Mailchimp vs Buttondown pricing: which is cheaper for your team?
Buttondown's cheapest paid tier (Standard add-ons) lists at $9/month, which beats the other on entry pricing. Mid-tier and enterprise math can flip the answer — use the per-tier table below to see the real cost for your team size at each tier.
Calculate the cost for your team
Mailchimp pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | month | Limited contacts and sends. |
| Essentials | $13 | $13 | month | Starting price; increases by contact count. |
| Standard | $20 | $20 | month | Automation and optimization features. |
| Premium | $350 | $350 | month | Advanced segmentation and larger-team features. |
Buttondown pricing tiers
| Tier | Monthly | Annual (eq) | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | month | Up to 100 subscribers, rich text and markdown editor, custom domain sending, archives. |
| Standard add-ons | $9 | $9 | month | Tagging, segmentation, paid subscriptions, comments, surveys, analytics, RSS-to-email. |
| Pro add-ons | $29 | $29 | month | Custom domain archives, multiple newsletters, automations. |
| Team add-ons | $79 | $79 | month | Whitelabeling and team seats on top of base. |
Feature by feature
The non-pricing differences that drive the real decision.
| Capability | Mailchimp | Buttondown |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | month | month |
| Pricing model | Contact-tier marketing plan pricing | À la carte add-ons with subscriber base |
| Cheapest paid tier | Essentials at $13/month | Standard add-ons at $9/month |
| Mid-tier benchmark | Standard at $20/month | Pro add-ons at $29/month |
| Total paid tiers published | 3 | 3 |
| Last verified | 2026-05-16 | 2026-05-17 |
Best for…
Hand-picked use cases mapped to the winner.
| Use case | Winner |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price (10-person team) | Buttondown Standard add-ons |
| Most pricing tiers (room to grow) | Mailchimp (3 tiers) |
| Predictable per-seat billing | Neither (both flat/usage) |
| Most recently verified pricing | Buttondown |
Choose Mailchimp when
- Mailchimp prices by plan and contact count, so teams should compare against their actual audience size rather than the lowest advertised starting price.
- Entry tier (Essentials) at $13/month is your budget ceiling.
- Build comparisons at 5k, 25k, and 100k contacts before choosing Mailchimp vs Klaviyo.
Choose Buttondown when
- Buttondown is a small-team newsletter platform with a free tier up to 100 subscribers and à la carte add-ons starting at $9 per month for power features.
- Entry tier (Standard add-ons) at $9/month is your budget ceiling.
- No formal enterprise plan; 501(c)(3) nonprofits receive a 50% discount on any plan.
Switching considerations
Watch the hidden fees on both sides. Mailchimp: Contact count, SMS, transactional email, and overages can change the bill. Buttondown: Each add-on bundle stacks on top of the base subscriber fee Always confirm with the vendor before purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a 10-person team, Mailchimp or Buttondown?
At entry tier and 10 seats on annual billing: Mailchimp Essentials comes to $13/mo; Buttondown Standard add-ons comes to $9/mo. Buttondown is the cheaper entry-tier choice at this team size.
Does Mailchimp have more pricing tiers than Buttondown?
Both publish 3 paid tiers. The mid-tier benchmark is Standard for Mailchimp and Pro add-ons for Buttondown.
Which pricing was verified more recently?
Mailchimp's pricing was last verified 2026-05-16; Buttondown's on 2026-05-17. Both pages link to the vendor's official pricing source so you can re-check before committing.