ButtondownvsKit

Kit—formerly known as ConvertKit—should be thought of more as automation software than newsletter software; it is for businesses who have complex needs for automated workflows and analytics.

Price

Kit's pricing model combines a monthly base fee with a 0.6% take rate on paid subscription revenue. While they advertise a generous free tier for up to 10,000 subscribers, you'll need to upgrade to their paid plans to access essential features like RSS integrations, third-party integrations, and advanced automation.

Their pricing structure quickly becomes expensive as you grow:

• Free tier: Up to 10,000 subscribers (limited features)
• Creator tier: Starts at $25/month for 1,000 subscribers + 0.6% revenue
• Higher tiers: Costs scale significantly with subscriber count

For example, with 5,000 subscribers and 20% on a $10/month paid plan:

• Kit: $79/month base fee + $60/month take rate = $139/month
• Buttondown: $29/month ($110/month savings)

The comparison table below shows the detailed pricing breakdown across different subscriber counts.

Buttondown allows you to customize and organize your subscribers (through tags and analytics) while still giving you an easy way to compose great emails and grow your audience. It offers the same rich API and easy embeddable widgets that Kit does, while being a more pleasant tool.

Buttondown lets you focus on writing, rather than spending all day working on templates and automation workflows.