Reddit is the biggest public list of apps people wish existed. Every day, someone posts an “is there an app that…” question in a niche subreddit, explains their problem, and gets told no. That “no” is your opening, because the demand is already written down, dated, and upvoted before you build anything.
Short answer: to find app ideas on Reddit, search phrases like “is there an app that” and “why is there no app for” inside small, focused subreddits. Then watch which questions keep coming back. The same request, asked again and again with a bunch of “same here” replies, is real demand you can check before you write any code.
Why Reddit questions beat made-up ideas
A made-up idea has one big problem: you have no proof anyone wants it. You’re guessing. A Reddit question is the opposite. A real person hit a real wall, cared enough to write about it, and other people showed up to say they have the same problem.
Real demand leaves clues, and Reddit keeps them out in the open:
- The same question, over and over. When people ask it every few weeks in the same subreddit, that’s your signal. One post is a wish. The same post every month is a market.
- “Same here” comments. When a question gets dozens of replies agreeing and adding their own version of the problem, you’re basically reading a to-do list written by your future users.
- People coping with a spreadsheet. When someone shares a Google Sheet, a Notion template, or a phone shortcut to deal with the problem by hand, they’ve told you it hurts enough to solve. That’s the strongest buy signal there is.
Focus and getting things done
An app blocker that knows what you’re doing. People in r/productivity and r/ADHD keep asking for a blocker that only kicks in during a specific task, not on a fixed timer. Today’s blockers are all-or-nothing, so they turn off right when you need them.
A “work buddy” app. r/ADHD posts keep asking for something that feels like another person is in the room, because that’s what actually gets them working. The closest thing out there is a plain Pomodoro timer, which misses the whole point. It’s about company, not counting minutes.
A way to catch a thought fast. People in r/productivity lose ideas because opening a notes app breaks their focus. So they rig up Google Keep, Siri shortcuts, and email-to-self tricks. Nobody has made a simple one-tap voice note that saves the thought for later without pulling you away from what you were doing.
Money and everyday admin
Something that kills free trials before they charge you. r/personalfinance and r/frugal ask for this almost every month: an app that knows when a free trial turns into a paid one and cancels or reminds you first. The trackers we have only show what you already pay for. They miss the trial end date, which is the one date that costs you money.
An easy way to split uneven costs. The common complaint about Splitwise in r/personalfinance is messy, ongoing splits between couples and roommates. People just want something that handles “I paid rent, you paid more for groceries, we’re about even” without turning into a full accounting app.
A “what am I not even using” checker. r/frugal keeps asking why no app looks at your subscriptions and points out the ones you haven’t opened in months. Trackers show the charge, but none of them connect it to whether you actually use the thing, which is the part that tells you to cancel.
A receipt and warranty keeper. People in r/BuyItForLife keep spreadsheets of what they bought and when the warranty runs out. They want an app that grabs receipts from their email and warns them before a warranty ends. Reminder apps exist, but none of them read the receipt for you.
Specific jobs and hobbies
A shift-swap and burnout tracker for nurses. r/nursing keeps asking for a simple way to swap shifts and keep an eye on long stretches of work, separate from the clunky system their employer forces on them. The official tools are read-only and everyone hates them, so the question never goes away.
Plant care that knows the plant. r/houseplants wants reminders based on what each plant actually needs, not a flat “water every 7 days.” People want to add a specific plant and get the right timing for it. Normal reminder apps don’t know a fern from a cactus.
A practice log built for one hobby. r/climbing wants to log sessions with routes and grades. r/piano wants to track real practice, not just streaks. Each group keeps passing around spreadsheets because the general habit apps don’t get how their hobby works.
Local and social
Local events without Facebook. City subreddits ask every week for an app that shows what’s actually going on this weekend nearby, because the events all live in Facebook groups people don’t want to use. Nobody has put it all in one simple place.
A “is it busy right now” for cafes. r/digitalnomad and r/coffee ask for live crowd and noise levels so they know if a cafe is okay to work in before they walk over. Maps show an average for the week. People want to know about right now.
How to find these ideas yourself
The list above is a starting point, not the end. There are two ways to find these signals yourself: the fast way and the slow way.
The easy way: use the Idea Validator. Paste any idea into ReachFront’s Idea Validator and it pulls up the real Reddit and X threads where people are already asking for it. You see the demand in minutes instead of digging through Reddit for hours, so this is the best place to start.
If you’d rather do it by hand, two things matter most.
Watch the right subreddits. Two are made for this: r/SomebodyMakeThis and r/AppIdeas. But the better signal is in the small subreddits where a specific job or hobby hangs out, because that’s where people describe problems only they have. A city subreddit, r/nursing, or one hobby sub will beat any general “ideas” board.
Know a real signal from a random wish. One upvoted post isn’t demand. Look for the same question every month, a wave of “same here” replies, and shared spreadsheets. That pattern is what separates a real market from someone just venting.
Check the idea for a week before you build
Finding a signal isn’t the same as proving a market. Before you write any code, give it one week and do three quick checks. First, find three separate spots where people describe the problem on their own, not because you asked. Second, read the one and two-star reviews of the closest app, because that’s where users tell you exactly what’s missing. Third, check how many people search the app stores for the words a buyer would use, so you know people are actually looking. ReachFront’s Idea Validator gives you the Reddit side of this fast, and if you want the full routine, our validate an app idea guide walks through every step.
Common questions
Is Reddit a good place to find app ideas?
Yes, one of the best, because the demand is public and easy to check. Unlike a brainstorm, a Reddit question comes from a real person with a real problem. Repeat threads and “same here” comments show you how many others feel it too before you commit.
Which subreddits are best for app ideas?
r/SomebodyMakeThis and r/AppIdeas are built for it, but the strongest signals come from small subreddits tied to a job or hobby, like r/ADHD, r/nursing, r/personalfinance, r/houseplants, or your own city’s subreddit. Narrow groups surface problems the big boards never see.
Can I build an app idea someone posted on Reddit?
Yes. Ideas aren’t owned, and asking for an app is basically asking someone to build it. The hard part is building it well, not thinking of it, so whoever ships a good version wins no matter who described it first.
How do I validate an app idea from Reddit?
Check that the same request shows up across several threads on its own, read the low-star reviews of the nearest app, and look at how many people search for it in the stores. ReachFront’s Idea Validator does the first step for you by pulling the live threads where people ask for your idea.
Start with a signal, not a hunch
The best app ideas aren’t dreamed up in a quiet room. They’re sitting in plain sight, in threads where people describe, in their own words, a problem no app solves well. Pick one question that keeps coming back, make sure the demand is real, and you’re already ahead of most founders before they build. If you want more directions, our 27 app ideas guide goes further, and once you’ve picked one and checked it, the app launch checklist covers what comes next.