Quora has been a reliable Q&A guide over the past decade, establishing a foothold at the top of popularity charts. Outside of Quora, though, are there any other reputable options you can trust for free advice?

Community-based and survey-based platforms have been around since the dawn of the internet. Who hasn’t turned to review and answer websites to get answers to various questions, from “is this employer any good?” to “which Australian city is best for students?“

Here are five equally excellent platforms to prove free alternatives to the popular Quora exist.

Yahoo Answers

’90s kids will fondly remember “Ask Yahoo” which was often the go-to for answers to when the next season of “Friends” would be airing and release dates of upcoming “Harry Potter” books. It was a Q&A platform strewn from the maiden Yahoo website which kicked off in 1995 before being cut short in favor of the present “Yahoo answers” which took the baton in 2006.

Questions are answered according to limited time spans and top contributors — those with verified mastery of a certain niche — are highlighted by an orange moniker beside their answers.

StackExchange

If you have some background in computer programming, you might recognize the “stack exchange” terminology from one of your lessons. That shows the initial orientation of the platform.

It has since diversified its roots in various directions, tapping into all sorts of subject matters including games, languages, computer products and many others. Users are ranked by a credibility system in a bid to ensure the most truthful answer as voted on by the target audience. 

Reddit

With a mantra that states “front page of the internet”, Reddit offers an all-you-can-eat buffet. It has upwards of 11,000 subreddits, incorporating content from sports to politics and everything in between.

The platform also doubles up as somewhat of a social media haven offering much in the way of funny cat videos and whatnot while also providing updates on trending news topics. Answers can be “up or down voted”, with those receiving the most thumbs up making it to the top of the pile. 

Fluther

Fluther is preferred for its heavy moderation. It has more quality checks than the above trio, providing dependable answers that are thoroughly scrutinized to ensure credibility.

The website is generally divided into two sections, namely “Social” and “General”. The latter provides an avenue to discuss more philosophical topics or amass general knowledge on specific issues. The “Social” part, on the other hand, features far more open-ended questions which may cut across topics or require popularity voting to pick out the best fit. 

ASKfm

Wikipedia suggests that 215 million users have frequented ASKfm, making it one of the world’s most popular. It is a cross-platform website that is especially geared toward mobile devices, providing users with answers across 49 different languages.

Its headquarters are located in the little known European country of Latvia and it has been rendering its services since 2010. Topics discussed are extremely expansive, with users reserving the option to post sensitive matters anonymously.

There are tons of excellent Quora alternatives out there so the list certainly doesn’t stop here. Other great options to also consider include Answerbag, Blurtit, Ask Me Help Desk and Experts Exchange.