Substack
Cancel subscription
How to Cancel Substack Subscription: Official Steps
Step-by-step guide to cancel a Substack subscription on web or iOS, plus what happens at renewal, how trials work, refund limits, and email settings.
- 16 current official sources checked
- 2 billing routes separated
- Legacy Provider and equivalent Blog content reconciled claim by claim
- Steps, outcomes, refund boundaries, and related products revalidated
How to cancel Substack through the correct billing owner
Web cancellation
Cancel Substack through Web
1Sign in to Substack
In a web browser, go to substack.com and sign in with the email address that receives the publication’s newsletters, then open your account Settings page at substack.com/settings.
2Open Settings and Subscriptions
On the Settings page, scroll to the Subscriptions section. Here Substack lists every publication connected to your account and shows which ones are free or paid so you can pick the plan you want to stop.
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3Choose the publication subscription
In the Subscriptions list, click the specific paid publication you want to cancel. This opens that publication’s subscription detail page with its current plan, renewal information, and account actions.
4Select Cancel subscription and confirm
On the subscription page, scroll to the Account actions area and follow the link provided there to cancel your paid subscription. On the next page, choose the Cancel Subscription option and confirm when prompted so Substack can schedule the end of your plan.
iOS cancellation
Cancel Substack through iOS
1Open Settings
On your iPhone or iPad, open the Substack app, tap your profile picture in the top‑right corner, then select Settings at the bottom of the menu to open your in‑app account settings.
2Tap your name
In Settings, confirm you’re using the profile associated with the email that receives this publication’s receipts and newsletters so you manage the correct subscription before making any changes.
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3Open Subscriptions
From the Settings screen, tap Payments. This section lists publications whose subscriptions were started through the iOS app and lets you open each one’s billing details.
4Choose Substack
In Payments, tap the publication whose paid plan you want to stop. Substack will route you to Apple’s App Store subscription management page for that specific subscription so you can change or cancel it.
5Tap Cancel Subscription and confirm
On the App Store subscription screen, use Apple’s Cancel Subscription option for that plan and confirm when prompted. This turns off auto‑renew; your paid benefits continue until the end date shown, after which you revert to a free subscriber for that publication.
Refund policy
Substack subscription refunds and who decides
Cancelling a Substack subscription stops future billing but does not on its own generate a refund. Refund eligibility depends on whether you paid on the web or via the iOS app and on the individual publication’s policies, with Substack applying an overarching refund framework in certain cases.
Check my refund options- Creators have primary control over refunds
- Substack states that refunds are ultimately at the publisher’s discretion. Subscribers are expected to contact the creator first, usually by replying to a newsletter email or using contact details on the publication’s About or profile pages.
- Substack’s 7‑day and dormant‑publication rules
- Substack may directly issue a refund if you contact Support within 7 days of payment (subject to perks and any non‑refundable setting), when a publication meets its dormant criteria, or when there was a qualifying payment processing error such as a duplicate charge.
- Refund timing to your bank or card
- Approved refunds can take up to about 10 business days to appear on your bank or card statement, depending on how quickly your financial institution processes returned payments.
- Refunds after creator‑initiated cancellation
- When a creator cancels a subscriber and issues a refund from the Subscribers tab, the reader receives an email about the refund and is downgraded to a free subscriber who no longer has access to paid‑only posts or comments.
- iOS App Store refunds follow Apple’s policies
- For subscriptions purchased via the Substack iOS app using in‑app payments, Substack notes that the charges are processed by Apple and that refund decisions for those purchases are governed by Apple’s own refund process and policies.
If you still need help with a charge after working with the publication’s creator, contact Substack Support through the Help Center while signed in so they can view your account and relevant payments. Contact Substack Support
What cancellation covers
What your Substack cancellation actually affects
Clarifies which plans and publications will stop renewing when you cancel so you know exactly what will and won’t change.
Each publication is a separate subscription
Substack sells subscriptions at the publication level. When you cancel, you stop billing only for that specific publication; any other paid publications you follow will continue until you cancel them individually.
Plan types you may be cancelling
A publication can offer free, monthly, annual, and founding member plans. Cancelling a paid plan stops its renewals but does not affect your free tier with the same publication, if one exists.
Where all subscriptions are listed
On the web, your full list of Substack subscriptions appears under Subscriptions in account Settings or in your Library on desktop; this is the authoritative place to review which publications are free or paid.
Apps still rely on web cancellation for web‑billed plans
Even if you mainly read in the Android or iOS apps, paid subscriptions bought through the web are cancelled from the browser using the Subscriptions page, not by deleting the app.
After you cancel
Billing, trials, and access after cancellation
Explains when billing actually stops and how your access to posts and features changes once you cancel.
Billing stops after the current period
When you cancel a paid subscription, Substack sets it to terminate at the end of the current billing period so you will not be charged again for that plan.
Trials end immediately on cancellation
If you cancel while on a 7‑day trial, the trial ends as soon as you cancel, and paid access ends right away instead of waiting for the original trial end date.
You become a free subscriber
After your paid term ends, Substack automatically converts you to a free subscriber to that publication, allowing you to keep receiving free posts unless you later unsubscribe.
Loss of paid‑only features
Once a subscription is canceled and any applicable refund is processed, you no longer have access to paid‑only posts or comments on paid‑only posts, though free content remains available.
How to see your end date
To confirm when your access ends, open the subscription from the web Subscriptions page; Substack shows an end date under Subscription status, including for subscriptions started through the iOS app.
Email & notifications
Stopping emails versus stopping billing
Distinguishes between cancelling a paid plan and controlling what lands in your inbox or as push notifications.
Cancelling does not automatically stop emails
Cancelling a paid subscription only affects billing. You may still receive free posts, marketing, or activity digests by email or push until you unsubscribe from the publication or change notification and marketing settings.
Unsubscribing from a publication in the apps
On iOS or Android you can open your profile, select a publication, tap the three dots, and choose Unsubscribe to stop following it and its emails, regardless of whether it is free.
Notification changes are not cancellation
Turning off all notifications in the Substack iOS app will unsubscribe you from that publication’s notifications, but it does not cancel a paid subscription—billing continues until you cancel the plan itself.
Controlling Substack marketing emails
To stop Substack’s own marketing and recommendation emails, go to Settings on the web, open the Marketing and Connections sections, and uncheck the Email or Push boxes for each category you no longer want.
Refunds & disputes
Refund options and payment disputes on Substack
Outlines who decides refunds, when Substack may step in, and how iOS and card disputes are treated.
Creators are the primary decision‑makers
Substack explains that refunds are ultimately at the publisher’s discretion, and subscribers should first contact the creator—typically by replying to a newsletter email or using the contact information on the publication.
When Substack will honor a refund directly
Substack may itself issue a refund if you contact Support within 7 days of payment (subject to perks and any non‑refundable setting), when a publication meets its definition of dormant, or when there was a payment processing error such as a duplicate charge.
Refund timelines and limits
Approved refunds may take up to about 10 business days to appear on your bank or card statement, and repeated refund requests from the same subscriber may be left to the creator’s discretion.
Refunds for iOS in‑app purchases
For subscriptions purchased through the Substack iOS app using in‑app payments, charges are billed by Apple; Substack notes that refund decisions for those purchases are made under Apple’s own refund process and policies.
Chargebacks and card disputes
If a subscriber disputes a subscription charge with their card issuer, Stripe’s dispute process applies and the cardholder’s bank decides the outcome. Substack encourages canceling or requesting a refund instead of initiating a chargeback when possible.
Alternatives
Alternatives to cancelling your Substack subscription
Options that change billing or communications without permanently ending a subscription.
Pause your paid subscription
On the subscription’s page in web Settings, you can choose Pause Subscription and select how many months to stop charges. The subscription pauses immediately; Substack shows the resume date and emails you a reminder several days before billing restarts.
Pause payments as a creator
If you run your own publication and need to stop charging all readers temporarily, you can pause payments in your publication’s Settings under Payments, which freezes billing cycles and blocks new paid sign‑ups until you unpause.
Turn off notifications but keep access
You can keep a paid subscription active for archive access while silencing noise by turning off marketing emails, reading suggestions, or specific publication notifications in your account and app settings.
Move from App Store billing to web billing
If your iOS in‑app price is higher, Substack suggests cancelling that plan in the App Store so it doesn’t renew, then purchasing a new subscription on the web at your preferred rate. Substack cannot refund the price difference between the two.
Android & devices
Android and cross‑device cancellation behavior
How Android readers and people using multiple devices should manage cancellations.
Cancel paid plans from Android via the web
On Android, you can read posts and manage free subscriptions in the app, but cancelling a paid subscription requires signing into your Substack account in a browser and using the standard Settings > Subscriptions cancellation flow.
Unsubscribe from free publications in Android
To stop a free newsletter from the Android app, open your profile, select the publication, tap the three dots, and choose Unsubscribe; this removes it from your library and stops its emails.
Use desktop for a full overview
If you follow many publications, the desktop web interface and Library view provide the clearest overview of which subscriptions are free or paid and their current status, which can reduce mistakes when cancelling.
Access after cancellation across devices
Whether you cancel on web or via an iOS in‑app purchase, you can continue reading that publication’s free posts on web, iOS, and Android as long as you remain a free subscriber.
Problems cancelling
Troubleshooting common Substack cancellation issues
What to check when the cancel option seems missing or charges keep appearing.
No cancel option on a subscription
If you do not see an option to cancel a subscription in a creator’s Subscribers tab or your own account, the subscription may already be canceled or currently on pause. Check your end date and upcoming statements before opening a support ticket.
Still charged after unsubscribing in the app
Using Unsubscribe or turning off notifications in the apps stops emails but does not end billing. To stop charges, cancel the paid plan via the web Subscriptions page or, for iOS in‑app purchases, through Apple’s Cancel Subscription option.
Unsure which email is billed
If you are not receiving emails or see a message that email delivery is disabled, you may be unsubscribed under one address and subscribed under another. Use the publication’s email‑test page or your receipts to confirm the email tied to your paid plan.
When to contact Substack Support
If you cannot resolve an issue by following the help articles or contacting the creator, Substack recommends reaching out via the Help Center chatbot; the bot can answer common questions and will create a ticket for the in‑house support team when needed.
Account & data
Account, data, and creator considerations
Explains what cancellation does and does not change about your Substack account and creator data.
Your Substack account remains active
Cancelling a paid subscription does not delete your Substack account. You can continue signing in, following other publications, and adjusting email or notification settings at any time.
Free access continues after paid term ends
As long as you remain a free subscriber to a publication, you can keep reading its free posts on the web and in the apps even after your paid subscription expires.
Creators can export publication data
If you run a Substack publication, you can export your posts, subscriber list, and statistics from the publication’s Settings under Exports, regardless of which personal subscriptions you cancel.
Creators own their content and mailing list
Substack emphasizes that creators own their content and subscriber relationships and can export them at any time, so cancelling your own reading subscriptions does not prevent you from moving your publication elsewhere later.
Substack cancellation FAQ
Provider-specific answers based on official sources checked August 10, 2026. Signed-in terms, region, billing owner, and applicable law still control.
Will I lose access to paid posts immediately after cancelling my Substack subscription?
Does cancelling my Substack subscription delete my account or unsubscribe me from emails?
How can I confirm that my Substack subscription is really cancelled?
What’s different if I subscribed through the Substack iOS app?
Can I pause my paid Substack subscription instead of cancelling it?
What if I use the Android app—how do I cancel a paid subscription?
Who should I contact about a refund or billing error on my Substack subscription?
Does cancelling my subscription affect a Substack publication I run as a creator?
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