---
title: "SendHQ vs Buttondown for Newsletters: Price and Features"
description: A weekly newsletter to 10,000 subscribers costs $79 a month on Buttondown and $19 on SendHQ (checked October 2026). Prices at every list size, what Buttondown does better, and how to move your list.
canonical: https://sendhq.cc/compare/buttondown
last-updated: 2026-10-29
updated: 2026-10-29
---
# SendHQ vs Buttondown for newsletters

Buttondown and SendHQ both send newsletters. They charge differently: Buttondown prices by the number of subscribers you keep, and SendHQ prices by the emails you send.

[Start for $19 a month](https://sendhq.cc/app?plan=indie_hackers_marketing&price=19) [See SendHQ for newsletters](https://sendhq.cc/newsletter.md)

## Price at every list size

| Subscribers | Emails a month | Buttondown | SendHQ | Difference |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1,000 | 4,334 | $9 Base | $19 Starter | $10 more |
| 2,500 | 10,834 | not listed | $19 Starter | – |
| 5,000 | 21,667 | $29 Base | $19 Starter | $10 less |
| 10,000 | 43,334 | $79 Base | $19 Starter | $60 less |
| 25,000 | 108,334 | not listed | $39 Scale | – |

Buttondown fees: No Buttondown cut of paid subscriptions (paid subs are a +$9/mo add-on); Stripe fees apply. 50% off for registered nonprofits.

Buttondown free plan: Free for the first 100 subscribers. SendHQ has no free plan.

## Where Buttondown does more

- Hosted newsletter archive (custom domain +$29/mo)
- Paid subscriptions add-on with fixed, pay-what-you-want and per-email models
- Automations, tagging/segmentation, RSS-to-email (add-ons)
- Sponsorships, comments and surveys, multiple newsletters, teams, whitelabel (add-ons)
- Markdown editor and privacy-first defaults

If any of these is central to how you grow, Buttondown is likely the better fit, and that is fine.

## Where SendHQ fits better

- **You pay for what you send.** 50,000 emails for $19 a month, however many subscribers you keep between issues.
- **Your own domain and inbox.** Issues go out from your verified domain, and replies can land in a SendHQ inbox on that domain.
- **Built for developers and agents.** The same lists and broadcasts work from the REST API, the CLI and an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.
- **Consent and guardrails built in.** Double opt-in forms, a consent basis on every import, automatic suppression and published pause rules.

## Moving from Buttondown

1. Dashboard export or API (POST /exports with optional columns array); CSV or JSON.
2. In SendHQ, add and verify your sending domain.
3. Create a list, then import the CSV with a consent basis such as "Subscribed to our newsletter on Buttondown".
4. Write your issue with merge tags such as `{{first_name | there}}` and send it.

Buttondown exports columns such as `id`, `secondary_id`, `email`, `notes`, `subscriber_type`, `referrer_url`, `utm_source`, `utm_medium`. SendHQ needs an `email` column and reads `name`, or `first_name` and `last_name`; other columns become custom fields you can use in merge tags.

New workspaces start at 100 emails a day and ramp up with healthy sending, so a large list's first issues go out over a few days.

## Questions

**Is SendHQ cheaper than Buttondown for a newsletter?**

For a weekly newsletter to 10,000 subscribers, Buttondown lists $79 a month (Base) and SendHQ Starter Marketing is $19 a month for 50,000 emails, checked October 2026. SendHQ charges by emails sent, so the gap is largest for big lists sent weekly or less.

**How do I move my subscribers from Buttondown to SendHQ?**

Dashboard export or API (POST /exports with optional columns array); CSV or JSON. Then import the CSV into a SendHQ list with a consent basis such as 'Subscribed on our Buttondown newsletter', verify your sending domain, and send.

**What does Buttondown do that SendHQ does not?**

Hosted newsletter archive (custom domain +$29/mo); Paid subscriptions add-on with fixed, pay-what-you-want and per-email models; Automations, tagging/segmentation, RSS-to-email (add-ons); Sponsorships, comments and surveys, multiple newsletters, teams, whitelabel (add-ons); Markdown editor and privacy-first defaults.

**Will my first issue go out to the whole list at once?**

New SendHQ workspaces start at 100 emails a day and climb as healthy sending builds trust, up to 50,000 a day. A larger broadcast keeps sending as the limit allows, so plan the first issues of a large list over a few days.

## Sources

- [https://buttondown.com/pricing](https://buttondown.com/pricing)
- [https://buttondown.com/alternatives/beehiiv](https://buttondown.com/alternatives/beehiiv)
- [https://buttondown.com/alternatives/convertkit](https://buttondown.com/alternatives/convertkit)
- [https://docs.buttondown.com/data-exports-subscriber](https://docs.buttondown.com/data-exports-subscriber)
- [https://comparedge.com/tools/buttondown/pricing](https://comparedge.com/tools/buttondown/pricing)
- [SendHQ pricing](https://sendhq.cc/pricing.md)

Checked 2026-10-29. Prices change; tell us at [/contact](https://sendhq.cc/contact.md) if one is out of date and we will correct it.