<p>Ponds, small standing freshwater bodies, are increasingly recognised as biodiversity hotspots, but data on aquatic mollusc communities and the drivers of their variability in these habitats remain scarce. In this study, we investigated the diversity of mollusc communities in 39 urban and agricultural ponds in Slovakia, as determined by land use evaluation in the riparian zone. Using a qualitative approach, we recorded 30 mollusc species, including three protected and seven non-native species. Agricultural ponds were environmentally less heterogeneous than urban ponds, and were characterised by larger area, higher conductivity, but lower oxygen saturation. Estimated species richness was higher in agricultural ponds, but the difference in the median number of species recorded was not significant. However, agricultural ponds harboured a significantly higher number of non-native species. Our findings highlight the essential roles of habitat size, water quality, and source proximity in structuring mollusc assemblages in urban and agricultural ponds, as we identified a significant influence of pond surface area, conductivity, and percentage of proximal stream coverage in the riparian zone. Based on these findings, we detected an urbanisation gradient intermingling pond types, but only a slight correlation with community diversity. Our results support the importance of local conditions for mollusc diversity and the essential role of artificial ponds as biodiversity hotspots worthy of conservation planning, but also as sources of non-native species.</p>