Digg is back, and this time, it’s taking on Reddit

Digg, one of the internet’s earliest community-driven platforms, is officially back — once again aiming to reclaim relevance in a landscape now dominated by Reddit.

Before Reddit rose to become the so-called “front page of the internet,” Digg was the place where users collectively surfaced the web’s most interesting links through upvotes. That influence faded after a controversial redesign more than a decade ago pushed much of its community elsewhere, accelerating Reddit’s rise.

Now, Digg founder Kevin Rose is attempting a comeback with an unexpected ally: Alexis Ohanian, one of Reddit’s original creators. The two have teamed up to relaunch Digg, positioning it as a modern alternative to Reddit.

The new Digg is now live in public beta at digg.com, allowing anyone to sign up and explore the platform. Prior to the public opening, around 67,000 users were invited to test the service.

At launch, Digg offers more than 20 broad-interest communities covering topics like science, technology, gaming, entertainment, and humor. Users can also create new communities around specific interests or niches, although each group is currently limited to a single manager — a structure the company says may evolve as features roll out.

In interviews surrounding the relaunch, Rose emphasized that trust and authenticity are central to Digg’s reboot. One proposed safeguard involves verifying users within certain communities — for example, requiring proof of ownership for groups centered on specific hardware — as a way to reduce manipulation by bots or coordinated AI activity.

Digg CEO Justin Mezzell explained that the team intentionally launched with a lean feature set. Instead of waiting for a fully built platform, Digg plans to introduce updates on a weekly basis, allowing the product to grow alongside its user base.

Alongside the relaunch, Digg has also introduced “Digg Daily,” an AI-generated podcast that summarizes trending discussions on the platform. The company says it’s open to replacing the AI narration with human hosts, depending on community feedback.

This marks yet another chapter in Digg’s long and turbulent history. After its 2010 redesign derailed the platform, Digg changed hands multiple times before Rose and Ohanian reacquired it and announced plans for a revival last year.

Whether Digg can meaningfully challenge Reddit remains to be seen — but for now, the beta is open, and the platform’s founders are betting that a mix of nostalgia, tighter community controls, and incremental development can give Digg a second life.