beehiiv vs Buttondown
Both sit in newsletters & publishing. Here is how they differ on the things you can actually check.
On price: Buttondown starts $40 a month cheaper than beehiiv ($9 against $49, 82% less). Paying annually takes beehiiv to $43/mo (12% off). Where a price could not be read from the vendor's page it is marked indicative below.
beehiiv
beehiiv.com
Publishing, growth tooling, a recommendation network and a built-in ad marketplace — designed for newsletters that make money.
Buttondown
buttondown.com
Markdown-first newsletters with a deliberately minimal interface, good API and a free tier for small lists.
| beehiiv | Buttondown | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $49/mo | $9/mo |
| Entry plan | Scale | — |
| Paid annually | $43/mosave 12% | — |
| Price checked | 21 Sept 2026 | not verified |
| Pricing model | Free plan | Free plan |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Category | Newsletters & Publishing | Newsletters & Publishing |
| Around since | 2021 | 2017 |
1 of these 2 prices were read from the vendor's own pricing page, most recently on 21 Sept 2026; the rest are indicative. Entry tier only — vendors change pricing without notice.
beehiiv vs Buttondown, answered
- Is beehiiv cheaper than Buttondown?
- No — Buttondown is the cheaper entry point, at $9 a month against beehiiv's $49, 82% less.
- Do beehiiv or Buttondown have a free plan?
- Both do. beehiiv and Buttondown each publish an ongoing free tier rather than a time-limited trial.
- What is the difference between beehiiv and Buttondown?
- beehiiv: Publishing, growth tooling, a recommendation network and a built-in ad marketplace — designed for newsletters that make money. Buttondown: Markdown-first newsletters with a deliberately minimal interface, good API and a free tier for small lists.
- Which one is cheaper paid annually?
- Buttondown, at $9 a month against beehiiv's $43. beehiiv drops to $43 a month paid yearly (12% off), while Buttondown publishes no annual discount we could read, so it stays at $9.
