Why you show up as a viewer
Every view inside the app is tied to your account. For friends' stories, your name appears in the viewer list. For public profiles, the view is counted, and the creator may see who watched.
So the only reliable way to stay off the list is to watch without being logged in to Snapchat.
Ghost Mode doesn't hide story views
Ghost Mode only hides your location on Snap Map. It has nothing to do with stories. People who turn it on still appear in viewer lists.
The airplane mode trick is unreliable
An old tip says to load a story, turn on airplane mode, then watch it. It often fails, because the app can send the view once you reconnect. We don't recommend relying on it.
The simple way: a web viewer for public profiles
Public profiles and creators share their story on the web too. A web viewer like this one reads that public page without any Snapchat login, so no account is linked to your view.
Type the username, open the Story tab, and watch. Highlights and Spotlight videos are there too.
What no tool can show
Private accounts and friends-only stories are only visible inside the app to the people the owner chose. Any site that claims to show them is not telling the truth.