Hyvor Post
ButtondownButtondown Alternative: Hyvor Post vs Buttondown Compared
Looking for a Buttondown alternative? Compare Hyvor Post and Buttondown on tracking, pricing and add-ons, deliverability, data location, and open source.
Hyvor Post is a Buttondown alternative for companies that want to keep customers updated without tracking them. Both are lightweight newsletter platforms, but they make different trade-offs. Buttondown offers optional analytics, paid subscriptions, RSS-to-email, and automations. Hyvor Post removes reader tracking entirely and prices newsletters by emails sent rather than by subscribers.
The short verdict: choose Hyvor Post if you are a company sending updates and news to customers and want a simple platform that can never track readers, with no paid feature add-ons. Choose Buttondown if you need paid subscriptions, RSS-to-email, automations, or a free plan for a list under 100 subscribers.
On price, Buttondown is free for the first 100 subscribers and then bills by active subscribers, while Hyvor Post starts at €10/month for 25,000 emails with no paid feature add-ons. Hyvor Post delivers email through Hyvor Relay, its own sending system, and its application code is open source under AGPLv3. Buttondown still wins on paid subscriptions, RSS-to-email, and automations, and this page shows where each one fits.
When Does a Buttondown Alternative Make Sense?
Buttondown is a well-regarded platform. A Buttondown alternative makes sense mainly when its pricing model, tracking options, or feature set doesn't match how you want to run your newsletter. The two products differ in these ways:
- You want tracking to be impossible rather than optional.
- You send company updates, news, or announcements to customers rather than running a creator newsletter with paid tiers.
- You prefer pricing based on emails sent rather than on active subscribers.
- You want team access, multiple newsletters, and segmentation included, not sold as add-ons.
- You want a platform whose application code is open source.
- Your organization prefers newsletter infrastructure hosted in the EU, for GDPR or data-residency reasons.
Email tracking has also become a bigger privacy concern. A Princeton study of commercial mailing lists found that about 30% of emails leaked the recipient's email address to third parties when opened[1]. A separate 2018 study subscribed twelve test accounts to newsletters from companies in Germany, the UK, and the US. It found tracking images in over 92% of the newsletter emails, and observed some senders changing their send times, mailing frequency, or advertised products as the accounts' reading behavior varied[2]. Both studies looked at the email industry in general, not at Buttondown, and both are several years old, but they explain why some senders prefer a platform that cannot track at all.
How Does Hyvor Post Compare With Buttondown?
Hyvor Post and Buttondown are both independent newsletter platforms with Markdown editing, custom sending domains, hosted archives, and an API. Hyvor Post is built for companies and organizations that want to keep customers updated, while Buttondown is a broader platform with monetization and automation features. They differ most in tracking, pricing structure, data location, and how much each platform does beyond sending newsletters.
Hyvor Post ButtondownNo Tracking vs Opt-In Tracking
Buttondown's open and click tracking are both opt-in. When a sender turns on open tracking, Buttondown adds a tracking pixel to the end of each email[3]. With click tracking on, it rewrites every link to pass through a tracking URL[4]. Buttondown made tracking off by default in 2021, after John Gruber pointed out on Daring Fireball that its defaults still tracked readers[5].
Hyvor Post removes the choice entirely. There is no pixel, no link rewriting, and no hidden setting to enable either, so the platform never adds tracking to a newsletter, whoever sends it.
The regulatory picture is also changing. In April 2026, France's data protection authority, the CNIL, published a recommendation on tracking pixels in emails, setting out which pixels need prior consent and which are exempt[6]. It is guidance for France, and it concerns tracking pixels. Apple's own Mail documentation explains that remote content in an email can reveal when and how often you read it, whether you forward it, and your IP address[7]. Google, for its part, says it doesn't track open rates and can't verify the accuracy of open rates reported by third parties[8].
Not tracking opens and clicks doesn't mean flying blind. HYVOR's guide, How to Run a Newsletter Without Tracking Opens and Clicks, covers how to measure results with replies, polls, and aggregate outcomes instead.
Writing in Markdown
Both platforms suit writers who like Markdown. The Buttondown Markdown editor sits alongside a rich text option, and Hyvor Post uses a Markdown-friendly rich text editor with customizable email templates. If Markdown is what you like most about Buttondown, you won't have to give it up to switch.
Teams, Multiple Newsletters, and Segmentation
On Buttondown, several features that teams need are paid add-ons: tagging and segmentation cost $9/month (≈€8), multiple newsletters $29/month (≈€26), and team accounts $79/month (≈€71). Hyvor Post includes unlimited team members, multiple newsletters, and subscriber metadata for segmentation on every plan, at no extra cost.
Email Deliverability: Buttondown vs Hyvor Post
Neither platform can guarantee inbox placement on its own. Google treats anyone sending around 5,000 or more messages a day to personal Gmail accounts as a bulk sender, and asks senders to keep spam complaints below 0.1% and never let them reach 0.3%[9]. On either platform, sending from your own authenticated domain is the biggest factor you control.
The infrastructure behind them differs. Buttondown sends through third-party email providers, including Postmark and Mailgun[10], and enforces its own standards, pausing sending for accounts that consistently miss its thresholds for bounces, spam complaints, and open and click rates[11]. Hyvor Post sends newsletters through Hyvor Relay, HYVOR's own email delivery system, rather than a third-party email provider.
Data Location and GDPR
Buttondown is based in the United States, and its data processing agreement states that personal data will be transferred to and processed in the United States[12]. Hyvor Post is hosted with Hetzner in Germany, and HYVOR provides a Data Processing Agreement through its compliance page.
Open Source Code
Hyvor Post is an open source newsletter platform: its application code is publicly available on GitHub under the AGPLv3 license. Buttondown's platform is proprietary. It supports open source in other ways, maintaining several open-source packages and committing 10% of its profits to the projects it relies on, as listed on its stack page.
How Much Does Buttondown Cost Compared With Hyvor Post?
Buttondown pricing is free for the first 100 subscribers, then based on active subscribers, starting at $9/month (≈€8) for up to 1,000, with most features sold as add-ons. Its prices assume you send at most one email a day to your whole list[13]. Hyvor Post charges by emails sent, starting at €10/month for 25,000 emails, with no paid feature add-ons.
Pricing as of October 2026.
Buttondown Base Pricing
The base price includes the rich text or Markdown editor, sending from a custom domain, and hosted archives. Buttondown lists its prices in US dollars. The euro amounts convert them at 1 US dollar = 0.8941 euros, the rate on October 8, 2026, rounded to the nearest euro, so treat them as approximate.
Buttondown Add-On Pricing
Most Buttondown features are add-ons on top of the base price. Tagging and segmentation, paid subscriptions, comments and surveys, analytics, RSS-to-email, sponsorships, and email attachments cost $9/month (≈€8) each. Archives on a custom domain, multiple newsletters, and automations cost $29/month (≈€26) each, while whitelabeling and teams cost $79/month (≈€71) each. The base price is not the whole story: a 5,000-subscriber newsletter that adds tagging and segmentation, analytics, and RSS-to-email, for example, would pay $27/month (≈€24) in add-ons on top of its $29 (≈€26) base price.
Hyvor Post Pricing
Hyvor Post charges by emails sent, not by subscribers. Plans start at €10/month for up to 25,000 emails, and larger volumes cost more.
Every plan includes unlimited team members, a custom email domain, customizable templates, and email and chat support. Branding removal is included from the 100,000-email plan. VAT is included, and yearly billing takes two months off. The 14-day free trial is limited to test emails, with no credit card required. See Hyvor Post pricing →
Hyvor Post vs Buttondown Pricing Compared
How we compared these: Buttondown bills by active subscribers, and its base price stays the same however often you send, up to one email a day to your whole list. Hyvor Post bills by emails sent, so its price depends on how often you send. The Hyvor Post columns assume one, four, or thirty full-list sends a month, which is monthly, weekly, or daily, and that every subscriber is active. The volume is your subscribers multiplied by the sends. Thirty sends a month is close to Buttondown's limit of one email a day. Buttondown lists its prices in US dollars, so the Buttondown column converts them to euros at 1 US dollar = 0.8941 euros, the rate on October 8, 2026, rounded to the nearest euro. The Buttondown column is the base price only, and any add-ons are extra.
Read across a row to see how sending frequency changes the comparison. Sent monthly, every list size in this table fits Hyvor Post's €10 plan, while Buttondown's base price climbs from free to $139 (≈€124). At four sends a month, Hyvor Post costs less than Buttondown's base price for lists of 5,000 or more, and the gap widens as the list grows. For smaller lists, Buttondown's base price is the lower of the two. As you send more often, Hyvor Post's price climbs with volume, because it counts every email, while Buttondown's base price does not move. At 30 sends a month, Buttondown's base price is the lower of the two at every list size. To compare for your own newsletter, multiply your subscribers by the sends you make each month, then check Hyvor Post's price for that volume.
What a Company Newsletter Setup Costs
Base prices are only part of the picture, because Buttondown sells several features a company team needs as add-ons. A company with 5,000 subscribers that sends weekly, with a small team working on it, two newsletters, and segmentation, would pay a base price of $29 (≈€26) plus $79 (≈€71) for Teams, $29 (≈€26) for multiple newsletters, and $9 (≈€8) for tagging and segmentation: $146/month (≈€131) on Buttondown at list prices. The same setup is 20,000 emails a month on Hyvor Post, which fits the €10/month plan, with unlimited team members, multiple newsletters, and subscriber metadata for segmentation included.
Branding works differently. Buttondown's whitelabeling add-on costs $79/month (≈€71), while Hyvor Post includes branding removal from its 100,000-email plan, at €35/month. On the smaller plans, Hyvor Post branding stays.
This comparison only applies if you need those features. If you don't need a team, extra newsletters, or segmentation, Buttondown's base price is the number to compare.
Where Is Buttondown the Better Choice?
Hyvor Post is deliberately narrower than Buttondown, and it isn't built for creators who sell paid subscriptions. If your newsletter depends on any of the features below, Buttondown is the better fit.
Paid Subscriptions and Fees
Buttondown is the stronger option if your newsletter earns money directly. Its paid subscriptions add-on costs $9/month (≈€8), and Buttondown takes no share of subscription revenue beyond Stripe's card fees[14]. Hyvor Post doesn't offer paid subscriptions.
RSS-to-Email
Buttondown also fits better if you publish on a website and want new posts emailed automatically. Its RSS-to-email add-on costs $9/month (≈€8) and sends posts from your feed to your subscribers. Hyvor Post doesn't support RSS-to-email.
Automations, Surveys, and the Free Plan
Buttondown also offers automations ($29/month, ≈€26), surveys, sponsorships, and a free plan for up to 100 subscribers, and it has run independently for close to a decade.
Who Should Choose a Buttondown Alternative, and Who Should Stay?
Hyvor Post and Buttondown suit different priorities. The right choice depends on whether you need monetization and automation, or a newsletter that can never track readers.
Choose Hyvor Post If...
- You want a newsletter platform without tracking, and no setting anyone can switch on later.
- You send company news, product updates, or announcements to customers.
- You need team access, multiple newsletters, or segmentation without paying for each as an add-on.
- Your organization prefers newsletter infrastructure hosted in the EU, for GDPR or data-residency reasons.
- You value open source application code.
- You publish with Hyvor Blogs, whose plans already include a Hyvor Post email allowance.
Stay With Buttondown If...
- You sell paid subscriptions.
- You send blog posts to subscribers with RSS-to-email.
- You rely on automations, surveys, or sponsorships.
- Your list is under 100 subscribers and you want to stay free.
- You want open and click analytics.
Ready to Move From Buttondown to Hyvor Post?
Moving from Buttondown takes a CSV export of your active subscribers and an import into Hyvor Post, which can carry over subscription dates, signup IP addresses, and metadata. Paid subscriptions, past issues, and automations don't transfer. HYVOR's step-by-step guide covers the rest, from setting up your newsletter to replacing your signup form.
Frequently Asked Questions About Buttondown Alternatives
What Is the Best Buttondown Alternative?
It depends on your priorities. If you need paid subscriptions, RSS-to-email, or automations, Buttondown is hard to beat. If you're a company that wants to send updates and news without tracking readers, with no paid feature add-ons, Hyvor Post is a strong Buttondown alternative.
What Are Some Other Buttondown Alternatives?
Common Buttondown alternatives include Substack, Beehiiv, Ghost, Mailchimp, and Hyvor Post. Substack is a hosted publishing platform that keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue. Beehiiv is a newsletter platform built for audience growth, with a built-in ad network and referral program. Ghost is an open-source publishing platform with built-in memberships and newsletters. Mailchimp is a broad marketing platform with email, SMS, and automation. Hyvor Post is a simple newsletter platform for companies, with no open or click tracking.
How Much Does Buttondown Cost?
Buttondown is free for the first 100 subscribers, then $9/month (≈€8) for up to 1,000 active subscribers. Most extra features are add-ons, from $9/month (≈€8) each to $79/month (≈€71) each for teams or whitelabeling, and its prices assume you send at most one email a day to your whole list. Hyvor Post has no free plan, only a 14-day trial limited to test emails, and starts at €10/month for 25,000 emails with no feature add-ons.
Is There a Newsletter Platform Without Tracking?
Yes. Buttondown's open and click tracking are off by default and opt-in, so a Buttondown newsletter isn't tracked unless the sender turns tracking on. Hyvor Post goes further: it has no open or click tracking at all, and no setting to enable it. You can still judge how a newsletter is doing from replies, polls, and aggregate outcomes.
Is There an Open Source Buttondown Alternative?
Yes. Hyvor Post is an open source newsletter platform, with its code published on GitHub under the AGPLv3 license. Buttondown itself is proprietary, though it maintains several open-source packages and commits 10% of its profits to open source projects.
Can I Migrate From Buttondown to Hyvor Post?
Yes. Export your active subscribers from Buttondown as a CSV and import them into Hyvor Post from the Console. The importer can carry over subscription dates, signup IP addresses, and subscriber metadata, and Buttondown tags become Hyvor Post lists. Paid subscriptions, past issues, automations, and open and click history don't transfer, and imports of more than 50 subscribers are reviewed manually, usually within one working day.
References
- I never signed up for this! Privacy implications of email tracking, Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, 2018 ↩
- Track and Treat: Usage of E-Mail Tracking for Newsletter Individualization, European Conference on Information Systems, 2018 ↩
- Open tracking, Buttondown Docs ↩
- Click tracking, Buttondown Docs ↩
- Buttondown: Newsletter Service That Allows Opting Out of Tracking, Daring Fireball ↩
- Pixels de suivi dans les courriers électroniques : la CNIL publie ses recommandations, CNIL ↩
- Protect email privacy in Mail on Mac, Apple Support ↩
- Email sender guidelines, Gmail Help ↩
- Email sender guidelines FAQ, Gmail Help ↩
- Stack, Buttondown ↩
- Engagement and deliverability standards, Buttondown Docs ↩
- Data processing agreement, Buttondown ↩
- Pricing, Buttondown ↩
- Paid Subscriptions, Buttondown ↩
A quick note about HYVOR
We're an independent, bootstrapped company building software for people who actually care about the web. No venture capital. No growth-at-all-costs mindset. No enshittification. Just a small team shipping tools we're proud of, at a pace that lets us do it right.
We're big believers in open-source and the open web, and most of what we build is released openly. If you value privacy, transparency, and software that respects you as a user rather than treating you as a product - you're exactly who we're building for.
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