ListmonkvsButtondown

Listmonk vs Buttondown

Free self-hosted vs elegant paid newsletters

TL;DR

Listmonk is free, self-hosted, and technical. Buttondown is elegant, simple, and starts at $9/month. Both focus on newsletters without marketing bloat. Listmonk for technical users wanting savings. Buttondown for writers wanting simplicity and markdown support.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Target User

Listmonk is for technical users who want free, self-hosted, and simple. Buttondown is for writers who want elegant, managed, and markdown-native. Both are newsletter-focused but serve different people.

Writing Experience
Buttondown wins

Buttondown is built around markdown with a clean, distraction-free editor. Beautiful web archives. Listmonk uses HTML templates without a writing-focused editor. Writers prefer Buttondown.

Paid Newsletters
Buttondown wins

Buttondown supports paid subscriptions via Stripe integration. Listmonk has no payment features. For newsletter monetization, Buttondown has it built in.

Cost
Listmonk wins

Listmonk total: ~$15/month. Buttondown: $29/month at 5k. Listmonk is cheaper, but Buttondown's price is reasonable for the features and writing experience.

Simplicity
Buttondown wins

Buttondown: Sign up, write in markdown, send. Listmonk: Install Docker, configure PostgreSQL, set up SMTP, create HTML templates. Buttondown is dramatically simpler.

Pricing Comparison

At 5,000 subscribers

Listmonk
$0/month

Free forever. Only pay for hosting (~$10/mo) and SMTP.

Visit Listmonk
Buttondown
$29/month

Standard plan. All features, paid subscriptions support.

Visit Buttondown
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$29/month

5k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Listmonk
Buttondown
Sequenzy
Cost & Hosting
Software Cost
Free
$9-29/month at 5k
$29/month at 5k
Free Tier
Always free
100 subscribers
Trial only
Hosting
Self-hosted
Fully managed
Fully managed
Maintenance
Your responsibility
Handled for you
Handled for you
Writing Experience
Editor
HTML templates
Markdown native
Rich text
Writing Focus
Basic
Excellent
Good
Archives/Web Version
Basic
Beautiful archives
Custom CSS
Via templates
Limited
Newsletter Features
Paid Subscriptions
Yes (via Stripe)
Subscriber Imports
CSV
CSV, Twitter, Substack
CSV
Analytics
Basic opens/clicks
Good
Good
Automation
Basic sequences
Event-based
Referral System
Technical
API
REST API
REST API
REST API
Setup Effort
Docker required
Sign up
Sign up
Data Ownership
100% yours
Their servers
Their servers
Support
Community
Email, responsive
Founder support

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Listmonk if you...
  • Technical users wanting free solution
  • Developers comfortable with self-hosting
  • High-volume newsletter senders
  • Privacy-focused writers
Choose Buttondown if you...
  • Writers wanting markdown support
  • Newsletter creators wanting paid subscriptions
  • Non-technical users
  • Those valuing elegant simplicity
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies with Stripe billing
  • Teams needing subscription automation
  • Companies wanting managed + SaaS features
  • Founders combining newsletter + product emails

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS + Newsletter Combined

If you're a SaaS founder sending both product emails and newsletters, Sequenzy handles both. Buttondown is newsletters only. Listmonk can do both but lacks automation.

Native Stripe Integration

Buttondown has Stripe for paid newsletters. Sequenzy has Stripe for subscription lifecycle automation. Different use cases, same integration power.

Event-Based Automation

Listmonk has no automation. Buttondown has basic sequences. Sequenzy offers event-based behavioral automation for SaaS user journeys.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Listmonk and Buttondown both focus on newsletters without marketing bloat, but approach it differently. Listmonk is free, self-hosted, and technical. Buttondown is paid, managed, and writer-focused. Both reject complexity. Different philosophies, same goal.

The Writer's Perspective

Buttondown is built for writers. Markdown-native editor. Clean, distraction-free interface. Beautiful web archives. It feels like a writing tool.

Listmonk is built for efficiency. HTML templates. Functional interface. It feels like a sending tool.

If you identify as a writer first, Buttondown's experience is superior.

The Technical Perspective

Listmonk is free software that you control completely. Run it on your server. Own your data. Modify if needed (it's open source).

Buttondown is a service you pay for. Someone else manages infrastructure. You focus on writing.

If you enjoy self-hosting, Listmonk is appealing. If servers are a chore, Buttondown removes that burden.

Cost Analysis

Listmonk: ~$15/month total (hosting + SMTP). Buttondown: $29/month at 5k subscribers.

Difference: ~$14/month or ~$168/year.

For a writing-focused platform with paid subscriptions and beautiful archives, that premium might be worthwhile. For pure cost savings, Listmonk wins.

Paid Newsletter Support

Buttondown has native Stripe integration for paid subscriptions. Charge subscribers, manage access, handle payments. All built in.

Listmonk has no payment features. You'd need external tools and manual management for paid newsletters.

If monetization is your goal, Buttondown makes it simple.

Features Comparison

Buttondown offers: markdown editor, paid subscriptions, referral tracking, beautiful archives, subscriber analytics, basic automation, Substack/Twitter imports.

Listmonk offers: campaigns, list management, HTML templates, basic analytics.

Buttondown has more newsletter-specific features. Listmonk is more minimal.

For SaaS Companies

Neither is ideal for SaaS product emails. Buttondown is newsletters only. Listmonk lacks automation. For SaaS founders sending both product emails and newsletters with Stripe integration, consider Sequenzy.

Making the Choice

Choose Listmonk if you're technical, want free software, and just need to send newsletters. Choose Buttondown if you're a writer, value markdown, want paid subscriptions, and prefer managed hosting. For SaaS companies needing subscription automation, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

For writers, yes. Buttondown's markdown editor, beautiful archives, and paid subscription support justify the cost. For technical users just sending newsletters, Listmonk saves money.

Yes, markdown is native and first-class. The entire platform is built around markdown writing. Listmonk uses HTML templates without markdown support.

Not built-in. You'd need external payment processing and manual subscriber management. Buttondown has native Stripe integration for paid newsletters.

Buttondown. Beautiful, customizable web archives. Listmonk has basic archive functionality but nothing as polished.

Yes, 100 subscribers free. Good for testing. Listmonk is unlimited free but requires self-hosting.

Depends. Developers who want to self-host and save money prefer Listmonk. Developers who want markdown and don't want to manage infrastructure prefer Buttondown.

Buttondown has direct Substack import. Listmonk requires CSV export/import. Easier migration to Buttondown.

No. Listmonk has no referral or growth features. Buttondown has built-in referral tracking for newsletter growth.

Export subscribers from Buttondown. Set up Listmonk with Docker. Import subscribers. Recreate email templates (you'll lose markdown, need HTML). Note that paid subscriptions won't transfer since Listmonk doesn't support payments.

Export subscribers from Listmonk. Import into Buttondown. Start writing in markdown. Consider setting up paid subscriptions. Update your subscription forms to Buttondown embeds.

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.

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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