How to Get Karma on Reddit (Without Farming It)
How to get karma on Reddit: what earns it, post vs comment karma, a realistic pace, and the published karma and account-age rules of 44 subreddits, checked 1 Nov 2026.
2026-11-01
Reddit gives you karma when other people upvote your posts and comments, so the way to get it is to comment helpfully in active subreddits you care about, early in threads, and let the upvotes add up. There's no fast, safe shortcut. Most new accounts build karma a few points at a time, and a couple of hundred karma can take anywhere from a day to several weeks.
For most people that's the whole answer. The rest of this page covers how karma works, what pace to expect, and why karma farming backfires. If you're using Reddit for a business, there's also a table of the karma and account-age minimums that 44 subreddits publish (most don't), checked on 1 November 2026.
What karma is
Karma is the score on your Reddit profile. It goes up when people upvote what you post and down when they downvote it. Your profile splits it into post karma (from posts you submit) and comment karma (from your comments). Some subreddits also track community karma, the karma you earned inside that one subreddit, and use it to decide who can post there.
You don't get one point per upvote. A longtime helper in r/reddithelp put it this way: "Karma is not gained 1:1 with votes. It takes more votes to per point of Karma." (u/jgoja in r/reddithelp, 25 August 2026). The same reply adds that "The actual ratio is not known and it differs for posts and comments." Reddit doesn't publish the formula, so there's no point trying to work it out.
How to get karma on Reddit, step by step
Ask any of Reddit's own help communities and you get the same advice. Here it is in order.
- Start with comments, not posts. Many subreddits block posts from low-karma accounts but still let you comment. "Rather than start with posting, instead, focus on commenting to begin building your karma." (u/nincyh in r/reddithelp, 25 August 2026)
- Comment early. Sort a subreddit by new or rising and answer posts that don't have many replies yet. u/jgoja recommends that routine in the same r/reddithelp thread: "Sort by new, answer questions that you have an answer for, periodically refresh the feed."
- Only answer questions you know the answer to. Helpful, specific, friendly comments get upvoted. Jokes work in some places. Arguing rarely does, even when you're right.
- Pick subreddits with low or no requirements first. "Small or niche subreddits typically have a lower karma requirement" (u/jgoja, same reply). r/NewToReddit keeps a list of new-user-friendly subreddits for this.
- Once you have some comment karma, post, and make it the kind of thing that subreddit already upvotes. Read the past month's top posts before you write yours.
- Read the rules before you post anywhere. A removed post earns nothing, and repeat removals can get you banned from that subreddit.
How fast can you get karma?
Slower than most people want. "You can't really get karma fast." (u/Potential_Macaron744 in r/reddithelp, 25 August 2026). A helper in r/NewToReddit described the usual pace: "most of us build karma in twos and fives and tens", and "it could take one day, or several weeks to build a couple hundred karma." (u/nincyh in r/NewToReddit, 30 October 2026).
How much karma do you need?
There's no single number, because each subreddit sets its own. "There is no set amount of karma (or account age) you need to access Reddit. Each individual subreddit sets its own restrictions" (u/mikey_weasel in r/NewToReddit, 31 October 2026). Two of that subreddit's helpers gave targets in the same thread. u/mikey_weasel recommends "aiming for 100 karma as a start", and u/nincyh suggests "200+ karma, split somewhat evenly between post karma and comment karma."
Karma isn't the only gate. "You can have 100 karma but if your account in less than 30 days, you might still have issues." (u/Unique_Importance910, 31 October 2026). Account age matters, and so does Reddit's hidden Contributor Quality Score. Our free lookup lets you check your karma and account age, and it also tells you whether logged-out users can see the account.
Why karma farming backfires
Karma farming means chasing upvotes for their own sake: posting in "free karma" subreddits, trading upvotes, asking for them, or pasting AI-written comments everywhere. It's tempting when a subreddit you need is gated, and it usually costs more than it earns.
Moderators look for it and write it into their rules. r/sales defines it plainly: "Karma farming is asking for upvotes in the comments section of other users posts and should be reported to the mod team for removal." (r/sales rules, read 1 November 2026). r/indiehackers warns that if a post is "done to karma farm, we don't have great news for you." r/SaaSMarketing bans members who "copy/paste from ChatGPT to boost karma or fake engagement."
Reddit's help communities warn against it too: "'Karma Farming' is very against Reddit rules and can quickly get your account suspended or worse." (u/nincyh in r/reddithelp, 25 August 2026).
A big number earned in the wrong places doesn't build trust. Upvotes from a meme subreddit don't count as community karma in r/sales or r/GrowthHacking, and any moderator who clicks your profile can see the history behind the number. As u/Unique_Importance910 put it in the r/NewToReddit thread above, most of Reddit "just wants to see that you are a genuine user not just a karma farming bot."
Karma also won't rescue an account that's already flagged. If nobody else can see your posts, more karma doesn't fix that. People in r/reddithelp are blunt about it, and we collected what they said in our shadowban guide.
Buying karma, or buying an account that already has it, is the same idea with money attached. Our post on buying Reddit accounts and upvotes covers what Reddit's rules say about it.
Karma for marketers and founders: what the gates actually are
If you're on Reddit to talk about a product, karma matters in a narrower way. It decides whether your posts and comments show up at all in the subreddits your buyers read. Many of those subreddits filter low-karma accounts automatically, and the person posting usually gets no notice.
Most of them also don't say what the bar is. A new user in r/NewToReddit described it: subreddits "just tell me my standing is too low" (u/SnackModeGamer, 31 October 2026). A founder in r/SaaS ran into an unpublished one: "One pulled my post for having under 10 comment karma in that specific sub" (u/jobuildsstuff, 14 September 2026).
So we checked. On 1 November 2026 we read the posted rules and sidebar of 45 subreddits where marketers and founders post. One (r/coldemail) didn't come back from our lookup, which leaves 44. We only recorded a karma or account-age minimum where the subreddit states one publicly. We didn't read every wiki page, and many subreddits enforce limits through AutoModerator settings only moderators can see, so "not stated publicly" doesn't mean "no limit".
Of the 44, 7 publish a number and 37 don't.
Subreddits that publish a karma or account-age minimum (read 1 November 2026)
| Subreddit | Members | Karma minimum | Account age | What it applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| r/marketing | 1,981,656 | 300+ combined karma | Over 30 days | Posting and commenting | Rules |
| r/sales | 611,707 | 10 community karma ("10 upvotes received on comments here") | Accounts under 24 hours filtered | Creating a post | Rules, sidebar |
| r/shopify | 384,231 | 20 comment karma AND 20 post karma | 30 days | Posts and comments | Rules |
| r/Affiliatemarketing | 294,075 | 250 karma | Not stated | Posting (you must also join the sub to post or comment) | Rules |
| r/juststart | 181,809 | 10 comment karma | Not stated | Posting | Rules, sidebar |
| r/GrowthHacking | 161,356 | 100 community karma | Not stated | Sharing your own blog, product, podcast or video | Rules |
| r/bigseo | 143,292 | 3 comment karma | Over 1 day | Contributing (below it, posts wait for manual approval) | Sidebar |
Member counts are as Reddit reported them on 1 November 2026. A few details:
- r/shopify spells out that comment and post karma are counted separately: "20 'comment' karma AND 20 'post' karma (these are different than your overall karma)." It also says moderators "will not respond to requests to waive these requirements."
- r/sales words its rule two ways. The rules list says 10 upvotes received on comments in r/sales, and the sidebar says "a minimum of 10 user-karma". Assume the stricter one.
- r/marketing applies its gate to comments too, so a new account can't even reply there.
Subreddits that don't publish a minimum (read 1 November 2026)
None of these states a karma or account-age number in its posted rules or sidebar. Where a subreddit has other written gates on promotion, we noted them.
| Subreddit | Members | Karma / age minimum | Other written gate worth knowing | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| r/Entrepreneur | 5,302,513 | Not stated publicly | "You must participate in the comments of other posts on this subreddit before posting yourself." | Rules |
| r/productivity | 4,265,003 | Not stated publicly | No advertising | Rules |
| r/webdev | 3,327,499 | Not stated publicly | No self-promotion; refers posters to the 9:1 rule | Rules |
| r/smallbusiness | 2,561,066 | Not stated publicly | Promotion only in the weekly promote-your-business thread | Rules |
| r/startups | 2,147,019 | Not stated publicly | Promotion only in the monthly Share Your Startup thread | Rules |
| r/socialmedia | 2,123,639 | Not stated publicly | Zero tolerance for buying or selling accounts, likes or engagement | Rules |
| r/SideProject | 888,007 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/SaaS | 837,685 | Not stated publicly | "Max 1 mention or 3 links can be shared every 60 days" | Rules |
| r/EntrepreneurRideAlong | 738,107 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/freelance | 705,347 | Not stated publicly | No advertising or self-promotion | Rules |
| r/ecommerce | 687,146 | Not stated publicly | AI-content violations "from lower-karma accounts" may mean a ban | Rules |
| r/SEO | 519,747 | Not stated publicly | "Any posts or comments with links are automatically removed." | Rules |
| r/digital_marketing | 381,766 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/Startup_Ideas | 350,288 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/startup | 325,668 | Not stated publicly | Self posts only | Rules |
| r/PPC | 289,834 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/ProductManagement | 285,431 | Not stated publicly | No self-promotion or spam | Rules |
| r/copywriting | 264,216 | Not stated publicly | No undisclosed or unsolicited links | Rules |
| r/advertising | 260,267 | Not stated publicly | No advertisements or spam | Rules |
| r/microsaas | 223,263 | Not stated publicly | Product shares must include backstory, stack, revenue or a lesson | Rules |
| r/ycombinator | 207,893 | Not stated publicly | Feedback posts go in the megathreads | Rules |
| r/content_marketing | 205,697 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/indiehackers | 199,365 | Not stated publicly | "Users can self promote their product 1 time using the Self Promotion flair." | Rules |
| r/AskMarketing | 178,349 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/nocode | 143,212 | Not stated publicly | Product launches go in the monthly launch post | Rules |
| r/buildinpublic | 128,006 | Not stated publicly | No self-promotion without context | Rules |
| r/Emailmarketing | 125,573 | Not stated publicly | Limit self-promotion | Rules |
| r/RedditforBusiness | 115,793 | Not stated publicly | Do not self-promote | Rules |
| r/b2bmarketing | 103,790 | Not stated publicly | No self promotion | Rules |
| r/founder | 85,804 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/Solopreneur | 78,881 | Not stated publicly | No disguised self-promotion or affiliate links | Rules |
| r/LeadGeneration | 71,513 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/IMadeThis | 54,466 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/alphaandbetausers | 51,345 | Not stated publicly | None noted | Rules |
| r/startups_promotion | 42,368 | Not stated publicly | "Share a startup only ONCE!" Owners only, no agencies | Rules |
| r/SaaSMarketing | 39,281 | Not stated publicly | No "Build in Public" or "What are you building?" posts | Rules |
| r/roastmystartup | 36,558 | Not stated publicly | Product Hunt and Vercel links are removed | Rules |
Two things stand out. The biggest communities (r/Entrepreneur, r/startups, r/smallbusiness, r/SaaS) publish no karma number, but they do publish strict promotion rules, so for a founder the promotion rule is usually the one that bites first. And the subreddits that publish a number mostly set it low (3 to 20 karma). r/marketing (300 and 30 days) and r/Affiliatemarketing (250) are the clear exceptions.
What this means if you're marketing on Reddit
- Build karma where your buyers already talk, not in general-interest subreddits. Community karma in r/sales or r/GrowthHacking only comes from r/sales or r/GrowthHacking.
- Expect hidden gates. If a post disappears in a subreddit that doesn't list a minimum, assume AutoModerator caught it and message the mods instead of reposting.
- Karma gets you through the door. It doesn't get you past the promotion rules: an account with 5,000 karma is still limited to one mention every 60 days in r/SaaS. Our guide on how to promote on Reddit without getting banned covers those rules and what founders say happened when they broke them.
- Warm the account before you need it. Our account warm-up guide has a week-by-week plan.
The karma worth having comes from answering the questions your buyers ask. Our Reddit monitoring app finds those threads and drafts a reply you can edit and post yourself. It doesn't post for you, so the karma and the account history stay yours.
FAQ
What's the fastest way to get karma on Reddit?
Comment early on new posts in active, low-requirement subreddits, and make the answers useful. No safe method is faster. Upvote trading and karma-farm subreddits break many subreddits' rules and can get an account suspended.
Does comment karma or post karma matter more?
It depends on the subreddit. Some check combined karma (r/marketing), some check only comment karma (r/bigseo, r/juststart), and some check both separately (r/shopify asks for 20 of each). Building both is the safe option.
Why can't I post even though I have karma?
The usual causes are account age, too little community karma in that specific subreddit, a hidden AutoModerator rule, or a low Contributor Quality Score. Check the subreddit's rules and sidebar first, then check your account to rule out a shadowban.
Related reading
All of this sits under the 9:1 rule. Contribute far more than you promote, or none of the mechanics hold.
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