How the X leaderboard works

Which accounts enter the leaderboard?

An X account enters the leaderboard when someone tests it with the Shadowban Radar checker and none of the tests finds a restriction.

• The account is public and has at least 100 followers.
• The account has not been removed at its owner's request.
• Only accounts tested on Shadowban Radar are listed. The leaderboard never scans X on its own.
• An account with a restriction is never listed. It returns after a new test finds none.
• An account that X no longer serves is not ranked.

When does a leaderboard day start?

A leaderboard day runs from 00:00 to 00:00 UTC, which is 08:00 to 08:00 in Beijing. Every language uses the same day.

• The Today ranking starts again from zero each day.
• It refreshes about every 10 minutes, as new tests come in.
• An account has one line per day: its latest test of that day.

How is each ranking calculated?

The leaderboard has 7 rankings, each with its own figure, read at the time of the test. Accounts with the same figure share the same rank.

• Views

  What it ranks

  Views at the test of the original posts published in the last 24 hours, without replies, reposts or the pinned post. Averaged per tested day over 7 or 30 days.

  Who is ranked

  At least one view measured.

• Followers

  What it ranks

  Followers at the time of the test.

  Who is ranked

  Every account.

• Followers gained

  What it ranks

  Followers gained per day, against a test at least 20 hours older and scaled to 24 hours. Over 7 or 30 days: the followers of the last test minus those of the first, with 2 tests at least.

  Who is ranked

  Accounts that gained followers, with an earlier test between 20 hours and 30 days old.

• Rising stars

  What it ranks

  Views per follower: the median views of the posts read, divided by the followers.

  Who is ranked

  Under 5,000 followers, at least 3 posts read, a reach under 100%.

• ShadowCreed score

  What it ranks

  The free ShadowCreed score, from 0 to 100: an estimate of an account's weight on X.

  Who is ranked

  Accounts that have a score.

• Engagement

  What it ranks

  Interactions per view: the median of likes, replies and reposts divided by views, over the posts read.

  Who is ranked

  At least 5 posts read, an engagement above zero.

• Regularity

  What it ranks

  Posts and replies per week, over the posts read at the test.

  Who is ranked

  At least 5 posts read, on at least 3 different days, a rhythm above zero.

• A ranking lists only accounts whose figure was measured. A missing figure is never counted as zero.
• Ties are listed by followers, highest first, then by handle.
• Only the first 2,000 accounts of a ranking are listed. The search finds the others.
• The day's posts are those published in the 24 hours before the test. Their views and replies are counted at the test, not over 24 hours.
• 5 more sorts exist: posts, best post, views per post, replies to the day's posts and replies written. Replies written are counted one by one over the 24 hours before the test, never estimated; a + means at least that many.

How do periods, sizes and languages work?

Each ranking can be read by period, by size of account, by language and by topic.

• Today is the current UTC day, Yesterday the one before, 7 days and 30 days the last days, today included.
• Over 7 or 30 days, views, posts, replies to the day's posts and replies written are averaged per tested day, and views per post is total views over total posts.
• Also over 7 or 30 days, followers, reach, score, engagement and regularity are the last measured values, and best post is the most viewed.
• Today's figures fill in during the day. Yesterday is complete.
• Sizes follow the followers at the test: under 1K, 1K to 10K, 10K to 100K, 100K to 1M and over 1M.
• Language is the one most used in the posts read at the test.
• There are 15 topics: AI, crypto, finance and stocks, tech and dev, marketing and growth, content creation, gaming, sport, art and design, daily life, humor and memes, entertainment, anime and fandom, psychology and relationships, business and side hustles. At most 2 per account, from bio, hashtags and posts.

How long does an account stay in the leaderboard?

An account stays active for 30 days after its last test, then it goes dormant, and its data is erased 120 days after its last test.

• Active, until 29 days after the test: the account is ranked and its page is public.
• Dormant, from 30 to 119 days after the test: the account is in no ranking and its page is hidden from search engines. A new test brings it back.
• Erased, from 120 days after the test: the data is deleted and the page no longer exists.

How do I leave the leaderboard?

Send a private message to @ShadowbanRadar on X from the account you want to remove. The removal is done within 48 hours.

• The message is the proof: only the owner of an account can write from it.
• An account tracked by a pass can also be removed at once from the removal page, once signed in.
• The account's past lines are erased, and it is never ranked again, even if someone tests it again.

Remove my account from the leaderboard

What is the list of accounts X no longer serves?

It is a public list of handles that X answered as suspended, not found or unavailable when someone tested them on Shadowban Radar.

• Each line shows the status and the first day we saw it. A handle reported as not found is listed only if it was ranked before.
• A handle leaves the list as soon as X serves the account again. “Back on X?” checks a line right away.
• Only the last 90 days are shown. X can be wrong: the list reports what X answered, with the date.

See the accounts X no longer serves

What does the leaderboard not show?

The leaderboard is not a verdict from X and not a list of every X account.

• A place in the leaderboard is not a decision of X and does not change how X shows an account.
• A missing account is not necessarily restricted: it may be untested that day, protected, under 100 followers or removed.