BeehiivvsButtondown

Beehiiv vs Buttondown

Growth-focused platform meets minimalist simplicity

TL;DR

Beehiiv ($109/mo) offers comprehensive growth tools, monetization, and analytics for serious newsletter businesses. Buttondown ($79/mo) is simpler and cheaper, perfect for writers who want markdown-first simplicity. Choose Beehiiv for growth features, Buttondown for minimalism.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Feature philosophy

Beehiiv is feature-rich with growth tools, analytics, and monetization options. Buttondown is intentionally minimal, focusing on the writing experience.

Growth tools
Beehiiv wins

Beehiiv has recommendation networks, referral programs, and Boosts for subscriber acquisition. Buttondown has none of these - you grow through your own efforts.

Pricing
Buttondown wins

Buttondown is $30/month cheaper at 10,000 subscribers ($79 vs $109). You're paying less because you're getting fewer features.

Writing experience

Buttondown's markdown-first approach appeals to developers and technical writers. Beehiiv's visual editor is more accessible to non-technical users.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

Beehiiv
$109/month

Scale plan with full features

Visit Beehiiv
Buttondown
$79/month

All features included

Visit Buttondown
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

All features, Stripe integration, 10k contacts

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Beehiiv
Buttondown
Sequenzy
Newsletter Growth
Recommendation network
Referral program
Boosts (paid acquisition)
Analytics
Advanced
Basic
Basic
Writing Experience
Markdown support
Native
Visual editor
Basic
Simplicity
Feature-rich
Minimal
Balanced
API access
Monetization
Paid newsletters
Ad network
Platform fee
0%
0%
0%
Pricing
Price at 10k
$109/mo
$79/mo
$19/mo
Free tier
2.5k subscribers
100 subscribers
500 subscribers

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Beehiiv if you...
  • Creators focused on rapid subscriber growth
  • Those wanting built-in monetization options
  • Publishers who want advanced analytics
  • Creators interested in the ad network
  • Those who prefer feature-rich platforms
Choose Buttondown if you...
  • Writers who love markdown
  • Developers and technical writers
  • Those who prefer minimalist tools
  • Budget-conscious creators
  • Those who don't need growth features
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe integration
  • Teams wanting the most affordable option
  • Developers preferring API-first tools
  • Startups needing transactional + marketing email
  • Those who don't need newsletter-specific features

Why Sequenzy Is Better for SaaS Founders

Lowest price by far

With a free tier and paid plans from $19/month, Sequenzy costs 76% less than Buttondown ($79) and 83% less than Beehiiv ($109). Maximum savings for your startup.

Native Stripe integration

Neither Beehiiv nor Buttondown integrates with Stripe for SaaS billing. Sequenzy syncs your subscription data for behavior-based automation.

Transactional + marketing unified

One platform for all email. Newsletter tools require separate services for password resets, receipts, and system notifications.

Built for SaaS, not newsletters

Event-based triggers, user behavior tracking, and onboarding automation designed for software products.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Beehiiv and Buttondown represent two different philosophies in newsletter platforms. Beehiiv is feature-rich and growth-focused. Buttondown is intentionally minimal and writer-focused. See our Beehiiv comparison and Buttondown comparison for details.

Pricing Comparison

  • Beehiiv: $109/month for 10,000 subscribers

  • Buttondown: $79/month for 10,000 subscribers

  • Sequenzy: Free tier available, then $19/month for 1,000 subscribers (20k emails)

Buttondown is $30/month cheaper. Sequenzy is dramatically cheaper with a free tier and paid plans from $19/month. Compare on our pricing page.

Where Beehiiv Wins

Growth features

Beehiiv's recommendation network, referral program, and Boosts help you grow your newsletter faster.

Monetization options

Beyond paid subscriptions, Beehiiv offers an ad network for additional revenue.

Where Buttondown Wins

Simplicity

Buttondown is distraction-free. You write, you send. No complex features to learn.

Markdown-native

For developers and technical writers, Buttondown's markdown-first approach is a joy.

Lower price

$30/month less than Beehiiv at 10,000 subscribers.

Why Sequenzy Beats Both for SaaS

Newsletter platforms aren't built for SaaS companies. Sequenzy offers:

Frequently Asked Questions

Buttondown is simpler by design. Beehiiv has more features, which means more to learn.

Beehiiv is better for growth with its recommendation network, referral program, and Boosts.

Yes, Buttondown supports paid newsletters through Stripe. It just doesn't have an ad network like Beehiiv.

Sequenzy offers a free tier, native Stripe integration, unified transactional + marketing email, and paid plans from just $19/month - less than both newsletter platforms.

Export your subscribers from Beehiiv. Import into Buttondown. Set up your newsletter in Buttondown's minimalist editor. Note that Beehiiv's ad network, Boosts, recommendations, and referral programs won't transfer. You'll have a simpler, more focused writing experience but fewer growth features.

Export your subscribers from Buttondown. Import into Beehiiv and set up your newsletter. You'll gain Beehiiv's growth features including recommendations, referral programs, and the ad network. Note that Buttondown's simplicity is replaced with more features to learn.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com