Software Development Communities Report

← Back to Software Development communities

Executive Summary

We analyzed 175 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

Browse all Software Development communitiesKnow a community we're missing? Add it
Communities
175
Platforms
15
Avg members
1.1M
Median members
7K

Where Software Development Communities Are Hosted

  • Discord: 47 communities (27%)
  • Independent Platforms: 40 communities (23%)
  • Slack: 32 communities (18%)
  • Reddit: 27 communities (15%)
  • 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
    47(27%)
  • Independent Platforms
    Independent Platforms
    40(23%)
  • Slack
    32(18%)
  • Reddit
    27(15%)
  • Github
    9(5%)
  • Skool
    7(4%)
  • WhatsApp
    5(3%)
  • LinkedIn
    4(2%)

Format mix

  • Chat communities
    80(46%)
  • Forum / feed-based
    71(41%)
  • Other platforms
    17(10%)
  • Private membership
    7(4%)

Chat communities is most common (46%), 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: 11 communities (6%)
  • Medium: 21 communities (12%)
  • Large: 41 communities (23%)
  • Huge: 32 communities (18%)
  • Massive: 19 communities (11%)
  • Gigantic: 12 communities (7%)
  • Tiny
    <20 members
    4(2%)
  • Small
    20-100 members
    11(6%)
  • Medium
    100-1,000 members
    21(12%)
  • Large
    1,000-10,000 members
    41(23%)
  • Huge
    10,000-100,000 members
    32(18%)
  • Massive
    100,000-1M members
    19(11%)
  • Gigantic
    1M+ members
    12(7%)

35 communities have unknown member counts.

Free vs paid

  • Free to join: 156 communities (89%)
  • Paid or apply-to-join: 19 communities (11%)

The average is much higher than the median (1.1M vs 7K), 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 join89%85%
Median members7K25K
Average members1.1M657K
Paid or apply-to-join11%15%
Live chat61%41%
Discord share27%18%

Feature Mix

Common features appear in at least 15% of listings.

Common Features

  • Live Chat: 107 communities (61%)
  • Forum: 95 communities (54%)
  • Online/Offline Events: 47 communities (27%)
  • Job Board: 29 communities (17%)
  • Newsletter: 27 communities (15%)
  • Live Chat
    61%
  • Forum
    54%
  • Online/Offline Events
    27%
  • Job Board
    17%
  • Newsletter
    15%

Niche Features

  • Courses: 17 communities (10%)
  • Requires Application: 11 communities (6%)
  • Member Perks: 10 communities (6%)
  • Paid Community: 10 communities (6%)
  • Pairing: 7 communities (4%)
  • Tools: 5 communities (3%)
  • Token: 1 communities (1%)
  • Courses
    10%
  • Requires Application
    6%
  • Member Perks
    6%
  • Paid Community
    6%
  • Pairing
    4%
  • Tools
    3%
  • Token
    1%

Live Chat appears on 61% of listings.

What Visitors Click

Outbound clicks / mo
663

Platform supply vs. clicks

PlatformCommunitiesShare of communitiesOutbound clicksShare of clicks
Discord4727%
21432%
Independent Platforms4023%
223%
Slack3218%
18127%
Reddit2715%
376%
Skool74%
152%
WhatsApp53%
7311%
LinkedIn42%
30%
Nas.io32%
9815%

Share is calculated within this topic.

Discord hosts 27% of listings and 32% of clicks, so supply and interest line up.

Most-clicked formats

  • Chat communities
    475(72%)
  • Other platforms
    110(17%)
  • Forum / feed-based
    63(10%)
  • Private membership
    15(2%)

Most-clicked features

  • Live Chat
    606(91%)
  • Online/Offline Events
    329(50%)
  • Job Board
    187(28%)
  • Newsletter
    183(28%)
  • Forum
    112(17%)
  • Tools
    102(15%)

Most-clicked size ranges

  • Huge
    242(37%)
  • Large
    165(25%)
  • Medium
    54(8%)
  • Tiny
    52(8%)
  • Massive
    35(5%)

Top-clicked listings

  • Nikist Hacker club
    95(14%)
  • Pakistan Community
    52(8%)
  • DevOps Chat
    38(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

    Keep exploring

    Browse

    Related reports

    Related topics

    Browse by platform