Buttondown vs EmailOctopus
Both are in Newsletter platforms. Here is how their plans, prices and features compare, taken from each vendor's own site.
The main differences
- Fees: Buttondown Priced by active subscribers (slider on the page); EmailOctopus Billed yearly; price rises with subscribers.
| Buttondown | EmailOctopus | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free plan | Free plan · from $9/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not stated by the vendor | No |
| Plans | Free ($0); Paid () | Starter ($0); Pro ($9/mo annual) |
| Fees | Priced by active subscribers (slider on the page) | Billed yearly; price rises with subscribers |
| Best for | Not stated | Not stated |
| Key features | Rich text or markdown editor; Send from a custom domain; Hosted newsletter archives; Tagging and segmentation (add-on) | Drag-and-drop editor or your own HTML; 100+ mobile-friendly templates; Merge-tag personalisation; Automations |
| Checked on | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-03 |
Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you buy. Full details and sources are on each tool's page.
Buttondown
- Free for the first 100 subscribers
- Charged by active subscribers, not total contacts
- Features are sold as add-ons, so you pay only for what you use
- 50% non-profit discount
Trade-offs
- Most features beyond the editor are paid add-ons
- Automations, multiple newsletters and custom-domain archives cost $29 a month each
- Prices assume at most one email a day to your whole list
EmailOctopus
- Free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month
- 20% lifetime nonprofit discount
- Plans upgrade automatically as your list grows
- Pro includes unlimited users, landing pages and forms
Trade-offs
- The free plan shows EmailOctopus branding and allows 1 landing page, 1 form and 1 user
- There is no free trial; the free plan is the way to try it
- Pro starts at 10,000 emails a month at the entry tier