Last updated: October 2026 | Pricing checked on October 2, 2026 | 9 min read
MailerLite and Kit (ConvertKit until 2024) are two of the most popular email tools for small businesses and creators. On the surface they look similar: both have drag-and-drop editors, landing pages, forms, automation and ways to sell digital products. Underneath, they’re built for different people.
MailerLite is a general-purpose marketing tool with strong design features and lower paid prices. Kit is built for creators whose email list is the business, with a huge free plan and better tools for selling and growing a newsletter.
We compared them across eight rounds using the current plans and prices from both pricing pages. MailerLite renamed its plans this year (Growing Business is now Comfort, and Advanced is now Power), so older comparisons are out of date.
Quick Answer: MailerLite wins our MailerLite vs Kit comparison 4–3. It’s cheaper once you pay ($49 vs $89 at 5,000 subscribers), has a more polished editor, includes a website builder and gives you 3 seats on Comfort. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) wins on its free plan (10,000 subscribers vs 250), built-in selling and list growth through Recommendations, so it’s the better pick for creators.
Table of Contents
MailerLite vs Kit at a Glance
| MailerLite | Kit (ConvertKit) | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails | 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts |
| 1,000 subscribers | $19 (Comfort) / $39 (Power) | $39 (Creator) / $79 (Pro) |
| 5,000 subscribers | $49 / $69 | $89 / $139 |
| 10,000 subscribers | $89 / $129 | $139 / $189 |
| Sending limit | 10x subscribers on Comfort | Unlimited on all plans |
| Automation | 3 free; 50 Comfort; unlimited Power | None free; unlimited Creator+ |
| Selling | Digital products & bookings | Products, subscriptions, tips (3.5% + 30¢) |
| Websites | Website builder + landing pages | Landing pages + newsletter site |
| Users | 2 / 3 / unlimited | 1 / 2 / unlimited |
| Best for | Small businesses | Creators |
| Our verdict | Winner 4–3 | Best free plan |
Round 1: Pricing at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 Subscribers
Both tools price by subscriber count. On monthly billing, MailerLite is much cheaper once you pay.
| Subscribers | MailerLite Comfort | MailerLite Power | Kit Creator | Kit Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $19 | $39 | $39 | $79 |
| 5,000 | $49 | $69 | $89 | $139 |
| 10,000 | $89 | $129 | $139 | $189 |
At 5,000 subscribers, MailerLite Comfort costs $40 a month less than Kit Creator, $480 a year. Annual billing saves 10% on MailerLite and about 17% on Kit, which narrows the gap slightly but doesn’t close it.
There’s one catch. MailerLite Comfort caps monthly sends at 10x your subscriber count (10,000 emails for 1,000 subscribers). Kit has no sending limits on any plan. Unless you email more than twice a week, the cap won’t matter.
Winner: MailerLite.
Round 2: Free Plan
This one isn’t close. Kit’s free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, unlimited landing pages and forms, tagging and segmentation, and digital product sales.
MailerLite’s free plan has shrunk to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. It does include things Kit’s free plan doesn’t, such as 3 automations, a website and 2 user seats, but the subscriber limit is tight.
The trade-off on Kit’s free plan is automation. Visual automations and email sequences need the Creator plan. On free you can send broadcasts, but you can’t run a welcome series.
Winner: Kit.
Round 3: Email Editor and Design
MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor is one of the best in its price range. It has a large template library, and paid plans add unlimited templates and dynamic emails. Emails look polished with little effort.
Kit takes a different approach. Its editor favours simple, text-led emails that read like a personal note from the creator. That works well for newsletters but gives you less layout control. Custom HTML templates are available if you need them.
Winner: MailerLite for visual design. Kit suits plain, personal newsletters.
Round 4: Automation
Both have visual automation builders, and both are easy to use.
- MailerLite: 3 automations on Free, 50 on Comfort and unlimited on Power. Power adds multiple triggers per automation.
- Kit: no automations on Free. Creator and Pro include unlimited visual automations, sequences and a template library.
Kit’s automations are built around tags and purchases, which makes them great for creator funnels like lead magnet → sequence → product offer. MailerLite gives you more automation for less money: 50 automations at $19/month against unlimited at $39.
Winner: tie. MailerLite for value, Kit for creator funnels.
Round 5: Selling Products and Monetisation
Kit is built for selling. Every plan, including Free, lets you sell digital products, paid newsletters, recurring subscriptions and tip jars. Kit charges 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction. Paid plans add Paid Recommendations, where Kit pays you to recommend other newsletters, and newsletter sponsorships.
MailerLite also sells digital products and bookings: 1 on Free, 5 on Comfort and unlimited on Power. It’s a useful add-on, not the core of the product.
Winner: Kit.
Round 6: Landing Pages and Websites
Both include landing pages. Kit gives you unlimited landing pages on every plan, plus a newsletter feed and website.
MailerLite goes further on websites. It includes a full website builder with blog pages, and paid plans allow 10 websites and landing pages on Comfort or unlimited on Power. If you want your website and email in one tool, MailerLite is the better fit.
Winner: MailerLite.
Round 7: Teams and Support
- MailerLite: 2 seats on Free, 3 on Comfort, unlimited on Power. Free gets community support, Comfort 24/7 email support, and Power 24/7 live chat and email.
- Kit: 1 user on Free, 2 on Creator, unlimited on Pro. Creator gets 24/7 email and chat support, and Pro gets priority support. Paid plans include free migration from another platform.
Kit’s free migration service is a real advantage if you’re moving a large account.
Winner: MailerLite for teams (3 seats at $19). Kit for support on its entry paid plan.
Round 8: List Growth
Kit has the stronger growth tools for newsletters. Free Recommendations lets other Kit creators recommend your newsletter to their new subscribers. Pro adds a referral system and subscriber engagement scoring.
MailerLite covers growth through forms, popups, landing pages and its website builder. It doesn’t have a creator recommendation network.
Winner: Kit.
Final Scoreboard: MailerLite 4, Kit 3, 1 Tie
- MailerLite wins: pricing, design, landing pages and websites, teams.
- Kit wins: free plan, selling, list growth.
- Tie: automation.
A Simple Way to Decide
- You run a business and email is one channel: choose MailerLite (our guide to email marketing for small business covers what to set up first). It’s cheaper once you pay, looks more polished and includes a website builder.
- You’re a creator and your list is the business: choose Kit. The 10,000-subscriber free plan, built-in selling and recommendations are hard to beat.
- You have fewer than 10,000 subscribers and only send newsletters: start on Kit’s free plan and upgrade when you need automation.
- You need automation on a budget: MailerLite Comfort gives you 50 automations for $19/month at 1,000 subscribers.
Whichever you choose, set up email authentication before your first send. Both Google’s sender guidelines and Yahoo’s best practices require SPF, DKIM and a DMARC policy (see dmarc.org) for bulk senders, plus one-click unsubscribe. Microsoft applies similar rules for high-volume senders to Outlook, and you can monitor your domain’s reputation in Google Postmaster Tools.
MailerLite Pros and Cons
✅MailerLite Pros:
- Much cheaper than Kit once you pay: $49 vs $89 at 5,000 subscribers
- Polished drag-and-drop editor and templates
- Website builder, landing pages, forms and popups included
- 3 user seats on Comfort; unlimited on Power
- Large native integration library
❌MailerLite Cons:
- Free plan limited to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails
- Comfort caps sending at 10x your subscriber count
- No creator recommendation network
💰Pricing: Free up to 250 subscribers; Comfort $19 at 1,000, $49 at 5,000, $89 at 10,000; Power from $39 (monthly billing, 10% off annually).
Kit Pros and Cons
✅Kit Pros:
- Free for up to 10,000 subscribers
- Sell digital products and subscriptions on every plan
- Recommendations network helps grow your list
- Unlimited sending on every plan
- Free migration on paid plans
❌Kit Cons:
- No automations or sequences on the free plan
- Paid plans cost more: $89 vs $49 at 5,000 subscribers
- Simpler email design; less layout control
💰Pricing: Free up to 10,000 subscribers; Creator $39 at 1,000, $89 at 5,000, $139 at 10,000; Pro from $79 (monthly billing, about 17% off annually).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MailerLite better than ConvertKit (Kit)?
MailerLite is better for most small businesses, and Kit is better for creators. MailerLite wins our comparison 4–3 on price, design, websites and team seats. Kit wins on its free plan, selling tools and list growth.
Which is cheaper, MailerLite or Kit?
MailerLite is cheaper on paid plans. At 5,000 subscribers MailerLite Comfort costs $49/month and Kit Creator $89/month on monthly billing. Kit’s free plan is bigger, though: 10,000 subscribers against MailerLite’s 250.
Is Kit the same as ConvertKit?
Yes. ConvertKit rebranded as Kit in 2024. The product, accounts and features carried over.
Does Kit’s free plan include automation?
No. Kit’s free plan includes broadcasts, landing pages, forms and product sales, but no visual automations or sequences. Those start on the Creator plan.
Can I switch from MailerLite to Kit (or the reverse)?
Yes. Export your subscribers with their groups or tags as a CSV and import them into the other tool. Kit offers free migration on paid plans. Rebuild automations manually and import unsubscribes as suppressed contacts.
What are the alternatives to MailerLite and Kit?
Mailchimp, Brevo, beehiiv and Moosend are common alternatives. See our MailerLite alternatives and ConvertKit alternatives guides.
Final Verdict
MailerLite is the better choice for most small businesses. It costs less once you pay, has a more polished editor and includes a website builder. Kit is the better choice for creators. Its free plan covers 10,000 subscribers, it sells digital products on every plan, and its recommendation network helps newsletters grow. If you’re comparing both against Mailchimp, read our MailerLite vs Mailchimp and Mailchimp vs ConvertKit comparisons.
Looking for a Simpler Alternative?
If you want full automation without paying MailerLite or Kit prices, Mailercloud is free for 1,000 contacts and 12,000 emails a month. Premium costs $10/month for 5,000 contacts with unlimited sends, visual automation, segmentation and inbox placement tracking. At the same size, MailerLite Comfort costs $49 and Kit Creator $89.
Want automation for $10, not $49 or $89? — try Mailercloud free
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