---
title: "Buttondown vs Substack: Which is more popular by branded search?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Buttondown or Substack? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Newsletter platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/buttondown-vs-substack"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Buttondown vs Substack: Which is more popular by branded search?

Which is more popular in search, Buttondown or Substack? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Newsletter platforms set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Compared**: Buttondown and Substack
- **Competitive set**: Newsletter platforms
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Buttondown Share of Search**: 0.02%
- **Substack Share of Search**: 64.1%

## Which is more popular in search, Buttondown or Substack?

- In August 2026, Substack had more branded searches than Buttondown among newsletter platforms worldwide. Substack was estimated to have 2.5M branded searches compared to Buttondown’s 620, and held a 64.1% Share of Search versus Buttondown’s 0.02%.
- Substack was ahead of Buttondown in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Buttondown’s estimated Share of Search among newsletter platforms worldwide moved from 0.01% to 0.02%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 480 to 620.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Substack’s estimated Share of Search among newsletter platforms worldwide moved from 41.3% to 64.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.4M to 2.5M.

## How did search popularity change for newsletter platforms worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Substack gained estimated Share of Search among newsletter platforms worldwide, from 57.7% to 64.1%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Buttondown worldwide rose 29.2% over 11 measured months, from 480 to 620 in August 2026.

## Month by month

| Month | Buttondown estimated searches | Buttondown Share of Search | Buttondown rank | Substack estimated searches | Substack Share of Search | Substack rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 480 | 0.01% | 7 | 1.4M | 41.3% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | 460 | 0.01% | 7 | 1.4M | 41.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | 470 | 0.01% | 7 | 1.7M | 51.2% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | 640 | 0.02% | 7 | 2.1M | 51.1% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | 690 | 0.02% | 7 | 1.7M | 50.2% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | 670 | 0.02% | 7 | 2.1M | 50.4% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | 640 | 0.02% | 7 | 2.1M | 50.6% | 1 |
| May 2026 | 670 | 0.02% | 7 | 2M | 54.5% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | 590 | 0.02% | 7 | 2.1M | 54.9% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | 680 | 0.02% | 7 | 2.1M | 57.7% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | 620 | 0.02% | 7 | 2.5M | 64.1% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Buttondown’s and Substack’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

- **Buttondown**: Measured on the search terms “buttondown app”, “buttondown email”, “Buttondown newsletter”, “buttondown pricing” and “buttondown.com”, summed into one figure.
- **Substack**: Measured on the search terms “Substack”, “substack app”, “substack articles”, “substack com”, “substack live”, “substack newsletter”, “substack newsletter platform”, “substack newsletters”, “substack notes”, “substack podcast”, “substack subscribe”, “substack subscription”, “substack web”, “substack website”, “substack websites”, “substack.com”, “what is a substack” and “what is substack”, summed into one figure.

- [Buttondown profile](/demand/global-en/brands/buttondown)
- [Substack profile](/demand/global-en/brands/substack)
- [All newsletter platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/newsletter-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is more popular in search, Buttondown or Substack?

In August 2026, Substack had more branded searches than Buttondown among newsletter platforms worldwide. Substack was estimated to have 2.5M branded searches compared to Buttondown’s 620, and held a 64.1% Share of Search versus Buttondown’s 0.02%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Buttondown vs Substack: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/buttondown-vs-substack

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/buttondown-vs-substack. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.
