5 Best Buttondown Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 17 min read
Buttondown is a popular tool for technical writers and developers. While it offers a free tier (Up to 100 subscribers), its paid plans start at $9/mo. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 5 best Buttondown alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 5
- Free alternatives: 5 (Substack, ConvertKit (Kit), MailerLite)
- Open-source options: Ghost
- Best overall: Substack
- Best free: Substack
Why Look for Buttondown Alternatives?
People commonly look for Buttondown alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Buttondown has a free tier, its paid plans starting at $9/mo can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Limited free tier and basic templates are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Buttondown overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buttondown | ✓ Up to 100 subscribers | $9/mo | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Technical writers and developers |
| Substack | ✓ Free (10% of paid subs) | Free (10% cut) | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Writers wanting to monetize a newsletter |
| ConvertKit (Kit) | ✓ Up to 10,000 subscribers | $25/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Content creators and newsletter writers |
| MailerLite | ✓ Up to 1,000 subscribers | $9/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Small businesses wanting affordable email marketing |
| Beehiiv | ✓ Up to 2,500 subscribers | $39/mo | ⭐ 4.5 | No | Newsletter creators focused on growth |
| Ghost | ✓ Free (self-hosted) | $9/mo (hosted) | ⭐ 4.3 | ✓ Yes | Professional publishers wanting ownership |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Substack
Platform for independent writers to publish and monetize newsletters.
Substack is a publishing platform that makes it simple for writers to start a newsletter, build a community, and make money from subscriptions. It takes a 10% cut of paid subscriptions but charges nothing upfront, making it risk-free for writers to get started.
Pros
- ✓ Free to start
- ✓ Built-in monetization
- ✓ Growing network
- ✓ Simple to use
Cons
- ✗ 10% revenue cut
- ✗ Limited customization
- ✗ No advanced automation
- ✗ Lock-in concerns
ConvertKit (Kit)
Email marketing platform designed for creators.
ConvertKit (now rebranding to Kit) is an email marketing platform built specifically for creators — bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and course creators. It focuses on subscriber-first email marketing with powerful automation, tagging, and landing pages designed to help creators grow their audience and revenue.
Pros
- ✓ Built for creators
- ✓ Generous free tier
- ✓ Great automations
- ✓ Creator Network
Cons
- ✗ Limited design options
- ✗ Basic analytics
- ✗ No A/B testing on free
- ✗ Higher pricing at scale
MailerLite
Email marketing tool with a generous free plan and simple interface.
MailerLite is an email marketing platform known for its simplicity, generous free plan, and excellent deliverability. It offers everything small businesses need — email campaigns, automations, landing pages, and a website builder — at a fraction of the cost of competitors.
Pros
- ✓ Great free plan
- ✓ Simple interface
- ✓ Affordable pricing
- ✓ Good deliverability
Cons
- ✗ Limited advanced features
- ✗ Basic automation
- ✗ Approval process for new accounts
- ✗ Limited integrations
Beehiiv
Newsletter platform built for growth.
Beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built by early Morning Brew team members. It focuses on helping newsletter creators grow their audience with built-in referral programs, monetization tools, and a recommendation network. Beehiiv has quickly become the go-to platform for newsletter-first businesses.
Pros
- ✓ Built for newsletters
- ✓ Growth tools included
- ✓ Monetization options
- ✓ Modern interface
Cons
- ✗ Limited to newsletters
- ✗ Can get expensive
- ✗ Newer platform
- ✗ Limited automation
Ghost
Open-source publishing platform for professional blogs and newsletters.
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform focused on professional content creators. It combines a beautiful blog/website with newsletter capabilities and membership features. Ghost can be self-hosted for free or used via Ghost(Pro) hosting. It's a popular choice for writers who want ownership of their platform.
Pros
- ✓ Open source
- ✓ Beautiful design
- ✓ No revenue share
- ✓ Self-hostable
Cons
- ✗ Requires technical skill
- ✗ Limited free themes
- ✗ Paid hosting can be expensive
- ✗ No visual builder
🏆 Our Recommendations
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Buttondown?
The best free alternative to Buttondown is Substack, which offers Free (10% of paid subs).
Is there an open-source alternative to Buttondown?
Yes! Ghost is open-source alternative to Buttondown that you can self-host for free.
What is the cheapest alternative to Buttondown?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: Substack, ConvertKit (Kit), MailerLite. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $9/mo.
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