BirdSendvsButtondown

BirdSend vs Buttondown

budget email marketing platform built for content creators vs minimalist markdown-first newsletter tool

TL;DR

BirdSend ($9/month) is a budget email marketing platform built for content creators. Buttondown ($9/month) is a minimalist markdown-first newsletter tool. BirdSend wins on revenue tracking (ltv per subscriber). Buttondown wins on markdown-first. For SaaS founders, Sequenzy ($49/mo) offers Stripe integration and AI sequences that neither provides.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Pricing Model

BirdSend costs $9/month. Buttondown costs $9/month. Different pricing models for different needs and budgets.

Primary Strength

BirdSend is best for revenue tracking (ltv per subscriber). Buttondown is best for markdown-first. They optimize for different goals.

Feature Depth

BirdSend strengths: Revenue tracking (LTV per subscriber), Charges per unique contact not per list, Built for content creators. Buttondown strengths: Markdown-first, Minimalist design, Paid newsletters.

Pricing Comparison

At comparable usage

BirdSend
$9/month

$9/mo for 1,000 contacts. Free tier for 5,000 subs (limited). Charges per unique contact.

Visit BirdSend
Buttondown
$9/month

Free 100 subs. $9/mo 1k. Markdown-first. Minimalist. Paid newsletters.

Visit Buttondown
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

SaaS marketing + transactional, Stripe integration, 10k contacts

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
BirdSend
Buttondown
Sequenzy
Email Marketing
Revenue Tracking
LTV per subscriber
MRR tracking
Unique Contact Billing
Yes (per unique contact)
No (per list or per email)
Per contact
Drip Sequences
Basic
AI-powered
Resend to Unopens
Built-in
Platform Features
Landing Pages
Automation Depth
Basic sequences
Basic
AI-powered
Stripe Integration
Native

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose BirdSend if you...
  • Revenue tracking (LTV per subscriber)
  • Charges per unique contact not per list
  • Built for content creators
  • Drip sequences
Choose Buttondown if you...
  • Markdown-first
  • Minimalist design
  • Paid newsletters
  • Developer-friendly
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe integration
  • Teams wanting marketing + transactional in one
  • Startups wanting AI-powered email sequences
  • Companies building subscription businesses

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Built for SaaS

Neither BirdSend nor Buttondown offers native Stripe integration. Sequenzy connects to [Stripe](/features/stripe-integration) and triggers emails based on subscription events automatically.

Marketing + Transactional Unified

One platform for [campaigns](/features/campaigns), [transactional emails](/features/transactional-emails), and [AI sequences](/features/ai-sequences). No stitching tools together.

AI-Powered Sequences

Describe what you want and Sequenzy generates the email sequence. Neither BirdSend nor Buttondown has AI content generation built in.

Simple Pricing

$49/month for 10,000 subscribers with everything included. Check [pricing](/pricing) for details.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

BirdSend and Buttondown both serve email marketers but with different priorities. BirdSend is a budget email marketing platform built for content creators. Buttondown is a minimalist markdown-first newsletter tool.

BirdSend's Niche

BirdSend is built specifically for content creators who want to track revenue per subscriber. Its standout features are LTV/ALTV tracking per subscriber, unique-contact billing (you don't pay extra when someone is on multiple lists), and a focus on simplicity over feature breadth.

Buttondown offers markdown-first and minimalist design, while BirdSend focuses on revenue tracking and affordable creator email.

Pricing Reality

BirdSend costs $9/month for 1,000 contacts with a free tier for up to 5,000 subscribers. Buttondown costs $9/month. BirdSend's unique-contact billing means you never pay double for subscribers on multiple lists.

For SaaS Founders

Neither BirdSend nor Buttondown is designed for SaaS companies. If you need Stripe integration for subscription-based automation, Sequenzy is purpose-built for that with AI sequences and unified transactional + marketing email.

Making the Choice

Choose BirdSend for budget creator email with revenue tracking. Choose Buttondown for markdown-first. For SaaS email with Stripe, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

BirdSend costs $9/month. Buttondown costs $9/month. The better value depends on what features you need beyond just sending.

Neither is purpose-built for SaaS. For subscription businesses, Sequenzy offers native Stripe integration, AI sequences, and unified transactional + marketing email at $49/month.

Yes. Export your contacts from BirdSend and import them into Buttondown. Templates and automations will need to be recreated. Domain authentication (SPF, DKIM) needs to be reconfigured.

BirdSend has limited automation. For advanced automation, consider ActiveCampaign or Sequenzy.

Both have adequate deliverability for their use cases. Proper domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) matters more than the platform choice.

Sequenzy combines marketing and transactional email with native Stripe integration and AI sequences at $49/month. Built specifically for SaaS businesses that need subscription-aware email automation.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

Related Comparisons

BirdSend vs Mailchimp

Compare these two popular email tools

BirdSend vs MailerLite

Compare these two popular email tools

BirdSend vs ConvertKit

Compare these two popular email tools

Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com