You want to know how to reddit account creation date checks work, and you want it done without wasting time on broken third-party tools that stopped working years ago.
Reddit hides the exact timestamp. It only shows a “Cake Day” — the month and day you joined, not the year. That’s the whole problem.
If you’re building a Reddit marketing workflow, evaluating accounts, or just checking whether a user is who they claim to be, the creation date matters. Here’s the cleanest way to get it.
What you’re actually trying to solve
You don’t really want a timestamp. You want to know:
- Is this account older than it looks?
- Does the activity history match the claimed age?
- Could this account be a spam throwaway?
- Is this account eligible for subreddits with age requirements?
The creation date is the first data point, not the final answer. Everything else comes from activity history.
What you need before you start
No special tools required. You need:
- The profile URL of the account you’re checking
- A browser (desktop, not mobile)
- Optionally, access to a second account for cross-checking
- Patience to look at comment history, not just the date
That’s it. No API keys, no paid services, no browser extensions.
Step 1: Open the profile and find “Cake Day”
Go to the profile page. On the right-hand sidebar, under “Reddit Premium” and above “Moderator since,” you’ll see Cake Day.
It looks like this:
Cake Day
March 14, 2024
That tells you the month and day. The year is the part you need to verify separately.
Here’s the trick: hover over the Cake Day text on the new Reddit interface. In most browsers, a tooltip appears with the full date, including the year.
If hovering doesn’t work, move to Step 2.
Step 2: Use Old Reddit for a cleaner date readout
Old Reddit is still the most reliable interface for this check.
- Change the URL from
www.reddit.comtoold.reddit.com - Or type
.compactafter the username to force mobile view - Look at the right sidebar
Old Reddit shows the full date in plain text:
Redditor for 3 years
That’s not exact either, but combined with the Cake Day from Step 1, you now have the month, day, and year.
For example:
- New Reddit: Cake Day March 14
- Old Reddit: Redditor for 3 years
- Conclusion: Account created around March 14, 2023
This cross-reference method works because the two interfaces calculate from the same underlying data.
Step 3: Cross-check with the user’s earliest visible activity
This is where most people stop too early. The creation date is one thing; whether the account actually used that time is another.
Scroll to the bottom of the profile’s overview tab. Click “New” sorting, then scroll to the last page. The earliest visible post or comment gives you a reality check.
Here’s what to look for:
- Account created in 2022, first activity in 2022: Normal.
- Account created in 2022, first activity in 2025: Suspicious. The account sat dormant, or it was bought and “aged” without real usage.
- Account created in 2025, but claims to be 3 years old: Clear red flag.
This cross-check is essential for evaluating any Reddit account reputation signal. The date alone means nothing without visible history.
Step 4: Understand what the creation date doesn’t tell you
A creation date is a single data point. It doesn’t tell you:
- Whether the account has quality comment karma or just post karma
- Whether the account was used for spam before you found it
- Whether the account’s activity is relevant to your niche
- Whether the account is shadowbanned (you need a separate check for that)
Here’s the practical reality: a 5-year-old account with zero comments and two low-effort posts is less valuable than a 6-month-old account with consistent, visible participation in relevant subreddits.
Age matters for some subreddit requirements, but visible history and comment karma matter more for most trust-based decisions.
Common blockers and how to fix each one
Blocker: The year doesn’t appear anywhere on the profile
Fix: Use the hover trick on new Reddit, then confirm with Old Reddit. If both fail, check the user’s oldest post and look at the post date.
Blocker: The account is private or restricted
Fix: You can’t see private profiles. If you need the information, ask the user directly. No workaround exists, and don’t trust third-party “profile viewers” claiming to bypass privacy.
Blocker: Third-party tools show incorrect dates
Fix: Stop using them. Most Reddit API-based tools broke after the API changes in 2023. The manual method above is always current because it uses Reddit’s own interface.
Blocker: The account has no visible activity at all
Fix: That’s your answer. An account with a creation date but zero activity is either dormant, shadowbanned, or prepared for a purpose you can’t verify. Treat it accordingly.
Practical example: verifying a 3-year-old account for a marketing workflow
You’re evaluating an account for a Reddit marketing campaign. The seller claims it’s “aged, with good karma.”
Here’s your check:
- Open the profile: Cake Day shows “August 7”
- Hover over Cake Day: Tooltip shows “August 7, 2023” — so it’s actually 2.5 years old, not 3
- Check Old Reddit: “Redditor for 2 years” confirms the approximate age
- Scroll to the earliest activity: First comment is from September 2023, in a tech subreddit
- Review the comment history: The account has 1,400 comment karma, all from helpful, niche-relevant comments. No spam patterns, no deleted history gaps.
Verdict: The seller’s “3 years” claim was slightly inflated, but the account is legitimate. The age is close enough, and the comment karma and visible history are solid.
Now compare that to an account that says “5 years old” but has its first activity from last month. The second account is worse despite being older.
Quick action checklist
- [ ] Open the profile on new Reddit
- [ ] Hover over Cake Day to reveal the year
- [ ] Confirm with Old Reddit’s “Redditor for X years”
- [ ] Scroll to the earliest visible post or comment
- [ ] Compare the creation date to first activity
- [ ] Review comment karma and history quality, not just the date
- [ ] Decide based on the full picture, not age alone
Practical takeaway
The best way to check reddit account creation date is still the manual method: Cake Day plus Old Reddit plus earliest activity. It takes two minutes, needs no tools, and gives you more context than any third-party app.
Remember: the creation date is the starting point, not the conclusion. Pair it with comment karma, visible history, and niche fit before making any decision.
If you’re building a long-term Reddit workflow, keep this check routine in your standard evaluation process. It’s cheap, fast, and saves you from accounts that look good on paper but have nothing behind them.
For this use case, practical proxy option for Reddit workflows should be compared by pricing, setup difficulty, support quality, refund policy, and whether it fits your workflow.
FAQ
Q: Can I see the exact time an account was created?
A: No. Reddit only shows the date (month, day, and year), not the exact timestamp. The hover trick on new Reddit and the Old Reddit interface both show the year, but neither reveals the precise time of creation.
Q: Why do third-party Reddit age checker tools show different results?
A: Most third-party tools rely on the Reddit API, which changed significantly after 2023. Many tools now use cached data, incorrect approximations, or simply stopped updating. The manual method using Reddit’s own interface is always more reliable.
Q: Does account creation date alone make an account trustworthy?
A: No. A creation date only shows when the account was registered. Trustworthiness comes from visible history, comment karma, consistent activity, and relevant participation. An old account with no activity is not inherently more trustworthy than a newer account with good visible history.
Q: Can I check someone else’s account creation date without visiting their profile?
A: No reliable way exists. Private or restricted profiles hide this information, and any tool claiming to bypass that is untrustworthy. Your options are visiting the profile directly or asking the user.
Q: Is account age more important than comment karma?
A: It depends on the context. Some subreddits enforce minimum age requirements, so age matters for posting access. For general credibility, comment karma and visible history are usually stronger signals. Both should be evaluated together.
