Arctic Shift

Arctic Shift is a community-run archive of Reddit data. Its GitHub page describes the goal as "making Reddit data accessible to researchers, moderators and everyone else." It became widely known after Pushshift was restricted to approved moderators in 2023.

What it offers

From the project's README (checked October 2026):

• Bulk dumps of Reddit posts and comments, listed on a downloads page and the project's GitHub releases. They are large compressed files (.zst and related formats).
• A download tool for pulling data for individual users or smaller subreddits.
• A (limited) API and a web search tool for manual queries.
• Helper scripts in Python for processing the dumps.
• Removal requests through a form, and a way to search for your own username to see if your data is included. The README also links removal forms for other archives such as Pushshift and PullPush.

It is a volunteer project, not a Reddit product.

The rules around it

Reddit's own policies govern what you may do with Reddit data, wherever it came from:

• Reddit says the only authorized path for research using Reddit data is its Reddit for Researchers program, and that "any research that uses Reddit data collected outside of the RFR Program is in violation" of its Responsible Builder Policy.
• Commercial use of Reddit data requires Reddit's permission and a contract.
• Reddit content may not be used to train AI models without Reddit's explicit consent.
• Reddit's API rules require removing content that users have deleted; archives may still contain it.

Why it matters for marketers

Arctic Shift comes up in Reddit marketing circles as a way to search old threads or pull a subreddit's history. Know the trade-offs before using it:

• Policy risk. Building a commercial product or client deliverable on archived Reddit data runs into Reddit's commercial-use terms.
• Ethics. Archives can hold content that users deleted. Quoting or acting on deleted content is a good way to lose trust in a community.
• Freshness. Dumps are periodic. For finding conversations happening now, live sources (Reddit search, Reddit Pro Trends, compliant monitoring tools) are better.

For one-off personal research, its search tool can help you understand a topic's history. For ongoing marketing work, use sources that fit Reddit's terms.

Example

A founder wants to know how often their category was discussed in a subreddit over five years. Arctic Shift's search can show historical posts. Turning that dataset into a paid industry report would be commercial use of Reddit data, which Reddit's terms say requires its permission.

Frequently asked questions

Is Arctic Shift affiliated with Reddit?

No. It is an independent open-source project on GitHub.

Is Arctic Shift a replacement for Pushshift?

It covers similar ground (archived posts and comments, search, dumps) and is open to more people. Pushshift itself is now limited to Reddit-approved moderators.

Can I remove my Reddit data from Arctic Shift?

The project accepts removal requests through a form linked in its README, and lets you search for your username to check.

Sources

1. Arctic Shift on GitHub (project README)
2. Reddit Help: Developer Platform & Accessing Reddit Data
3. Reddit Help: Responsible Builder Policy