Looking for Buttondown alternatives? Here are five powerful newsletter platforms that offer better publishing workflows, more advanced email capabilities, and stronger privacy-focused features.
1. Hyvor Post
Hyvor Post is an open-source, privacy-friendly email marketing platform built for writers, bloggers, and creators who want a clean, modern, distraction-free writing experience. While Buttondown focuses on simplicity, Hyvor Post takes simplicity a step further by pairing it with Privacy by Design, a first-party email delivery service, Hyvor Relay.
The story behind Hyvor Post
At HYVOR, we used many newsletter platforms for our internal communication and content updates. While these tools worked, we struggled with several issues:
Most platforms track user activity without explicit consent. We are a privacy-focused company, and we say no to user tracking.
Many tools were bloated with marketing features we didn’t actually need. So, basically, we were paying for features that we did not even use. That’s a loss.
Deliverability was unpredictable, especially when relying on shared senders. This is an issue when it comes to the success of email marketing campaigns.
Pricing scaled aggressively based on subscriber count rather than actual email volume.
We learned that thousands of creators felt the same way. So we built Hyvor Post, a simple, privacy-first email marketing newsletter tool that delivers reliability without complexity, powered by Hyvor Relay, our first-party delivery service that ensures consistently high deliverability.
Today, Hyvor Post is one of the best Buttondown alternatives for creators who want more control, better privacy, and a smoother writing experience.
Hyvor Post is best for bloggers, independent writers, and small teams who want a fast, focused, private writing and email experience, not a feature-bloated suite.
Key Features
Privacy by Design – No open/click tracking or behavioral tracking. First-party delivery through Hyvor Relay ensures top-tier privacy and deliverability.
All-in-one Writing & Emailing – Publish posts and send emails from one place with a unified writing experience
Simple Interface – Clean, intuitive dashboard without marketing clutter.
Custom Sending Domains – Brand your emails with your domain. No additional charges.
First-Party Delivery Infrastructure – Far fewer spam issues compared to shared delivery services.
Multiple Subscriber Lists – Create segmented lists for different audiences.
Team Collaboration – Add your team to manage content and subscribers.
API & Webhooks – Developer-friendly integrations.
Migration Support – Hyvor Post team provides a smooth migration from Buttondown or any other platform. No hassle!
Affordable Pricing – It provides affordable pricing for sending emails. In Hyvor Post, it is priced per the number of emails sent, not the number of subscribers. That is, it is one of the cheapest, most affordable solutions available in the market. For example, 100,000 emails per month will cost around 35€/month.
Pros
True privacy-focused platform (GDPR-friendly)
Open-source
Ultra-clean, minimal writing experience
Reliable, first-party email delivery via Hyvor Relay
Predictable, transparent pricing
Lightweight, fast UI
Multiple list management
Excellent customer support via email
Easy migration from Buttondown
Designed for anyone looking for simplicity and admiring privacy
Perfect for teams and creators who want simplicity
Cons
Narrower focus than large marketing suites (built for simply email sending, not complex marketing automation)
Pricing
Hyvor Post pricing is based on email volume per month as follows.
Plan | Price |
|---|---|
25k emails per month | €10/month |
100k emails per month | €35/month |
300k emails per month | €90/month |
1M emails per month | €225/month |
1M+ emails per month | Custom pricing |
2. Mailchimp
Mailchimp, founded in 2001, is one of the most well-known email marketing platforms. It offers an extensive suite of tools such as automation, CRM, landing pages, ads, and e-commerce integration. Compared to Buttondown’s minimalism, Mailchimp is feature-heavy and better suited for those who want broad marketing features rather than a writing-centric platform.
Key Features
Drag-and-Drop Email Builder - Intuitive editor with pre-designed templates and custom options
Advanced automation - Automated email sequences based on subscriber behavior
Website & Landing Page Builder - Create complete websites and high-converting landing pages
Social Media Advertising - Create and manage Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns
E-commerce Integration - Connect with popular online stores for targeted campaigns
Detailed Analytics - Detailed analytics on subscriber behavior and preferences
Social ads management
Pros
Extensive template library
Free plan supporting up to 2,000 contacts
Strong automation capabilities
Wide range of marketing tools
Large ecosystem of integrations
Cons
Complex interface for simple newsletters
Expensive as subscriber count grows
Many features are unnecessary for creators or writers
Pricing
Free with very limited features
Essentials: Starting at €11.24/month
Standard: Starting at €17.29/month
Premium: Starting at €302.54/month
3. Brevo (Sendinblue)
Brevo, launched in 2012, is a multichannel marketing platform offering email, SMS, WhatsApp, automation, and CRM tools. It’s more comprehensive than Buttondown but also more complex. Ideal for businesses, not minimalistic creators.
Key Features
Automation Workflows - Create complex, multi-step email sequences with conditional logic
SMS Marketing & WhatsApp marketing - Send text messages alongside email campaigns
Live Chat & Chatbots - Engage website visitors in real-time
Built-in CRM - Manage customer relationships and sales pipelines
Transactional Emails - Send automated emails triggered by user actions
Landing Page Builder - Create high-converting landing pages
Segmentation - Target specific audience segments with precision
A/B Testing - Optimize campaigns with split testing capabilities
Pros
Includes SMS and WhatsApp
Strong automation builder
Good for multichannel marketing
Solid CRM features
Cons
Overkill for simple newsletters
Enterprise-like interface
Some features are locked behind higher-tier plans
Pricing
For the ease of comparing prices, we have used the price for 10k emails per month.
Free: Limited email sending
Starter: 10k emails per month for €14.00/month
Business: 10k emails per month for €29.00/month
Professional: 150k emails per month for €499.00/month
Enterprise: Custom price
4. MailerLite
MailerLite, founded in 2010, is a lightweight email marketing solution known for its clean UI, easy editors, and affordable pricing. It offers more features than Buttondown (landing pages, pop-ups), but stays simpler than large marketing platforms.
Key Features
Drag-and-Drop Editor - Email builder with rich customization options
Automation Workflows - Visual automation builder for creating subscriber journeys
Landing Page Creator - Build conversion-focused landing pages with ease
Pop-up and Form Builder - Create embedded forms and exit-intent pop-ups
Segmentation - Target subscribers based on behavior, preferences, and demographics
A/B Testing - Test subject lines, content, and send times to optimize performance
Detailed Analytics - Track opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and campaign ROI
Transactional emails
Pros
Very clean interface
Good value for small lists
Strong landing page builder
Easy learning curve
Cons
Automation isn’t as advanced compared to enterprise tools
The template library is smaller than that of competitors
Might be broader than needed for minimal writers
Automation capabilities are limited compared to enterprise tools
The feature set may be too broad if you only need writing + email
Pricing
With Mailerlite, you get a trial and the following pricing plans.
Free: Up to 500 subscribers with basic limits
Growing Business: €14/month for 1000 subscribers and onwards
Advanced: €28/month for 1000 subscribers and onwards
Enterprise: Custom pricing
5. Moosend
Moosend, founded in 2011, is geared toward e-commerce businesses that need advanced segmentation and automation. It’s more powerful than Buttondown, but not as writer-friendly. Best for online stores or marketing teams.
Key Features
Automation Workflows - Create email sequences with conditional logic and triggers
Drag and drop editor - For email building
E-commerce Tracking - Monitor customer behavior and create product recommendation campaigns
Real-time Personalization - Dynamic content based on subscriber preferences and behavior
Landing Page Builder - Design and publish conversion-optimized landing pages
Subscription Forms and Pop-ups - Multiple form types with advanced targeting options
Detailed Analytics - Comprehensive reporting on campaign performance and subscriber engagement
GDPR Compliance - Built-in tools for European data protection compliance
API Access - Robust API for custom integrations and data synchronization
Pros
Excellent automation tools
E-commerce-friendly features
Clean and fast interface
Good value compared to big-name competitors
Cons
Not built for bloggers or long-form writers
E-commerce-heavy feature set
Smaller ecosystem
Pricing
Pro: €9/month for 500 subscribers
€16/month for 1,000 subscribers
€24/month for 2,000 subscribers
Moosend+ & Enterprise: Custom
With Moosend, you get a 30-day free trial and the pricing plans mentioned above.
Conclusion
Buttondown is a solid minimalist newsletter tool, but many creators eventually grow beyond its simplicity, needing better privacy, more flexibility, or a more powerful writing experience. That’s where these Buttondown alternatives shine.
Hyvor Post is the strongest among these Buttondown alternatives for creators who want a privacy-first, clean, writing-focused tool with top-notch deliverability and predictable email-based pricing. Its minimal interface, first-party email delivery, and transparent pricing make it a perfect Buttondown replacement. Meanwhile, Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite, and Moosend offer broader marketing capabilities from automation to ecommerce, making them suited alternatives to Buttondown for businesses and marketers who need more than just newsletters.
With these alternatives to Buttondown, you can choose the platform that best matches your workflow, whether you’re a writer craving simplicity or a business needing full marketing automation.
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