Buttondown is lighter, cheaper, and better for starting out.
ConvertKit should be thought of more as automation software than newsletter software; it is for businesses who have complex needs for automated workflows and analytics.
It's also extremely expensive; if you have just one thousand subscribers you'll be paying $49/month on ConvertKit, as opposed to only $9/month on Buttondown.
Buttondown allows you to customize and organize your subscribers (through tags and analytics) while still giving you an easy way to compose great emails and grow your audience. It offers the same rich API and easy embeddable widgets that ConvertKit does, while being a more pleasant tool.
Buttondown lets you focus on writing, rather than spending all day working on templates and automation workflows.
| Feature | Buttondown | ConvertKit |
| Free for your first hundred subscribers | ||
| Archives | ||
| Embeddable widget | ||
| Analytics | ||
| Markdown support | ||
| Drag and drop image uploading | ||
| Email scheduling | ||
| Free RSS support | ||
| Clean, usable design | ||
| Smart embeds | ||
| Autosaving | ||
| First-party API | ||
| Paid subscriptions | ||
| Third-party integrations | ||
| Privacy-first | ||
| Multiple newsletters | ||
| 'Pay what you want' mode | ||
| Discussion threads |
Kind words from happy writers
Although ConvertKit is aimed at creatives and bloggers, their pricing seems more apt for big businesses. There are definitely more affordable tools available, with similar (and even better) features.
For a while I’ve been following Buttondown on Twitter and am subscribed to some newsletters that use your service. Today I finally signed up for my own business, and I’m digging it very much so far.