Bluesky will launch Reddit-style communities this year

At a glance:

• Bluesky’s product lead Alex Benzer announced that “communities” will arrive later in 2026.
• Each community gets its own handle and URL, e.g. community-name.bsky.social or .bsky.space.
• The feature mirrors Reddit’s subreddits and follows Meta Threads’ 2025 rollout, but is built on the open‑source AT protocol.

What the new communities will look like

Bluesky describes the upcoming communities as “smaller spaces inside the one big space” that the network already provides. Users will be able to create a community, join existing ones, post content, and receive notifications for new posts and replies. The design aims to let people with niche interests gather without leaving the broader Bluesky ecosystem.

Handles, URLs and custom landing pages

Every community will have a unique handle that doubles as its web address, such as gaming.bsky.social or photography.bsky.space. Visiting that URL will display a custom landing page where owners can embed AT‑protocol apps, widgets, or other tools to shape the experience. This mirrors how subreddits have their own pages on Reddit, but gives community admins more flexibility to add interactive features.

Feed integration and alerts

Bluesky plans to surface community posts automatically in users’ Discover feed, or possibly in a dedicated community feed if the team decides to build one. Users will also have the option to opt‑in to push alerts for new activity, ensuring they stay up‑to‑date without manually checking each community’s homepage.

Development timeline and developer outreach

Alex Benzer said the feature is still under construction and that the product team will be consulting developers and community organizers for feedback. While no exact launch date has been disclosed, the announcement makes it clear that the rollout is slated for later this year. The team’s openness to external input suggests that early adopters may get a chance to test beta versions before the public release.

How Bluesky’s approach differs from Reddit and Threads

Reddit has long relied on subreddits as independent forums, while Meta’s Threads introduced a similar “communities” feature in late 2025. Bluesky’s version distinguishes itself by leveraging the AT protocol, an open‑source framework that enables richer app integration directly on community pages. This could allow for decentralized moderation tools, custom bots, or even cross‑community commerce that aren’t possible on the more centralized Reddit or Threads platforms.

What this means for the decentralized social landscape

If successful, communities could become a key growth lever for Bluesky, attracting users who want more structured discussion venues while staying within a decentralized network. The move also signals that the platform is shifting from a single, timeline‑centric experience toward a more modular, topic‑driven architecture. Competitors will likely watch the rollout closely, as community‑centric features have become a benchmark for user engagement across social media.