Tell HN: Reddit now blocks VPN access via browser, 'old' subdomain included

Hacker News Discussion ↗

VPN / IP Blocking Behavior

  • Blocking appears IP-based and focused on “hosting/VPN/proxy” ranges rather than all VPNs.
  • Many report the “Woah there, pardner” block page on both www and old.reddit.com.
  • Several users say logging in or creating an account over VPN bypasses the block; others report 403s even when trying to sign up or logged in.
  • Some VPNs (Mullvad, AirVPN, some Surfshark endpoints) are frequently blocked; others (ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, Windscribe, Astrill, AdGuard VPN browser extension) often work.
  • Switching VPN endpoints or countries can help; blocking is inconsistent and may be adaptive or A/B tested.
  • Some purely residential IPs are also blocked, suggesting overblocking or misclassification.

Tor, Onion, and Other Privacy Tools

  • Tor generally still works; Reddit’s onion service is reported as working even when VPN IPs are blocked.
  • Some expect the onion mirror might be removed under IPO-focused management, but this is speculative in the thread.
  • iCloud Private Relay works fine for some, triggers the block for others; behavior is inconsistent.

User Motivations for VPN Use

  • Many run all traffic through VPNs to avoid ISP tracking, protect on public Wi-Fi, or bypass national censorship.
  • For some, Reddit is specifically blocked by local governments, making VPN use essential.

Impact on Users and Habit Change

  • Several say this is their “final straw” and will quit Reddit, or are glad for extra friction that helps break an addictive habit.
  • Others shrug it off as a minor annoyance if logging in solves it; some argue VPN users are a tiny, low-value minority.
  • Some note this mirrors YouTube’s adblocker crackdown and Twitter/X’s login wall in driving them away.

Content Quality, Enshittification, and Data Lock-In

  • Multiple comments describe Reddit as increasingly bot‑driven, advertiser‑oriented, and less interesting than ~2013–2015.
  • API pricing, third‑party app shutdowns, and AI training deals are cited as breaking the implied social contract with contributors.
  • Many users have edited or deleted past posts in protest, causing frustration for those relying on old threads for obscure technical answers.
  • There is concern that we’ve passed “peak publicly searchable discussion” as content moves to Discord and behind login walls.

Alternatives and Migration

  • Alternatives mentioned: Lemmy (and its various instances), Mastodon/fediverse, Tildes, Lobste.rs, Discourse forums, Telegram, and RSS/blogs.
  • Redlib/Libreddit frontends and LibRedirect/uBlacklist are suggested for reading Reddit content or avoiding it in search results.
  • Consensus: no single replacement matches Reddit’s breadth and long‑tail niche communities; many alternatives feel fragmented or less active.