An honest Buttondown alternative
Buttondown is a simple newsletter tool with a Markdown editor, a small free plan and add-ons you pay for one by one. Terlido Newsletter is free up to 10,000 subscribers, includes its features in one flat Pro plan, and sends each issue from your own mailbox. Here is an honest look at both.
Pricing, as of November 2026
Buttondown charges for active subscribers. The first 100 are free; after that the price rises with your list, from $9 a month ($90 a year). Features such as paid subscriptions, analytics and automations are add-ons with their own monthly price. All prices assume at most one email a day to your whole list, and registered nonprofits get 50% off.
Buttondown
| Free$0 | Your first 100 subscribers, rich text or Markdown editor, sending from a custom domain, hosted archives |
|---|---|
| PaidFrom $9/month | $90/year billed yearly. The price rises with your active subscribers, up to $379/month before a custom quote |
| Add-ons+$9 to +$79/month each | +$9: tagging and segmentation, paid subscriptions, analytics, RSS-to-email, comments and surveys, attachments. +$29: automations, multiple newsletters, sponsorships, archives on a custom domain. +$79: teams, white label |
Terlido
| Free$0, forever | Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 brand, a welcome email, and a small "Sent with Terlido Newsletter" line in the footer. |
|---|---|
| Pro$29/month | Up to 100,000 subscribers across unlimited brands, all automations, A/B tests, referrals, RSS-to-email, the API, your own domain, and an AI agent that drafts, tests, schedules and sends. Past 100,000: +$10 a month for each extra 50,000. |
Where Buttondown is stronger
- Sending from your own domain and hosted archives are in the Free plan.
- You pay only for active subscribers, and only for the add-ons you turn on.
- Paid subscriptions and sponsorships are available as add-ons. Terlido has neither.
Where Terlido is stronger
- Terlido Free covers up to 10,000 subscribers, against 100 on Buttondown Free.
- Terlido Free includes a welcome automation, and Pro includes all automations. On Buttondown, automations are a paid add-on.
- Pro is one flat monthly price up to 100,000 subscribers across unlimited brands, with A/B tests, referrals and RSS-to-email included.
- Issues go out from your own mailbox, so readers see your address and replies land in your own inbox.
Who Terlido Newsletter is for
For: Writers, founders and small teams who want to send a newsletter from their own address and read replies in their own inbox.
Not a fit:
- Paid newsletters. Terlido has no paid subscriptions or paywall.
- Sending a big list in one burst. Terlido sends from your mailbox at your provider's pace, so a large list can take more than a day.
- Lists of people who never agreed to hear from you.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Buttondown if: You have a small list, like writing in Markdown, and want to pay only for the few extras you use, or want paid subscriptions.
Pick Terlido if: Your list is past 100 subscribers and you want to stay free, or you want automations and referrals without adding them one by one.
Terlido Newsletter is new and has no customer logos or open-rate numbers to show you. The fastest way to judge it is to connect a mailbox on the Free plan and send yourself a test issue.
Start freeSources
Buttondown details were checked in November 2026. Prices are billed monthly unless a plan says otherwise. Prices and plans change, so check their site before you buy.