Mailchimp vs. Kit (ConvertKit): The Email Marketing Showdown
Mailchimp is the better all-around marketing platform — email, landing pages, social ads, basic CRM. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the better tool if you're a creator who just needs dead-simple email marketing that works. I ran real campaigns on both for 4 weeks. Here's everything I learned.
A Quick Note: ConvertKit is Now "Kit"
In case you missed it, ConvertKit rebranded to just "Kit" back in October 2024. Same tool, same team, new name. I'll call it Kit throughout this review, but if you're Googling around, don't be confused — it's the same platform.
What I Actually Tested
I set up both platforms with a real email list, designed campaigns in each, built automated sequences, tested deliverability, played with their landing page builders, and contacted support on both to see who actually helps. I used Mailchimp's Essentials plan ($13/month for 500 contacts) and Kit's Creator plan ($39/month for 1,000 subscribers) to keep things fair on the paid tier comparison. I also spent time on both free plans.
Mailchimp: The Good and the Bad
✅ What I Liked
- Polished email builder — drag-and-drop editor with tons of templates that actually look professional
- More than just email — social ads, postcards, landing pages, and a basic CRM built in
- Great reporting — detailed analytics with click maps, open rates, and revenue tracking
- Huge integration library — connects to pretty much everything
- Brand recognition — your recipients are more likely to trust Mailchimp-powered emails
❌ What Bugged Me
- Free plan has been gutted — limited to 500 contacts and 1,000 sends, no automations
- Pricing climbs fast — the more contacts you add, the steeper the bill gets
- Counts unsubscribed contacts — yes, you pay for people who've opted out unless you archive them
- Automation builder is clunky — works, but it's not intuitive compared to the competition
- Premium plan is absurdly expensive — $350/month starting price for features most people don't need
Kit (ConvertKit): The Good and the Bad
✅ What I Liked
- Stupidly simple to use — if you can write an email, you can use Kit
- Visual automation builder is great — drag, drop, and you've got a workflow that makes sense
- Free plan allows 10,000 subscribers — one of the most generous free tiers in email marketing
- Built for creators — sell digital products, set up paid newsletters, run referral programs
- Subscriber-first pricing — only counts confirmed subscribers, not every random contact
- Free migration on paid plans — they'll move your whole list and automations from another tool
❌ What Bugged Me
- Email templates are limited — designed for plain-text style emails, which is great for creators but rough if you want visual newsletters
- Gets expensive as you grow — prices jumped significantly in September 2025
- No built-in CRM or ads — it's email and that's pretty much it
- Reporting is basic on lower tiers — you need Creator Pro for deeper analytics
- Landing page builder is bare bones — functional but nothing fancy
Pricing: Where Your Money Actually Goes
Mailchimp uses a tiered system based on contacts (and they count everyone — even unsubscribed contacts unless you manually archive them). Here's the gist: Free gets you 500 contacts and 1,000 sends with no automations. Essentials starts at $13/month for 500 contacts (send limit is 10x your contacts). Standard starts at $20/month for 500 contacts with better automation and dynamic content. Premium starts at $350/month for 10,000 contacts — overkill for most small businesses.
Kit prices by subscriber count and only counts confirmed subscribers. The free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends but limited to one automation. Creator starts at $39/month for 1,000 subscribers. Creator Pro starts at $79/month for 1,000 subscribers, adding advanced analytics and a referral system. Annual billing saves about 16% across the board.
My take: At small list sizes, Mailchimp is cheaper on paper. But once you factor in their contact counting games and the features you actually get, Kit often delivers more value. Kit's free plan supporting 10,000 subscribers versus Mailchimp's 500 is a night-and-day difference for someone just starting out.
Deliverability: Does Your Email Actually Arrive?
This is the thing nobody talks about but everyone should care about. Both platforms have solid deliverability, but in my testing, Kit had a slight edge. Kit's focus on text-based emails and smaller, more engaged lists means inbox providers tend to trust them. Mailchimp's broader user base includes more spammy senders, which can occasionally drag shared IP reputation down — though their paid plans mitigate this with better IP allocation.
Bottom line: both will get your emails delivered. But if deliverability is your number one concern, Kit's creator-focused approach gives it a small but real advantage.
Who Should Pick Mailchimp?
- You want an all-in-one marketing platform — not just email
- You run an ecommerce store and need revenue tracking and product recommendations
- You love drag-and-drop email design with lots of visual templates
- You need to run social media ads alongside your email campaigns
- Your team needs multiple user seats and role-based access
Who Should Pick Kit?
- You're a blogger, YouTuber, podcaster, or course creator
- You prefer clean, text-focused emails over flashy design
- You want to sell digital products or paid newsletters directly from your email platform
- You're just starting out and want to grow to 10,000 subscribers for free
- You value simple, visual automation that just makes sense
- You have a massive list (100k+) on a tight budget — look at Brevo or MailerLite
- You need advanced marketing automation on par with HubSpot or ActiveCampaign
- You're a large team that needs enterprise security features
The Head-to-Head Breakdown
Ease of Use: Kit wins. It's built to be simple and it delivers on that promise. Mailchimp isn't hard to use, but there are more menus, more options, and more places to get lost. Kit feels like it was designed for people who'd rather be creating content than fiddling with email software.
Email Design: Mailchimp wins if you want gorgeous, visual newsletters with product layouts, image blocks, and heavy branding. Kit wins if you want clean, personal-feeling emails that look like they came from a real person's inbox — which, honestly, tends to get better engagement.
Automation: Kit's visual automation builder is more intuitive and easier to set up. Mailchimp's automation works fine but feels dated by comparison — more dropdown menus, less visual flow.
Free Plan: Kit wins in a landslide. 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends versus Mailchimp's 500 contacts and 1,000 sends. It's not even a contest for beginners.
All-in-One Marketing: Mailchimp wins here. If you want social ads, postcards, a basic CRM, and ecommerce tools alongside your email, Mailchimp is the more complete package. Kit does email and does it well, but that's where it stops.
My Final Take
These two tools are built for different people, and that's okay. Mailchimp wants to be your entire marketing department in a box — email, ads, CRM, landing pages, the works. Kit wants to be the best email tool a creator could ask for — simple, focused, and designed to help you build an audience and sell to them.
If you're running a small ecommerce business and need the full marketing suite, Mailchimp makes sense. If you're a creator, blogger, or solopreneur who just wants email that works without the bloat, Kit is the smarter pick.
What I'd actually do: If you're starting from zero, sign up for Kit's free plan. You can grow to 10,000 subscribers without paying a cent, and by the time you need paid features, you'll know whether Kit's style fits you. If it doesn't — if you need more visual templates, ads, or ecommerce integration — that's when I'd look at Mailchimp's Essentials tier.
Both platforms offer free plans or trials. Start with the one that matches your workflow and see how it feels with your actual content.
Try Kit Free → Try Mailchimp Free →
Not affiliate links. I make $0 if you sign up for either one.
Tested by: UnbiasedSaaS | Last updated: February 2026 | Questions? Get in touch