Updated March 2026

MailerLite vs Kit (ConvertKit)

MailerLite and Kit (ConvertKit) both target creators and small businesses, but the value gap is stark. MailerLite offers a visual automation builder, landing pages, and a website builder — all on the free plan. Kit's free plan is more generous on subscribers (10,000 vs 500) but limits features. On paid plans, MailerLite costs roughly half what Kit charges for comparable functionality. Kit wins on monetisation features and the Creator Network. Here's the full picture.

Our pick: MailerLite (7.5/10 vs 7.2/10)

MailerLite wins 2 out of 6 categories. Kit (ConvertKit) is better for: solo creators, bloggers, and podcasters who value simplicity and built-in monetisation.

Try MailerLite

MailerLite

7.5/10

Kit (ConvertKit)

7.2/10

3/5

Automation

4/5

5/5

Deliverability

3/5

5/5

Ease of Use

5/5

3/5

Templates & Design

2/5

Analytics

2/5

3/5

Customer Support

3/5

Pricing Comparison

MailerLite

Free Plan

Paid plans from $10/mo

View Pricing

Kit (ConvertKit)

Free Plan

Paid plans from $33/mo

View Pricing

Pros & Cons

MailerLite

94.41% deliverability rate across 5 independent test rounds (EmailToolTester) — highest we found among all platforms tested

76% cheaper than Mailchimp at 2,500 subscribers ($25/mo vs ~$69/mo for equivalent features)

Won 'Best Email Marketing Tool for Ease of Use' every year from 2023-2026 across G2 and Capterra

Account approval/termination is a real problem — 60% of Capterra reviews mentioning it were negative. Users report accounts terminated without warning and no refund

Free plan was cut from 1,000 to 500 subscribers in September 2025, with no templates on free (must design from scratch)

Limited analytics — no heatmaps, no custom reports, no revenue attribution, no bot-click filtering. If data matters to you, this will frustrate you

Full MailerLite review →

Kit (ConvertKit)

Best free plan in the industry — 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages, and forms. No other major platform comes close

Creator Network for mutual cross-promotion is genuinely unique — no other email platform offers built-in list growth through creator recommendations

Built-in monetisation: sell digital products, paid newsletters, subscriptions, and tip jars directly from Kit without third-party tools

September 2025 price hike was brutal — first increase in 12 years. Creator plan jumped from $15/mo to $33/mo starting price. Some legacy users saw 100-400% increases. Trustpilot users report prices 'tripling mid-contract'

Analytics rated just 2/5 by EmailVendorSelection — only basic open rates and click rates. No heatmaps, no geo-tracking, no bot-click filtering, no advanced funnel insights

Only 15-23 email templates (vs Mailchimp's 260+ or Omnisend's 250+). Premium templates cost $19-$39 each from the marketplace. Email builder described as 'clunky'

Full Kit (ConvertKit) review →

The Bottom Line

Choose MailerLite if: you want a tool that is best for small businesses and creators on a budget who want simplicity. It scores highest in deliverability, ease of use.

Choose Kit (ConvertKit) if: you want a tool that is best for solo creators, bloggers, and podcasters who value simplicity and built-in monetisation. It scores highest in automation, ease of use.

Transparency note: We earn affiliate commissions from some tools on this page. This never influences our scores. Our methodology