Buttondown alternatives by price
At 5,000 subscribers, 1 tracked platform(s) are cheaper than Buttondown Standard at $348/yr ($29/mo billed monthly). The cheapest is Brevo Starter at $345/yr ($28.75/mo billed yearly).
Last checked 2026-10-17 on the official pages.
The cheapest paid plan of each alternative at each list size (yearly billing where the page states it), next to Buttondown's own price. Base plans only; features differ.
| Subscribers | Buttondown | beehiiv | Kit | MailerLite | Ghost (Pro) | Substack | Mailchimp | Brevo | Flodesk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $108 | $588 +$480/yr vs Buttondown | $390 +$282/yr vs Buttondown | $129.60 +$21.60/yr vs Buttondown | $180 +$72/yr vs Buttondown | 10% of paid revenue | $156 +$48/yr vs Buttondown | $97 −$11/yr vs Buttondown | $228 +$120/yr vs Buttondown |
| 1,000 | $108 | $588 +$480/yr vs Buttondown | $390 +$282/yr vs Buttondown | $205.20 +$97.20/yr vs Buttondown | $180 +$72/yr vs Buttondown | 10% of paid revenue | $318 +$210/yr vs Buttondown | $183 +$75/yr vs Buttondown | $228 +$120/yr vs Buttondown |
| 2,500 | $348 | $828 +$480/yr vs Buttondown | $590 +$242/yr vs Buttondown | $356.40 +$8.40/yr vs Buttondown | $552 +$204/yr vs Buttondown | 10% of paid revenue | $540 +$192/yr vs Buttondown | $270 −$78/yr vs Buttondown | $348 +$0/yr vs Buttondown |
| 5,000 | $348 | $1,140 +$792/yr vs Buttondown | $890 +$542/yr vs Buttondown | $529.20 +$181.20/yr vs Buttondown | $756 +$408/yr vs Buttondown | 10% of paid revenue | $900 +$552/yr vs Buttondown | $345 −$3/yr vs Buttondown | $576 +$228/yr vs Buttondown |
| 10,000 | $948 | $1,428 +$480/yr vs Buttondown | $1,390 +$442/yr vs Buttondown | $961.20 +$13.20/yr vs Buttondown | $1,056 +$108/yr vs Buttondown | 10% of paid revenue | $1,320 +$372/yr vs Buttondown | $497 −$451/yr vs Buttondown | $792 −$156/yr vs Buttondown |
| 25,000 | no plan | $2,028 | $1,990 | $1,933.20 | $1,692 | 10% of paid revenue | $3,240 | $885 | $1,788 |
| 50,000 | no plan | $2,988 | $3,790 | $3,445.20 | $2,496 | 10% of paid revenue | $4,620 | $2,689 | $4,284 |
| 100,000 | no plan | $4,788 | $6,790 | $4,741.20 | $3,288 | 10% of paid revenue | $9,600 | $4,633 | $7,584 |
| 250,000 | no plan | $10,428 | $15,790 | no plan this size | no plan this size | 10% of paid revenue | no plan this size | no plan this size | $17,484 |
Disclosure: the beehiiv sign-up link is an affiliate link, so we may earn a commission if you subscribe through it. Prices, tiers and the cheapest-first ordering are calculated identically for every platform and never depend on affiliate status. Other platform links are plain.
Head-to-head: Buttondown vs beehiiv · Buttondown vs Kit · Buttondown vs MailerLite · Buttondown vs Ghost (Pro) · Buttondown vs Substack · Buttondown vs Mailchimp · Buttondown vs Brevo · Buttondown vs Flodesk
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Buttondown alternative for 1,000 subscribers?
Ghost (Pro) Starter at $180/yr ($15/mo billed yearly), from the official pricing page.
What is the cheapest Buttondown alternative for 10,000 subscribers?
Brevo Starter at $497/yr ($41.42/mo billed yearly), from the official pricing page.
What is the cheapest Buttondown alternative for 50,000 subscribers?
Ghost (Pro) Publisher at $2,496/yr ($208/mo billed yearly), from the official pricing page.
Is there a free alternative to Buttondown?
beehiiv: Yes, up to 2,500 subscribers.; Kit: Yes, up to 10,000 subscribers.; MailerLite: Yes, up to 250 subscribers. Free: 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails.; Ghost (Pro): No. Ghost (Pro) has no free plan on its official pricing page.; Substack: Yes. Substack charges no subscription fee; it takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue, so a free newsletter costs $0.; Mailchimp: Yes, up to 250 contacts.; Brevo: Yes, up to 300 subscribers. Free plan: up to 300 emails per day, so one send reaches at most 300 subscribers.; Flodesk: Not for sending. Flodesk's Free plan covers forms, landing pages and link-in-bio but does not include email sending, so a newsletter needs a paid plan (Lite, Pro or Everything).
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