News · head to head
Buttondown vs Feedbin
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.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Buttondown and Feedbin actually diverge.
| Attribute | Buttondown | Feedbin |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2017 | 2013 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News).
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
Only in Feedbin
- RSS feeds
- Email newsletters
- Twitter integration
- YouTube subscriptions
- Full-text search
- 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.
Choose Feedbin if
- You need rss feeds.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want email newsletters.
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.
SourceFeedbin: What are Feedbin's subscription costs?
Feedbin costs $7/month or $70/year. Monthly and annual subscriptions have the same features.
SourceButtondown: What editor options does Buttondown offer?
Buttondown supports Markdown, HTML, and WYSIWYG editors so you can compose newsletters in your preferred format.
SourceFeedbin: Is there a free trial for Feedbin?
Yes, Feedbin offers a 30-day free trial that requires no credit card.
SourceButtondown: 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.
SourceFeedbin: What features are included in Feedbin?
All Feedbin subscribers get RSS feed reading with full-text extraction, email newsletter subscriptions via unique email, YouTube channel and playlist following, podcast listening, Twitter/Mastodon feed integration, syncing across iOS/Mac/Android, and advanced organization tools like tagging and search.
SourceButtondown: 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.
Feedbin: Does Feedbin have different tiers with different features?
No, Feedbin offers a single subscription tier. All features are included in both the monthly and annual plans at the same price levels.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Buttondown vs Beehiiv
- Buttondown vs Substack
- Buttondown vs Ghost CMS
- Buttondown vs TinyLetter
- Buttondown vs Revue
- Buttondown vs ConvertKit
- Buttondown vs Medium
- Buttondown vs Arc Publishing
- Buttondown vs Brightspot
- Buttondown vs Cision
- Buttondown vs Newswire
- Buttondown vs Parse.ly
- Buttondown vs Prezly
- Buttondown vs Readwise Reader
- Buttondown vs Ghost
- Buttondown vs PR Newswire
- Buttondown vs Inoreader
- Buttondown vs Feedly
- Buttondown vs Chartbeat
- Buttondown vs NewsBlur
- Buttondown vs The Old Reader
- Buttondown vs Mailbrew
- Buttondown vs Reeder
- Buttondown vs NetNewsWire
- Feedbin vs Beehiiv
- Feedbin vs Substack
- Feedbin vs Ghost CMS
- Feedbin vs TinyLetter
- Feedbin vs Revue
- Feedbin vs ConvertKit
- Feedbin vs Medium
- Feedbin vs Arc Publishing
- Feedbin vs Brightspot
- Feedbin vs Cision
- Feedbin vs Newswire
- Feedbin vs Parse.ly
- Feedbin vs Prezly
- Feedbin vs Readwise Reader
- Feedbin vs Ghost
- Feedbin vs PR Newswire
- Feedbin vs Inoreader
- Feedbin vs Feedly
- Feedbin vs Chartbeat
- Feedbin vs NewsBlur
- Feedbin vs The Old Reader
- Feedbin vs Mailbrew
- Feedbin vs Reeder
- Feedbin vs NetNewsWire


