Top 10 Best Online Discussion Forums in the World

What are the best online discussion forums in the world? We live in a digital world where our relationships have become vaster and vaster, as the internet has made inter-continent communications possible. In this part of the world, not only can you have one-on-one discussions with those you choose to communicate with, but you also get to discuss with a wider range of audience on a particular topic.

Beyond social media comment sections, there are digital forums made available for discussions to take place. This article will highlight the top 10 Best Online Discussion Forums in the World. Let’s get right into it.

10. XDA Developers

XDA Developers is an online community for mobile software development enthusiasts launched in 2002. Unlike some other discussion forums, the discussions on this forum have been narrowed down to Android and other mobile development topics.

Many popular software/hardware hacks, phone and tablet tweaks, and rooting methods have originated from the XDA forum.

9. Steam

Steam is an online community designed strictly for gamers. On the forum, gamers can buy and sell games and other gaming items. It allows users to communicate with like-minded “friends” in the world of games while offering support to one another.

Amazing features of Steam include friends lists and group lists, in-game voice, chat functionalities, e.t.c. The forum boasts of over 30 million users.

8. IGN Boards

IGN is short for Imagine Games Network. The forum, contrary to its name, is not restricted to games alone. Other topics such as sports, entertainment, books, food, cars, dating, e.t.c, are also frequently discussed on the forum.

The platform has over 230 million users worldwide, with over 44 million followers across various social media. Its Youtube channel has over 16 million subscribers. The channel provides subscribers with updates on the latest gaming & entertainment news and up-to-the-minute event coverage.

Like users of other discussion forums, frequent users of IGN Boards have complained about issues on the forum like “unnecessary” live streams which drain a lot of data.

7. Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is a question-and-answer website for professional programmers. So far on this list, it is obvious that some discussion forums are set up with a particular interest in mind. The platform was created in 2008 to help software developers and other programming enthusiasts share ideas with one another.

It has various features which aid the purpose of the forum. One of these features includes the ability for members to vote on answers to a question, enabling them to make better decisions and come to more effective conclusions. With over 50 million users, Stack Overflow reportedly boasts of a response time of less than an hour, aiding the effectiveness of the forum.

6. Medium

Medium is an online forum where users get to post and read articles. It was created by Twitter co-founder, Evan Williams.

On Medium, subscribers are able to link their social media accounts to their profile, allowing their social media followers to access their works easily. The forum is one of the best online discussion forums in the world as it accentuates the works of writers worldwide and connects them to a larger audience. On Medium, everyone can have a voice.

The platform reportedly boasts of over 60 million active monthly users.

5. Imgur

Imgur is an American online image-sharing platform that was founded by Alan Schaaf in 2009. The forum has a niche for social gossip and is responsible for many popular memes and viral images.

The image sharing and hosting site boasts of about 160 million users and 250 million visitors monthly. Imgur now offers subscription plans for members to enjoy interruption-free experiences from ads on the site.

4. Discord

Discord is undoubtedly one of the best online discussion forums in the world for many reasons. First, it allows discussions on various topics, unlike some other forums. However, it specializes in gaming too.

The online community platform focuses on real-time communication for gamers to talk to each other and organize to play games on the site. The platform has over 250 million registered users, with a featured page for support and FAQs.

Top 3 Best Online Discussion Forums in the World

From the top 10 list of best online discussion forums, we will highlight three platforms that have proven to be worthy of the top 3 list. This sub-list is based on popular reviews and endorsements/recommendations by active users and discussion forum enthusiasts worldwide.

Here are the top 3 best forums for online discussions.

3. GitHub

GitHub is another online discussion platform for software developers. The forum, which is now owned by Microsoft, allows developers to share projects they are working on.

The membership strength is over 65 million with about 200 million repositories. The website supports file types ranging from text to videos. It allows membership contribution via the suggestion of new features, support of projects by fellow developers through coding, e.t.c.

2. Quora

This is probably the most popular discussion forum in the world. Quora allows users to ask questions and find answers across various topics worldwide.

Many answers from the Q & A forum pop up when questions are asked on the internet, owing to the massive number of questions answered on Quora so far. At the moment, Quora has about 300 million active users monthly with about 5000 questions asked on the platform daily.

One great feature of the forum is that responses start trooping in within 20 to 30 minutes after questions have been asked. Quora is known to be one of the best sites for content marketing.

1. Reddit

Reddit easily tops the list as the best online discussion platform in the world. It is a news aggregation website that allows users to discuss and rate web content. Unlike some other forums, however, participation is restricted to only registered members.

The site allows members to post content in form of links, images, videos, and texts. The contents are then voted on by other members in order to rank them.

As of 2020, Reddit boasted of 500 million active users every month and 52 million daily users, with the majority being in the USA.