# Substack People Scraper 🔍🧑‍💼 - Cheap (`scrapestorm/substack-people-scraper---cheap`) Actor

🔍 Easily Scrape Substack People
Enter a keyword to collect real creator profiles from Substack ✍️
Get insights such as name, handle, bio, social links, publications, setup date & more 🕵️‍♀️
Seamlessly integrate with tools like Google Drive to automate workflows and boost productivity ⚡📊

- **URL**: https://apify.com/scrapestorm/substack-people-scraper---cheap.md
- **Developed by:** [Storm\_Scraper](https://apify.com/scrapestorm) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, Agents
- **Stats:** 17 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 2 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$19.49/month + usage

To use this Actor, you pay a monthly rental fee to the developer. The rent is subtracted from your prepaid usage every month after the free trial period. You also pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher Apify subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#rental-actors

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

### 🧑‍💼 Substack People Scraper 🔍📥

The Substack People Scraper is your go-to tool for collecting structured profile data from public Substack accounts. Perfect for lead generation, influencer discovery, media analysis, or newsletter research — this scraper extracts detailed author and publication info in just minutes.

### 🔍 What It Does

Provide a Substack URL (or list of Substack URLs) and the scraper delivers:

✅ Clean, structured data on Substack authors and their publications
✅ Rich metadata: name, handle, bio, photo, Twitter, setup date, and more
✅ Nested publication info including name, theme, plan, and launch date
✅ Ready-to-use data for CRMs, dashboards, analytics, or marketing workflows

📄 Output Fields

| Field               | Description                                         |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `id`                | Unique identifier for the Substack user             |
| `name`              | Full name of the profile owner                      |
| `handle`            | Substack handle (used in URLs)                      |
| `previous_name`     | Previous display name (if available)                |
| `photo_url`         | Direct link to profile photo                        |
| `bio`               | Biography or description from the user profile      |
| `profile_set_up_at` | ISO date when the profile was created               |
| `profile_disabled`  | Boolean flag if the profile is deactivated          |
| `twitter`           | Linked Twitter username or handle                   |
| `publications`      | List of publications owned by this user (see below) |

### 🛠 How to Use the Scraper

It’s simple and beginner-friendly:

🔗 Paste one or more Substack profile or publication URLs
🔢 Choose how many profiles to extract (optional)

🚀 Run the scraper — and get clean, structured Substack profile data in minutes!

### 💰 Pricing

This scraper uses a pay-per-month model. You’re only charged for successful results.

- **Price**: $19.49 per month.

### Related Actors

If you're interested in other social media (Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest & more) or real estate Actors:

- [AllRecipes Search Scraper 🔍🍽️ 👩‍🍳 - Cheap](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/allrecipes-search-scraper---cheap)
- [Facebook Group Members Scraper 📊👥 - Fast & cheap 💬⭐](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/my-actor-1)
- [Facebook Ads Library Scraper 🎯📈 - Fast & cheap 💬⭐](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/facebook-ads-library-scraper---fast-cheap)
- [Facebook Followers & Following Scraper 📊👥 - Fast & cheap 💬⭐](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/facebook-followers-following-scraper---fast-cheap)
- [Facebook Comments Scraper (All-in-One) 💬](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/facebook-comments-scraper-all-in-one)
- [Facebook Likes Scraper (Fast & Cheap) 👍 🌟](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/facebook-likes-scraper-fast-cheap)
- [Pinterest Profiles Search Scraper 🖼️👥🔍](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/pinterest-profiles-search-scraper)
- [Pinterest Boards Search Scraper 🎨🔍](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/pinterest-boards-search-scraper)
- [Pinterest Pins/Videos Search Scraper 🎨🔍](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/pinterest-pins-videos-search-scraper)
- [YouTube Scraper (By Keyword) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fast & cheap](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/youtube)
- [Youtube Shorts Scraper 📺 (Rental) - Fast & cheap](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/youtube-shorts-scraper-rental---fast-cheap)
- [YouTube Transcript Video Scraper 📝 (⚡ Fast & 💸 Cheap)](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/youtube-transcript-videos)
- [Youtube Playlist Scraper 🎵 - Rental (Fast & cheap)](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/youtube-playlist-scraper---rental-fast-cheap)
- [Jobs.ch Search Scraper (Fast & Cheap) 💼 🇨🇭](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/jobs-ch-search-scraper-fast-cheap)
- [Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Arbeitsagentur) Scraper 🇩🇪 💼 Cheap](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/bundesagentur-fur-arbeit-arbeitsagentur-scraper-cheap)
- [SimplyHired Jobs Scraper 💼🔎📈 - Faster & Cheaper](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/simplyhired-jobs-scraper---faster-cheaper)
- [Seek Job / JobStreet Scraper (Advanced & Cheap) 💼](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/seek-job-jobstreet-scraper-advanced-cheap)
- [Practo Doctor Scraper 👨‍⚕️ - Fast & Cheap](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/practo-doctor-scraper---fast-cheap)
- [PropertyFinder Search Scraper 🏡 🏘️ - Cheap](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/propertyfinder-search-scraper---cheap)
- [PropertyFinder Agent - Cheap 🏷️ 🏠👨‍💼](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/propertyfinder-agent---cheap)
- [🛍️ Dubizzle Search Scraper - Cheap 🏷️](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/dubizzle-search-scraper---cheap)
- [Poshmark Product Scraper 👗 - Cheap](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/poshmark-product-scraper---cheap)
- [Netmeds Product Scraper - Cheap 🛒](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/netmeds-product-scraper---cheap)
- [MercadoLibre Search Scraper 📦🌍🛍️ - Cheap & Advanced](https://apify.com/scrapestorm/mercadolibre-search-scraper---cheap-advanced)

***

### 💡 Use Cases

📩 Lead Generation — Discover and collect creator contact data

🧠 Market Research — Analyze trends in independent publishing

📢 Influencer Discovery — Identify high-engagement newsletter authors

📊 CRM Enrichment — Add public Substack data to your contact database

🔍 Media Monitoring — Track emerging voices and subdomains by topic

### 📥 Input Schema

Input example :

```
{
  "keyword": "john",
  "maxitems": 100
}


```

Input Fields:

| Field      | Type    | Description                                   |
| ---------- | ------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `keyword`  | string  | 🔍 The Bulk keyword to search Substack profiles by |
| `maxitems` | integer | 🔢 Maximum number of profiles to extract      |

💡 The keyword can be a name, username, or any search term relevant to public Substack accounts.

### Output

```
{
  "id": 7201506,
  "name": "John McDonald",
  "handle": "johnmcdonald711547",
  "previous_name": "N/A",
  "photo_url": "https://cdn.substack.com/image.jpg",
  "bio": "I am in the restaurant, media and storytelling business.",
  "profile_set_up_at": "2021-10-15T16:15:51.489Z",
  "profile_disabled": false,
  "twitter": "N/A",
  "publications": [
    {
      "publication_id": 519118,
      "name": "BROKEN PALATE",
      "subdomain": "brokenpalate",
      "hero_text": "Where food and culture collide",
      "copyright": "Broken Palate",
      "founding_plan_name": "VIP Member",
      "created_at": "2021-10-09T12:15:27.930Z",
      "theme_color": "#9A6600",
      "payments_state": "enabled"
    }
  ]
}

```

### 📫 Support

😊 Leave us a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ if you are satisfied with the product!
🌍 For any questions, specific needs or issues, please reach out through Apify's platform or via email - [Storm\_Scraper 🌪️🌩️](https://apify.com/scrapestorm)

# Actor input Schema

## `keywords` (type: `array`):

List of keywords. Each keyword will be scraped separately, with its own profile limit (see maxItemsPerKeyword).

## `maxItemsPerKeyword` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of profiles to extract for EACH keyword in the 'keywords' list (not a global total).

## `proxy` (type: `object`):

Select the proxy configuration to use for the actor.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "keywords": [
    "john",
    "business"
  ],
  "maxItemsPerKeyword": 60,
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "US"
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "keywords": [
        "john",
        "business"
    ],
    "maxItemsPerKeyword": 60,
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "US"
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("scrapestorm/substack-people-scraper---cheap").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "keywords": [
        "john",
        "business",
    ],
    "maxItemsPerKeyword": 60,
    "proxy": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "US",
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("scrapestorm/substack-people-scraper---cheap").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "keywords": [
    "john",
    "business"
  ],
  "maxItemsPerKeyword": 60,
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "US"
  }
}' |
apify call scrapestorm/substack-people-scraper---cheap --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,scrapestorm/substack-people-scraper---cheap"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/0PXBrvuYYidWlX9GQ/builds/3crfabkNj3J2b9fhF/openapi.json