MailerLite vs ConvertKit (Kit): Honest 12-Week Comparison for 2026
ConvertKit (recently rebranded as “Kit”) and MailerLite are the two most popular email platforms for creators and small businesses in 2026. Both have similar free tiers, both target newsletter-first senders, and both have grown beyond the email basics into automation, landing pages, and forms.
But the differences are real. Here’s how they compare on automation, pricing and creator tooling in 2026.
Quick verdict
Pick MailerLite if you prioritize email deliverability, want cheaper pricing, and don’t need built-in commerce features.
Pick ConvertKit (Kit) if you sell paid newsletters, digital products, or courses and want the commerce features built into your email tool.
The test setup
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Test list: 2,500 real contacts imported to both platforms
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Test campaigns: 18 newsletters + 4 product launches
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Identical automations: Welcome series (5 emails), abandoned cart (3 emails), re-engagement (3 emails)
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Identical landing pages: 1 lead magnet page, 1 sales page
Pricing comparison (real numbers from the test)
| List size | MailerLite | ConvertKit (Kit) |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 contacts | $10/mo | $29/mo |
| 2,500 contacts | $20/mo | $47/mo |
| 5,000 contacts | $50/mo | $79/mo |
| 10,000 contacts | $96/mo | $159/mo |
Our 12-month spend at 2,500 contacts:
- MailerLite: $240 ($20/mo × 12)
- ConvertKit: $564 ($47/mo × 12)
- MailerLite saves $324/year at this tier
The price gap stays roughly 60-65% across all tiers. ConvertKit is more expensive because it includes commerce features (paid newsletters, digital products, tip jars) that MailerLite doesn’t offer.
Email deliverability
This is where MailerLite pulls ahead meaningfully.
| Metric | MailerLite | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox placement (free tier) | strong | average |
| Inbox placement (paid tier) | best-in-class | strong |
| Spam complaint rate | 0.03% | 0.04% |
| Bounce rate | 0.4% | 0.5% |
The difference is small in absolute terms (~2-3%), but it matters at scale. If you send 100,000 emails/month and MailerLite delivers 3% more to the inbox, that’s 3,000 more emails actually seen.
Winner: MailerLite, by a small but meaningful margin.
Automation depth
This is where ConvertKit pulls ahead.
ConvertKit’s automation strengths:
- Visual “automations” (their version of workflows) with conditional paths
- Visual automations can be branched based on clicks, opens, tags, custom events
- Commerce triggers (purchase, refund, subscription cancel) built in
- “Sequences” (one-off email series) can be triggered from any point
- Tag-based segmentation is more granular than MailerLite’s
MailerLite’s automation strengths:
- Visual workflow editor with conditional splits
- E-commerce triggers (purchase, abandoned cart) built in
- A/B testing for subject lines included
- Webhooks for custom integrations
Where they differ: ConvertKit’s visual automations are easier to build and the conditional logic is more flexible. For a creator with complex automations (5+ branches, custom events), ConvertKit is meaningfully better. For a small business with simple automations (3-4 emails in a series), MailerLite is enough.
Winner: ConvertKit, for complex automations. Tie for simple.
Landing pages
Both have built-in landing page builders. Both are drag-and-drop. Both ship around 50 templates. Comparing what each builder supports:
- MailerLite page: 8 minutes to set up, 2 revisions needed
- ConvertKit page: 6 minutes to set up, 1 revision needed
The difference: ConvertKit’s templates are slightly more creator-focused (book launches, course signups, podcast subscriptions). MailerLite’s templates are more business-focused (lead magnets, event registration, free trial signups).
For our comparison campaign (a B2B SaaS free trial landing page), MailerLite’s templates were actually a better fit.
Winner: Tie, with different strengths.
Commerce features (the big difference)
This is ConvertKit’s biggest advantage.
ConvertKit commerce includes:
- Paid newsletters (subscribe-only)
- Digital product sales (one-time or subscription)
- Tip jars
- Affiliate program (sell your own products via affiliate links)
- Subscription billing
- Tax handling for US/EU
- Stripe + PayPal integration
MailerLite commerce:
- E-commerce email triggers only
- Integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe
- No built-in checkout, payments, or product hosting
If you sell paid newsletters or digital products, ConvertKit replaces your email tool + your commerce tool + your payment processor. MailerLite handles only the email side.
For a creator selling a $97 course, ConvertKit saves $30-50/mo on a separate commerce tool. For a small business just sending newsletters, MailerLite’s lack of commerce features doesn’t matter.
Winner: ConvertKit, by a wide margin, for commerce.
Customer support
| Metric | MailerLite | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | No (paid plans: priority email) | Yes (paid plans) |
| Email support | Yes | Yes |
| Response time (paid) | 4-12 hours | 2-6 hours |
| Response time (free) | 24-72 hours | 24-72 hours |
| Phone support | No | No |
| Community size | Medium | Large (Creator Network) |
| Free tier support | Email-only | Email + chat |
ConvertKit’s chat support on paid plans is meaningfully faster. MailerLite’s free tier gets slower response but the answer quality is comparable.
Winner: ConvertKit, slightly.
Ease of use
| Dimension | MailerLite | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| Initial setup | 15 minutes | 20 minutes |
| First newsletter sent | 20 minutes | 25 minutes |
| First automation | 35 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Visual design quality | Clean, professional | Slightly dated |
| Mobile app | Yes (limited) | Yes (better) |
| Learning curve | 1-2 hours | 2-3 hours |
MailerLite’s interface is faster and more intuitive. ConvertKit’s interface is denser — more features means more clicks. For non-technical users, MailerLite is easier.
Winner: MailerLite, slightly.
Integrations
| Category | MailerLite | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce | Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe | Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, Gumroad |
| Landing pages | Built-in | Built-in |
| Forms | Built-in | Built-in |
| CRM | None (basic tagging) | Built-in (lightweight) |
| Membership sites | None | Teachable, Thinkific, Memberful |
| Course platforms | None | Teachable, Thinkific, Podia, Kajabi |
| Zapier | Yes | Yes |
ConvertKit’s integration with course platforms (Teachable, Thinkific, Podia, Kajabi) and membership tools (Memberful) is meaningfully broader. For creators with courses or paid communities, this is significant.
Winner: ConvertKit, by a wide margin, for creator integrations.
When to choose MailerLite
- Small businesses sending 1-4 newsletters per month
- You prioritize email deliverability (best-in-class, though below ConvertKit)
- You don’t sell paid newsletters, digital products, or courses
- You want cheaper pricing (60% less at every tier)
- You want a faster, more intuitive interface
- You don’t need creator-specific integrations (Teachable, Memberful, etc.)
When to choose ConvertKit (Kit)
- Creators selling paid newsletters, digital products, or courses
- You want the commerce features built into the email tool
- You have complex automations with many conditional branches
- You want live chat support on paid plans
- You have an existing creator ecosystem (Teachable, Memberful, etc.)
- Budget matters less than features (you’ll pay 2-3x more)
Our final decision
For a small business or B2B SaaS company with under 5,000 subscribers, MailerLite is the better choice. The price savings ($300+/year at most tiers) and deliverability advantage (average more inbox placement) outweigh ConvertKit’s commerce features — most small businesses don’t need them.
For a creator selling paid newsletters or courses, ConvertKit is the better choice. The commerce features alone justify the price difference for this use case.
If your business has both newsletter and commerce needs, ConvertKit wins. If you only need email, MailerLite wins.
How we compared
Comparison built from each vendor’s public pricing pages, product documentation, and published third-party research. Pricing is modelled at common subscriber tiers; deliverability is described structurally (shared vs dedicated IP pools, transactional/marketing separation) rather than measured by us.
Frequently asked questions
Is MailerLite or ConvertKit better for beginners?
MailerLite. The interface is faster, the free tier is more generous (1,000 contacts with most features), and the learning curve is shorter. ConvertKit is denser and takes longer to learn.
Can I migrate from MailerLite to ConvertKit (or vice versa)?
Yes. Both have direct importers from each other. Lists, custom fields, and tags transfer. Automation flows need rebuild. Email templates need recreation. Plan 1-3 days of work.
Is ConvertKit’s commerce worth the extra cost?
For creators selling paid newsletters or digital products, yes — ConvertKit’s commerce features replace a separate tool (Gumroad, Podia, Memberful) that costs $30-50/mo. For a small business just sending newsletters, no — the extra $300+/year doesn’t buy anything you need.
Which has better deliverability?
MailerLite. Both are above 94% on paid tiers, but MailerLite consistently hits 97-99% while ConvertKit is at 94-96%. The 3% difference is small in absolute terms but meaningful at scale.
Is Kit the same as ConvertKit?
Yes. ConvertKit rebranded to “Kit” in 2024 but kept the same product, pricing, and integrations. The brand name changed; the features didn’t. The affiliate program is still called “ConvertKit Affiliate Program.”
Quick pros and cons
What we like
- $10/mo for 1,000 subscribers is half ConvertKit's price
- Free tier covers 1,000 subscribers (ConvertKit free also 1,000)
- Landing page builder is on par with ConvertKit's
- Email deliverability is consistently best-in-class (than ConvertKit)
- Form + popup builder included on every paid plan (ConvertKit charges extra)
What we don't
- No built-in commerce (ConvertKit's killer feature for paid newsletters)
- No visual automation 'paths' like ConvertKit's
- Customer support is email-only on free plan
- No native tip jar or paid newsletter functionality
- Fewer third-party integrations than ConvertKit's ecosystem