Buttondown
A small, independent newsletter tool with Markdown writing, archives and paid subscriptions.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 6
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Buttondown
Buttondown is a newsletter service run by a small, self-funded team since 2017. You write in Markdown or rich text, send from your own domain and get a hosted archive of past issues. Instead of bundling everything into big tiers, it charges mainly by active subscriber count and lets you add features you need, such as paid subscriptions, analytics, automations, RSS-to-email or teams, as separate add-ons. Paid subscriptions go through your Stripe account and Buttondown takes no extra percentage. It has a well-documented API and is popular with technical writers and developers. It does not try to be a full website builder or offer an ad network, and the design options are plainer than beehiiv's. It is free for the first 100 subscribers, then priced by list size. It runs in the browser. It suits writers who want a respectful, no-frills newsletter that is cheap for small and mid-sized lists.
Best for: Independent writers and developers who want a simple, affordable, privacy-first newsletter.
Pros and cons
What works
- Markdown editor and a solid API
- No extra fee on paid subscriptions beyond card processing
- Pay only for the add-ons you need
- Independent, profitable company with no investor pressure
Why people leave
- Many features are paid add-ons, which adds up
- No discovery network or ad marketplace
- Limited design control compared with Ghost or beehiiv
Top Buttondown alternatives
See all 6- 1
beehiiv66.5More growth features like referrals and ads, with a larger free tier.
- 2
Ghost62.6Adds a full website and membership tiers, and can be self-hosted.
- 3
Substack59.6Free to use with a reader network, if you're fine giving up a share of paid revenue.
- 4CuCurated57.2
Free up to 1,500 subscribers, with tools for collecting links into each issue.
- 5
Micro.blog55.3Blog plus email newsletter in one cheap subscription, with fediverse cross-posting.
Why people left Buttondown
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Reviews
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Buttondown: common questions
Is Buttondown free?
Buttondown has a free plan and paid plans. Free plan: First 100 subscribers (checked on Buttondown's own site).
Is Buttondown open source?
No, Buttondown is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Ghost.
What platforms does Buttondown run on?
Buttondown is available for Web.
What are the best alternatives to Buttondown?
The highest-ranked Buttondown alternatives right now are beehiiv, Ghost and Substack. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.