Not enough public prices to compare the cost.
Buttondown vs Substack
Price, free plan and alternatives, side by side
The comparison in short
- Buttondownhas a free plan
- Substackhas a free plan
Buttondown
Buildable
multi-day
If you would rather build it, Buttondown is the simplest to rebuild.
Side-by-side comparison
| APPLICATION | ButtondownNewsletters |  SubstackNewsletters |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly billing | $9/mo$9Basic | Not listed |
| Per year | $108/yr | — |
| Billing model | Flat subscription | Usage-based |
| Free tier | $0 for the first 100 subscribers. | $0; unlimited free subscribers, posts and email publishing; fees only when charging readers. |
| Additional costs | Core capabilities are modular add-ons: $9/mo, $29/mo and $79/mo items can stack on top of subscriber pricing. | Paid newsletters pay 10% Substack fee plus Stripe card fees of 2.9% + $0.30 and a 0.7% recurring-billing fee; Stripe/payment-method fees vary by country/method. |
| Can you rebuild it? | Buildablemulti-day | Worth subscribingclosest consolation build: one sitting |
| Free alternatives | — | |
| Checked on | 10/20/2026 | 10/20/2026 |
| Buy on the official site | Buy View app page | Buy View app page |
The free plan compares up to 2 apps. Pro compares up to 4. See plans →
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Prices from each app’s latest check; confirm on the official site before buying.