Substack is a newsletter tool that competes with us. They collect 10% (or more?) of your subscription revenue. They also have some questionable content policies that have driven some large publishers away. Feature-wise, though, how does it compare against Buttondown?
Thinking about leaving but stuck?
We get it. The hardest part of leaving Substack isn't deciding to go — it's finding the time. Most writers we talk to have been meaning to move for months but worry about the work involved, the risk of losing subscribers, and whether the back catalog will survive the trip.
So here's the deal: we'll do the whole migration for you, for free, and it'll be done in under 24 hours. Email concierge@buttondown.com with your Substack URL and we'll handle the export, the archive, the subscribers, the paid subscriptions, and the URL redirects. You don't have to lift a finger, your readers don't have to re-subscribe, and your old links keep working.
Price
Substack's pricing is a little different than Buttondown's. They don't charge for free newsletters of any size, but they take a whopping 10% cut of any paid subscriptions you do sell.
Use the calculator below to see how much you'd save by switching to Buttondown:
To be fair, if you're only sending free newsletters, Substack is going to be cheaper than us. But keep in mind that nothing is truly free online, and Substack's free plans are largely subsidized by venture capital. They are likely losing money. We're profitable. Our plans will remain among the most affordable in the email game, and your money goes directly to employing us & keeping the lights on.
Some people have also commented on how Substack has "network effects" that boost their subscriber count. But evidence has shown that Substack's readers tend to be less engaged and pay you less. And you don't keep as much money. And Substack might not even have your best interests in mind as they continue to develop their product. Do you want a big list if they don't really care about you?
In short, if you want to make money from your newsletter, we firmly believe we're a better option. You keep more money, pay us less, and our features will always be focused on your success.
Features
Buttondown is a more focused tool than Substack, allowing you to write faster & engage with your audience on your terms.
Buttondown is also a drop-in replacement for Substack's existing functionality. We can import your archives, subscribers, and payments in minutes, and your subscribers won't have to re-subscribe or re-enter their payment information.
That being said, Substack has some social features — like comments and "notes", their Twitter replacement — that Buttondown has deliberately chosen not to build so as to focus on the core newsletter experience.
The comparison table below shows how Buttondown and Substack stack up across key features and pricing at different subscriber counts.
Your audience is yours
One of the loudest complaints we hear from writers leaving Substack is how hard it is to get a complete, usable export of their own work. Substack has been described as treating writer data as a retention lever — the harder it is to leave, the more likely you are to stay.
We don't play that game. Every Buttondown account gets one-click exports of every email, every subscriber, every paid subscription, and every analytics event — no support tickets, no waiting period, no proprietary formats. We hope you stay, but your audience belongs to you, not to us.
Ready to make the switch? Get started with Buttondown or check out our migration guide to import your Substack data in minutes.