Newsletter
The OSINT Newsletter
Jake Creps
The most active practitioner newsletter in 2026: tool picks and news free, a hands-on guide behind the paid tier, roughly twice a month, with a companion podcast.
Jake Creps has published more than 125 issues on Substack. Each one opens with curated tools and resources, each with a short review, plus news, then a paid section with an applied guide such as researching a company, using a marketplace for OSINT, or building a persistent local OSINT app with an AI assistant. The free half is enough to stay current; the paid half is the course you did not buy.
Worth it if
- You want one newsletter that keeps your toolkit current
- You like applied guides with setup steps, not just links
- You use AI tooling in investigations and want someone testing it before you
Skip it if
- You want journalism or human-rights investigation coverage; this is practitioner and US-centric
- You want a daily news feed
What is inside
- 01
Free section
Several curated tools and resources with a short review each, plus news items and a recurring tool feature.
- 02
Paid section
One hands-on guide per issue, from company research to building local OSINT apps.
- 03
Podcast
A biweekly episode that walks through recent issues with analyst voice notes.
What you will be able to do
- Hear about new OSINT tools within weeks, with a practitioner's verdict attached
- Follow a setup guide for one applied technique a month
- Keep an eye on AI in OSINT without doing the experiments yourself
How current it is
Active, with issue 125 published on 8 October 2026 and a subscriber count in the tens of thousands.
- Updated
- Issue 125, October 2026
- Maintained
- Actively maintained
How to get the most from it
- 01
Read the free tier for a month
If you open every issue, the paid guides are worth it. If not, you have your answer.
- 02
Try one tool per issue
Install it, run it on a test subject, delete it or keep it. The review is a lead, not a verdict.
Strengths
- Consistently published
- Tools reviewed, not just listed
- Applied guides with real steps
Limitations
- Paid tier for the deepest content
- US and practitioner centric
- Not for journalism or policy readers
Pair it with
- ReadNewsletterFreeAll levels
Bellingcat Weekly Newsletter
An investigations letter to balance a methods one.
- ReadNewsletterFree + paidAll levels
Digital Digging
Another active letter, with a research and AI slant.
- ReadCourseFree + paidAll levels
My OSINT Training
Structured courses when a newsletter guide is not enough.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is the free tier enough?
For staying current, yes. The paid section is where the step-by-step guides live.
How often does it arrive?
Roughly twice a month, with issues 120 to 125 landing between late August and early October 2026.
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