Executive Summary
We analyzed 20 bdsm communities listed on Hive Index to understand where people gather, what these groups offer, and which communities attract the most interest.
The big picture: bdsm listings cluster on Independent Platforms, while a few large groups pull member averages up.
Source: Hive Index community database · Updated periodically
- Communities
- 20
- Platforms
- 5
- Avg members
- 761K
- Median members
- 13K
Where BDSM Communities Are Hosted
- Independent Platforms: 16 communities (80%)
- Reddit: 1 communities (5%)
- Facebook: 1 communities (5%)
- LinkedIn: 1 communities (5%)
- Discord: 1 communities (5%)
- 16(80%)
![Independent Platforms]()
Independent Platforms - 1(5%)
Reddit - 1(5%)
Facebook - 1(5%)
LinkedIn - 1(5%)
Discord
Format mix
- 18(90%)Forum / feed-based
- 1(5%)Other platforms
- 1(5%)Chat communities
Most listings are forum / feed-based (90%).
Independent Platforms leads with 80%, but Reddit also has a meaningful share (5%).
Audience Size & Access
Community size
- Tiny: 0 communities (0%)
- Small: 2 communities (10%)
- Medium: 2 communities (10%)
- Large: 4 communities (20%)
- Huge: 4 communities (20%)
- Massive: 3 communities (15%)
- Gigantic: 1 communities (5%)
- 0(0%)Tiny<20 members
- 2(10%)Small20-100 members
- 2(10%)Medium100-1,000 members
- 4(20%)Large1,000-10,000 members
- 4(20%)Huge10,000-100,000 members
- 3(15%)Massive100,000-1M members
- 1(5%)Gigantic1M+ members
4 communities have unknown member counts.
Free vs paid
- Free to join: 19 communities (95%)
- Paid or apply-to-join: 1 communities (5%)
The average is much higher than the median (761K vs 13K), which usually means a few large groups are pulling the average up.
How BDSM Differs From Other Categories
BDSM is more free-to-join, and smaller, compared with typical Hive Index topics.
| Metric | BDSM | Hive Index average |
|---|---|---|
| Free to join | 95% | 84% |
| Median members | 13K | 25K |
| Average members | 761K | 672K |
| Paid or apply-to-join | 5% | 16% |
| Live chat | 45% | 41% |
| Discord share | 5% | 18% |
Feature Mix
Common features appear in at least 15% of listings.
Common Features
- Forum: 17 communities (85%)
- Live Chat: 9 communities (45%)
- Online/Offline Events: 5 communities (25%)
- Pairing: 3 communities (15%)
- 85%Forum
- 45%Live Chat
- 25%Online/Offline Events
- 15%Pairing
Niche Features
- Courses: 1 communities (5%)
- Newsletter: 1 communities (5%)
- Paid Community: 1 communities (5%)
- 5%Courses
- 5%Newsletter
- 5%Paid Community
Forum appears on 85% of listings.
What Visitors Click
- Outbound clicks / mo
- 1K
Platform supply vs. clicks
| Platform | Communities | Share of communities | Outbound clicks | Share of clicks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Platforms | 16 | 80% | 1K | 84% |
| 1 | 5% | 21 | 2% | |
| 1 | 5% | 10 | 1% | |
| 1 | 5% | 5 | 0% | |
| Discord | 1 | 5% | 181 | 13% |
Share is calculated within this topic.
Independent Platforms hosts 80% of listings and 84% of clicks, so supply and interest line up.
Most-clicked formats
- 1K(86%)Forum / feed-based
- 181(13%)Chat communities
- 5(0%)Other platforms
Most-clicked features
- 1K(95%)Forum
- 1K(79%)Live Chat
- 982(73%)Online/Offline Events
- 921(69%)Pairing
- 723(54%)Newsletter
- 181(13%)Courses
Most-clicked size ranges
- 857(64%)Huge
- 223(17%)Large
- 83(6%)Massive
- 60(4%)Gigantic
- 41(3%)Small
Top-clicked listings
- 723(54%)The Cage
- 181(13%)BDSM Obedience Academy
- 89(7%)The Bound Forum
Most clicks go to forum / feed-based and chat communities communities.
Community Quality & Ratings
Only 2 communities have ratings so far, so read this as a small sample.
1.0 average rating across 2 communities.
Methodology & FAQ
Methodology
This report uses communities in the Hive Index database tagged as BDSM. We exclude removed or suppressed listings. Member counts, traffic, features, reviews, and ratings may vary by source and are updated periodically.
- •This is a smaller slice of Hive Index's database, so read trends as directional.
FAQ
Keep exploring
Browse
Related reports
Related topics
Browse by platform