---
title: Buttondown
canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/buttondown/
category: Newsletter Platforms
points: 71
rank: 5 of 12
facts_checked: 2026-10-09
---

# Buttondown

Independent newsletter tool that is free to 100 subscribers and $7.50 a month at 1,000 when billed yearly.

71 points out of 100. #5 of 12 newsletter platforms. Vendor: Buttondown. Website: https://buttondown.com/

- The first 100 subscribers are free; up to 1,000 costs $9 a month or $90 a year, which is $7.50 a month [1].
- Buttondown says you keep all paid-subscription money after card fees, with no extra overhead [3].
- Subscribers export to CSV, and a CSV import recognises columns from Kit, Mailchimp and Substack [5][6].
- Sending from your own domain is open to everyone; hosting archives on your own domain is a $29 a month add-on [7][1][8].
- Prices assume at most one email a day to your whole list, and you pay only for active subscribers [1].

Verdict: Buttondown suits writers who want low, flat pricing and a documented API, with no platform cut of paid subscriptions [1][3][13]. Segments, welcome sequences and list import and export are built in [5][6][9][10]. The catch: the sources show no recommendation network, referral rewards or A/B tests [11][17]. Best for: Writers who want low flat pricing and no cut of paid subscriptions.

## Points

| Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earning | Paid subscriptions | Yes | 8/8 | Readers pay through a connected Stripe account; the pricing page lists paid subscriptions at +$9 a month [1][4]. |
| Earning | Fee on paid subscriptions | 0 | 10/10 | Buttondown says you keep all the money after credit card fees, with no extra overhead on paid subscribers [3]. |
| Earning | Built-in sponsorship or ad network | No | 0/4 | Sponsorships are slots you sell yourself to sponsors you find; Buttondown takes no cut and runs no sponsor marketplace [12]. |
| Earning | Sell digital products | Not published | 0/3 | Not published on the vendor's features or paid-subscriptions pages [2][3]. |
| Your list | Export your subscriber list | Yes | 8/8 | The Export button on the subscribers tab downloads all subscribers as a CSV file [5]. |
| Your list | Import subscribers | Yes | 5/5 | Upload a CSV; columns from Kit, Mailchimp and Substack are recognised [6]. |
| Your list | Website on your own domain | Yes | 7/7 | Archives can be served from your own domain on a paid plan; the pricing page lists it as +$29 a month [8][1]. |
| Your list | Send from your own domain | Yes | 5/5 | Sending from anything@yourdomain.com is open to everyone; the page covers SPF records but does not mention DKIM [7]. |
| Your list | Open source | Not published | 0/3 | Buttondown lists its own open-source packages; no page says whether the newsletter platform's source is public [14]. |
| Your list | Public API | Yes | 4/4 | Documented REST API with a GET /subscribers endpoint that returns the subscriber list [13]. |
| Growth | Recommendation network | Not published | 0/6 | Not published on the vendor's features page or docs home [2][17]. |
| Growth | Referral program | No | 0/4 | Docs say Buttondown provides building blocks for a referral system; the rewards are left to you [11]. |
| Growth | Send to a tag or segment | Yes | 5/5 | Tag subscribers and send to one tag, or save a filter as a segment; tagging is a paid feature [9]. |
| Growth | Automated email sequences | Yes | 4/4 | A welcome sequence of several emails can be one automation started by sign-up; it needs a paid plan [10]. |
| Growth | Subscriber source reports | Not published | 0/4 | No subscriber-source report found on the vendor's analytics pages [16]; the subscriber list has UTM and referrer columns [15]. |
| Growth | Subject-line A/B tests | Not published | 0/3 | Not published on the vendor's features page or docs home [2][17]. |
| Price | Free plan | Yes | 8/8 | The first 100 subscribers cost nothing, which meets the 100-subscriber test [1]. |
| Price | Cost at 1,000 subscribers | $7.50/mo | 7/9 | Basic covers up to 1,000 subscribers: $90 a year, from the pricing page's own plan data [1]. |

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Per month (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free [1] | $0 |
| Basic | $9/month or $90/year [1] | $7.50 |
| Standard | $29/month [1] | $29 |

Prices assume at most one email a day to the whole list; heavier sending needs a quote [1]. Registered 501(c)(3) non-profits get 50% off [1]. The pricing page lists add-ons: +$9 a month for tagging and paid subscriptions, +$29 for automations and custom-domain archives [1].

## Strengths

- Free for the first 100 subscribers, and billing counts only active subscribers [1].
- No Buttondown fee on paid subscriptions or sponsorships; Stripe's fees still apply [3][12].
- The documented REST API includes a call that lists subscribers [13].
- Tags and saved segments let you send to part of the list [9].
- Free migration help and CSV import cover Kit, Mailchimp and Substack lists [2][6].

## Limits

- The pricing page does not list a recommendation network or referral rewards [11].
- Docs describe referrals as building blocks, with rewards left to you [11].
- Archives on a custom domain cost an extra $29 a month [1][8].
- Automations and multiple newsletters are priced as $29 a month add-ons [1].
- Buttondown lists only side packages as open source; its sources do not say the platform's code is public [14].

## Vendor claims (not scored)

- Buttondown says it charges only for active subscribers, not all contacts [1].
- Buttondown says sponsors pay through Stripe and it takes no cut of sponsorship revenue [12].

## Sources

1. [Buttondown: Pricing](https://buttondown.com/pricing), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
2. [Buttondown features](https://buttondown.com/features), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
3. [Paid subscriptions](https://buttondown.com/features/paid-subscriptions), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
4. [Paid subscriptions (docs)](https://docs.buttondown.com/paid-subscriptions), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
5. [Subscriber data exports](https://docs.buttondown.com/data-exports-subscriber), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
6. [Importing your data](https://docs.buttondown.com/importing-your-data), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
7. [Sending from a custom domain](https://docs.buttondown.com/sending-from-a-custom-domain), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
8. [Hosting domain](https://docs.buttondown.com/hosting-domain), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
9. [Segmenting your audience](https://docs.buttondown.com/segmenting-your-audience), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
10. [Welcome sequence](https://docs.buttondown.com/welcome-sequence), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
11. [Subscriber referrals](https://docs.buttondown.com/subscriber-referrals), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
12. [Sponsorships](https://docs.buttondown.com/sponsorships), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
13. [List subscribers (API)](https://docs.buttondown.com/api-subscribers-list), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
14. [Stack](https://buttondown.com/stack), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
15. [Subscriber dashboard](https://docs.buttondown.com/subscriber-dashboard), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
16. [Referrals analytics](https://docs.buttondown.com/referrals-analytics), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09
17. [Buttondown documentation](https://docs.buttondown.com/), Buttondown, accessed 2026-10-09