Substack profile investigator 🔎

Enter substack handle

handles ok custom domains too no account 100% in-browser

Works with handles (@casey) and custom domains. Subscriber counts shown only when publicly disclosed by the author.

Fetching publication data…

Publication not found Check the handle and try again. Note: private Substack newsletters may not return data.

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things people ask ↘

Why does it say "Private" instead of showing a subscriber count?

Substack keeps subscriber counts private by default. Authors have to explicitly opt in to displaying their numbers publicly — many choose not to. If you see "Private", it means the newsletter owner hasn't enabled public subscriber display, not that the lookup failed. There's no way to retrieve this number without the author's cooperation.

Is the subscriber count real-time and accurate?

The data comes directly from Substack's public API, so it reflects whatever Substack has on file at the moment of your request — typically accurate to within a few hours. However, Substack may cache or round numbers for large publications, so treat very large counts as approximate figures rather than exact ones.

Why can't I look up subscriber counts for any newsletter I want?

Subscriber lists are private data belonging to both the author and their readers. Substack's API only exposes what authors have chosen to make public. This tool can only surface information that is already publicly accessible — it cannot access private dashboards, bypass authentication, or scrape data that isn't intended to be public.

The newsletter I searched for wasn't found. What should I try?

A few things to try: (1) Use the subdomain directly — e.g. if the newsletter is at example.substack.com, enter example. (2) If the newsletter uses a custom domain like newsletter.com, try entering that full domain. (3) Some newsletters are set to fully private or invite-only, in which case the API returns nothing. (4) Double-check the spelling — Substack handles are case-insensitive but must match exactly.

Does this tool store or log the newsletters I look up?

SubCount runs in your browser and nothing you search is stored or logged by this tool. You can verify this by inspecting network requests in your browser's developer tools.

What's the difference between free and paid subscriber counts?

On Substack, a newsletter can have both free subscribers (who get some or all content for free) and paid subscribers (who pay a monthly or annual fee for premium access). The total subscriber count includes both. Paid subscriber counts, when shown, reflect people actively paying — this is typically the figure most relevant to a newsletter's revenue. Not all newsletters have paid tiers enabled.

from the blog ↘

Substack Profiles

Does Substack Tell You Who Viewed Your Profile?

The universal anxiety of profile-stalking, answered. Plus: how to change your picture, add links, make your profile private, and delete your account entirely.

Read the guide →