Buttondown vs Mailjet
Buttondown is a newsletter platform while Mailjet is a email marketing platform. Mailjet has been around since 2010, giving it a 7-year head start over Buttondown (founded 2017). Both start at $9/mo. Both offer free plans to get started. Mailjet has the edge with A/B testing, landing pages, SMS marketing.
Quick Verdict
Buttondown wins on deliverability, rating.
Mailjet wins on integrations.
Best for most users: Buttondown (developers).
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.
Mailjet
Collaborative email platform for teams with powerful API
Mailjet is a French-founded email platform (now owned by Sinch) that uniquely combines transactional and marketing email under one roof with real-time team collaboration. Its volume-based pricing with unlimited contacts makes it particularly cost-effective for businesses with large subscriber lists but moderate sending frequency. With strong GDPR compliance baked into its European DNA and a flexible API, it bridges the gap between developer-focused tools and marketer-friendly platforms.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Buttondown | Mailjet |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.4/5 | 4/5 |
| Starting Price | $9/mo | $9/mo |
| Free Plan | 100 subscribers | 6,000 emails/month (200/day), 1,000 contacts |
| Founded | 2017 | 2010 |
| Email Templates | 0 | 70 |
| Integrations | 45 | 110 |
| Deliverability Rate | 98% | 88% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | No | Yes |
| Landing Pages | No | Yes |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | No | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | No | Yes |
| Ecommerce Features | No | No |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | No | Yes |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | No | Yes |
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
Mailjet: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Real-time collaborative email editing lets multiple team members work on the same campaign simultaneously with live comments
- + Volume-based pricing with unlimited contacts means large lists stay affordable — one user grew from 0 to 50,000 subscribers affordably
- + Strong GDPR compliance built into the platform with EU data hosting, as a French-founded company under European regulations
- + RESTful API with SMTP relay supports both transactional and marketing email from a single platform
- + Deliverability rated 88% by EmailToolTester (above 83.1% industry average) with built-in list validation powered by Mailgun
Cons
- − Automation builder covers basics but lacks depth — triggers based on opens/clicks are tricky to configure and abandoned cart requires Zapier
- − No built-in landing page builder, forcing users to rely on third-party tools for lead capture
- − Many of the 110 integrations route through Zapier rather than being native direct connections
- − Migration from other ESPs is largely manual with limited import assistance for contacts, templates, and automations
- − Customer support response times are frequently criticized, with some serious technical issues going unresolved for extended periods
The Verdict
Buttondown edges ahead with a 4.4/5 rating compared to Mailjet's 4/5. The gap comes mainly from deliverability (4.5 vs 3.5) and value for money (4.8 vs 4.4). On deliverability, Buttondown reports 98% compared to 88% for Mailjet — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Buttondown | Mailjet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $9/mo | $9/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 98% Winner | 88% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.4/5 Winner | 4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 45 | 110 Winner |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Buttondown if…
- + You're a developers
- + You're a writers
- + Markdown-first writing experience
Choose Mailjet if…
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You need A/B testing
- + You need advanced analytics