Buttondown vs. ConvertKit

ConvertKit should be thought of more as automation software than newsletter software; it is for businesses who have complex needs for automated workflows and analytics.

It's also extremely expensive. ConvertKit boasts about their generous free tier ("up to 10,000 subscribers"), but if you want to do anything with that email list (like connect your newsletter to an RSS feed or interact with third-party integrations), you need to jump up to the Creator tier which costs significantly more.

Buttondown allows you to customize and organize your subscribers (through tags and analytics) while still giving you an easy way to compose great emails and grow your audience. It offers the same rich API and easy embeddable widgets that ConvertKit does, while being a more pleasant tool.

Buttondown lets you focus on writing, rather than spending all day working on templates and automation workflows.