About 17; min
Email marketing platforms are a crowded market, but two names keep surfacing when small and mid-size businesses start comparing options: ConvertKit (now Kit) and Mailchimp. Kit built its reputation serving creators — bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, and course sellers. Mailchimp is the generalist that serves everyone from solo newsletters to mid-market e-commerce brands.
Both tools send emails, manage subscribers, and automate sequences. The pricing models differ significantly, and the features each platform prioritizes reveal who they were really built for.
Quick Pricing Overview
| Plan | Kit (ConvertKit) | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 10,000 subscribers, 1 email broadcast/mo | 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo |
| Starter | $25/mo (1,000 subscribers) | $13/mo (500 contacts) |
| Growth | $50/mo (3,000 subscribers) | $20/mo (500 contacts, Standard) |
| Scale | $100/mo (10,000 subscribers) | $350/mo (500 contacts, Premium) |
Kit (ConvertKit) Pricing Breakdown
Kit’s free plan is generous for creators starting out — up to 10,000 subscribers with one email broadcast per month, unlimited landing pages, and opt-in forms. The Newsletter plan at $25 per month (for up to 1,000 subscribers) removes sending limits and adds migration support. The Creator plan at $50 per month (up to 3,000 subscribers) adds automated sequences, visual automation builder, integrations, and third-party app connections. The Creator Pro plan at $100 per month (up to 10,000 subscribers) includes subscriber scoring, advanced reporting, Facebook custom audiences, and a referral system. Pricing scales with subscriber count — 25,000 subscribers on Creator Pro costs $166 per month, 50,000 costs $266 per month. Kit charges based on total subscribers, not emails sent.
Mailchimp Pricing Breakdown
Mailchimp’s free plan covers 500 contacts and 1,000 email sends per month with basic templates and a single audience. The Essentials plan starts at $13 per month for 500 contacts with 5,000 sends, A/B testing, email scheduling, and 24/7 support. The Standard plan at $20 per month adds behavioral targeting, send time prediction, and advanced automation with branching logic. The Premium plan at $350 per month includes advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, comparative reporting, and phone support. Pricing scales by contacts: 2,500 contacts on Standard costs $45 per month, 10,000 contacts costs $100 per month, and 50,000 contacts costs $350 per month. Mailchimp counts contacts across all audiences and includes unsubscribed contacts in some calculations, which inflates costs.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Kit (ConvertKit) | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan Contacts | 10,000 subscribers | 500 contacts |
| Email Editor | Simple text-focused editor | Drag-and-drop template builder |
| Automation Builder | Visual (Creator plan+) | Visual (Standard plan+) |
| Landing Pages | Unlimited (all plans) | Limited templates (all plans) |
| Subscriber Tagging | Tag-based (no separate lists) | Audience + tags + segments |
| A/B Testing | Subject lines (Creator+) | Subject, content, send time (Essentials+) |
| E-Commerce Integration | Basic (Shopify, WooCommerce) | Deep (Shopify, WooCommerce, product recs) |
| Digital Product Sales | Kit Commerce (built-in) | Not available |
| Referral System | Creator Pro (built-in) | Not available |
| Send Time AI | Not available | Standard plan and above |
| Template Variety | Minimal (text-focused design) | 100+ templates (visual-heavy) |
| API Access | All plans | All plans |
| Integrations | 100+ (creator-focused) | 300+ (broad business focus) |
Cost Scenarios
Newsletter creator (2,000 subscribers)
Kit Creator at $50 per month covers up to 3,000 subscribers with automation and visual workflows. Mailchimp Standard at roughly $45 per month covers 2,500 contacts with behavioral targeting and send time prediction. Pricing is nearly identical, but Kit includes unlimited landing pages and a built-in digital product sales tool. Kit: $50/mo. Mailchimp: $45/mo.
Growing creator (10,000 subscribers)
Kit Creator Pro at $100 per month covers 10,000 subscribers with subscriber scoring, referral system, and advanced reporting. Mailchimp Standard at 10,000 contacts costs about $100 per month for behavioral targeting and automation. At this tier, Kit’s creator-specific features (commerce, referrals, scoring) offer better value for individual creators. Kit: $100/mo. Mailchimp: ~$100/mo.
E-commerce brand (25,000 contacts)
Kit Creator Pro at 25,000 subscribers costs $166 per month. Mailchimp Standard at 25,000 contacts runs about $230 per month. Mailchimp’s e-commerce features — product recommendations, purchase-based automations, and predicted demographics — add more value for online stores than Kit’s creator-focused tools. Kit: $166/mo. Mailchimp: $230/mo.
Creator vs Business Focus
Kit was built for people who make things and sell directly to their audience. The subscriber model uses tags instead of separate lists, which keeps your contact management simple even as you grow. Kit Commerce lets you sell digital products (ebooks, courses, paid newsletters) directly through your email platform without needing Gumroad or Teachable. The referral system helps your subscribers invite others, turning every reader into a growth channel.
Mailchimp was built for businesses that sell products to customers. Its e-commerce integrations go deep — abandoned cart emails, product recommendation blocks, purchase follow-ups, and revenue attribution per campaign. The drag-and-drop email builder produces visually rich emails with product grids, countdown timers, and dynamic content blocks. For brands where email design and product merchandising matter, Mailchimp’s template library and editor are significantly more capable.
Who Should Pick What
Pick Kit if:
- You’re a creator building a personal audience (blog, podcast, YouTube, course)
- Text-based, personal emails match your brand better than designed templates
- You want to sell digital products without adding another platform
- A larger free tier (10,000 subscribers) helps you grow before paying
Pick Mailchimp if:
- You run an e-commerce store and need product-focused email automation
- Visually designed emails with product grids and rich templates are important
- Deeper A/B testing (content, send time, multivariate) drives your optimization strategy
- You need broader business integrations beyond the creator world
Kit wins for creators and personal brands. Its tag-based subscriber management is simpler, the free tier is 20x larger than Mailchimp’s, and built-in commerce plus referral tools eliminate the need for additional platforms. Mailchimp wins for e-commerce businesses that need rich product emails, deep store integrations, and advanced testing capabilities. The right tool depends on whether you’re building an audience or selling products — Kit does the first one better, Mailchimp does the second one better.
FAQ
Is ConvertKit now called Kit?
Yes. ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in 2024. The product, features, and pricing remain the same — only the name changed.
Does Kit charge for unsubscribed contacts?
No. Kit only counts active subscribers toward your plan limit. Unsubscribed and bounced contacts are excluded. Mailchimp has historically included unsubscribed contacts in audience counts on some plans, though they’ve adjusted this over time.
Can I design visual emails in Kit?
Kit’s email editor is intentionally simple — it favors clean, text-focused emails that feel personal. You can add images and buttons, but it doesn’t have a drag-and-drop template builder like Mailchimp. For creators, this simplicity is a feature, not a limitation.
Which has better deliverability?
Both platforms maintain strong deliverability rates. Kit tends to score slightly higher in independent deliverability tests because its user base sends fewer promotional-style emails. Mailchimp’s deliverability is solid but can vary based on shared IP reputation on lower-tier plans.
