Buttondown vs Kit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Kit grades higher than Buttondown: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Buttondown grades higher on value for money. Kit grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Buttondown
Newsletter software priced by active subscribers, with add-ons
Which one is for you
Pick Buttondown if
- Fits if you write a newsletter and want markdown and a custom sending domain
- Works for small lists, where the $9 step covers 1,000 subscribers
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 100 subscribers
- Watch out: automations, sponsorships, multiple newsletters and custom-domain archives are $29 a month each
- Pricey if you want teams or whitelabeling, which are $79 a month each
- Watch out: prices assume one email a day to the whole list, and heavier sending needs a custom quote
- Skip it if you want an app on your phone or desktop, as it is web only
Pick Kit if
- Fits if you're a writer, podcaster or musician building a list and not ready to pay yet
- Works for big lists that only ever get broadcasts, or for selling an ebook or paid newsletter to subscribers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a welcome series on the free plan, as automations start at $33 a month
- Pricey if you sell a lot, since every sale costs 3.5% plus 30 cents
- Tight if two of you share the free account, which allows 1 user and keeps Kit branding
- Watch out: earnings from Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% Kit fee
- Watch out: Pro's $50 first-year offer ends November 30, 2026, then it renews at $790 a year for 1,000 subscribers
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAButtondownFair | 2.6GPAKitGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$9 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers is inside the cheapest quarter of this category. But tagging, paid subscriptions, comments and analytics are $9 each and automations $29. | DCreator is $33 a month for 1,000 subscribers on yearly billing, or $39 monthly, about two and a half times the middle of this category, and it's the plan you need for automations and sequences. Pro is $66, or $50 for the first year if you sign up by November 30, 2026. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for up to 100 subscribers with the editor, custom sending domain and archives. A small list fits, but 100 is a cap you will reach. | AUp to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, and sales of digital products and paid newsletters, all free. That's more subscribers than any other free plan here. What's missing is automations and sequences, and it's 1 user with Kit branding. |
| Features | CEditor, archives, automations, segmentation, paid subscriptions and an API, but most of them are add-ons at $9 to $79 each. It does newsletters, not much beyond. | BVisual automations, sequences, landing pages, a newsletter site, tags, segments, paid newsletters, products and a recommendation network. It covers a creator's whole email job. Each sale costs 3.5% plus 30 cents, and Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% fee. |
| Ease of use | CA web app with no rating on record. Writing an issue is simple, but each add-on is something to switch on and set up. | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a web app where you build the forms, pages and automations yourself, so expect some setting up before it runs on its own. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with an API and connections for Discord, Memberful and YouTube. | BWeb only, with Shopify, Wix, Fourthwall, Facebook and SparkLoop, 100+ apps on Creator, and an API. No desktop or phone app is listed. |
| Best for | plain newsletters from one writer | creators building a list before they pay |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Buttondown and Kit. How we grade
Price against what you get
Buttondown starts at $9 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Kit starts at $33 a month and scores 2.7.
Kit scores higher, and starts $24 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Buttondown for less, and 3 score higher than Kit for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Kit also covers forms.
At a glance
| Buttondown | Kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers | $33 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly) |
| Free plan | Free for up to 100 subscribers, with a rich text or markdown editor, custom sending domain and hosted archives. | Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, tagging and segments, and sales of digital products. No automations. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Creator or Pro, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Buttondown | Kit |
| Price read from | buttondown.com | kit.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Buttondown
- Most extras are paid add-ons: tagging, paid subscriptions, comments, analytics and RSS-to-email are $9 a month each.
- Automations, sponsorships, multiple newsletters and custom-domain archives are $29 a month each; whitelabeling and teams are $79 each.
- Prices assume sending at most one email a day to the whole list; heavier sending needs a custom quote.
- The page does not say whether the monthly figures change with annual billing.
Kit
- The Free plan has no automations or email sequences, allows 1 user and keeps Kit branding.
- Product and subscription sales cost 3.5% plus 30 cents each on every plan, card processing included.
- Earnings from Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% Kit fee.
- The Pro first-year discount ends November 30, 2026; the plan then renews at $790 a year for 1,000 subscribers.
Key features
Buttondown
- Editor and archives
- Write in a rich text or markdown editor, send from a custom domain, and publish a hosted archive of past issues.
- Automations and segmentation
- Automations ($29 a month add-on) and tagging and segmentation ($9 a month add-on) target the right people with the right message.
- Paid subscriptions
- Paid subscriptions are a $9 a month add-on, and the homepage says Buttondown takes no fees from paid subscribers.
- API
- The homepage describes a feature-complete API for building custom tools on top of the platform.
- Concierge migration
- Buttondown says it will migrate a whole list from another platform within one business day, on request.
Kit
- Visual automations and sequences
- Creator and Pro include unlimited visual automations and email sequences for welcome series, launches and nurture campaigns. The Free plan has neither.
- Landing pages, forms and newsletter site
- Unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms, a newsletter feed and website, and automatic delivery of opt-in freebies on every plan.
- Commerce
- Sell digital products, paid newsletters, recurring subscriptions and tips on any plan, for 3.5% plus 30 cents per sale including card processing.
- Recommendations and sponsorships
- Free creator-to-creator recommendations on every plan. Paid recommendations (Kit keeps 23.5%) and newsletter sponsorships start at Creator.
- Tags, segments and conditional content
- Tag subscribers by entry point or interest, group tags into segments, and use Liquid to show different content to different subscribers.
- Pro audience analytics
- Pro adds engagement scoring, Subscriber Signals audience research, deliverability reporting, an insights dashboard and a SparkLoop referral program.
Plans
Buttondown
Free$0
Up to 100 subscribers, with a rich text or markdown editor, custom sending domain and hosted archives.
Basic$9
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers
Same base features as Free; the price rises with active subscribers. Add-ons are extra.
Standard$29
per month for up to 5,000 subscribers
The step for lists of 1,001 to 5,000 subscribers. Add-ons are extra.
Professional$79
per month for up to 10,000 subscribers
The step for lists up to 10,000 subscribers; $79 a month at 10,000. Add-ons are extra.
Advanced$139
per month for up to 20,000 subscribers
The step for lists up to 20,000 subscribers. Add-ons are extra.
Kit
Free$0
Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts. No automations or sequences; Kit branding stays.
Creator$33
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly)
2 users, unlimited visual automations and sequences, no Kit branding, SMS, RSS campaigns and 100+ apps. $1,390 a year at 10,000 subscribers.
Pro$66
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($79 monthly)
Unlimited users, engagement scoring, Subscriber Signals, deliverability reports. First year $50 a month under an offer ending Nov 30, 2026. $1,890 a year at 10,000.
Ways to pay less
Buttondown
- Nonprofit
50% off for registered non-profits
Registered 501(c)(3) non-profits, or the local equivalent, can get 50% off a plan by emailing proof of registry.
Kit
- Annual discount
Save 17% with yearly billing
Yearly billing costs the same as 10 months: Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $390 a year instead of $468 paid monthly, and Pro is $790 instead of $948.
- Other savings
25% off the first year of annual Pro
Annual Pro is 25% off its first year for lists up to 75,000 ($593 at 1,000 subscribers) and 10% off up to 500,000. Ends November 30, 2026; renews at the standard rate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Buttondown or Kit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Buttondown is cheaper to start with: $9 a month, against $33 a month for Kit. Buttondown starts at $9 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, and Kit starts at $33 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly).
Which has a free plan, Buttondown or Kit?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Buttondown and Kit have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.