r/PLC

Community Overview

About r/PLC

This sub is dedicated to discussion and questions about Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs): "an industrial digital computer that has been ruggedized and adapted for the control of manufacturing processes, such as assembly lines, robotic devices, or any activity that requires high reliability, ease of programming, and process fault diagnosis."

The community at a glance

r/PLC is a Subreddit for Hardware and Robotics Enthusiasts with roughly 140K members. It uses a forum format for communication. On the Hive Index it ranks #10 in the Robotics communities list. It is the 9th largest community in the Hardware topic page.

Roughly 25K members have joined in the past year. Popular discussion topics include Looking For, Plc, and Struggling. Common discussion themes are Advice Requests and Ideas. Product recommendations often mention plc, laptop, and hmi.

On Reddit
140K Members

Subreddit Analysis

via GummySearch
Yearly: +25K members
Growth: +22.1% / year

Member growth over time

All time (yearly)

  • 2014: 1K members
  • 2015: 1K members
  • 2016: 1K members
  • 2017: 2K members
  • 2020: 19K members
  • 2021: 12K members
  • 2023: 34K members
  • 2024: 23K members
  • 2025: 27K members
  • 2026: 17K members

Past year (monthly)

  • Sep: 2K members
  • Oct: 2K members
  • Nov: 2K members
  • Dec: 2K members
  • Jan: 2K members
  • Feb: 2K members
  • Mar: 2K members
  • Apr: 2K members
  • May: 2K members
  • Jun: 2K members
  • Jul: 2K members
  • Aug: 1K members

Themes

  • Advice Requests
    8 posts in the past month
    1. Looking for some job advice
    2. Has AI actually changed the way you work in industrial automation or is it still mostly hype?
    3. Has AI actually become useful in industrial automation or are we still a long way from that?
    #1
    Advice Requests
    Looking for some job advice · Has AI actually changed the way you work in industrial automation or is it still mostly hype? · Has AI actually become useful in industrial automation or are we still a long way from that?
    8
  • Ideas
    1 post in the past month
    1. Low-cost wired sensor ideas for unit counting on a manual assembly line?
    #2
    Ideas
    Low-cost wired sensor ideas for unit counting on a manual assembly line?
    1
  • Solution Requests
    1 post in the past month
    1. Need Help Troubleshooting
    #3
    Solution Requests
    Need Help Troubleshooting
    1
  • Pain & Anger
    1 post in the past month
    1. Our industry is in trouble
    #4
    Pain & Anger
    Our industry is in trouble
    1
  • Opportunities
    1 post in the past month
    1. Remote Jop opportunity in Automation
    #5
    Opportunities
    Remote Jop opportunity in Automation
    1

Topics

  • Looking For
    85 posts in the past month
    #1
    Looking For
    85
  • Plc
    56 posts in the past month
    1. Electrician looking to get into plc
    2. PLC randomly losing program?
    3. Siemens PLC Ktp900 Basic boot loader stuck
    #2
    Plc
    Electrician looking to get into plc · PLC randomly losing program? · Siemens PLC Ktp900 Basic boot loader stuck
    56
  • Struggling
    30 posts in the past month
    #3
    Struggling
    30
  • Struggling With
    17 posts in the past month
    #4
    Struggling With
    17
  • Struggling To
    17 posts in the past month
    #5
    Struggling To
    17

Flair

  • Off topic
    1 post in the past month
    1. Our industry is in trouble
    #1
    Off topic
    Our industry is in trouble
    1

Product recommendations

  • plc
    11 posts in the past month
    1. Best 500/600$ PC for PLC programming?
    2. What is best Family and Brand of PLC to use in a new automated factory with IIOT in mind? Read Comment for Background.
    3. What is best Family and Brand of PLC to use in a new automated factory with IIOT in mind? Read Comment for Background.
    #1
    plc
    Best 500/600$ PC for PLC programming? · What is best Family and Brand of PLC to use in a new automated factory with IIOT in mind? Read Comment for Background. · What is best Family and Brand of PLC to use in a new automated factory with IIOT in mind? Read Comment for Background.
    11
  • laptop
    5 posts in the past month
    1. Best portable "Desk" for laptops?
    2. Need advice on the best laptop for student
    3. Need advice on the best laptop for student
    #2
    laptop
    Best portable "Desk" for laptops? · Need advice on the best laptop for student · Need advice on the best laptop for student
    5
  • hmi
    5 posts in the past month
    1. What are the best web based HMI solutions out there for small systems?
    2. Recommended Free HMI/SCADA Platform for Proof of Concept?
    3. Recommended Free HMI/SCADA Platform for Proof of Concept?
    #3
    hmi
    What are the best web based HMI solutions out there for small systems? · Recommended Free HMI/SCADA Platform for Proof of Concept? · Recommended Free HMI/SCADA Platform for Proof of Concept?
    5
  • courses
    5 posts in the past month
    1. Please recommend some courses or learning materials
    2. recommend me a course for abb automation builder.
    3. Please I am a beginner in automation. Please I need a guide in this journey or a roadmap that will be of great help in this journey... Please this is what I love and want to be a great person in this. Please recommend books,videos, courses and all. God bless you
    #4
    courses
    Please recommend some courses or learning materials · recommend me a course for abb automation builder. · Please I am a beginner in automation. Please I need a guide in this journey or a roadmap that will be of great help in this journey... Please this is what I love and want to be a great person in this. Please recommend books,videos, courses and all. God bless you
    5
  • label makers
    2 posts in the past month
    1. Please recommend label makers for wiring/tubing
    2. Please recommend label makers for wiring/tubing
    #5
    label makers
    Please recommend label makers for wiring/tubing · Please recommend label makers for wiring/tubing
    2

Frequently asked questions

Who is r/PLC for?
Best for Hardware and Robotics Enthusiasts enthusiasts looking for a Reddit-based community with forum discussion.
Is r/PLC free to join?
This listing is not marked as paid-only. Access rules and any fees are decided by the community.
How many members does r/PLC have?
Roughly 140K members, based on figures reported by the community or its host. Member counts are approximate and change over time.
What platform is r/PLC on?
r/PLC runs on Reddit. Reddit communities (or "subreddits") are forum-based groups on the popular social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website Reddit. Reddit is commonly known as "the front page of the internet". Users submit content to the site such as links, text posts, and images, which are then voted up or down and discussed by other members. From investing Reddit communities, to professional ones, to ones just for laughs, you're likely to find a community for you on Reddit.
What topics does r/PLC cover?
On the Hive Index, r/PLC is organized under Hardware, Robotics Enthusiasts.
How do I join r/PLC?
You can join r/PLC by clicking this link, or pressing the "Go to community" button above.
What are the Hardware communities like?
Communities for hardware engineers, electronics hobbyists, and embedded systems developers. Discord and Reddit host communities for Arduino, Raspberry Pi, PCB design, and DIY electronics, alongside more professional spaces for engineers working on commercial hardware products.