Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Stack Overflow VS Ask.fm

Compare Stack Overflow VS Ask.fm and see what are their differences

Stack Overflow logo Stack Overflow

Community-based Q&A part of the Stack Exchange platform.

Ask.fm logo Ask.fm

Curious? Just ask! Openly or anonymously.
  • Stack Overflow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26
  • Ask.fm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

Stack Overflow features and specs

  • Vast Knowledge Base
    Stack Overflow has an extensive repository of questions and answers, covering a wide range of programming topics and technologies. Users can find solutions to common and uncommon problems alike.
  • Community Support
    The platform has a large, active community of developers who are willing to help by answering questions, providing solutions, and sharing their expertise.
  • Reputation System
    Stack Overflow's reputation system encourages quality contributions. Users earn points and badges for their participation, which incentivizes high-quality answers and well-formulated questions.
  • Search Optimization
    The site is well-indexed by search engines, making it easy for users to find relevant answers through a simple web search, even without directly visiting Stack Overflow.
  • Diverse Topics
    Stack Overflow covers a multitude of programming languages, frameworks, and tools, making it a valuable resource for developers working on diverse projects.

Possible disadvantages of Stack Overflow

  • Strict Guidelines
    The platform enforces strict guidelines and quality standards, which can be intimidating for new users. Questions and answers can be downvoted or closed if they do not meet the criteria.
  • Information Overload
    Given the vast amount of content, it can sometimes be challenging to find the most relevant or up-to-date answer amidst a plethora of responses.
  • Tendency Toward Elitism
    There is a perception among some users that the community can be elitist or dismissive, particularly towards beginners or those asking basic questions.
  • Duplicate Content
    Despite efforts to manage duplicates, users can still encounter multiple versions of the same question, which can dilute the quality of information.
  • Limited for Non-Programming Questions
    Although primarily designed for programming questions, Stack Overflow is less effective for queries related to broader topics in computer science or software engineering practices.

Ask.fm features and specs

  • Anonymity
    Users can ask questions and answer them anonymously, which can encourage more open and honest conversations.
  • Social Interaction
    Provides a platform for users to interact with friends and other users, making it a good tool for social networking.
  • User Engagement
    The question-and-answer format keeps users engaged and prompts regular interaction.
  • Curiosity
    Satisfies users’ curiosity by allowing them to ask any question they want and get answers on a variety of topics.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform is straightforward and easy to navigate, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

Possible disadvantages of Ask.fm

  • Cyberbullying
    The anonymity feature can lead to negative behaviors like cyberbullying and harassment.
  • Privacy Concerns
    There are concerns about privacy and the potential for sharing personal information inappropriately.
  • Misinformation
    The platform can be used to spread misinformation, as there is little to no fact-checking involved.
  • Addiction
    The engaging nature of the Q&A format can lead to excessive time spent on the app, which can be addictive.
  • Influence on Mental Health
    Negative interactions and cyberbullying can have a detrimental effect on users’ mental health.

Stack Overflow videos

Episode 002 - Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2019 Review

Ask.fm videos

Ask.FM Parent Review

More videos:

  • Demo - What is Ask.FM? (Explanation and Demonstration)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Stack Overflow and Ask.fm)
Developers
100 100%
0% 0
Social Networks
0 0%
100% 100
Forums
100 100%
0% 0
Communication
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Stack Overflow and Ask.fm. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Stack Overflow and Ask.fm

Stack Overflow Reviews

Best Forums for Developers to Join in 2025
Simply put, Stack Overflow and the other forums in this suite are the best ways to reach out to fellow coders for help. They are powerful resources for any new or old coder to learn more about coding and connect with fellow developers on various topics.
Source: www.notchup.com
Top 5 Best Alternatives to Quora
A notable mention within the StackExchange network, Stack Overflow specifically targets programming and development professionals. It’s widely regarded as the go-to resource for coding and software-related queries. Users vote on answers, with the best responses rising to the top based on community feedback. The platform is heavily used by developers to solve coding problems...
Source: 51links.com
Top 10 Developer Communities You Should Explore
The gamified reputation system on Stack Overflow encourages users to provide high-quality answers, making it a reliable source for troubleshooting and learning. Beyond asking and answering questions, developers can explore topics, participate in community-driven initiatives, and stay informed about the latest industry trends.
Source: www.qodo.ai
Great Products for Finding Startup Jobs
Stack Overflow — Engineering-heavy job board with job listings from around the world that integrates nicely with Stack Overflow’s broader ecosystem.
Source: medium.com

Ask.fm Reviews

We have no reviews of Ask.fm yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Stack Overflow seems to be a lot more popular than Ask.fm. While we know about 890 links to Stack Overflow, we've tracked only 70 mentions of Ask.fm. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Stack Overflow mentions (890)

View more

Ask.fm mentions (70)

  • Abridged History of Amber and the Cats
    Amber went to Twitter and ask.fm to say that Rafe was lying and "absolutely insane." She continued to say that she had SO MANY screenshots that prove Rafe was neglectful and batshit crazy, but when asked to share them, never did. Amber's clapbacks after she snapped and was going to upload the video:. Source: over 1 year ago
  • What was everyone's high school experience like with phones/phone addiction around you?
    I'm 22F, I graduated high school in 2018. The world just felt different then, I feel that phone/social media addiction was not NEARLY as present back then, as we really only had snapchat, Instagram, and ask.fm that were cool in my grade at least. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Which humanoid Legendary Lord is physically strongest?
    Settra fighting Kholek is not in the actual published End Times material. It's just something from Josh Reynolds' ask.fm, and GW's official stance is that everything outside of the published material is not canon. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • LOL. Science can easily become cultish compared to religion? What a freaking moron
    There was a time during Jacobs ask.fm days where he constantly talked like this. His thing was Alan Watts and ego. It just runs in the family. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • ASK.fm won't delete my embarrassing account I created at 13
    I contacted ASK.fm support to delete an account I created and never touched when I was 13, (I'm 22 now) and they won't delete it because I have forgotten the email and username associated with the account. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Stack Overflow and Ask.fm, you can also consider the following products

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

The Answer Bank - The Answer Bank is the UK’s leading question-and-answer site.

Quora - Quora is a place to gain and share knowledge. It's a platform to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers.

Ask Me Help Desk - Ask Me Help Desk is a question-and-answer site.

Stack Exchange - Stack Exchange is a fast-growing network of 84 [and counting] question and answer sites on diverse...

wikiHow - wikiHow is a wiki based collaboration to build the world’s largest, highest quality how to manual.