stackstats.app

What It Is

StackStats is an advanced desktop analytics app for Substack writers, built around the promise of “100% local, No cloud, No subscription.” It reads CSV/ZIP data exported from Substack and calculates subscriber growth, engagement, acquisition sources, retention, and post performance locally on your machine. No account is required, and it can also run without an internet connection. It is not an official Substack tool, but an independent app created by a developer for their own newsletter workflow.

Core Features and Data

Its feature set goes deeper than Substack’s native dashboard: KPI overview, 30-day growth, 180-day growth forecasts, growth-source conversion, subscriber engagement segmentation, paid-conversion potential scoring, churn risk, superfan identification, best publishing day/hour, cohort retention, open-rate decay, email clients, geographic reach, and more. At minimum, it requires a subscriber CSV and an email stats CSV. For more complete analysis, you can also import growth sources, traffic, followers, and a full ZIP export. AI is optional: it can run offline via local Ollama models, or you can bring your own API key for Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, and others.

Pricing and Ease of Use

Pricing follows a one-time purchase model: the 1-Year license costs $39 and includes 1 year of updates and support for 1 device. After it expires, the app remains usable, with renewal priced at $29/year. The Lifetime early-bird plan costs $79, supports up to 3 devices, includes future updates and priority support, and comes with a 14-day refund policy. The setup flow emphasizes downloading the Mac/Windows app, connecting Substack, and using Auto-Sync to pull data with one click. The FAQ also notes that you can point the app to an export folder for automatic detection.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are privacy, no cloud dependency, no subscription pressure, and metrics that map closely to newsletter growth and operations. It is especially useful for understanding “who stopped reading, which posts brought real subscribers, and which readers are likely to upgrade.” The downsides are its very narrow scope—it is almost exclusively for Substack—plus its analysis quality depends on Substack’s exported fields and formats. The 1-Year plan is limited to a single device, and there is no clear mention of team collaboration, permissions, or cross-channel marketing attribution.

Who It’s For and Access from China

StackStats is best suited to individual Substack writers, small content teams, and paid newsletter operators—especially those with hundreds to thousands of subscribers who want to improve retention and conversion. The source text does not provide information about access from China. Payments are handled through Gumroad, so real-world usability may depend on network conditions and payment availability. If you do not use Substack, alternatives include Substack’s native analytics, Google Analytics, Beehiiv, or ConvertKit reports.