Kit (ConvertKit) vs MailerLite: Which Is Better for Creators?

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and MailerLite are two of the most popular email marketing tools for creators, bloggers, and small businesses. Both offer free plans, both focus on simplicity over enterprise complexity, and both are good value for the price.

The differences are in the details. Kit is built specifically for the creator economy: bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and course creators who monetize their audience. MailerLite is a broader small business tool that works well for creators, with a drag-and-drop editor, automations on its free plan, and a lower entry price for paid plans.

Pricing Comparison

Pricing is where these tools diverge most sharply.

Kit (ConvertKit) Pricing

Kit’s free Newsletter plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, forms and landing pages, tagging and segmentation, A/B testing on broadcasts, and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions. Since September 2026 it no longer includes visual automations or email sequences. Kit’s free plan page lists both as paid features (along with rules, RSS campaigns, paid apps in the App Store and Paid Recommendations). The September date comes from our pricing audit; Kit’s help page does not date the change.

The paid Creator plan costs $39/month on monthly billing for 1,000 subscribers, or $33/month billed yearly ($390/year). It adds unlimited visual automations and email sequences, SMS marketing, RSS campaigns, removal of Kit branding and 24/7 email and chat support. Creator Pro costs $79/month monthly or $66/month billed yearly ($790/year) for 1,000 subscribers, and adds engagement analytics, subscriber engagement scoring, deliverability reporting, a newsletter referral system and unlimited users. Prices rise with list size, and Kit’s pricing page uses a slider, so we do not quote figures above 1,000 subscribers here. See the full breakdown in our Kit pricing guide.

MailerLite Pricing

MailerLite’s free plan covers 250 subscribers with 2,500 emails per month, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 website and 1 landing page, 3 signup forms, and all three email editors (drag and drop, custom HTML and simple). The Comfort plan (formerly Growing Business) starts at $12/month for 500 subscribers and adds unlimited templates, 50 active automations, 10 websites and landing pages, auto resend, multivariate testing, digital products and 3 seats. Monthly sending on Comfort is capped at 10 times your subscriber tier. The Power plan (formerly Advanced) starts at $25/month for 500 subscribers and adds unlimited sending, automations, landing pages and seats, multiple automation triggers and 24/7 live chat support. These changes came with MailerLite’s June 2026 plan restructure, which also cut the free plan to its current size.

Above 500 subscribers, MailerLite’s price scales through a pricing calculator rather than published flat rates, so exact figures at higher subscriber counts aren’t listed here. Check the MailerLite pricing guide for the current rate at your list size.

The Cost Difference

At the entry paid tier, MailerLite Comfort ($12/month for 500 subscribers) is cheaper than Kit Creator ($39/month for 1,000 subscribers), but the subscriber counts differ, so the two are not a like-for-like comparison. Run both platforms’ pricing calculators at your subscriber count for an exact comparison.

Free Plan Comparison

Both tools offer useful free plans, but they now serve different strategies:

Kit’s free plan is built for list size. You get 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, forms and landing pages, tagging and segmentation, and digital product sales. The trade-off is no visual automations and no email sequences, so a welcome series has to be sent by hand as a broadcast.

MailerLite’s free plan is built for capability at a small size. You get only 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, but you get 3 automations, a drag-and-drop editor, 1 landing page and 1 website.

If audience size matters most and you send broadcasts, choose Kit. If you need automated follow-up and a small list is fine, choose MailerLite.

Email Editor and Design

MailerLite offers three editors on every plan, including Free: drag and drop, custom HTML and a simple editor. Creating designed emails with images and buttons is straightforward even for beginners.

Kit takes a simpler approach to email design. Its email designer offers 40+ creator-made templates, integrations with Canva, Unsplash and Shopify, and conditional content. Plain, text-led emails suit creators who write directly to their audience.

If your emails are mostly written content (newsletters, updates, educational content), Kit’s approach works well. If you need visual layouts, product showcases or heavily branded designs, MailerLite is the stronger choice.

Automation

Automation is where the free plans diverge. Kit’s visual automations and sequences require the Creator plan ($39/month for 1,000 subscribers). MailerLite includes 3 automations on Free, 50 active automations on Comfort, and unlimited automations on Power. Multiple automation triggers need Power.

Kit’s automation is built around sequences. You build visual workflows with triggers, conditions, delays and actions, and Kit’s tagging and segmentation sit at the center of them. Typical creator workflows (welcome sequences, course delivery, segment-based nurturing) are easy to set up.

MailerLite’s automation covers similar ground with workflow triggers, delays, conditions and actions, plus e-commerce triggers for digital product sales.

For most creators, both tools handle the standard workflows (welcome series, product launches, re-engagement) without issue. The practical difference is cost: on Kit you pay $39/month to automate anything, while MailerLite lets you start for free.

For more on what automation can do for your business, see our automation feature guide.

Deliverability

Our catalog lists these deliverability rates:

• Kit: 98.2%
• MailerLite: 97%

These are catalog figures, not results from our own sending tests, and a 1.2-point gap is small. Both tools support custom domain authentication (SPF, DKIM). For a deeper comparison of deliverability across all tools, see our deliverability guide.

Creator-Specific Features

Kit was built for creators, and several features reflect that:

• Paid newsletters: charge subscribers for access directly through Kit
• Newsletter referral system (Creator Pro): incentivize subscribers to share
• Subscriber engagement scoring (Creator Pro): identify your most engaged readers
• Creator Network: cross-promote with other Kit creators, including on the free plan
• Commerce features: sell digital products and subscriptions, available on the free plan

MailerLite has its own strengths for small businesses:

• Website builder: build websites, not just landing pages (1 on Free, 10 websites and landing pages on Comfort)
• Digital products and bookings: sell digital products and appointments directly through MailerLite
• Paid newsletter subscriptions: also offered by MailerLite
• Drag-and-drop editor: more design flexibility for branded emails
• Auto resend (Comfort and above): resend to non-openers

Who Should Choose Kit (ConvertKit)?

Kit is the better pick if you:

• Are a blogger, podcaster, YouTuber, or course creator
• Want to grow a large audience before paying (10,000 free subscribers, broadcasts only)
• Prefer text-based, personal-feeling newsletters
• Need paid newsletter, digital product and monetization features built in
• Want subscriber scoring and a referral system to grow your list (Creator Pro)
• Are ready to pay $39/month for automations and sequences

Who Should Choose MailerLite?

MailerLite is the stronger choice if you:

• Need a visual drag-and-drop email editor
• Want a lower entry price ($12/month for 500 subscribers) and automations on the free plan
• Run a small business that needs branded, designed emails
• Want a built-in website builder alongside email marketing
• Are a beginner who values a clean, intuitive interface
• Prefer to check pricing at your own list size, since both scale with subscribers

Our Take

For creators who write primarily text-led content, send mostly broadcasts, and want the largest free tier, Kit is the natural fit. Its creator ecosystem and monetization features give it an edge in that niche, as long as you are willing to pay $39/month once you need automations.

For everyone else (small businesses, freelancers, and creators who want more design flexibility at a lower price), MailerLite offers better value at small list sizes. The email editor is more flexible, the entry price is lower, and automations are available on every plan.

For the full side-by-side feature breakdown, visit our Kit vs MailerLite comparison page. You can also explore Kit alternatives or MailerLite alternatives to see how other tools compare.

Sources

1. Kit — Pricing — accessed 2026-10-05
2. Kit Help — The Kit Free plan — accessed 2026-10-05
3. Kit — Email designer — accessed 2026-10-05
4. MailerLite — Pricing — accessed 2026-10-05