What is the difference between MailerLite and Buttondown?

MailerLite is best for Small businesses and creators wanting simple email, while Buttondown is best for Writers wanting a minimal, developer-friendly newsletter tool. MailerLite starts at Free and Buttondown starts at Free.

Is MailerLite or Buttondown cheaper?

MailerLite starts at Free with a free tier. Buttondown starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Buttondown?

Both MailerLite and Buttondown offer free tiers.

MailerLite vs Buttondown

MailerLite is email marketing platform with landing pages, automations, and a generous free tier, while Buttondown is simple, elegant newsletter tool with markdown support, automation, and paid subscriptions. MailerLite is built for small businesses and creators wanting simple email, whereas Buttondown targets writers wanting a minimal, developer-friendly newsletter tool.

At a glance

	MailerLite	Buttondown
Best for	Small businesses and creators wanting simple email	Writers wanting a minimal, developer-friendly newsletter tool
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
API	—	✓
Automations	✓	—
Email Campaigns	✓	—
Landing Pages	✓	—
Markdown	—	✓
Paid Subscriptions	—	✓
RSS-to-Email	—	✓
Surveys	✓	—

MailerLite

Strengths

Includes Email Campaigns as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Includes Landing Pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Free for 1000 subscribers — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 16+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Deliverability depends on your sender reputation, which takes time to build
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try MailerLite → Full review

Buttondown

Strengths

Full Markdown support with live preview for clean, structured notes
Includes Paid Subscriptions as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Free for 100 subscribers — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes api alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Developer-oriented tooling may not suit non-technical team members
Deliverability depends on your sender reputation, which takes time to build
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Buttondown → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. MailerLite's free plan: Free for 1000 subscribers. Buttondown's free plan: Free for 100 subscribers.

Feature gaps: MailerLite offers Automations, Email Campaigns and Landing Pages that Buttondown lacks. Buttondown brings API, Markdown and Paid Subscriptions that MailerLite does not have.

Team fit: Both tools target individuals teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Where each tool shines: MailerLite's biggest strengths are: includes email campaigns as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows. includes landing pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows. Buttondown's biggest strengths are: full markdown support with live preview for clean, structured notes. includes paid subscriptions as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows.

Watch out for: With MailerLite, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Buttondown, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose MailerLite if...

You need a tool built for small businesses and creators wanting simple email
You specifically need Automations and Email Campaigns
You care about includes landing pages as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
The free tier works for you: free for 1000 subscribers

Choose Buttondown if...

You need a tool built for writers wanting a minimal, developer-friendly newsletter tool
You specifically need API and Markdown
You care about includes paid subscriptions as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
The free tier works for you: free for 100 subscribers