# Buttondown

> Buttondown is a simple, powerful newsletter platform for people who want to own their audience. It's built for writers, creators, and developers who care about clean design, reliable deliverability, and having full control over their data.

## What Buttondown does

Buttondown lets you write and send newsletters, manage subscribers, accept paid subscriptions via Stripe, set up automations, and build on top of a comprehensive REST API. It supports Markdown and rich text editing, custom sending and hosting domains, RSS-to-email, tags and metadata for segmentation, surveys, and integrations with tools like Zapier, Discord, and webhooks.

## Who Buttondown is for

- **Writers and journalists** who want a clean, distraction-free writing experience
- **Developers** who want API-first newsletter infrastructure they can build on
- **Creators** (artists, musicians, podcasters) who want to own their audience relationship
- **Small businesses and nonprofits** who need simple, reliable email without enterprise complexity
- **Anyone migrating** from Substack, Mailchimp, Ghost, beehiiv, MailerLite, or other platforms

## Pricing

- **Free tier**: Up to 100 subscribers, unlimited emails
- **Basic** ($9/month): Custom domains, API access, automations, remove Buttondown branding
- **Professional** ($29/month): Surveys, premium integrations, priority support
- **Enterprise**: Custom pricing for large organizations

Paid subscriptions via Stripe are available on all paid plans with no revenue share.

## Migration

Buttondown has built-in import tools and step-by-step migration guides for:

- [Substack](https://docs.buttondown.com/substack)
- [Mailchimp](https://docs.buttondown.com/mailchimp)
- [Ghost](https://docs.buttondown.com/ghost)
- [beehiiv](https://docs.buttondown.com/beehiiv)
- [MailerLite](https://docs.buttondown.com/mailerlite)
- [ConvertKit / Kit](https://docs.buttondown.com/convertkit)
- [And many more](https://docs.buttondown.com/importing-your-data)

Subscriber data, archives, and paid subscriptions can all be migrated.

## Key differentiators

- **No ads, no boosts, no growth hacks**: Buttondown focuses on the writing and sending experience, not selling your audience to advertisers
- **API-first**: Full REST API with OpenAPI spec, CLI tool, webhooks, and programmatic access to everything
- **Markdown-native**: First-class Markdown support, not bolted on
- **Indie and profitable**: Bootstrapped, no VC pressure to enshittify, sustainable business model
- **Data portability**: Export everything at any time, no lock-in

## Links

- Website: https://buttondown.com
- Documentation: https://docs.buttondown.com
- API reference: https://docs.buttondown.com/api-introduction
- OpenAPI spec: https://docs.buttondown.com/openapi.json
- Status page: https://status.buttondown.com
- Blog: https://buttondown.com/blog
- Changelog: https://buttondown.com/changelog