Buttondown vs Sequenzy (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sequenzy grades higher than Buttondown: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Buttondown grades higher on value for money. Sequenzy 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
Sequenzy
Email and lifecycle messaging for software teams, priced by sends
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 Sequenzy if
- Fits if you run a SaaS product and want segments built from your billing data
- Works for big lists mailed rarely, since price follows sends
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 2,500 emails a month and a Sequenzy footer
- Pricey if you mail often: price follows emails sent, so the same list costs more every month
- Watch out: SMS and MMS is a beta add-on at $16 a month, paid plans only, US and Canada numbers
- Watch out: dedicated IPs are $30 each a month and done-for-you setup is $499 a month
- Watch out: accounts made before 30 June 2026 keep an earlier price ladder
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAButtondownFair | 2.6GPASequenzyGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$19 a month for up to 15,000 emails sits between the category's $15 middle and $35 dearer quarter. It rises with sends: $49 at 60,000 emails and $99 at 120,000. |
| 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. | BA free plan with 2,500 emails a month, unlimited contacts and every feature, no card needed. Emails carry a small Sequenzy footer. |
| 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. | BCampaigns and sequences, a transactional API, billing-data segments, forms and landing pages. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| 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. | CA web app with no rating on record. You connect billing and product data to build segments. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with an API and connections for Discord, Memberful and YouTube. | BWeb only, with Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy, PostHog, Zapier, Supabase, Clerk and GitHub. |
| Best for | plain newsletters from one writer | SaaS founders who want email priced by sends |
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 Sequenzy. 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. Sequenzy starts at $19 a month and scores 2.7.
Sequenzy scores higher, and starts $10 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 Sequenzy 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
- Buttondown also covers paid newsletters.
- Sequenzy also covers transactional email and popups.
At a glance
| Buttondown | Sequenzy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers | $19 per month for up to 15,000 emails, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free for up to 100 subscribers, with a rich text or markdown editor, custom sending domain and hosted archives. | 2,500 emails a month with unlimited contacts and every feature; emails carry a small Sequenzy footer. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Buttondown | Sequenzy |
| Price read from | buttondown.com | sequenzy.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Sequenzy
- Price follows emails sent, so a list mailed often costs more than one with the same size mailed rarely.
- SMS and MMS is a beta add-on at $16 a month with 1,000 credits, available only on paid plans, for US and Canada numbers.
- Dedicated IPs cost $30 per IP a month, and a done-for-you setup service is sold separately at $499 a month.
- Accounts made before June 30, 2026 keep an earlier price ladder, so the public prices may not match older accounts.
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.
Sequenzy
- Campaigns and sequences
- Bulk campaigns with scheduling, send-time optimization and A/B tests, plus a visual automation builder for event-triggered sequences.
- Transactional API
- A REST API for transactional email with templates, variables and attachments, alongside SMTP relay support.
- Unlimited contacts and domains
- Contacts, sending domains, lists and segments are not capped. Web, iOS and Android push and in-app messages are also unlimited.
- Billing-data segments
- Connects to Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy and others so you can segment by revenue and attribute revenue to messages.
- AI and agent tools
- AI-drafted sequences and campaigns, subject line variants, and an MCP server and CLI for driving the account from an AI agent.
- Forms and landing pages
- Embeddable forms, popups and hosted landing pages on a custom domain, with one-click unsubscribe support.
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.
Sequenzy
Free$0
2,500 emails a month, unlimited contacts, no credit card needed. Emails carry a Sequenzy footer until you upgrade.
Pro$19
per month for up to 15,000 emails, billed monthly
Price follows emails sent: $29 a month at 30,000, $49 at 60,000, $99 at 120,000. No footer, plus dedicated IPs as a paid add-on.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom email volume above the published steps, which run up to 5 million emails a month.
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.
Sequenzy
- Annual discount
10% off with yearly billing
Sequenzy's pricing page lists yearly prices at 10% below twelve months of monthly billing, for example $205 a year at the 15,000-email step.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Buttondown or Sequenzy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Buttondown is cheaper to start with: $9 a month, against $19 a month for Sequenzy. Buttondown starts at $9 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, and Sequenzy starts at $19 per month for up to 15,000 emails, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Buttondown or Sequenzy?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Buttondown and Sequenzy 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.