Side-by-side using public descriptions, members, growth and rule titles from SubMouse. Missing fields show as n/a. Adult communities are excluded.
Swap sides New comparison Related to r/HomeImprovement Related to r/DIY
r/DIY’s rules require content to be DIY and push “Google First, Reddit Last,” with limits on sales, promotions and low-effort posts. Recent activity is mixed galleries, images and text—fit for finished projects and build photos. r/HomeImprovement’s public description states only text posts are allowed, mentions a minimum-karma bar, and points some questions at diy.stackexchange.com.
DIY is a large Top-cut community (about 27.5M members, directory rank #17) with a full SubMouse page. HomeImprovement is listed in the directory (about 4.8M, rank #188) but outside the current live page cut, so explore links open the info tool. DIY’s related list includes HomeImprovement.
Use DIY when you have an original project to show or discuss as a make/fix. Use HomeImprovement for text troubleshooting of house systems and repairs—after meeting its participation bar—and do not treat either as a substitute for a licensed tradesperson on safety-critical work.
Written comparison based on public descriptions and rule titles · updated 2026-11-06.
Only text posts are allowed here. YOU MUST have minimum karma to participate in the sub. Submit here: https://diy.stackexchange.com/
Sample mix: text posts 100%
Topics: Home Improvement
Short rule titles are not available for this community; check its rules on Reddit.
DIY
Sample mix: galleries 40%, images 31%, text posts 27%
Topics: DIY
Rule titles (short names we collected)
About this community: r/DIY ranks #17 on SubMouse’s SFW Top list (about 27.5 million subscribers in the directory). Catalogue framing: DIY Moderation themes that shape the room include: All content must be DIY; Basic Community Rules; NSFW / Reddiquette / Civility; 𝗡𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 | 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.
| Aspect | r/HomeImprovement | r/DIY |
|---|---|---|
| Public focus (from each community’s public description) | Only text posts are allowed here. YOU MUST have minimum karma to participate in the sub. Submit here: https://diy.stackexchange.com/ | DIY |
| Size r/DIY is larger in our directory (about 5.7×). |
4.8M members | 27.5M members |
| Posting activity (our sample) | 72/day | 61/day |
| Common post types in our sample | text posts 100% | galleries 40%, images 31%, text posts 27% |
| Allowed submission type (meta) | Text posts | Text or links |
| Topic tags on SubMouse | Home Improvement | DIY |
| Selected rule titles (short names we collected) | n/a | All content must be DIY; Basic Community Rules; 𝗡𝗼 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 | 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴; Google First, Reddit Last | Product Search; Low effort posts |
DIY rule titles include: All content must be DIY; No Sales / Promotions / Advertising; Google First, Reddit Last; Low effort posts; topics not suited for DIY; Sometimes you let the professionals handle it.
Public descriptions and member counts from SubMouse’s safe-for-work directory. Short rule titles and an recent activity for DIY. HomeImprovement description and directory listing only where extras are missing.
Members and public descriptions come from SubMouse's safe-for-work directory (as of 2026-11-02 UTC); 7-day growth measured from 2026-10-26. Posts/day and post types are shown where recent activity is available. Rule lines are short titles, not the full sidebar. Directory rank is listing order.
Hand-written explanations for pairs where the public descriptions and rules support a real distinction: