> 16,610 publications monitored · data updated daily · last sync: MAR 17, 2026

Substack Statistics 2026: Data from 21,007 Newsletters

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

Newsletters Indexed

21,007

Across 27 topics

Niches Tracked

327

Classified and searchable

Median Monthly Price

$7/mo

Across all paid newsletters

Monetization Rate

56.8%

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

12.9M

Median Subscribers

4.0K

Publications with Data

819

Subscriber RangePublications% of Total
100,000+242.9%
10,000 - 99,99923929.2%
1,000 - 9,99938747.3%
Under 1,00016920.6%

Monetization Statistics

56.8% 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/mo18035.2%
$6 - $10/mo25449.6%
$11 - $15/mo285.5%
$16 - $20/mo61.2%
$20+/mo346.6%

Median Price by Category

#CategoryMedian Price
1Finance$30/mo
2Crypto$15/mo
3Technology$11/mo
4Business$11/mo
5Education$8/mo
6Philosophy$8/mo
7Design$8/mo
8Faith & Spirituality$8/mo
9News$8/mo
10Health & Wellness$7/mo
11U.S. Politics
12Food & Drink
13Global Politics
14Travel
15Fashion & Beauty
16Science
17Literature
18Culture
19Sports
20Humor
21Music
22Parenting
23Fiction
24Art & Illustration
25Climate & Environment
26History
27Comics

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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 TravelTravel21
2General MusicMusic19
3General News & JournalismNews18
4General EducationEducation15
5General Global PoliticsGlobal Politics15
6General HistoryHistory15
7General U.S. PoliticsU.S. Politics14
8General Health & WellnessHealth & Wellness13
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

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All statistics are derived from 21,007 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 21,007 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?
56.8% of the 21,007 Substack newsletters we index have enabled paid subscriptions. The remaining 43.2% 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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Unlock every data point across 27 topics and 327 niches. Full monetization rates, pricing benchmarks, and niche rankings.

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