Software Development Communities Report

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Executive Summary

We analyzed 174 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
174
Platforms
15
Avg members
1.1M
Median members
7K

Where Software Development Communities Are Hosted

  • Discord: 47 communities (27%)
  • Independent Platforms: 39 communities (22%)
  • Slack: 32 communities (18%)
  • 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
    47(27%)
  • Independent Platforms
    Independent Platforms
    39(22%)
  • Slack
    32(18%)
  • Reddit
    27(16%)
  • Github
    9(5%)
  • Skool
    7(4%)
  • WhatsApp
    5(3%)
  • LinkedIn
    4(2%)

Format mix

  • Chat communities
    80(46%)
  • Forum / feed-based
    70(40%)
  • Other platforms
    17(10%)
  • Private membership
    7(4%)

Chat communities is most common (46%), but forum / feed-based is also well represented (40%).

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: 40 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
    40(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: 155 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%84%
Median members7K25K
Average members1.1M662K
Paid or apply-to-join11%16%
Live chat61%41%
Discord share27%18%

Feature Mix

Common features appear in at least 15% of listings.

Common Features

  • Live Chat: 106 communities (61%)
  • Forum: 94 communities (54%)
  • Online/Offline Events: 47 communities (27%)
  • Job Board: 29 communities (17%)
  • Newsletter: 27 communities (16%)
  • Live Chat
    61%
  • Forum
    54%
  • Online/Offline Events
    27%
  • Job Board
    17%
  • Newsletter
    16%

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
776

Platform supply vs. clicks

PlatformCommunitiesShare of communitiesOutbound clicksShare of clicks
Discord4727%
27636%
Independent Platforms3922%
273%
Slack3218%
18023%
Reddit2716%
466%
Github95%
20%
Skool74%
203%
WhatsApp53%
7410%
LinkedIn42%
111%

Share is calculated within this topic.

Discord hosts 27% of listings and 36% of clicks, so supply and interest line up.

Most-clicked formats

  • Chat communities
    538(69%)
  • Other platforms
    143(18%)
  • Forum / feed-based
    75(10%)
  • Private membership
    20(3%)

Most-clicked features

  • Live Chat
    699(90%)
  • Online/Offline Events
    385(50%)
  • Job Board
    208(27%)
  • Newsletter
    208(27%)
  • Forum
    156(20%)
  • Tools
    126(16%)

Most-clicked size ranges

  • Huge
    256(33%)
  • Large
    187(24%)
  • Medium
    79(10%)
  • Tiny
    60(8%)
  • Massive
    49(6%)

Top-clicked listings

  • Nikist Hacker club
    118(15%)
  • Pakistan Community
    57(7%)
  • Programmers Palace
    52(7%)

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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