Digg Makes a Comeback: Why the Original Reddit Rival is Trending Again

Digg is back, baby.

Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian have officially relaunched Digg. The site went live in public beta on January 14, 2026, marking a major comeback for the platform that once led the social news world before Reddit took its place over a decade ago.

The new version of the site is owned by Rose, Ohanian, and a group of investors who bought the brand last year. This time around, the focus is on transparency. The platform uses public moderation logs and an open algorithm so users can see exactly how content is ranked and why posts are removed. It also uses tech called zero-knowledge proofs to verify that interactions on the site are authentic without compromising privacy.

Users can currently choose from 21 starter groups or start their own communities for specific interests like horror movies or synthwave music. The launch saw a massive wave of interest, with people creating over 1,000 new communities in just the first four hours. The high traffic caused some brief server issues, but the momentum remained high.

Kevin Rose shared his excitement about the launch yesterday, saying, “So it begins… open communities, transparent moderation actions, and a public algorithm.”

Digg said its mission is for people, places, and things. They want to bring back social discovery built by communities rather than secret algorithms. They invited everyone to join or create a community and start using the site.

The new Digg is available now on the web and through dedicated apps for iOS and Android. I tested the signup process this morning to see if the hype matches the experience. Both Apple and Google sign in options resulted in an error, but the email sign up is really easy as you do not need to create a password. Digg will just email you a one-time passcode.

Download links:

• Digg for iOS
• Digg for Android

Are you going to use the new Digg? It will be hard to unseat Reddit at this point, but alternatives are always good for consumers.