Reddit's Contributor Quality Score (CQS) is one of the least understood but most important signals driving visibility on the platform.
If you are using Reddit for marketing, content promotion, or community engagement, knowing how CQS works is critical.
This guide explains what CQS is, why it matters, and how you can improve it without risking bans or invisibility.
TL;DR: Contributor Quality Score on Reddit
- CQS is Reddit's hidden trust score for every account. It measures whether a user behaves like a genuine community member or like a spammer.
- A high score helps your posts bypass AutoModerator filters and reach more users, while a low score often results in posts being auto-removed or shadowbanned.
- CQS factors include your posting history, engagement quality, subreddit diversity, karma, IP/network signals, and account verification.
- To improve your score, focus on genuine participation: verify your account, comment more than you post, engage across different subreddits, avoid spammy behavior, and stay consistent over time.
What is Reddit's Contributor Quality Score (CQS)?
Every Reddit account has an invisible reputation score called the Contributor Quality Score. Think of it as Reddit's version of a credit score, but instead of measuring financial trust, it measures how trustworthy and valuable you are to the community.
The Contributor Quality Score (CQS) categorizes users into five tiers: Lowest, Low, Moderate, High, and Highest. Your tier is determined by a combination of various signals.
- Past actions: If your posts often get removed or reported, your score drops. Consistent positive contributions raise it.
- Account age and karma: Older accounts with steady karma growth are treated as more reliable than new accounts with little activity.
- Engagement quality: Commenting thoughtfully and interacting with others improves your score. Spamming links or low-effort posts drags it down.
- Subreddit diversity: Active accounts across multiple communities look more authentic than accounts only posting in one niche.
- Network and security signals: Stable IP addresses, verified emails, and normal login patterns help confirm you're a real user.
- Recency and consistency: CQS updates regularly. A good streak of activity can raise your score, but a spammy week can push it down quickly.
It's important to note that CQS is different from karma.
Karma is public and only reflects upvotes minus downvotes. CQS is private and measures deeper trust factors.
That's why accounts with high karma can still get flagged if their behavior looks suspicious.
A Brief History of CQS
Reddit introduced the Contributor Quality Score in 2023 to help moderators filter out spam and low-quality contributions. Before CQS, most communities relied on simple rules like minimum account age or karma thresholds.
The problem was that spammers could bypass those checks by farming karma in easy subreddits or creating aged accounts.
CQS was designed to fix this.
Instead of looking only at age or karma, Reddit built a system that evaluates the overall behavior of an account. It quietly launched as an experimental tool in early 2023 and became available to all moderators in September 2023 through AutoModerator.
Results were immediate:
- Communities that switched from karma/age rules to CQS saw fewer false positives (legit users being blocked).
- Spam removal rates dropped significantly. Reddit reported that CQS cut daily spam removals by around 40%.
- Moderators spent less time undoing AutoModerator mistakes, which improved overall subreddit management.
By late 2023, many large subreddits had adopted CQS filters. Today, it is one of the main behind-the-scenes tools shaping what content makes it through and what never sees the light of day.
How Does Reddit CQS Work?
Reddit hasn’t shared the exact formula for Contributor Quality Score, but the Reddit admins have kindly shared some of the signals they look at.
From what's been shared publicly and observed by moderators, CQS is built from a mix of trust signals and behavioral signals:
- Past account actions: Posts removed by mods, reports, or suspensions lower your score. Positive contributions that remain upvoted improve it.
- Account age and karma: Not the main factor, but still important. A long-standing account with balanced karma looks safer than a fresh one with little history.
- Engagement style: Thoughtful comments and active discussions boost your score. Spammy posting, excessive self-promotion, or one-liners can hurt it.
- Subreddit diversity: Being active in multiple communities signals authenticity. Only posting in one niche, especially for promotion, looks suspicious.
- Network and location: Logging in from clean, consistent IPs is good. Using IP ranges tied to spam accounts or rapid proxy switching is a red flag.
- Account security: Verified email and consistent logins from familiar devices help show you're a genuine user.
- Consistency and recency: CQS updates with your latest behavior. One bad week of spammy posts can drag your score down even if your past history was good.
In short, CQS is Reddit's way of asking: "Does this account act like a normal, valuable Redditor or like a spammer?"
If you behave like the former, your score rises and your posts flow more smoothly through filters.
Why Does CQS Matter?
If you’re looking to expand your reach on Reddit – whether you’re a creator, a brand, or a marketer-it’s helpful to understand how CQS influences your visibility and keeps your account safe. Here's why it matters to you:
- Post visibility: Many subreddits now use CQS filters in AutoModerator. If your score is low, your posts may be auto-removed before anyone sees them. High-CQS users can bypass common karma or age requirements.
- Ranking in feeds: Even when posts aren't filtered, Reddit's algorithm may down-rank content from low-trust accounts. Between two similar posts, the one from the higher CQS account is more likely to hit Hot or r/all.
- Community trust: A higher CQS reflects consistent positive behavior. Mods are less likely to scrutinize your posts, and users are more likely to engage without assuming you're spamming.
- Account risk: Persistently low CQS can increase the chance of suspensions. Accounts that repeatedly trip spam signals or ignore subreddit rules may get flagged by Reddit's automated systems.
A low score isn't the end; it's just a gentle reminder to adjust how you're engaging with Reddit.
Similarly, a high score isn't a license to spam it's a sign of earned trust that you should cherish and keep through genuine contributions.
Reddit CQS: Contributor Quality Tiers
Meaning: Long-standing contributor with a strong positive history.
Comments usually appear without delay under strict Crowd Control.
Meaning: Regular user with consistent good engagement.
Comments are visible by default in most cases.
Meaning: Mixed history or newer account in this subreddit.
Some comments may be held for review.
Meaning: New user here or past issues like removed posts or reports.
Many comments are filtered until reviewed by a mod.
Meaning: Very new account or poor track record.
Comments are hidden by default and require approval.
Notes: CQS is used by Reddit's Crowd Control tools to help mods manage comment quality. Scores are subreddit-specific and dynamic, based on signals like account age and past actions.
How to Increase Your CQS
Boosting your Contributor Quality Score is really about being authentic and engaging with the Reddit community. When you act naturally and focus on contributing positively, your score will naturally improve. Here are some friendly tips to help you get there:
- Verify your account: Confirm your email, and if possible, add a phone number. Verified accounts look more trustworthy to Reddit's systems.
- Engage more than you post: Comment regularly, answer questions, and join discussions. A healthy comment-to-post ratio is one of the clearest signals of authenticity.
- Follow subreddit rules: Posting in the wrong format or ignoring community rules often leads to removals, which hurts your score. Always check guidelines before posting.
- Avoid downvotes and reports: Consistently negative karma on posts or comments signals low-quality behavior. Stick to relevant, thoughtful contributions.
- Diversify your activity: Don't only post in one or two subreddits, especially if they're promotion-heavy. Being active across a mix of communities makes you look like a real user.
- Moderate your pace: Rapid posting, especially multiple links in a short time, can flag you as spammy. Spread out activity and let organic interactions build up.
- Earn karma naturally: Helpful comments, useful resources, or entertaining posts attract organic upvotes. Around 2,000 comment karma is often the tipping point where accounts gain traction.
- Be consistent: CQS updates over time. A steady flow of authentic activity is better than bursts of engagement followed by silence.
- Avoid shortcuts: Don't use vote manipulation, duplicate accounts, or automation tools that mimic spammy patterns. These are direct hits to your score.
In short: treat Reddit like a community, not just a traffic source. Contribute value first, and your CQS will rise as a natural result.
Can You Check Your CQS?
Reddit keeps your Contributor Quality Score private, so you won’t see it in your profile or settings.
Reddit has also said they don't plan to make it visible in the future.
The idea is to stop people from trying to cheat the system or worrying too much about the number.
Communities like r/WhatIsMyCQS run AutoModerator scripts that reply with your score tier when you post.
It's important to remember: these methods don't give you an exact number, only a tier like "Low," "Moderate," or "High." And since CQS updates dynamically, your tier can change based on your latest activity.
Reddit's approach is straightforward: if your CQS is low, you probably already understand why. Countless reports, removed posts, or spammy behaviors are obvious warning signs.
Instead of stressing over the exact score, it's more helpful to aim for steady, positive engagement. With time, your CQS will naturally improve.
What CQS Means for Reddit Creators
For creators, brands, and marketers, the Contributor Quality Score shifts the focus from just what you post to who is posting. Reddit increasingly rewards authentic contributors and penalizes accounts that behave like pure promoters.
Here's what that means in practice:
- Build credibility, not just content: High-quality posts from a low-CQS account may never reach the audience. Your account reputation matters as much as your content.
- Invest in long-term accounts: Burner accounts or one-off promotions rarely work anymore. Accounts start in low tiers and need time and positive activity to climb.
- Engage before promoting: Drop into conversations, answer questions, and share useful insights before linking to your own work. This builds trust with both users and mods.
- Adapt your strategy: Treat Reddit like a community, not a billboard. AMAs, how-to guides, or resource sharing without direct promotion can raise your standing and improve future visibility when you do share links.
- Expect ongoing changes: CQS is part of Reddit's broader trend of using machine learning to evaluate contributors. Over time, it may influence more features, from search visibility to recommendations. Staying flexible and informed will help you adapt.
In short, CQS rewards patience, consistency, and authenticity. If you treat Reddit as a place to participate rather than just extract traffic, your account's CQS-and your reach-will naturally improve.
Conclusion
Reddit's Contributor Quality Score may be invisible, but its impact is very real. It influences whether your posts get seen, how they rank, and even how moderators treat your account. The system isn't designed to punish, but to separate genuine contributors from spammers.
The key takeaways are simple:
- CQS is different from karma-it measures trust, not just upvotes.
- A higher score helps your posts bypass filters and gain visibility.
- Your score rises with consistent, authentic, rule-following participation.
- Shortcuts like spammy posting, link dumping, or vote manipulation will sink your score fast.
For creators and marketers, the message is clear: play the long game. Build accounts that behave like real Redditors, focus on conversations before promotions, and spread activity across communities. If you embrace Reddit's culture and contribute value, your CQS will take care of itself-and your content will thrive.
