Executive Summary
We analyzed 20 reading communities listed on Hive Index to understand where people gather, what these groups offer, and which communities attract the most interest.
The big picture: reading listings cluster on Independent Platforms, while a few large groups pull member averages up.
Source: Hive Index community database · Updated 2026-06-08
- Communities
- 20
- Platforms
- 6
- Avg members
- 2.3M
- Median members
- 41K
Where Reading Communities Are Hosted
- Independent Platforms: 10 communities (50%)
- Reddit: 6 communities (30%)
- Quora: 1 communities (5%)
- Slack: 1 communities (5%)
- X / Twitter: 1 communities (5%)
- Skool: 1 communities (5%)
- 10(50%)
![Independent Platforms]()
Independent Platforms - 6(30%)
Reddit - 1(5%)
Quora - 1(5%)
Slack - 1(5%)
X / Twitter - 1(5%)
Skool
Format mix
- 17(85%)Forum / feed-based
- 1(5%)Chat communities
- 1(5%)Other platforms
- 1(5%)Private membership
Most listings are forum / feed-based (85%).
Independent Platforms leads with 50%, but Reddit also has a meaningful share (30%).
Audience Size & Access
Community size
- Tiny: 0 communities (0%)
- Small: 1 communities (5%)
- Medium: 2 communities (10%)
- Large: 3 communities (15%)
- Huge: 2 communities (10%)
- Massive: 3 communities (15%)
- Gigantic: 4 communities (20%)
- 0(0%)Tiny<20 members
- 1(5%)Small20-100 members
- 2(10%)Medium100-1,000 members
- 3(15%)Large1,000-10,000 members
- 2(10%)Huge10,000-100,000 members
- 3(15%)Massive100,000-1M members
- 4(20%)Gigantic1M+ members
5 communities have unknown member counts.
Free vs paid
- Free to join: 20 communities (100%)
- Paid or apply-to-join: 0 communities (0%)
The average is much higher than the median (2.3M vs 41K), which usually means a few large groups are pulling the average up.
How Reading Differs From Other Categories
Reading is more free-to-join, and larger, compared with typical Hive Index topics.
| Metric | Reading | Hive Index average |
|---|---|---|
| Free to join | 100% | 85% |
| Median members | 41K | 25K |
| Average members | 2.3M | 669K |
| Paid or apply-to-join | 0% | 15% |
| Live chat | 20% | 38% |
| Topic pageviews / mo | 191 | 714 |
Feature Mix
Common features appear in at least 15% of listings.
Common Features
- Forum: 16 communities (80%)
- Live Chat: 4 communities (20%)
- Online/Offline Events: 4 communities (20%)
- 80%Forum
- 20%Live Chat
- 20%Online/Offline Events
Niche Features
- Newsletter: 2 communities (10%)
- Courses: 1 communities (5%)
- Job Board: 1 communities (5%)
- Tools: 1 communities (5%)
- 10%Newsletter
- 5%Courses
- 5%Job Board
- 5%Tools
Forum appears on 80% of listings.
What Visitors Click
- Outbound clicks / mo
- 6
Platform supply vs. clicks
| Platform | Communities | Share of communities | Outbound clicks | Share of clicks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Platforms | 10 | 50% | 1 | 17% |
| 6 | 30% | 3 | 50% | |
| Quora | 1 | 5% | 1 | 17% |
| Slack | 1 | 5% | 1 | 17% |
Share is calculated within this topic.
Reddit gets 50% of clicks but only 30% of listings, so visitors click it more than you'd expect from supply alone.
Most-clicked formats
- 5(83%)Forum / feed-based
- 1(17%)Chat communities
Most-clicked features
- 5(83%)Forum
- 2(33%)Newsletter
- 1(17%)Job Board
- 1(17%)Live Chat
- 1(17%)Online/Offline Events
Most-clicked size ranges
- 2(33%)Gigantic
- 2(33%)Massive
- 1(17%)Small
- 1(17%)Large
Top-clicked listings
- 2(33%)r/books
- 1(17%)Once Upon a Book
- 1(17%)Personal Knowledge Management
Most clicks go to forum / feed-based and chat communities communities.
Trends
Founded year
- 1998: 1 communities (8%)
- 2003: 1 communities (8%)
- 2006: 1 communities (8%)
- 2008: 1 communities (8%)
- 2010: 1 communities (8%)
- 2011: 1 communities (8%)
- 2012: 2 communities (15%)
- 2013: 1 communities (8%)
- 2014: 1 communities (8%)
- 2020: 1 communities (8%)
- 2021: 2 communities (15%)
7 communities have no founding year on file.
Most listed groups were founded around 2012.
Methodology & FAQ
Methodology
This report uses communities in the Hive Index database tagged as Reading. 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.
- •Last updated 2026-06-08