Benchmark Email vs Buttondown
Benchmark Email is a email marketing platform while Buttondown is a newsletter platform. Benchmark Email has been around since 2004, giving it a 13-year head start over Buttondown (founded 2017). Buttondown is the more affordable option at $9/mo — that's $18 less than Benchmark Email's $27/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. Benchmark Email stands out with A/B testing and a drag-and-drop editor, while Buttondown offers ecommerce integrations.
Quick Verdict
Benchmark Email wins on integrations.
Buttondown wins on price, deliverability, rating.
Best for most users: Buttondown (developers).
Benchmark Email
Straightforward email marketing with all features on every plan
Benchmark Email is a multilingual email marketing platform founded in 2004 that takes an all-features-included approach, giving every user access to automation, A/B testing, and analytics regardless of plan tier. Available in 9 languages with global support, it appeals to international teams and nonprofits, though its significantly below-average deliverability rate (47.1% in third-party testing) is a serious concern that undermines its otherwise user-friendly design.
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 | Benchmark Email | Buttondown |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.3/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $27/mo | $9/mo |
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user | 100 subscribers |
| Founded | 2004 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 200 | 5 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 30 |
| Deliverability Rate | 47.1% | 98% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✓ | ✕ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✓ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✕ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✕ | ✓ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✓ | ✕ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live Chat | ✓ | ✕ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✓ | ✓ |
Benchmark Email: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +All features included on every plan including free -- no feature gating between tiers
- +Available in 9 languages with live customer support in each, making it ideal for international teams
- +Intuitive drag-and-drop editor with mobile-optimized templates and device previews
- +Generous free plan with 500 contacts and 2,500 emails per month including AI content generation
- +Simple contact-based pricing that scales predictably without hidden charges for features
Cons
- −Extremely poor deliverability rate of 47.1% in EmailToolTester's January 2024 independent test, consistently ranking near the bottom
- −Segmentation is limited to within individual lists only -- cannot create cross-list segments for flexible targeting
- −Fewer than 30 pre-designed email templates despite marketing claims of 200+, limiting design variety
- −Slow product development cycle with features lagging behind competitors in automation and ecommerce capabilities
- −No migration support for non-enterprise customers when switching from another email platform
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
Benchmark Email 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. On deliverability, Buttondown reports 98% compared to 47.1% for Benchmark Email — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Benchmark Email | Buttondown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $27/mo | $9/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 47.1% | 98% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.3/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 | 30 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Benchmark Email if…
- + You need A/B testing
- + You're a beginners
- + You're a small businesses
Choose Buttondown if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($9/mo)
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You're a developers
- + You're a writers