Subreddits That Allow Self-Promotion in 2026 (By Niche)

Most subreddits don't ban self-promotion outright. They ban it in the main feed and allow it somewhere specific: a weekly thread, a certain day, a flair, or a limit like once a month. Post in the wrong place and your post disappears. Post in the right place and it can get real feedback and your first users.

The problem is that those rules are scattered across sidebars, pinned posts and wikis, and they change. This is a list of communities where you can promote your work, grouped by niche, with the exact rule for each one. It also covers the big communities that look promotion-friendly but aren't.

Quick answer: Subreddits that allow self-promotion in 2026 include r/SideProject, r/alphaandbetausers, r/selfpromotion, r/indiehackers (one post with the Self Promotion flair), r/microsaas (with backstory and lessons), r/buildinpublic, r/playmygame, r/IndieGaming and r/indiegames. Large communities allow it only in set places: r/startups (Share Your Startup thread), r/Entrepreneur (weekly threads like Thank You Thursday and Feedback Friday), r/smallbusiness (weekly Promote-your-business thread), r/webdev (Showoff Saturday, projects not products), r/iOSProgramming (Saturdays, one app per year) and r/SaaS (one mention or three links every 60 days, disclosed).

How we checked: we read each subreddit's rules and sidebar in September 2026, using the most recent archived copy of each page (dated March to September 2026, noted in the table). We only included communities we could verify. Rules change often, so always read the sidebar and pinned posts before posting.

The full list at a glance

Startups and SaaS

r/startups

• Allowed: Sharing your startup in the stickied Share Your Startup thread. Feedback requests, surveys and polls go in the Feedback Thread or the matching weekly thread.
• Not allowed: Promotional posts of any kind outside those threads. The rules define self-promotion as anything you have a stake in, "including being friends with someone at the company."
• Note: Posts need at least 250 characters and must discuss methods and lessons without naming your project. Links in comments must be to things you're not affiliated with. Sharing your own blog needs prior mod approval and the full text in the post.

r/SaaS

• Allowed: Occasional promotion in posts and comments when it's relevant and useful.
• The rule: A maximum of one mention or three links every 60 days, with affiliation disclosed at the start or end. Alt accounts promoting the same product count toward the limit. Naked links and product descriptions count as spam, and breaking the rule gets a ban and your URL blacklisted.
• Note: AI-generated text is banned. Blog posts must put the main ideas in the Reddit post, with the link only at the end ("Originally posted here"). Surveys need mod approval.

r/Entrepreneur

• Allowed: Promotion only in the weekly stickied threads. Talent Tuesday is for services you offer or roles you're hiring for. Thank You Thursday is for free stuff, discounts, courses and deals. Feedback Friday is for feedback on your website or portfolio.
• Not allowed: Selling, dropping URLs, "DM me" or "check my profile" anywhere else. Violations can mean a permanent ban, and the sidebar warns brands can be blacklisted from mentions.
• Note: You must comment on other posts before posting yourself. AI-generated posts and comments aren't allowed.

r/indiehackers

• Allowed: You can promote your product once, using the Self Promotion flair.
• Note: The rule says the purpose is feedback and critique, not advertising. Write it as a request for feedback.

r/microsaas

• Allowed: Sharing your micro SaaS, as long as the post adds value.
• The rule: Include the backstory, tech stack, revenue (if you're comfortable) or a specific lesson. Purely promotional links, repeated link-dropping and "build in public" updates with no insight get removed.

r/buildinpublic

• Allowed: Sharing your work, progress, lessons and feedback requests.
• Not allowed: Posting purely to promote, with no context about how the project was built. Spam links and unsolicited ads are removed.
• Note: If you share a tool or resource, say whether it's paid, free or an affiliate link.

r/growmybusiness

• Allowed: Feedback posts on your product, with the word "feedback" in the title. Questions need a "?" in the title.
• Note: Advice and strategy content goes in the monthly sticky thread, where you can include a signature and links as long as the comment has real content.

r/smallbusiness

• Allowed: Promoting your business in the weekly Promote-your-business thread.
• Also allowed: Mentioning your business in a relevant reply elsewhere, "providing that is not the main purpose of your account and it is not done repeatedly."
• Note: The main feed is for questions only. Success stories and how-to posts aren't allowed, and offering free services "to build your portfolio" counts as promotion.

Side projects and launches

r/SideProject

• Allowed: Sharing side projects for feedback is the point of the community.
• The rule: When you link a project, use the title format "[Project name] - [Short description]".
• Note: It's one of the most popular places to share a project, so a clear title and a screenshot or demo matter.

r/alphaandbetausers

• Allowed: Posting products that are ready for people to test.
• The rule: Tag the title with stage and platform, for example "[iOS, Beta]", and include a description. Pages that only collect emails or ask people to "apply" for future testing are removed, as are products that aren't really in alpha or beta.
• Note: The community asks that you test someone else's product too.

r/InternetIsBeautiful

• Allowed: Free, unique, single-purpose websites and web tools.
• Not allowed: Online stores, paid services and freemium tools, anything that needs an email or account, downloads and extensions, webgames, AI-driven content, and business tools (launch tools, SEO tools, job boards).
• Note: It enforces a 90/10 rule: if almost all your Reddit activity is promoting something you made, you can't post. It's heavily curated, so only post something genuinely novel.

General self-promotion subreddits

r/selfpromotion

• Allowed: Promoting your content in posts.
• The rule: You need at least 20 combined post and comment karma and an account at least 7 days old. Low-effort posts and generic titles ("check this out") are removed. No URL shorteners, and petitions, sign-ups and affiliate links don't count as content.
• Note: The feed is a broad mix, much of it creator content, so expect lower intent than a niche community. We couldn't verify current rules for r/shamelessplug, r/IMadeThis or r/promote in September 2026, so they're not included.

Apps

r/iOSProgramming

• Allowed: Posting about your app on Saturdays only.
• The rule: One app, once a year. You can't post more than one app post a year or post different apps in the same year. The subreddit's App Saturday wiki explains the required post content.
• Note: For paid products, the mods expect a description, the challenges you faced and ideally a technical overview. Free products get more leeway.

r/iOSApps

• Allowed: Infrequent app promotion by developers.
• The rule: Once per developer every 30 days, counted from your last app post even if it was removed. You need 10 karma earned in r/iOSApps before you can promote your app, and you must always disclose that it's yours.
• Note: Links must go to the App Store or TestFlight. Flair by pricing model, and prefix open-source apps with "[OS]". Generative AI and AI-wrapper apps aren't allowed.

r/AppHookup

• Allowed: Developers can post genuine price drops and free promotions for their apps.
• The rule: Titles must follow "[Platform] [App name] [Price change] [Description]". No launch deals, betas, apps that are usually free, or trials shorter than a year. Promo codes are only allowed for lifetime access, with at least 500 codes, distributed through a site like Promies rather than in comments.
• Note: Posts from new accounts are removed until mods approve them. Always disclose your affiliation.

Android developers: r/androidapps doesn't allow self-promotion or tester requests and sends that content to r/droidappshowcase.

Developer tools and open source

r/webdev

• Allowed: Sharing a project, portfolio or anything you want feedback on, on Showoff Saturday only, with the correct flair.
• Not allowed: Commercial promotion, even on Saturday. The rule says "Think project, not product" and asks you to focus on the technical details.
• Note: Posted on another day, it's removed. The sidebar points to Reddit's 9:1 rule for any self-promotion.

r/reactjs

• Allowed: Portfolios in the weekly Sunday portfolio post. Sharing your own articles when they answer someone's question.
• Note: Demo videos need source code, ideally in a runnable sandbox. Commercial activity (recruiting, lead generation, marketing, market research) is only allowed in posts dedicated to it.

r/javascript

• Allowed: Promoting your own content, as long as it isn't most of what you post.
• Not allowed: Advertising paid products and services.

r/selfhosted

• Allowed: Promoting your self-hosted project in moderation, if it's production ready and has documentation.
• The rule: Projects younger than three months (from their first public commit or post) can only go in the current New Project Megathread. On Wednesdays, you can post dashboards and tools for self-hosters, flaired correctly, even if they aren't self-hosted.
• Note: No ads for web hosting or VPS services.

r/opensource

• Allowed: Sharing open-source projects, yours or others', with the Promotional flair.
• Note: The sidebar notes Reddit's guideline that under 10% of your posts should promote your own content, and says the sub is "a little more forgiving" but not a link farm. Drive-by posts from accounts that don't engage may be removed.

r/coolgithubprojects

• Allowed: Sharing your own or others' projects, as long as they're hosted on GitHub.
• Note: Reposts are allowed only if the project added new features and the original post was more than six months ago.

Design

r/web_design

• Allowed: Critique and feedback requests in the Showoff Saturday feedback-weekend threads.
• Not allowed: Commercial promotion or solicitation, and feedback requests outside those threads.
• Note: Design feedback communities change often. We couldn't verify current rules for r/design_critiques or r/UI_Design this month, so check their sidebars directly.

Marketing and ecommerce: mostly no

The marketing communities are where founders most want to promote and where it's least welcome:

• r/marketing: zero tolerance for advertising and self-promotion, with a permanent ban. AI-generated content is also a permanent ban.
• r/digital_marketing: no offering services, and no link submissions to blogs, articles or videos.
• r/SEO: posts and comments with links are removed automatically, and self-promotion, branded content and how-to guides aren't allowed.
• r/shopify: no promotion, soliciting or links. Store reviews go to r/reviewmyshopify.

If you sell to marketers or store owners, use the promotion spots in r/Entrepreneur (Talent Tuesday for services, Thank You Thursday for deals), r/smallbusiness's weekly thread, and r/SaaS within its 60-day limit. In the no-promotion communities, answer questions well and let people find you through your profile.

Games

r/IndieGaming

• Allowed: Promoting your game or sharing development progress.
• The rule: One submission every two weeks, and don't post the same content repeatedly. If generative AI was used anywhere in the game or its promotion, you must say how.
• Note: Store pages on their own are listed as bad content, as are asset flips.

r/indiegames

• Allowed: Game promotion posts aimed at players.
• The rule: Every promotion post must include gameplay footage: an image, gallery, GIF or video. Links to store pages or social media, and feedback questions in titles ("would you play this?"), aren't allowed.
• Note: Keep it about the game, not development. Devlogs and marketing discussion belong elsewhere.

r/playmygame

• Allowed: Posting your game if people can play it for free right now, through a free build or demo.
• The rule: You must be part of the game's development, include a description and a direct link to the game, and wait a month between posts. Paid, complete games can only be advertised on Tuesdays with "[TRAILER TUESDAY]" in the title.
• Note: If you give away keys instead, make at least 10 available to random commenters.

r/IndieDev

• Allowed: Sharing your work with a community of developers. There are few strict rules.
• Note: The sidebar says GIFs and images get attention, while links to Steam, Kickstarter or YouTube don't. Capsule art comparison posts are only allowed on Wednesdays. Treat it as a room of peers, not your target audience.

r/gamedev is not a place to showcase projects. It allows links only when they serve a purpose such as a post mortem, analytics or a feedback request, and points showcase posts to r/indiegames, r/playmygame and r/gamedevscreens.

Content creators

r/NewTubers

• Allowed: Links to your content only in the weekly Feedback Friday and Self-Introduce Saturday megathreads and in other users' critique threads.
• The rule: Give meaningful feedback to at least two people before posting your own link. Every post needs a flair. AI-written posts aren't allowed.

r/YouTubers

• Allowed: Your own videos and channel only in the Monthly Show-Off Thread and properly formatted Review/Critique posts.
• The rule: You need a user flair, which you get by reading the rules and agreeing to them in the pinned instructions post. Higher flair levels, based on your karma and participation in the subreddit, give access to show-off participation.

r/SmallYTChannel

• Allowed: Sharing your videos, paid for with the subreddit's own currency, λ (lambda).
• The rule: Sharing a video costs 2λ. You earn λ by giving useful advice to other creators. Using alt accounts to give yourself λ isn't allowed.

r/podcasting

• Allowed: Promotion and feedback in the Weekly Episode Threads. Links to your podcast in comments when relevant.
• Not allowed: Posting your podcast as a new link, or milestone posts. Promotional posts for products and services need mod approval.

r/newsletters

• Allowed: Links to your newsletter only in the weekly pinned post.

r/WeAreTheMusicMakers

• Allowed: Sharing your music, products or services only in the weekly recurring thread for promotion, feedback or collaboration.
• Note: Starting your own thread for any of those gets you banned without warning.

How to post without getting removed

A few habits cover most removals:

1. Read the sidebar, rules and pinned posts first. Weekly threads are usually pinned at the top. If there's a wiki page about self-promotion, read it.
2. Use the right day, thread and flair. A great post on Friday in a Saturday-only community gets removed.
3. Check account requirements. Many communities filter posts from new or low-karma accounts. Some, like r/iOSApps, require karma earned in that subreddit. Comment there for a while first.
4. Lead with value. A post about what you learned, what you built and why, with the link at the end, survives far more often than a bare link.
5. Disclose. Say it's yours. r/SaaS requires it, and everywhere else it builds trust.
6. Stay for the comments. Several communities remove drive-by posts. Answer questions for the first few hours.
7. Don't cross-post the same text everywhere. Write each post for its community, and space posts out.
8. Keep promotion a small share of your activity. Many sidebars cite a 90/10 or 9:1 ratio.

For the bigger picture, see our Reddit marketing strategy and how to market on Reddit without getting banned. To find communities beyond this list, use our guide to finding the right subreddits for your niche.

Where Okara fits

Promo threads are a small part of Reddit. Most of the value comes from answering questions in communities where you can't post a link at all, and knowing each community's rules before you reply.

Okara's Reddit Agent monitors your keywords, surfaces high-intent threads every day, summarizes each subreddit's rules and culture, and drafts replies you review and post from your own account. Nothing is posted automatically, and a rule summary is a starting point, so still check the sidebar for anything that changed. It's part of AI CMO Pro at $249/month ($208/month billed annually).

Common questions

Which subreddit is best for promoting a SaaS product?

Start with r/SaaS (within its one mention or three links per 60 days), r/microsaas and r/indiehackers, then the Share Your Startup thread in r/startups and Feedback Friday in r/Entrepreneur. Write every post as a lesson or feedback request, not an ad.

Is self-promotion allowed on Reddit?

Yes, within limits. Reddit's spam policy asks you to be thoughtful about how often you post links to a business you run, and each community sets its own rules. Many allow promotion only in a weekly thread, on a certain day, or with a flair.

What is the 90/10 rule on Reddit?

It's a guideline that about 90% of your activity should be genuine participation and at most 10% promotion of your own work. r/InternetIsBeautiful enforces it, r/webdev cites a 9:1 version, and r/opensource refers to Reddit's under-10% guideline.

Why was my self-promotion post removed?

Usually one of four reasons: wrong day or thread, missing flair or title format, an account too new or low in karma, or a post that reads like an ad. Check the rules, then message the moderators politely if you're unsure.

Can I post the same launch in multiple subreddits?

You can post in several communities, but write each post for that community and follow its rules. Copying identical text across many subreddits at once looks like spam to moderators and to Reddit's filters.

How often do subreddit rules change?

Often. Weekly threads get renamed, limits change and some communities stop allowing promotion entirely. We checked these in September 2026. Always read the current sidebar before posting.