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/whatsthisbug Related to r/whatisthisthing
r/whatsthisbug’s public description invites identification of insects, spiders, crustaceans and similar. r/whatisthisthing’s directory text is for identifying mysterious objects.
whatisthisthing is larger (about 3.2M, rank #331) than whatsthisbug (about 1.3M, rank #838). Recent activity shows whatsthisbug posting more often (~141 posts/day vs ~55). Both are gallery- and image-heavy. whatsthisbug’s sample flairs include ID request and just sharing; whatisthisthing’s sample uses solved/open status flairs. Our directory lists each name among the other’s related communities. SubMouse already compares tipofmytongue with whatisthisthing; this pair is specifically bug ID versus general object ID.
Short rule titles were available for whatisthisthing (civility, solved replies, no AI answers, submission guidelines).
Written comparison based on public descriptions and rule titles · updated 2026-11-07.
Bug identification! All insects, spiders, crustaceans, etc. welcome!
Sample mix: galleries 48%, images 38%, videos 12%
Short rule titles are not available for this community; check its rules on Reddit.
For the identification of mysterious objects
Sample mix: galleries 57%, images 40%, text posts 2%
Rule titles (short names we collected)
| Aspect | r/whatsthisbug | r/whatisthisthing |
|---|---|---|
| Public focus (from each community’s public description) | Bug identification! All insects, spiders, crustaceans, etc. welcome! | For the identification of mysterious objects |
| Size r/whatisthisthing is larger in our directory (about 2.5×). |
1.3M members | 3.2M members |
| Posting activity (our sample) | 141/day | 55/day |
| Common post types in our sample | galleries 48%, images 38%, videos 12% | galleries 57%, images 40%, text posts 2% |
| Allowed submission type (meta) | Text or links | Link posts |
| Selected rule titles (short names we collected) | n/a | Be civil; Be helpful / No Jokes; Try to include a link...; Reply "Solved!"; DO NOT DELETE YOUR POST |
Recent posts are gallery/image/video-heavy with ID-request and just-sharing flairs.
whatisthisthing short titles include: be civil; be helpful / no jokes; try to include a link; reply “Solved!”; do not delete your post; be detailed; do not post AI generated answers; no URL shorteners or tracking links; check the F.A.T.; posts must adhere to submission guidelines. Recent activity uses solved/open status flairs.
Public descriptions and member counts from SubMouse’s safe-for-work directory. Mutual related-list links. Short titles only. Related curated page: tipofmytongue-vs-whatisthisthing.
Members and public descriptions come from SubMouse's safe-for-work directory (as of 2026-11-09 UTC); 7-day growth measured from 2026-11-02. 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.