Exciting news for Reddit users: you might soon need to pay to access certain subreddits. Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, hinted at this possibility during a recent taped video AMA (Ask Me Anything). He mentioned that the platform might implement a paywall, indicating that this initiative is under consideration and moving forward.

When questioned about the status of paid subreddits, Huffman revealed, “It’s a work in progress right now, so that one’s coming.” He further confirmed in response to a follow-up inquiry about upcoming features for Reddit in 2025, “Paid subreddits? Yes,” indicating that these are indeed planned.

Details on how these paid subreddits will operate remain sparse. It’s possible that only Reddit Premium subscribers may gain access to these paid options. As highlighted by Ars Technica, Reddit already provides an exclusive subreddit for premium users known as r/lounge. Additionally, the platform is currently rewarding some contributors through the Reddit Contributor Program. While the basic structure for a paywall exists, further details are needed to understand how everything will fit together.

Regardless of how the rollout unfolds, the introduction of paid subreddits aligns with Reddit’s ongoing strategy to monetize its user-generated content, particularly following its public debut in 2024. The company has already entered licensing agreements with both OpenAI and Google, using user-generated content to enhance its Reddit Answers chatbot. Implementing a paywall could be a more straightforward approach to maximizing the value of existing content, though its impact remains to be seen.