risk
- High
- From the rules, not from removal counts
- Community age
- 18 years
- Since Jan 2008
- Showcase posts
- Wednesday only
About r/software
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/software: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.Checked from the r/software rules on Reddit.
r/software rules
7 rules, in the community's own words.
- 1
Piracy
- Do not share any links or tutorials to any copyrighted content without permission.
- Do not discuss software that is primarily intended or used to download, copy, or facilitate piracy or theft.
- Do not discuss video downloaders.
- 2
Troll/Abuse
Please do not troll, harass, or be generally rude to your fellow users. Keep comments civil and be respectful of your fellow users. Harassment, and raiding other subreddits/sites can lead to a permanent ban at the moderators discretion.
- 3
Spam/Self-Promotion
Don't promote your own software unless its open source. Permanent ban. The one exception is if you share on Wednesdays, use the appropriate flair and provide something of value to the community rather than just the software. That could be a great deal, or something that will make it worth people's time to read your post.
- 4
Visit r/techsupport Before Posting
- Many of the posts posted here have to be removed as they are not related to software.
- If your question is related to computer hardware or similar it most likely belongs to r/techsupport.
- 5
Releases
Releases should be for new programs or big updates. Please do not use it as a log for your program's versions. The program should be open-source. This is not necessary, but is highly suggested. It should also not be behind a paywall, you may have donation links, but the program should be fully usable without payments.
- 6
Karma requirement
We require users to have a certain amount of karma before making submissions. Our AutoModerator will remove submissions from users who fall below the threshold. The threshold is a secret to make it an effective way to block spam. Please don't ask for it. Don't worry though, the threshold is not set to high amounts, and if you really need to post something, do it, and send us Modmail. We'll happily manually review requests to post.
- 7
Low Effort
Put time and effort into the posts you make. Use proper grammar and clean formatting. Check our Wiki FAQ before asking repetitive questions.
What to post in r/software
What fits the room, and what gets removed.
Works well
- Announcing a new open-source program release on a Wednesday, following the guidelines in “Releases”.
- Sharing a big update for your software, ensuring it is open source and providing community value.
- Posting a valuable offer for your software on Wednesday with the correct flair, adhering to “Spam/Self-Promotion”.
- Asking a technical question about software development that shows proper effort and clean formatting, satisfying “Low Effort”.
- Discussing a software topic while keeping comments civil and respectful, following “Troll/Abuse”.
Avoid
- Sharing links or tutorials to copyrighted content without permission, which violates “Piracy”.
- Promoting your software outside of Wednesdays unless it is open source, violating “Spam/Self-Promotion”.
- Posting questions about computer hardware or similar issues without checking “Visit r/techsupport Before Posting”.
- Submitting posts that lack proper grammar or clean formatting, which is considered “Low Effort”.
- Trolling or harassing other users, which violates “Troll/Abuse”.
Best hours to post in r/software
No pattern yet. r/software does not have enough top posts from the last 90 days to name its best hours.
What r/software Is For
This community is for anything software-related. If your topic is software, you can post here, but you must follow the rules to avoid getting punished.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
“Piracy”, “Troll/Abuse”, “Spam/Self-Promotion”, “Visit r/techsupport Before Posting”, “Releases”, “Low Effort”.
What To Post
If you are a founder, your posts should be about new programs or big updates, especially if they are open source. If you are promoting your own software, it is best to do it on Wednesdays, make sure it is open source, use the right flair, and give the community something of value, like a great deal. If you are asking a question, make sure it is about software and that you put effort into your post.
What To Avoid
You must not share any links or tutorials to copyrighted content without permission. You should not troll, harass, or be rude to fellow users. Do not promote your own software unless it is open source, and if you do promote, it must be on Wednesdays with value and the right flair. Also, do not post hardware questions here, and always put time and effort into your posts.
A note from Anthony
It is interesting that there are no observed top posts in this community. The rules are very specific about when self-promotion is allowed. For founders, the Wednesday rule is a clear guideline for how to earn a place in the community. This suggests that quality and timing matter a lot here.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog. Every guide is built from the community's own public rules and data, then checked by Rankhog's grounding audit before it goes live.
Common questions about r/software
What subreddits are similar to r/software?
Subreddits like r/software are r/programming, r/ProgrammerHumor, r/learnprogramming, r/webdev, r/mac, r/AskEngineers, r/javascript and r/gamedev.
Can I promote my own software here?
You can only promote your own software if it is open source, and you must do it on Wednesdays, providing value and using the appropriate flair.
Should I post a question about my computer's physical parts in r/software?
If your question relates to computer hardware or similar, you should visit r/techsupport Before Posting.
What should I do if my post gets removed automatically?
If your submission is removed by AutoModerator, you can send Modmail and ask for a manual review.
Subreddits like r/software
Other rooms for the same crowd.