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, which is $10 less than Benchmark Email's $19/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. Benchmark Email has the edge with A/B testing, landing pages, advanced analytics.
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 | $19/mo | $9/mo |
| Free Plan | 500 contacts, 2,500 emails/month, 1 user | 100 subscribers |
| Founded | 2004 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 200 | 0 |
| Integrations | 1,500 | 45 |
| Deliverability Rate | 47.1% | 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 | No | No |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | Yes | No |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | Yes | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | No |
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% | $19/mo | $9/mo Winner |
| Deliverability | 25% | 47.1% | 98% Winner |
| Rating | 25% | 4.3/5 | 4.4/5 Winner |
| Integrations | 10% | 1500 Winner | 45 |
| 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 built-in landing pages
- + You need A/B testing
- + You need advanced analytics
- + You're a beginners
Choose Buttondown if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($9/mo)
- + You're a developers
- + You're a writers