Reddit is moving toward a login-only experience, its CEO confirms

Reddit CEO Huffman has confirmed that the social media and discussion platform is moving toward an experience that can be used only after logging in. The statement came alongside the company's third-quarter results. It matters to anyone who has read Reddit content without an account, and it shows the company's aim to depend less on visitors sent by search engines.

In the third quarter, Reddit's average DAUq, its daily active user metric, rose 12 percent year over year. Huffman wrote that logged-in and app users are the company's most valuable and its primary focus. According to user reports, a login requirement has been tested on desktop since at least August.

Other recent changes

The login requirement is one of several changes meant to grow the user base and make user activity easier to track. This year Reddit began testing a requirement that people use its mobile app to reach its mobile website. About 13 percent of eligible mobile web users currently see the app prompt, so the test can be expanded. Since July, Old.Reddit.com has required users to be logged in, and more recently access was blocked for people who had not logged in during the previous six months. In 2024, Reddit also effectively shut down most third-party apps by making its API expensive.

Reddit says the changes should help it understand who uses the platform and why, and help it handle AI scraping and shifting search habits. They should also help it gauge ad effectiveness and make it more appealing to advertisers and investors.

For the third quarter, Reddit reported net income of $283 million, up 74 percent year over year, on revenue of $895 million, up 53 percent. Advance Publications, which owns Condé Nast, the parent company of Ars Technica, is Reddit's largest shareholder.