Karma on Reddit isn't the same as a real-world principle but relies somewhat on the idea of cause and effect. Reddit invites users to earn digital "karma" by participating within its many subreddit communities.

When you join Reddit, you'll see a number on your profile. This is your post karma and comment karma.

In this article, we answer the questions: What is karma on Reddit? And how do you get karma on Reddit?

Reddit Karma Explained: What Is Reddit Karma?

Reddit karma is a score you get when you post and comment on Reddit. Users are also able to earn karma by either giving or receiving awards, although this is still being tested out and can be checked out on Reddit's r/changelog. Your total karma is shown on your profile, and when someone clicks on your username, they'll see a breakdown of post karma and comment karma.

Some people are so good at Reddit that their karma runs into the millions.

What does Karma mean on Reddit? In this article, we explain how Reddit Karma works.

How Does Reddit Karma Work?

New users may find themselves asking: how does karma work on Reddit? You get Reddit post karma when people upvote anything that you post; you lose it when you get downvoted.

How do you get comment karma on Reddit? It's the same principle—you get comment karma when Reddit users upvote your comments, and you lose karma when they downvote your comments. It's that simple.

Can I Buy Reddit Karma?

Buying karma is not a viable option if earning Reddit karma is your goal. Neither Reddit coins nor a Reddit paid membership can buy you karma, and explicitly asking for upvotes is discouraged.

If a service claims to let you buy Reddit karma, it's likely a scam. And even if it could earn you karma, it would likely go against Reddit's terms of service and get you banned from the platform.

How Is Reddit Karma Calculated?

When you first start earning karma, it looks like every upvote adds a point to it. To put it simply, every net positive vote a user's content received will be worth one point.

This includes:

  • Upvotes.
  • Downvotes.
  • Comments left.
  • Anything using the -/+ buttons.

Once you get into the thousands, however, the math becomes a little murkier. This is because the developers at Reddit use an algorithm to discourage spammers. If you refresh your profile page often, you may see your karma points fluctuate due to this algorithm.

Reddit doesn't disclose exactly how this algorithm works. Allegedly, the more upvotes a link or comment gets, the less karma each upvote is worth. That means a comment with 15K upvotes isn't necessarily going to give you 15K of comment karma. It's also worthwhile to note that karma is awarded on a type of sliding-scale, meaning the more karma you have the less you receive for the same amount of votes when starting out.

What Does Reddit Karma Do?

Reddit app on phone photo

When all is said and done, what is Reddit karma used for?

Sure, it's flattering to have a six-figure score under your name, but is there anything more tangible that karma can get you? Let's break down the benefits of having good Reddit karma:

  • You can post and comment as much as you want. Perhaps you've noticed that when you're still new on Reddit, you have to wait before you can post again after doing so a couple of times. How much karma do I need to post to my heart's content? Nobody really knows. Once you earn more karma, this speed-bump will be no more.
  • You'll be able to join "exclusive" subreddits. Subreddit karma requirements may vary between communities. Some subreddits require that you have a minimum amount of karma before you can join or post.
  • High earners have more credibility. The people of Reddit have notoriously high standards when it comes to opinions and expertise. Having more karma means more credibility backing whatever you have to say.

None of these benefits are any good outside of Reddit, but some people manage to monetize their Reddit karma by selling their accounts or by posting on behalf of brands.

This can be lucrative, but this type of behavior is not necessarily in the true Reddit spirit.

How to Get Karma on Reddit

While the mechanics of earning karma are more or less clear, many new Redditors want to crack the code and figure out how to earn it faster.

Like with any community, building a reputation on Reddit boils down to posting good stuff. Unless you desperately need karma, you should simply engage, contribute, and let things take their natural course.

If you just have to get those extra points—to join a certain subreddit, for example—here are a few tips to help you earn Reddit karma faster.

Big subreddits like r/funny and r/pics are where millions of people go to hang out, so if you post something that goes over well with them, you can earn lots of karma from that post alone.

The downside to massive communities like these is that they're heavily moderated, and even if you manage to post as a newbie, you might have a hard time cutting through the noise.

2. Post Things That Are Funny or Unique

This might sound obvious, but your post has to be notable in order to get noticed. Memes with viral potential are probably your best bet, as are unusual and fascinating photos and videos. This photo of a husky walking on water, for example, got 32.2K upvotes in the r/pics subreddit, earning its author a bundle.

How does Karma work? Reddit guards the secret closely.

To get a better feel of what does and doesn't fly on Reddit, sort the posts in your feed by Top and see if you can spot a pattern there. To learn from the very best, check out our piece on the highest-rated Reddit posts of all time.

3. Discuss Hot Topics

There's always a heated discussion happening on Reddit. If you have something to say about the latest trending news, there's probably already a thread abuzz where you can make your voice heard.

The tricky part here is that hot topics can be extremely polarizing, meaning you're almost as likely to get downvoted as you are to earn positive Reddit karma.

4. Comment First and Make a Good Point

Another good tactic is to monitor new posts in popular subreddits and to jump on the ones that have good upvoting potential. If the post gets hot, your comment will go up with it by sheer proximity. It won't get upvoted just because it's the first one, however.

Witty comments and relevant GIF reactions are usually good fodder for upvotes. So are insightful, well-thought-out explanations and arguments.

Oftentimes, a comment with thousands of upvotes simply expresses a sentiment that enough people could relate to, giving it some traction. This reaction to a YouTube video in r/videos, for example, scored 45.6K points just because a lot of people agreed with it.

What is Reddit Karma? How does Reddit Karma work? How do you earn Karma on Reddit?

5. Ask and Answer on r/AskReddit

One of the biggest subreddits, r/AskReddit, has almost 36 million members. The premise is simple and compelling: ask questions and give answers.

Almost anything goes here. If enough people think yours is a question worth asking, they'll likely add thousands of points to your karma.

How is Karma earned on Reddit? Karma in Reddit rewards the just and noble when they share things worth sharing.

Can You Lose Karma on Reddit?

You can certainly lose karma quickly and easily if you upset enough people. As we mentioned above, when your post or comment gets downvoted, you lose Reddit karma in the process.

Can you lose all of your Reddit karma? Depending on how much karma you originally had and how big of a feud you get yourself into, your karma can reach zero and continue to fall. Make sure to follow the rules of Reddit etiquette to avoid angering other users and losing your karma.

According to the redditors r/help community, you can't lose the karma you've earned from a post if you decide to delete that post at a later stage.

Reddit Karma, Explained: Reddit Karma for Beginners

Earning Reddit karma is just part of the game—you'll also want to keep it. A controversial post is not the only thing that can get you downvoted into oblivion.

Perhaps the biggest offense in breaking common reddiquette is causing a problem for others purposefully and without any reason. As long as you avoid upsetting those that you share the platform with, your Reddit karma is likely going to end up being just fine.