Quick Verdict
Kit — Best for Creators & Digital Products
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is purpose-built for creators. Free up to 10,000 subscribers, tag-based segmentation, visual automation builder, Creator Commerce for selling digital products, tip jar, and sequences. If you are a blogger, YouTuber, course creator, or sell digital products, Kit is the clear winner.
Free up to 10,000 subscribers — paid from $15/mo
Mailchimp — Best for Small Businesses & Ecommerce
Mailchimp has 200+ polished templates, 300+ integrations, AI-powered analytics, and deep Shopify integration. But the free plan is nearly unusable (500 contacts), it charges for unsubscribed contacts, and it is 40% more expensive since 2021. Better for small businesses than creators.
Free 500 contacts — paid from $13/mo
Pricing: Kit's Free Plan Is 20x More Generous
The pricing difference is staggering at the free tier. Kit offers 10,000 subscribers for free. Mailchimp offers 500. That is a 20x difference. For paid plans, Kit charges per active subscriber (not unsubscribed contacts), while Mailchimp charges per contact stored.
| Tier | Kit | Mailchimp | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 10,000 subscribers | 500 contacts | Kit (20x) |
| Entry paid | $15/mo (300 subs) | $13/mo (500 contacts) | Mailchimp |
| 5,000 contacts | ~$49/mo | ~$75/mo | Kit |
| 10,000 contacts | ~$79/mo | ~$135/mo | Kit |
| 50,000 contacts | ~$179/mo | ~$350+/mo | Kit |
Kit's free plan is the most generous in the industry: 10,000 subscribers with basic automation and sequences. Mailchimp's free plan (500 contacts, 1,000 sends) is outgrown in 60 days for most businesses. At 10,000 contacts on paid plans, Kit saves you $56/mo ($672/year) vs Mailchimp.
Billing model difference: Kit charges per active subscriber — unsubscribed contacts are free. Mailchimp charges per contact stored — including unsubscribed and archived contacts you can never email. Over time, this means Mailchimp gets more expensive as your list ages.
Creator Features: Kit Is Built for Digital Product Sellers
Kit was designed from the ground up for creators — bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, course creators, and digital product sellers. Mailchimp was designed for small businesses and has been retrofitted with creator features.
Kit Creator Features
- - Creator Commerce: Sell digital products directly from emails
- - Tip jar: Accept tips and donations from subscribers
- - Sequences: Automated email sequences for courses
- - Tag-based segmentation: Tag subscribers by interest, behavior, purchase
- - Visual automation builder: Drag-and-drop workflow creation
- - Landing pages: Free unlimited landing pages
- - Subscriber tagging: Fine-grained subscriber management
- - Sponsorships: Built-in sponsor management tools
- - Free to 10K subscribers: No time limit, no credit card
Mailchimp Creator Features
- - 200+ email templates (more polished than Kit)
- - Intuit Assist AI for content generation
- - Product recommendations for ecommerce
- - Landing page builder (limited on free plan)
- - A/B testing on Standard+ plans
- - Social media ad management
- - Postcard marketing
- - No built-in digital product sales
- - No tip jar feature
- - No sequences for course delivery
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | Kit | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 10,000 subs | 500 contacts |
| Starting paid price | $15/mo | $13/mo |
| Billing model | Active subscribers | All contacts stored |
| Template library | Limited | 200+ |
| Tag-based segmentation | Yes (native) | Yes (groups) |
| Digital product sales | Creator Commerce | No |
| Tip jar | Yes | No |
| Sequences | Yes | Automations |
| Landing pages | Unlimited free | Limited on free |
| AI tools | Basic | Intuit Assist |
| Shopify integration | Basic | Deep |
| Integrations | 100+ | 300+ |
| SMS marketing | No | Yes (US-only) |
Pros & Cons
Kit Pros
- + Free to 10,000 subscribers (20x Mailchimp)
- + Creator Commerce for selling digital products
- + Tag-based segmentation (native)
- + Tip jar feature
- + Sequences for course delivery
- + Unlimited free landing pages
- + Charges only for active subscribers
- + Cheaper at scale (10K+ contacts)
Kit Cons
- - Limited template library
- - No SMS marketing
- - Fewer integrations (100 vs 300+)
- - Basic AI tools
- - Basic Shopify integration
- - Not ideal for non-creator businesses
Mailchimp Pros
- + 200+ polished templates
- + 300+ integrations
- + Intuit Assist AI tools
- + Deep Shopify integration
- + SMS marketing (US-only)
- + Social media ad management
- + Industry benchmarking reports
Mailchimp Cons
- - Free plan nearly unusable (500 contacts)
- - 40% more expensive since 2021
- - Charges for unsubscribed contacts
- - No Creator Commerce or tip jar
- - No sequences for course delivery
- - Limited landing pages on free plan
Who Should Use What?
Choose Kit if you:
- - Are a blogger, YouTuber, podcaster, or content creator
- - Sell digital products, courses, or ebooks
- - Want a free plan up to 10,000 subscribers
- - Need tag-based segmentation for content targeting
- - Want sequences for automated course delivery
- - Want to accept tips from your audience
Choose Mailchimp if you:
- - Run a small business or ecommerce store
- - Need polished templates out of the box
- - Rely on 300+ third-party integrations
- - Want AI-powered predictive analytics
- - Already use Intuit products (QuickBooks)
- - Need SMS marketing (US-only)
Want Creator Features + Webinars + Funnels?
GetResponse offers everything Kit does plus webinars, conversion funnels, AI email builder, and landing pages from $19/mo with unlimited sends.
Try GetResponse Free for 14 DaysFAQ
Is Kit really free up to 10,000 subscribers?+
Yes. Kit's free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers with basic automation, sequences, landing pages, and forms. No credit card required, no time limit. The free plan does have Kit branding on emails and limits some advanced features (like visual automations), but it is genuinely usable for growing an audience. Mailchimp's free plan caps at 500 contacts with 1,000 sends/month.
Is Kit the same as ConvertKit?+
Yes. ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in late 2024. The platform, features, and pricing are the same — only the brand name changed. If you see "ConvertKit" in older reviews, it refers to the same product now called Kit.
Which is better for selling courses?+
Kit, by far. Kit's Creator Commerce lets you sell digital products directly from emails, and its Sequences feature is designed for automated course delivery. Mailchimp has no equivalent — you would need a separate platform (like Teachable or Thinkific) to sell and deliver courses. If you want an all-in-one that also includes webinars for course delivery, consider GetResponse which has built-in webinar hosting and a course builder.