How to Cancel Substack

A 11-step walkthrough with real screenshots from the live cancel flow.

~2 minutes Time
1 day ago Updated
Verified Working flow
Open Substack Cancel Page Read the 11 steps See Substack pricing & tiers

Quick answer

Substack subscriptions are cancelled per publication, on the web only. Go to substack.com/settings/subscriptions, click the paid publication, scroll to Account actions and use the "To cancel your paid subscription, click here" link, then click Cancel Subscription. Skip the Pause Subscription button and any free-month offer, confirm with Cancel subscription, and you keep paid access until the end of the period you've already paid for. If you subscribed through Apple in-app purchase on the iOS app, cancel through Apple instead.

Wondering if you're paying more than you used to? what streaming services cost in 2026.

See Substack's pricing, tiers, and difficulty score in one page. Substack ranks #30 of 133 by cancellation difficulty.

Step-by-step instructions

1

Open your subscription settings on the web

Sign in on a web browser and go to substack.com/settings (or substack.com/settings/subscriptions). Under Subscriptions, click the paid publication you want to cancel — this opens that publication's "Manage your subscription" page. Substack has no master cancel switch: each paid newsletter is billed separately, so repeat this guide for every one you're leaving. The mobile apps can't cancel a Substack-billed subscription; this only works in a browser.

Substack "Manage your subscription" page for the publication HEATED showing Account details, a Plan of $8 per month with a Change button, and Status reading "Billing period renews Nov 18"
2

Scroll to Account actions and click the cancel link

Scroll past Notifications and Payment Information to the "Account actions" box at the bottom. The first line reads "To cancel your paid subscription, click here" — click that link. The Change button next to your plan up top only switches you between monthly and annual billing; it doesn't cancel anything.

Bottom of the Substack subscription page showing Payment Information with a Visa card and next payment date, and an Account actions box whose first line is "To cancel your paid subscription, click here"
3

Click Cancel Subscription — not Pause Subscription

You land on a "Cancel or Pause Subscription" page. The bright orange button is "Pause Subscription", which stops charges for a few months and then automatically starts billing you again. The plain grey "Cancel Subscription" button below it is the one that actually ends the subscription. Click "Cancel Subscription".

Substack "Cancel or Pause Subscription" page with a prominent orange Pause Subscription button above a plain grey Cancel Subscription button
4

Decline the free-month offer

Many publications fire a "Get one month for free" pop-up next, offering a free month to stay subscribed. Click "Continue to cancel" to keep going. Only click "Get a free month" if you genuinely want to stay — it keeps your subscription active, and billing resumes after the free month.

Substack retention pop-up titled "Get one month for free" with a grey Continue to cancel button and an orange Get a free month button
5

Skip the exit survey and click Cancel subscription

A "Cancel paid subscription" dialog opens. It confirms your paid benefits continue until the end of the billing period and asks why you're cancelling — options like "Doesn't fit my budget", "Don't want to auto-renew", and "Disappointed in the content", plus a feedback box. Both are optional; the writer sees your answer. Click the orange "Cancel subscription" button to finish.

Substack "Cancel paid subscription" dialog stating benefits continue until Nov 18, with seven cancellation-reason radio buttons ("Doesn't fit my budget" selected), a feedback box, and an orange Cancel subscription button
6

Confirm the "Subscription successfully canceled" screen

Substack shows "Subscription successfully canceled — You will no longer be billed for [publication]". Click "Done". Your paid access continues until the end of the period you've already paid for, then you drop to that publication's free list. If you were on a 7-day free trial, cancelling ends the trial immediately instead.

Substack confirmation page reading "Subscription successfully canceled — You will no longer be billed for HEATED" with a Done button
7

Verify the cancellation stuck

Back on the publication's page, the header now shows a "Renew subscription" button — that's your proof the paid subscription is ending. You can also reopen substack.com/settings/subscriptions and check the publication no longer shows a renewal date. You'll keep getting the publication's free emails unless you unsubscribe from those separately.

Substack publication homepage after cancelling, with an orange "Renew subscription" button in the top-right of the header
8
If this applies to you

If you subscribed through Apple on the iOS app

If you paid with "Continue with in-app payments" in the Substack iOS app, Apple bills you — and often at a higher price, since Substack marks up in-app prices to cover Apple's fee. Cancel through Apple: in the Substack app tap your profile picture > Settings > Payments > the publication, and you'll be routed to the App Store to change or cancel the plan (or go straight to iPhone Settings > your name > Subscriptions). Refunds for these charges are up to Apple, not Substack.

9
If this applies to you

If your subscription is currently paused

Substack's settings offer no cancel control while a subscription is paused — a real gap users complain about. Two ways out: open the publication's own site and go to its /account page (yourpublication.substack.com/account), where the "To cancel your paid subscription" link still appears at the bottom; or wait for the resume-reminder email Substack sends three days before billing restarts and cancel the moment it resumes.

10
If this applies to you

Want to stop the emails entirely? Unsubscribe from the free list too

Cancelling the paid plan only downgrades you to a free subscriber — the newsletters keep coming. To go silent, return to the publication's settings page and turn off its notifications/email toggles, or click "Unsubscribe" at the bottom of any of its emails.

11
If this applies to you

Want money back? Ask within 7 days

Cancelling doesn't refund what you've paid. Substack honors refund requests made within 7 days of a payment (unless you've claimed a subscriber perk) — contact support at substack.com/support. After 7 days it's up to the writer, so message them directly. Substack also refunds dormant publications (no posts for 6+ months on a yearly plan, or 1+ month on monthly) and duplicate-charge errors. Refunds can take up to 10 business days to reach your card.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Substack states the subscription "will terminate at the end of the billing period and you will not be charged again." You keep paid access until the date you've already paid through, then become a free subscriber. Plenty of readers even cancel a yearly plan right after paying to block auto-renewal while keeping the full year. One caveat from user reports: a few people have seen paid access cut off early after cancelling — keep a screenshot of the confirmation screen in case you need support to restore it.

Within 7 days of a payment, yes — Substack honors refund requests submitted to its support (substack.com/support) inside that window, unless you've claimed a subscriber perk. Past 7 days, refunds are at the writer's discretion, so contact the publication directly. Substack will also refund if the publication is dormant (no posts for 6+ months on yearly plans, 1+ month on monthly) or for duplicate-charge processing errors. Expect up to 10 business days for the money to land. Apple in-app purchases are refunded by Apple, at Apple's discretion.

There's no fixed price — every writer sets their own. Substack enforces a $5/month minimum for paid publications, and $5/month is the most common price across most categories (finance and crypto newsletters often run $10+/month). Annual plans are usually discounted by the writer, e.g. $50/year instead of $60. Substack adds no reader fees on top, but the same plan bought through Apple in-app purchase on the iOS app often costs more, because Substack raises in-app prices to cover Apple's cut.

It depends on who bills you. If you paid through Apple's in-app purchase flow on the iOS app, cancel through Apple: Substack app > profile picture > Settings > Payments > the publication routes you to the App Store, or use iPhone Settings > your name > Subscriptions. If you paid Substack directly (the normal web checkout, including the browser window the app opens), you must cancel on a web browser — neither the iOS nor the Android app can cancel a Substack-billed subscription. Android has no Google Play billing; those subscriptions are always web-billed.

Yes, and timing matters: Substack says "If you're on a 7-day trial, the trial will end as soon as you cancel" — so unlike most services, you lose trial access immediately rather than keeping it for the remaining days. If you want the full week, set a reminder for day 6. Once the trial lapses, the card you entered at signup is charged automatically.

Only if you genuinely plan to come back. Pause stops charges for the number of months you pick, then automatically resumes billing (Substack emails a reminder three days before). The catch: while paused, the settings page gives you no way to cancel — readers have found themselves stuck waiting for the resume just to end it (the publication's own /account page is the workaround). If you're done, cancel. You can resubscribe anytime with the "Renew subscription" button on the publication's page.
Last updated Browse all 133 cancel guides

Never miss a cancellation deadline

RecurDash tracks all your subscriptions and reminds you before they renew. No bank login required.

Start tracking free