Hot Tab

Hot is Reddit's default post-sorting algorithm — the sort you see when you visit a subreddit without specifying otherwise. The Hot algorithm weights two main factors: how recent a post is and how fast it's accumulating upvotes. A new post with rapidly accumulating votes ranks higher than an older post with the same total vote count. This is why posts on Reddit have a window of opportunity — roughly the first 60-120 minutes of their life — when Hot ranking can launch them or leave them buried.

The Hot algorithm is documented broadly: posts get a logarithmically-decayed score combining upvote velocity and post age, with downvotes subtracting weighted negative score. New posts start with low scores and ramp up if they accumulate votes. Posts that don't get early traction lose their window and fall behind newer posts that are climbing.

For anyone posting on Reddit, the implication is straightforward: timing matters. Posting in your subreddit's active window (typically late morning to early evening US time for most English-language subs) increases the chance that enough users see your post early to give it lift. Posting at 3am local time in a slow subreddit means your post is dead before anyone with voting activity sees it.

For monitoring, Hot is the sort most users see — so threads ranked high on Hot are the ones with broadest visibility. A keyword match in a Hot-ranked thread is more time-sensitive than a match in a New or Top thread because the Hot thread is still actively accumulating reads. The window for engagement (helpful comment, useful reply) is roughly the first few hours.

Reddit's various Best feed, popular feed, and default feeds use Hot-derived algorithms that span multiple subreddits. The home feed for a logged-in user combines Hot ranking from their subscribed subreddits, which is why a high-engagement post in one of their subs can spike visibility across their full feed.