# Buttondown vs Substack ## Buttondown gives you more freedom and money than Substack, without compromising on functionality. Substack is a newsletter tool that competes with us. They collect 10% (or [more?](https://archive.is/pTGlK)) of your subscription revenue. They also have some [questionable](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/substack-extremism-nazi-white-supremacy-newsletters/676156/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ1RLcOPmvywfPzJWyac8ltI) [content](https://www.techdirt.com/2023/04/14/substack-ceo-chris-best-doesnt-realize-hes-just-become-the-nazi-bar/) [policies](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-IFF6pyxKkgG3CWuyNmZVE8L1EL6Khxo3QPAqrHOTaw/edit) that have [driven](https://www.platformer.news/why-platformer-is-leaving-substack/) some [large publishers](https://www.wheresyoured.at/a-continual-christmas/) 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](https://www.talkscratch.com/why-cant-writers-seem-to-quit-substack/). 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](mailto: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: Try a use case: Side project Full-time creator Media company | Subscribers | Paid subscribers | Price | Your monthly profit | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1000 | | $200.00 | Buttondown $4,971/mo | | 5000 | | $1000.00 | [Substack](/content/alternatives/substack/index.html)($471 less)$4,500/mo | | 10000 | | $2000.00 | [Beehiiv](/content/alternatives/beehiiv/index.html)($49 less)$4,922/mo | | 20000 | | $4000.00 | Ghost($11 less)$4,960/mo | | | | | [Kit](/content/alternatives/convertkit/index.html)($67 less)$4,904/mo | 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.](https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/28/23660473/substack-retail-investors-revenue-profit) We're profitable. Our plans will remain among the most affordable in the email game, and your money goes directly to [employing us](/content/about/index.html) & [keeping the lights on](/content/stack/index.html). Some people have also commented on how Substack has "network effects" that boost their subscriber count. But [evidence](https://janefriedman.com/substack-is-both-great-and-terrible-for-authors/) 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](https://www.thewrap.com/substack-follow-feature-problems-subscriptions-down/). 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](/content/features/paid-subscriptions/index.html), 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](https://docs.buttondown.com/fancy-mode) & 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_](https://docs.buttondown.com/substack), and your subscribers won't have to re-subscribe or re-enter their payment information. That being said, Substack has some social features — like "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](https://www.talkscratch.com/why-cant-writers-seem-to-quit-substack/) 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](/content/register/index.html) or [check out our migration guide](https://docs.buttondown.com/substack) to import your Substack data in minutes. | Features | Substack | Buttondown | | --- | --- | --- | | Send from custom domain | — | | | [Privacy-first](/content/features/privacy/index.html) | — | | | [Write in Markdown](/content/features/markdown/index.html) | — | | | CSS | — | | | [Concierge migration](/content/features/concierge-migration/index.html) | — | | | Tags | — | | | Metadata | — | | | [Run by humans](/content/about/index.html) | — | | | [First-party API](/content/features/api/index.html) | — | | | [Command Line Interface](/content/features/cli/index.html) | — | | | [RSS-to-email](/content/features/rss/index.html) | — | | | [Surveys](/content/features/surveys/index.html) | — | | | [Integrations](/content/features/integrations/index.html) | — | | | [Sponsorships](/content/features/sponsorships/index.html) | — | | | [Send from Gmail (or wherever)](/content/features/smtp-endpoint/index.html) | — | | | [Webhooks](https://docs.buttondown.com/events-and-webhooks-introduction) | — | | | [Automations](/content/features/automation/index.html) | — | | | [Whitelabeling](/content/features/whitelabeling/index.html) | — | | | Dedicated IP | — | | ### Feature comparison: Buttondown vs. Substack ## What our customers say - I switched over to Buttondown from Mailchimp because of the difficulty I had with Mailchimp's campaigns, so Buttondown's easy and user-friendly system has been a genuine breath of fresh air. _Illustrator + Comic Artist, Jessi Eoin_ - I love how personal Buttondown feels, especially compared to Mailchimp, Convertkit, and services like that. _Designer, Simen Strøm Braaten_ - You've truly built a great product that I feel good about using (vs a monopoly from our tech overlords). _2030 Camp, Rachel_ - It's already so refreshing compared to the mega companies. _Author, Debugging Your Brain, Casey Watts_ Buttondown is the _last_ email platform you’ll switch to.