EmailOctopusvsButtondown

EmailOctopus vs Buttondown

Budget email marketing vs developer-focused newsletters

TL;DR

Buttondown is slightly cheaper at $29/month vs EmailOctopus's $36/month for 10k subscribers. Buttondown is Markdown-first and privacy-focused. EmailOctopus offers more traditional email marketing features. Choose Buttondown if you're a developer/writer wanting simplicity, EmailOctopus for broader marketing needs.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Philosophy

Buttondown is minimal by design, Markdown-first, and privacy-focused. EmailOctopus is a traditional email marketing platform with more features. Different philosophies attract different users.

Pricing

Buttondown is slightly cheaper at $29/month vs $36/month for 10k subscribers. However, EmailOctopus has a much better free plan (2,500 vs 100 subscribers).

Developer Experience
Buttondown wins

Buttondown has a better API, webhooks, and developer-friendly features. EmailOctopus is more marketing-focused with a basic API.

Marketing Features
EmailOctopus wins

EmailOctopus offers more traditional marketing features like landing pages, better forms, and more subscriber management options. Buttondown is intentionally minimal.

Writing Experience
Buttondown wins

Buttondown's Markdown-first approach appeals to writers and developers. EmailOctopus uses a traditional drag-and-drop editor. Personal preference decides this one.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

EmailOctopus
$36/month

Pro plan. Email marketing with landing pages and automation.

Visit EmailOctopus
Buttondown
$29/month

Professional plan. Markdown, API, custom domains.

Visit Buttondown
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
EmailOctopus
Buttondown
Sequenzy
Pricing & Value
10k Contacts Cost
$36/month
$29/month
$49/month
Free Plan
2,500 subscribers
100 subscribers
None
Paid Newsletters
Price Transparency
Simple tiers
Simple tiers
Simple tiers
Writing Experience
Markdown Support
Limited
Native
Limited
Email Composer
Drag and drop
Markdown editor
Drag and drop
Templates
Basic selection
Minimal (intentional)
Clean
Writing Focus
Marketing focus
Writer focus
Product focus
Marketing Features
Landing Pages
Simple
Forms & Popups
Basic
Subscriber Management
Good
Basic
Good
Analytics
Good
Good, privacy-focused
Good
Developer Features
API Quality
Basic
Excellent
Good
Custom Domains
Webhooks
Limited
RSS to Email
SaaS Features
Stripe Integration
Native OAuth
Behavioral Events
Limited
Native
User Lifecycle
Basic
Built for this

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose EmailOctopus if you...
  • Traditional email marketing needs
  • Users wanting landing pages and forms
  • Nonprofits (20% discount)
  • Those preferring visual email builders
Choose Buttondown if you...
  • Developers and technical writers
  • Writers preferring Markdown
  • Privacy-conscious publishers
  • Those wanting paid newsletter support
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies needing behavioral automation
  • Stripe-integrated subscription businesses
  • Teams wanting unified marketing + transactional
  • Companies needing native payment integration

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Focused Features

Neither EmailOctopus nor Buttondown offers behavioral event tracking or SaaS-specific automation. Sequenzy is built for subscription businesses.

Better Than Both for SaaS

If you're running a SaaS company, Sequenzy's Stripe integration and lifecycle automation are more relevant than either platform's features.

Transactional + Marketing

Sequenzy handles both transactional and marketing email. Neither EmailOctopus nor Buttondown offers this combination.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

EmailOctopus and Buttondown represent different approaches to newsletters. EmailOctopus is a traditional email marketing platform. Buttondown is a minimal, Markdown-first tool built for writers and developers. Your workflow preferences determine the best choice.

Different Philosophies

EmailOctopus offers landing pages, forms, automation, and traditional marketing features. Buttondown intentionally stays minimal - just write in Markdown, send to your list, maybe charge for it. Neither approach is wrong; they serve different users.

Pricing Comparison

Buttondown is slightly cheaper at $29/month vs $36/month for 10k subscribers. However, EmailOctopus has a much better free tier (2,500 vs 100 subscribers). If you're starting out, EmailOctopus's free plan goes much further.

Writing Experience

Buttondown is Markdown-native. Writers and developers who think in Markdown love this. EmailOctopus uses a traditional drag-and-drop editor. If you prefer visual editing, EmailOctopus is more familiar. If Markdown is your language, Buttondown feels natural.

Developer Features

Buttondown excels with developers. Better API documentation, webhooks, and clean data exports. It's built by a developer for developers. EmailOctopus has an API but it's more marketing-focused than developer-friendly.

Paid Newsletters

Buttondown supports paid newsletters with Stripe integration. EmailOctopus doesn't offer this. If newsletter monetization is your goal, Buttondown provides the infrastructure.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is built for SaaS. Both lack behavioral event tracking and subscription lifecycle features. For SaaS companies, consider Sequenzy which offers purpose-built SaaS email features.

Making the Choice

Choose EmailOctopus for traditional email marketing with landing pages and forms. Choose Buttondown if you're a developer or writer who loves Markdown and wants minimal distractions. For SaaS, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

At 10k subscribers, yes. Buttondown is $29/month vs EmailOctopus's $36/month. However, EmailOctopus has a much better free plan (2,500 vs 100 subscribers).

Buttondown. It has a better API, native Markdown support, and webhooks. It's built by and for developers. EmailOctopus is a traditional marketing platform.

Buttondown supports paid newsletters natively with Stripe integration. EmailOctopus doesn't have built-in paid newsletter support.

EmailOctopus. It has a traditional landing page builder. Buttondown's landing pages are intentionally minimal - just an email capture form.

Buttondown is Markdown-first but can handle rich text. If you prefer visual editors, you might find it limiting. If you love Markdown, it's perfect.

Buttondown is explicitly privacy-focused with minimal tracking. EmailOctopus is standard email marketing with typical tracking. Privacy-conscious publishers prefer Buttondown.

EmailOctopus offers 2,500 subscribers free. Buttondown offers only 100. For free tier generosity, EmailOctopus wins easily.

Yes. Export subscribers from either platform and import to the other. You'll need to recreate any automations and adjust to the different editing experience.

EmailOctopus has basic automation workflows. Buttondown automation is minimal - it's focused on writing, not complex marketing sequences.

Buttondown. Its Markdown support handles code snippets, technical formatting, and syntax highlighting better than EmailOctopus's visual editor.

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

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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