So NaNoWriMo-the-company announced that they are shutting down (announced March 31, 2025) and a lot of people are both happy/sad, including me. I did NaNoWriMo years ago as a teen and enjoyed it, but honestly the company has taken such a nosedive in the last few years that it basically needed to be killed.
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NaNoWriMo Chronicles explains in detail, but basically a predator was luring in victims on the forum (as a MODERATOR) and when people found out, NaNoWriMo-the-company didn't respond appropriately and shot themselves in the foot. Then they ran out of money.
If you want a writing community then there's lots to choose from, including ones that have been around just as long as NaNoWriMo. I've got a list here for places that have both writing goals and community at their centers, so take a look and see if something calls to you.
Note: most of the community stuff is on Discord, which is a kind of chat app and can seem intimidating at first but isn't too too difficult to use. Think of it like a fancier version of IRC; each “server” is a chatroom and within that room is smaller sections for different topics. Here's a 101 guide that goes into more details for getting set up.
Shut Up and Write – does online AND in-person events.
Get Your Words Out – only open for new members at the end of the year. You can pick a wordcount pledge or a habit goal. They do monthly events like writing sprints and hangouts. Has various communities including on Dreamwidth and Discord.
#ZapWhamPow – a challenge that includes both readers and writers. Basically, you either read or write all month and after a certain number of words/books/whatever you earn a letter. They're on Discord for 2025, here's the invite link per their forum page.
Rogue Writers Network – international writing group which hosts monthly challenges and a big Novel/Project in a Month even in October. They have a private Discord server for members.
Library in Progress – a Discord server for writers that hosts 50k writing sprints in March, July and November, plus smaller challenges throughout the year.
Writer's Flock (18+) – a year-round group that does big events in April, July and November. They also have a lot of smaller events, like beta reading events or watching writing lectures together.
The Word Sprint – for people who just want sprint support and not necessarily huge discussion topics, this server might be a good option for you.
Coze & Prose [25+] – a NaNoWriMo-adjacent group that does year-round events, including Camp NaNoWriMo (April) and November.
Royal Road has two 5-week long write-athons each year, in April and November. They also have a proper forum, if you want to avoid Discord.
Writing Quests – hosts weekly/monthly (maybe daily?) writing sprints; sister to Novel Quests which is an annual 50k writing challenge.
Rough Draft Month – a 30 day creative challenge; next one is in June 2025. Community part is on Discord.
Heart Breathings on Youtube is hosting the Rough Draft Challenge in April, where the goal is to write a book in 30 days.
Writing tracker (Google Sheets) which you can use to keep track of your wordcount.
Writing Month – very basic writing tracker (free, no ads). Pick your own goal for whatever month you want, add a writing buddy, etc. (h/t kalloway)
Write or Die 3 download link; it's a program where you HAVE to keep writing or else it'll delete your stuff. There's also a browser version on RoughDraftMonth.org.