Reddit moves most of its platform to logged-in use as search referrals shrink
The change puts Reddit's future user numbers at risk, and its test markets will show how many visitors stay once they must sign in.
Reddit says it will move most of its platform to a logged-in experience, a change it frames as a response to shrinking search referrals and a way to protect its data from AI scrapers while pursuing data-licensing deals with model providers. Search referrals fell by more than 1 million a week in October, and Reddit warned that daily active users could drop by a low double-digit percentage next quarter if the trend holds. U.S. daily active users slipped from 53.2 million to 50.7 million quarter over quarter, yet revenue still rose 53% to $895 million, and average revenue per U.S. daily user climbed to $13.82. CEO Steve Huffman told investors that Google's AI Mode does not send traffic to Reddit, while noting that Reddit remains a frequently searched term and that Google keeps crawling the site heavily. The shift will begin with tests in markets outside the U.S. in the fourth quarter, with no timeline yet for a global rollout, and Reddit says anonymity and a rebuilt incognito browsing mode will remain available.
Why it matters
For ordinary users, the shift means much of Reddit may require an account to read, though anonymity and a rebuilt incognito mode are promised. For the wider web, it shows a platform reacting to falling search traffic by pulling content behind a login, while revenue still climbs even as active users dip. Reddit's pursuit of data-licensing deals with AI model providers suggests the company sees its content as something to sell rather than give away freely. Whether the trade holds depends on how many people keep visiting once signing in is required.
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