Softwr

News & Media · head to head

Buttondown vs HARO

Buttondown logo

Buttondown

News & Media

The easiest way to start and grow your newsletter

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
HARO logo

HARO

News & Media

Help A Reporter Out - connecting journalists with expert sources

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Buttondown limited built-in monetization compared to Substack, which offers native payment processing; HARO hARO was rebranded and phased out by Cision in favor of Connectively (www.connectively.us) starting early 2024, per the vendor's own helpareporter.com notice (Internet Archive capture, 2023)
  • They diverge on capability: Buttondown covers Newsletter creation, HARO covers Daily journalist queries.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buttondown and HARO actually diverge.

Attributes where Buttondown and HARO differ
AttributeButtondownHARO
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWebWeb, Email
Founded20172008

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 HARO

  • Daily journalist queries
  • Source submissions
  • Query archives
  • Response tracking
  • Source directory
  • Email matching
  • Profile management
  • Email

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Buttondown

  • Newsletter publishingnot HARO
  • Email marketingnot HARO
  • Audience buildingnot HARO

HARO

  • Finding expert sourcesnot Buttondown
  • Press coveragenot Buttondown
  • Expert positioningnot Buttondown
  • Media relationsnot 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

HARO

  • HARO was rebranded and phased out by Cision in favor of Connectively (www.connectively.us) starting early 2024, per the vendor's own helpareporter.com notice (Internet Archive capture, 2023)

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

HARO

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Daily email alerts
    • Query submissions
    • Source directory
  • Pro$19.99/month
    • Advanced features
    • Priority support
    • Analytics

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 HARO if

  • You need daily journalist queries.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Email.
  • You also want source submissions.
HARO review

Questions people ask

Is Buttondown or HARO better?
Neither clearly leads. Buttondown starts at Free and HARO at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buttondown or HARO?
Buttondown starts at Free and HARO at Free.
Does Buttondown or HARO run on more platforms?
Buttondown runs on Web. HARO runs on Web, Email.
Can I use Buttondown for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 HARO is typically brought in for.
What can Buttondown do that HARO cannot?
Buttondown covers Newsletter creation, Markdown support, Subscriber management, Analytics. HARO covers Daily journalist queries, Source submissions, Query archives, Response tracking. 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.

ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Buttondown

More on HARO

Keep looking

Other head to heads