Software Development Communities Report

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Executive Summary

We analyzed 169 software development communities listed on Hive Index to understand where people gather, what these groups offer, and which communities attract the most interest.

The big picture: software development communities are broad and fragmented, with many small groups and a few very large outliers.

Source: Hive Index community database · Updated periodically

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Communities
169
Platforms
15
Avg members
1.1M
Median members
8K

Where Software Development Communities Are Hosted

  • Discord: 43 communities (25%)
  • Independent Platforms: 38 communities (22%)
  • Slack: 32 communities (19%)
  • Reddit: 27 communities (16%)
  • Github: 9 communities (5%)
  • Skool: 7 communities (4%)
  • WhatsApp: 5 communities (3%)
  • LinkedIn: 4 communities (2%)
  • Nas.io: 3 communities (2%)
  • X / Twitter: 2 communities (1%)
  • Telegram: 2 communities (1%)
  • Discourse: 2 communities (1%)
  • Quora: 1 communities (1%)
  • Facebook: 1 communities (1%)
  • Meetup: 1 communities (1%)
  • Discord
    43(25%)
  • Independent Platforms
    Independent Platforms
    38(22%)
  • Slack
    32(19%)
  • Reddit
    27(16%)
  • Github
    9(5%)
  • Skool
    7(4%)
  • WhatsApp
    5(3%)
  • LinkedIn
    4(2%)

Format mix

  • Chat communities
    76(45%)
  • Forum / feed-based
    69(41%)
  • Other platforms
    17(10%)
  • Private membership
    7(4%)

Chat communities is most common (45%), but forum / feed-based is also well represented (41%).

Discord leads, but Independent Platforms and Slack also represent meaningful shares.

Audience Size & Access

Community size

  • Tiny: 4 communities (2%)
  • Small: 9 communities (5%)
  • Medium: 21 communities (12%)
  • Large: 38 communities (22%)
  • Huge: 32 communities (19%)
  • Massive: 19 communities (11%)
  • Gigantic: 12 communities (7%)
  • Tiny
    <20 members
    4(2%)
  • Small
    20-100 members
    9(5%)
  • Medium
    100-1,000 members
    21(12%)
  • Large
    1,000-10,000 members
    38(22%)
  • Huge
    10,000-100,000 members
    32(19%)
  • Massive
    100,000-1M members
    19(11%)
  • Gigantic
    1M+ members
    12(7%)

34 communities have unknown member counts.

Free vs paid

  • Free to join: 152 communities (90%)
  • Paid or apply-to-join: 17 communities (10%)

The average is much higher than the median (1.1M vs 8K), which usually means a few large groups are pulling the average up.

How Software Development Differs From Other Categories

Software Development is smaller, more platform-diverse, and more chat-heavy, compared with typical Hive Index topics.

MetricSoftware DevelopmentHive Index average
Free to join90%84%
Median members8K26K
Average members1.1M674K
Paid or apply-to-join10%16%
Live chat60%40%
Discord share25%17%

Feature Mix

Common features appear in at least 15% of listings.

Common Features

  • Live Chat: 102 communities (60%)
  • Forum: 93 communities (55%)
  • Online/Offline Events: 45 communities (27%)
  • Job Board: 29 communities (17%)
  • Newsletter: 27 communities (16%)
  • Live Chat
    60%
  • Forum
    55%
  • Online/Offline Events
    27%
  • Job Board
    17%
  • Newsletter
    16%

Niche Features

  • Courses: 17 communities (10%)
  • Member Perks: 10 communities (6%)
  • Paid Community: 10 communities (6%)
  • Requires Application: 9 communities (5%)
  • Pairing: 6 communities (4%)
  • Tools: 5 communities (3%)
  • Token: 1 communities (1%)
  • Courses
    10%
  • Member Perks
    6%
  • Paid Community
    6%
  • Requires Application
    5%
  • Pairing
    4%
  • Tools
    3%
  • Token
    1%

Live Chat appears on 60% of listings.

What Visitors Click

Outbound clicks / mo
574

Platform supply vs. clicks

PlatformCommunitiesShare of communitiesOutbound clicksShare of clicks
Discord4325%
23544%
Independent Platforms3822%
92%
Slack3219%
15529%
Reddit2716%
204%
Github95%
61%
Skool74%
92%
WhatsApp53%
357%
LinkedIn42%
71%

Share is calculated within this topic.

Discord hosts 25% of listings and 44% of clicks, so supply and interest line up.

Most-clicked formats

  • Chat communities
    428(80%)
  • Other platforms
    72(13%)
  • Forum / feed-based
    29(5%)
  • Private membership
    9(2%)

Most-clicked features

  • Live Chat
    500(93%)
  • Online/Offline Events
    275(51%)
  • Job Board
    191(36%)
  • Newsletter
    130(24%)
  • Forum
    92(17%)
  • Courses
    56(10%)

Most-clicked size ranges

  • Huge
    171(32%)
  • Large
    147(27%)
  • Massive
    50(9%)
  • Medium
    49(9%)
  • Tiny
    31(6%)

Top-clicked listings

  • Nikist Hacker club
    49(9%)
  • Programmers Palace
    38(7%)
  • Pakistan Community
    31(6%)

Most clicks go to chat communities and other platforms communities.

Community Quality & Ratings

Only 4 communities have ratings so far, so read this as a small sample.

5.0 average rating across 4 communities.

Rated examples

Methodology & FAQ

Methodology

This report uses communities in the Hive Index database tagged as Software Development. We exclude removed or suppressed listings. Member counts, traffic, features, reviews, and ratings may vary by source and are updated periodically.

    Updated periodically

    FAQ

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