beehiiv vs Buttondown
beehiiv and Buttondown are both popular choices in the newsletter platform space. Buttondown has been around since 2017, giving it a 4-year head start over beehiiv (founded 2021). Buttondown is the more affordable option at $9/mo, which is $40 less than beehiiv's $49/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. beehiiv has the edge with A/B testing, landing pages, ecommerce integrations. Both tools work well for newsletter creators and bloggers.
Quick Verdict
beehiiv wins on rating.
Buttondown wins on price, integrations.
Best for most users: Buttondown (developers).
beehiiv
The newsletter platform built for growth
beehiiv was built by the team behind Morning Brew's growth to 4 million subscribers. It's specifically designed for newsletter businesses with built-in monetization through ad networks, paid subscriptions, and referral programs. The highest affiliate commission in the space at up to 60%.
Buttondown
The easiest way to start and grow your newsletter
Buttondown is a minimalist newsletter platform beloved by developers and writers who prefer Markdown over drag-and-drop editors. It focuses on writing quality and simplicity, with excellent API support for custom integrations and automations.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | beehiiv | Buttondown |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $49/mo | $9/mo |
| Free Plan | 2,500 subscribers | 100 subscribers |
| Founded | 2021 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 20 | 0 |
| Integrations | 40 | 45 |
| Deliverability Rate | 98% | 98% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | Yes | No |
| Landing Pages | Yes | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | No |
| SMS Marketing | No | No |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | No |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | No | No |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | No |
beehiiv: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Purpose-built for newsletter businesses
- + Built-in ad network for monetization
- + Referral program to grow subscribers
- + Paid subscription support
- + Founded by ex-Morning Brew team
Cons
- − Limited to newsletter use case
- − Fewer templates than established tools
- − Smaller integration ecosystem
- − No SMS marketing
- − Relatively new platform (2021)
Buttondown: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Markdown-first writing experience
- + Excellent API for developers
- + Clean, minimal interface
- + Paid subscription support
- + Custom domain on free plan
Cons
- − No visual email editor
- − Minimal templates
- − No A/B testing
- − Small free plan (100 subscribers)
- − Limited integrations
The Verdict
beehiiv and Buttondown are closely matched — both score within 0.1 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality.
| Criterion | Weight | beehiiv | Buttondown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $49/mo | $9/mo Winner |
| Deliverability | 25% | 98% | 98% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.5/5 Winner | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 40 | 45 Winner |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose beehiiv if…
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You need A/B testing
- + You need advanced analytics
Choose Buttondown if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($9/mo)
- + You're a developers
- + You're a writers