When the site was launched in July 2017, Simon Childs in Vice was critical of the underlying premise, saying: 'The social media news cycle can be a jading stream of ill-informed narcissists, but it's refreshing to be reminded that at least it offers a more diverse outlook than Tim Montgomerie funded by an oligarch publishing the kind of people who are generally 'unheard' because people edge away from them at parties.' Jasper Jackson writing for New Statesman was also skeptical of UnHerd 's promotion of slow journalism, saying 'the idea UnHerd is offering a groundbreaking solution to information overload is faintly ludicrous.'

In May 2020, the site said that it intended to switch to a subscription model later that year. In 2017, New Statesman reported that the site intended to introduce paid services. The website initially existed without a paywall, as it is funded by an endowment from British investor Paul Marshall. The channel posts interviews conducted by Sayers. In March 2020, UnHerd launched a YouTube channel named LockdownTV, taking its name from the lockdowns implemented around the same time period to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Its columnists include Giles Fraser, Justin Webb, Carl Miller, Ed West, Tanya Gold, John Gray, James Bloodworth, Matthew Goodwin, Maurice Glasman, Julie Bindel, Meghan Murphy, Michael Tracey, Douglas Murray, Paul Embery, Matthew Goodwin and Ian Birrell. As of October 2022, the website lists 23 staff. Freddie Sayers joined the magazine in 2019 as executive editor, having previously been editor-in-chief of YouGov and founder of the British news and current affairs website Politics Home. Following Montgomerie's departure in September 2018, journalist Sally Chatterton, who previously wrote for The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, took over as editor. UnHerd was founded in 2017 by conservative British political activist Tim Montgomerie, who also acted as editor.

Unherd com