Buttondown vs Teachable

Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.

Buttondown
newsletter
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Teachable
courses
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Platform fee
from $9/mo · monthly subscription
from $29/mo · monthly + up to 7.5% on Starter
Payout speed
instant
weekly
Minimum payout
$0
$0
Countries
Stripe-supported
Global via teachable:pay / Stripe / PayPal
Email list export
Full access
Limited (built-in from Builder plan up)
Custom domain
Yes
Yes (Builder plan and above)
Community features
Basic comments, surveys, subscriber tags
Basic built-in community spaces
Best for
Technical writers and minimalists who want Markdown and full ownership
Course creators who want a proven all-in-one with flexible pricing tiers

Buttondown vs Teachable: which one wins?

Buttondown charges from $9/mo (monthly subscription) versus Teachable at from $29/mo (monthly + up to 7.5% on Starter).

On payout speed, Buttondown pays instant while Teachable pays weekly. For creators where cashflow matters, the faster cadence usually wins.

For audience ownership, Buttondown offers full access email export and Teachable offers limited (built-in from builder plan up). Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.

Best for: Buttondown suits technical writers and minimalists who want markdown and full ownership. Teachable fits course creators who want a proven all-in-one with flexible pricing tiers.

See all Buttondown alternatives →See all Teachable alternatives →