> 19,029 publications monitored · data updated daily · last sync: MAY 1, 2026

Substack Statistics 2026: Data from 25,501 Newsletters

The most comprehensive dataset of Substack publication statistics. Updated daily.

Newsletters Indexed

25,501

Across 27 topics

Niches Tracked

327

Classified and searchable

Median Monthly Price

$7/mo

Across all paid newsletters

Monetization Rate

54.9%

Of newsletters offer paid plans

Publication Distribution by Category

All 30 Substack categories sorted by number of newsletters. Explore any category in the niche explorer.

#CategoryNewsletter Count
1Climate & Environment870
2Travel826
3Business790
4Technology759
5Design757
6History750
7U.S. Politics748
8Music748
9Literature729
10Art & Illustration690
11Sports674
12Education657
13Global Politics655
14Health & Wellness620
15Culture590
16Finance575
17News565
18Parenting559
19Fiction553
20Fashion & Beauty492
21Humor491
22Crypto490
23Science489
24Faith & Spirituality486
25Food & Drink475
26Comics413
27Philosophy400

Subscriber Distribution

Aggregate subscriber data across all indexed publications.

Total Subscribers

14.6M

Median Subscribers

2.0K

Publications with Data

658

Subscriber RangePublications% of Total
100,000+172.6%
10,000 - 99,99916525.1%
1,000 - 9,99926340.0%
Under 1,00021332.4%

Monetization Statistics

54.9% of indexed newsletters have enabled paid subscriptions. Rates vary significantly by category. Learn more in our monetization guide.

#CategoryMonetization Rate
1Food & Drink77.9%
2U.S. Politics77.4%
3Health & Wellness77.3%
4Faith & Spirituality77.2%
5Fashion & Beauty76.2%
6Global Politics75.4%
7History73.7%
8Culture72.7%
9News72.2%
10Parenting71.7%
11Sports
12Philosophy
13Literature
14Travel
15Humor
16Music
17Fiction
18Finance
19Climate & Environment
20Design
21Art & Illustration
22Science
23Education
24Comics
25Business
26Technology
27Crypto

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Pricing Statistics

The overall median monthly subscription price is $7/mo. Prices exclude outliers above $500/mo. See the full breakdown in our pricing benchmarks.

Price Distribution

Price RangeNewsletters% of Paid
$5/mo14137.5%
$6 - $10/mo17546.5%
$11 - $15/mo164.3%
$16 - $20/mo92.4%
$20+/mo277.2%

Median Price by Category

#CategoryMedian Price
1Finance$29/mo
2Crypto$17/mo
3Education$9/mo
4Technology$8/mo
5Business$8/mo
6Food & Drink$8/mo
7Design$8/mo
8Climate & Environment$8/mo
9Faith & Spirituality$8/mo
10Health & Wellness$8/mo
11U.S. Politics
12Global Politics
13Philosophy
14Travel
15Culture
16Fiction
17Music
18Fashion & Beauty
19Science
20Comics
21Sports
22Art & Illustration
23History
24Literature
25Humor
26Parenting
27News

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Price data filtered to exclude outliers above $500/mo.

Largest Niches

The top 15 niches by number of publications. Browse all 327 niches in the explorer.

#NicheCategoryNewsletter Count
1General Global PoliticsGlobal Politics12
2General News & JournalismNews10
3General TravelTravel9
4General DesignDesign8
5General ScienceScience7
6General LiteratureLiterature7
7Personal Essays & ObservationsHumor7
8General Fiction & Creative WritingFiction6
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

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Explore the full dataset across 327 niches.

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All statistics are derived from 25,501 Substack publications indexed by NicheIndex across 27 topics and 327 niches. Data is collected from publicly available Substack publication data and updated regularly. See our full methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many newsletters are on Substack?
NicheIndex currently indexes 25,501 Substack publications across 27 topics and 327 niches. This represents a significant portion of active Substack publications. For a full breakdown by niche, see our best Substack niches ranking.
What percentage of Substack newsletters are paid?
54.9% of the 25,501 Substack newsletters we index have enabled paid subscriptions. The remaining 45.1% are free-only. Monetization rates vary significantly by category. Learn more in our guide on how to monetize your Substack.
What is the average Substack subscription price?
The median monthly subscription price is $7/mo. We use median instead of average because a small number of high-priced outliers skew the average. For full pricing benchmarks by category, see our Substack pricing benchmarks.
What is the most popular Substack category?
Climate & Environment is the largest category with 870 publications. For help choosing a niche, see our Substack niche research guide.

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