Buttondown vs Beehiiv

These two newsletter tools charge for growth in different ways. Buttondown bills only for active subscribers, gives the first 100 away, and sells segmentation, analytics, automations and similar features as separate monthly add-ons. Beehiiv bundles a website, automations and a 0% cut of paid subscriptions into its Lite tier, but its price follows a list-size slider and the free tier stops at 2,500 subscribers. Both list a United States base, and the practical choice is between paying per feature or paying per audience band.

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Both are reviewed in full in our newsletter platform ranking: Buttondown and Beehiiv.

1. 01

   The first 100 versus the first 2,500

   Buttondown's base plan costs nothing for the first 100 subscribers and counts active subscribers only, not every contact. Beehiiv's Free plan runs to 2,500 subscribers, one publication and one team seat, with no credit card required, and its analytics look back only 30 days. A small list therefore stays free much longer on Beehiiv, while Buttondown's free band is small but carries fewer other limits that we could see.

   Edge: Beehiiv

2. 02

   Paying per feature or per band

   Buttondown lists add-ons at $9 a month each for tagging and segmentation, paid subscriptions, comments and surveys, analytics, and RSS-to-email. Sponsorships, custom-domain archives, multiple newsletters and automations are $29, and whitelabeling and teams are $79. Beehiiv instead prices Lite and Pro by subscriber band: Lite starts at $49 a month billed annually for up to 1,000 subscribers. Which is cheaper depends on how many add-ons you would otherwise stack.

   Depends on the buyer

3. 03

   Cost at 100,000 subscribers

   The Beehiiv pricing page shows Lite at $469 a month and Pro at $699 a month, billed monthly, for a list of up to 100,000. Buttondown's pages give us no per-subscriber tier prices, so a direct figure at that size is not available from them. Buttondown also asks you to talk to it about usage-based pricing if you send more than one email a day to everyone. We cannot name a winner without that quote.

   Depends on the buyer

4. 04

   Keeping the revenue from paid subscriptions

   Beehiiv states that it takes 0% of paid subscription revenue, and Stripe's standard fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction still applies. That is listed under Lite. Buttondown sells paid subscriptions as a $9 monthly add-on, and we found no statement of a revenue cut or the payment processor's fee. For a writer whose income is mostly paid readers, Beehiiv's terms are spelled out more clearly.

   Edge: Beehiiv

5. 05

   Team seats, publications and branding

   Beehiiv Lite allows 2 team seats and 3 publications, and Pro allows 10 seats and 10 publications. Removing Beehiiv branding is only possible on Pro and Enterprise. Buttondown sells multiple newsletters at $29 a month and teams at $79 a month, with whitelabeling also at $79. A solo writer is covered by either. A small team that needs its own look will compare these add-on prices against the Pro tier.

   Depends on the buyer

6. 06

   Who runs it and how data leaves

   Buttondown says it is profitable, self-funded and fully remote since 2017, that your data can be exported or deleted at any time, and that it offers free concierge migration within one business day. It names Buttondown, LLC under Delaware law. Beehiiv Inc. has a New York address in its terms and was founded in 2021 by former Morning Brew employees, according to its about page. On independence and exit terms, Buttondown says more.

   Edge: Buttondown

Will my list stay free if I start with 1,800 subscribers?

On Beehiiv, yes, since its Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with one seat and one publication. On Buttondown, only the first 100 subscribers cost nothing, so you would be paying for the remainder. Our reading found no Buttondown per-subscriber price.

Does either one take a share of what my paying readers pay?

Beehiiv says it takes 0% of paid subscription revenue, with Stripe's processing fee applying on top. Buttondown lists paid subscriptions as a $9 monthly add-on. We found no statement of any revenue share on Buttondown's side.

Can I get my archive and subscribers out later?

Buttondown says all data is yours and can be exported or deleted whenever you like. For Beehiiv, our reading of the vendor pages found no description of export terms. If leaving is a concern, ask both vendors before you commit.

• Buttondown pricing page: free first 100 subscribers, the $9, $29 and $79 monthly add-ons, and the one-email-a-day assumption.
• Buttondown about page: customer-funded status and the statement that data can be exported or deleted at any time.
• Buttondown terms of service: the Buttondown, LLC entity name and Delaware governing law.
• Beehiiv pricing page: Free, Lite and Pro limits, subscriber-band prices, 0% paid-subscription take rate and branding removal on Pro.
• Beehiiv about page: 2021 founding by former Morning Brew staff and the fully remote setup.
• Beehiiv terms of use: beehiiv Inc. with a New York address under New York law.