Kit vs MailerLite
Kit is the better choice if you want to pay nothing for a long time: its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, and only automations are held back for Creator at $33 a month ($390 billed yearly). MailerLite is the better choice if you will pay for automations at 1,000 subscribers: Comfort is $17.10 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly) with 50 automations and a custom domain, about half Kit Creator's price, but its free plan stops at 250 subscribers.
Side by side, from the two pricing pages
| Feature | Kit | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 subscribers; unlimited broadcasts, pages and forms; no automations | Up to 250 subscribers; 2,500 emails a month; 3 automations |
| Price at 1,000 subscribers | Free $0; Creator $33/mo ($390/yr); Pro $66/mo ($790/yr) | Comfort $17.10/mo yearly ($205.20/yr) or $19 monthly; Power $35.10/mo yearly ($421.20/yr) or $39 monthly |
| Automations | None on Free; unlimited Visual Automations on Creator and Pro | 3 on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power |
| Email sends | Unlimited broadcasts | 2,500/month on Free; 10 times the tier ceiling on Comfort; unlimited on Power |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 3.5% + 30c per product or subscription | Not stated |
| Custom domain | Every plan | Comfort and Power |
| Trial | 14 days on Creator and Pro | 14 days of premium features |
The free plans are forty times apart
Kit Free covers up to 10,000 subscribers. MailerLite Free covers up to 250. That gap decides the comparison for anyone who is starting out and does not need automations: on Kit, a newsletter can grow to 10,000 readers on unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, with tagging, segmentation and the ability to sell products and subscriptions, without paying a monthly fee. On MailerLite, the 251st subscriber requires Comfort. MailerLite's free plan does include things Kit's does not, notably 3 automations, a website and a second user seat, and it caps sends at 2,500 emails a month where Kit's broadcasts are unlimited.
At 1,000 subscribers, MailerLite is about half the price
Both pricing pages show a price at 1,000 subscribers. Kit Creator is $33 a month with $390 billed yearly (the page states a saving of $78 a year and describes yearly billing as 17% off), and it brings unlimited Visual Automations and email sequences, branding removal, RSS campaigns, a second user and 24/7 support. MailerLite Comfort at the "up to 1,000 subscribers" tier is $17.10 a month billed yearly ($205.20 a year, a stated 10% saving) or $19 billed monthly, with 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, logo removal, a custom domain and 24/7 email support; monthly sends on Comfort are ten times the tier ceiling, so 10,000 at this tier. Power, at $35.10 a month billed yearly or $39 monthly, lifts every limit and adds live chat. A writer who needs more than 50 automations or unlimited sends is comparing Kit Creator at $33 against MailerLite Power at $35.10, which is close enough to decide on features.
Selling to readers
Kit's page is explicit about its commerce fee: 3.5% + 30c on any digital product or subscription on every plan, inclusive of credit card processing, with the note that Kit itself takes 0.6% of that. It also lists Free Recommendations on every plan, Smart Recommendations on Creator and Pro, a 23.5% fee on Paid Recommendations earnings, and a newsletter referral system on Pro. MailerLite's page lists paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on Comfort and Power, a Stripe integration, and digital products and bookings on every plan, but it does not state any transaction fee. A writer whose plan is to sell should get that figure from MailerLite before choosing it on price.
Kit
✓ Pros
- Free up to 10,000 subscribers
- Unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms on Free
- Custom domain on every plan
- Commerce fee stated: 3.5% + 30c
✗ Cons
- No automations on Free
- Creator is $33 a month at 1,000 subscribers, roughly double MailerLite Comfort
- Newsletter referral system is Pro only
MailerLite
✓ Pros
- Comfort $17.10 a month billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers
- 3 automations, a website and 2 seats on Free
- 14-day trial of every premium feature
- Power lifts sends, seats and automations to unlimited
✗ Cons
- Free plan stops at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month
- No custom domain on Free
- Fee on paid newsletters not stated on the pricing page
Verdict
Take Kit if the goal is to grow without a bill: nothing else on this site offers 10,000 free subscribers. Take MailerLite if you already know you need automations and a custom domain at a small list size, where Comfort costs about half of Kit Creator. If you will sell subscriptions, Kit's stated fee is a known quantity and MailerLite's is not, which is a reason to prefer Kit until MailerLite's page states one.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
- Free plan Yes: "Free, up to 10,000 subscribers"; 1 user, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited email broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, sell digital products and subscriptions; no Visual Automations
- Creator $33/mo shown with "$390 billed yearly, Save $78 per year" at the 1,000-subscriber tier; 2 users, unlimited Visual Automations and email sequences, remove Kit branding, RSS campaigns, 24/7 email and chat support
- Pro $66/mo shown with "$790 billed yearly, Save $158 per year" at the 1,000-subscriber tier; unlimited users, Subscriber Signals, engagement analytics, newsletter referral system, priority support
- Fee on paid subscriptions "3.5% + 30c" on any digital product or subscription, listed on every plan and described as inclusive of card processing, "so Kit only takes 0.6% of the total fees"
- Custom domain Yes: "connect your own custom domain" is listed for landing pages on every plan
- Automations None on Free; unlimited Visual Automations on Creator and Pro
- Referral and recommendations Free Recommendations on every plan; Smart Recommendations on Creator and Pro; newsletter referral system (a free SparkLoop plan) on Pro only; Paid Recommendations fee 23.5%
- Trial 14-day free trial on Creator and Pro, no credit card required; annual billing described as "save 17%"
Facts from Kit's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
MailerLite
- Free plan $0: up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 website and 1 landing page, 3 signup forms, community support
- Comfort $17.10/month "billed yearly" ($205.20/year, Save 10%) or $19 billed monthly at the "up to 1,000 subscribers" tier; monthly emails are 10 times the subscriber tier ceiling (10,000 at the 1,000 tier), 3 user seats, 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, remove MailerLite logo, 24/7 email support
- Power $35.10/month billed yearly ($421.20/year) or $39 billed monthly at the up to 1,000 subscribers tier; unlimited monthly emails, unlimited user seats, unlimited automations, 24/7 live chat
- Lowest tier Comfort $10.80/mo billed yearly ($129.60/yr, $12 monthly) and Power $22.50/mo billed yearly ($270/yr, $25 monthly) at up to 500 subscribers
- Fee on paid subscriptions Not stated on the pricing page ("Send paid newsletters" and "Sell recurring subscriptions" are listed on Comfort and Power, not on Free)
- Custom domain Yes on Comfort and Power; not on Free
- Automations 3 on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power
- Referral program The FAQ states MailerLite "offers a referral program as well as an affiliate program"; the page states no subscriber-referral feature for newsletters
- Trial 14-day free trial of premium features, no credit card required
Facts from MailerLite's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a writer who wants to stay free as long as possible, Kit: its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, against MailerLite Free at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. For a writer who will pay for automations at 1,000 subscribers, MailerLite is cheaper: Comfort is $17.10 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly) with 50 automations, against Kit Creator at $33 a month ($390 billed yearly) with unlimited Visual Automations.
Kit's. Kit Free covers up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited email broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, and selling digital products and subscriptions, but no Visual Automations. MailerLite Free covers up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 website and 1 landing page, and 3 signup forms.
Kit: $0 on Free, Creator $33 a month with $390 billed yearly, Pro $66 a month with $790 billed yearly. MailerLite: Comfort $17.10 a month billed yearly ($205.20 a year) or $19 billed monthly; Power $35.10 a month billed yearly ($421.20 a year) or $39 billed monthly. MailerLite's free plan does not reach 1,000 subscribers.
Kit lists a fee of 3.5% + 30c on any digital product or subscription on every plan, described as inclusive of card processing so that Kit itself takes 0.6%. MailerLite lists paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on Comfort and Power but its pricing page does not state a fee, so the two cannot be compared on this point from the pages.
Kit lists connecting your own custom domain for landing pages on every plan, including Free. MailerLite lists custom domains on Comfort and Power only; the Free plan row does not include them.