ActiveTrail vs Buttondown
ActiveTrail
activetrail.com
Buttondown
buttondown.comSide by side
| Figure | ActiveTrail | Buttondown |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $9/mo | $9/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 7 |
| Spec score · Email Marketing Software | 9.2 (#3) | 9.1 (#6) |
| Spec score · Email marketing tools | 9.1 (#12) | 8.9 (#21) |
| Company legal name | Crunchbase identifies the legal entity as ActiveTrail Ltd. | The support policy identifies the contracting entity as Buttondown, LLC. |
| Email automation | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | ActiveTrail says it began in 2004 as a RealCommerce group side project. | 2017 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Integrations | Official integrations include Salesforce, Facebook Lead Ads, PayPal, Google Analytics, WordPress, Zoho, Make and e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento and PrestaShop. | The integrations directory lists services including Stripe, Zapier, WordPress, Ghost, Discord, Mastodon, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Medium, YouTube, Spotify and many others. |
| Landing pages | ActiveTrail includes a landing-page builder with signup forms for lead capture. | Yes |
| Praise: support | Independent reviewers repeatedly praise fast, helpful support delivered through chat, phone and email. | GetApp reports repeated praise for fast, friendly and personalized assistance from real people. |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.4 out of 5 from 28 reviews. | 4.8 out of 5 from 114 reviews |
| Rating on G2 | 4.4 out of 5 from 28 reviews. | 4.0 out of 5 from 1 review |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 4.7 out of 5 from 41 reviews. | 3.2 out of 5 from 1 review |
| REST API | The public REST API is intended to expose the actions available in the web system, including automations, contacts, campaigns and synchronization. | The API exposes subscriber, email, automation and paid-subscription operations and is intended to cover actions available in the web app. |
| Segmentation | Dynamic groups can update automatically from contact filters and behavior across email, SMS, WhatsApp, push and Smart Pixel activity. | Yes |
| Support | Basic includes chat and email support; Premium adds priority support and a dedicated account manager. | Support is handled by human staff and covers feature questions, migration, deliverability, bugs, feedback, billing and account issues. |
| Webhooks | Webhook events cover contact changes, group membership, unsubscribes, contact updates and automation steps. | Webhooks send event requests to public endpoints and can use HMAC-SHA256 signatures in an X-Buttondown-Signature header. |
Plans
ActiveTrail
- SMS package$0.11, paid once
- Basic$9 a month
- Plus$14 a month
- Premium$351 a month
- BasicPrice not published
- PlusPrice not published
- PremiumPrice not published
Buttondown
- FreeFree
- Paid tier$9 a month
- FreeFree
- Basic$9 a month
- Standard$29 a month
- Professional$79 a month
- Advanced$139 a month
In their own words
ActiveTrail
ActiveTrail has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Buttondown
Buttondown has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.