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News & Media · head to head

Buttondown vs Muck Rack

Buttondown logo

Buttondown

News & Media

The easiest way to start and grow your newsletter

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Muck Rack logo

Muck Rack

News & Media

The new standard in PR software

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; Muck Rack no pricing is published, and every quote is prepared individually
  • They diverge on capability: Buttondown covers Newsletter creation, Muck Rack covers Media database.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Buttondown and Muck Rack actually diverge.

Attributes where Buttondown and Muck Rack differ
AttributeButtondownMuck Rack
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Browser-extension
Founded20172009

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 Muck Rack

  • Media database
  • Journalist profiles
  • Media monitoring
  • Pitching platform
  • Coverage reporting
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Google Analytics

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Buttondown

  • Newsletter publishingnot Muck Rack
  • Email marketingnot Muck Rack
  • Audience buildingnot Muck Rack

Muck Rack

  • Finding and pitching journalists from a media databasenot Buttondown
  • Monitoring coverage and measuring PR resultsnot 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

Muck Rack

  • No pricing is published, and every quote is prepared individually
  • Cost depends on user count, so a growing PR team pays more for the same database
  • Broadcast monitoring, social listening and press release distribution are separately priced modules rather than included

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

Muck Rack

On request
  • ProFree
    • Media database
    • Media monitoring
    • Pitching tools
  • EnterpriseFree
    • All Pro features
    • Team management
    • SSO integration

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 Muck Rack if

  • You need media database.
  • You work on Web, Browser-extension.
  • You also want journalist profiles.
Muck Rack review

Questions people ask

Is Buttondown or Muck Rack better?
Neither clearly leads. Buttondown starts at Free and Muck Rack at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Buttondown or Muck Rack?
Buttondown has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Buttondown and On request for Muck Rack.
Does Buttondown or Muck Rack run on more platforms?
Buttondown runs on Web. Muck Rack runs on Web, Browser-extension.
Can I use Buttondown for free?
Yes. Buttondown has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Muck Rack 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 Muck Rack is typically brought in for.
What can Buttondown do that Muck Rack cannot?
Buttondown covers Newsletter creation, Markdown support, Subscriber management, Analytics. Muck Rack covers Media database, Journalist profiles, Media monitoring, Pitching platform. 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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