Buttondown vs Paragraph
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); Paragraph states none.
| Buttondown | Paragraph | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free plan | Free plan · from $16/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Not stated by the vendor | Not stated by the vendor |
| Plans | Free ($0); Paid () | Free ($0); Starter ($16/mo annual, $192/yr); Growth ($80/mo annual, $960/yr); Scale ($160/mo annual, $1920/yr) |
| Fees | Priced by active subscribers (slider on the page) | Not stated |
| 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) | Posts, newsletters, social campaigns and landing pages generated from company context; 900+ connected tools including Slack, Notion, GitHub, Stripe and HubSpot; Playbook templates for launches, case studies and press releases; Approval required before anything is published |
| Checked on | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-04 |
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
Paragraph
- Free plan with 2,000 subscribers
- Nothing publishes without approval
- Annual billing saves 20%
Trade-offs
- The free plan has only 500 monthly credits
- A custom domain starts on Starter
- Growth is $80 and Scale $160 a month billed annually