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News & Media · head to head

Buttondown vs Feedbin

Buttondown logo

Buttondown

News & Media

The easiest way to start and grow your newsletter

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Feedbin logo

Feedbin

News & Media

A fast, simple RSS reader focused on readability

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Buttondown has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Buttondown limited built-in monetization compared to Substack, which offers native payment processing; Feedbin there is no free tier: after a 30 day trial the service costs $7 a month or $70 a year
  • They diverge on capability: Buttondown covers Newsletter creation, Feedbin covers RSS feeds.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buttondown and Feedbin actually diverge.

Attributes where Buttondown and Feedbin differ
AttributeButtondownFeedbin
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20172013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Buttondown

  • Newsletter creation
  • Markdown support
  • Subscriber management
  • Analytics
  • Paid subscriptions
  • Zapier
  • Stripe
  • Twitter

Only in Feedbin

  • RSS feeds
  • Email newsletters
  • Twitter integration
  • YouTube subscriptions
  • Full-text search
  • Pocket
  • Instapaper
  • Pinboard

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Buttondown

  • Newsletter publishingnot Feedbin
  • Email marketingnot Feedbin
  • Audience buildingnot Feedbin

Feedbin

  • Reading and syncing RSS feeds across devicesnot Buttondown
  • Subscribing to email newsletters at a dedicated addressnot Buttondown
  • Following YouTube channels and podcasts in a readernot Buttondown

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Buttondown

  • Limited built-in monetization compared to Substack, which offers native payment processing
  • Fewer growth and discovery features compared to Beehiiv or Ghost
  • Smaller community and ecosystem than larger newsletter platforms
  • Basic automation compared to full-featured email marketing platforms
  • No native mobile app for managing newsletters on the go

Feedbin

  • There is no free tier: after a 30 day trial the service costs $7 a month or $70 a year
  • The service is a paid hosted account only, with no free reader mode

Pricing, plan by plan

Buttondown

Free
  • Free$undefined/mo
    • Up to 100 subscribers
    • Core newsletter features
    • Hosted archives
  • Paid$undefined/mo
    • Pricing scales by subscriber count above 100
    • Add-on features from $9/month

Feedbin

On request
  • Monthly$5/month
    • Unlimited feeds
    • Email newsletters
    • Twitter feeds
  • Yearly$50/year
    • All monthly features
    • 2 months free
    • Priority support

Which should you pick?

Choose Buttondown if

  • You need newsletter creation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want markdown support.
Buttondown review

Choose Feedbin if

  • You need rss feeds.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want email newsletters.
Feedbin review

Questions people ask

Is Buttondown or Feedbin better?
Neither clearly leads. Buttondown starts at Free and Feedbin at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buttondown or Feedbin?
Buttondown has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buttondown and On request for Feedbin.
Does Buttondown or Feedbin run on more platforms?
Buttondown runs on Web. Feedbin runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Buttondown for free?
Yes. Buttondown has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Feedbin starts at On request.
What is Buttondown best used for?
Buttondown is most often used for newsletter publishing, email marketing, audience building. Of those, newsletter publishing and email marketing are not what Feedbin is typically brought in for.
What can Buttondown do that Feedbin cannot?
Buttondown covers Newsletter creation, Markdown support, Subscriber management, Analytics. Feedbin covers RSS feeds, Email newsletters, Twitter integration, YouTube subscriptions. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Buttondown: How much does Buttondown cost?

Buttondown is free for your first 100 subscribers and includes core newsletter features. After that, pricing scales based on subscriber count. Add-on features start at $9/month each.

Source
Buttondown: What editor options does Buttondown offer?

Buttondown supports Markdown, HTML, and WYSIWYG editors so you can compose newsletters in your preferred format.

Source
Buttondown: Does Buttondown track analytics?

Analytics are disabled by default in Buttondown, prioritizing privacy. You can enable tracking if desired, and the platform is GDPR-compliant.

Source
Buttondown: What is Buttondown's company structure?

Buttondown is an independent, self-funded, and profitable SaaS platform founded by Justin Duke with no plans to take external investment or change that model.

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Related pages

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