Mailchimp vs MailerLite vs Kit: Which Email Platform Should You Choose?
Three of the most popular email platforms — but they serve very different audiences. Here is how to pick the right one for your list size, business type, and budget.
Mailchimp, MailerLite, and Kit (formerly ConvertKit) are often compared because they all handle newsletters and automations — but they are fundamentally different products aimed at different users. Picking the wrong one means paying more for features you do not use, or hitting limits you did not know existed.
Who each platform is actually built for
- Mailchimp — Built for small businesses and agencies. Broadest brand recognition, widest integration library, most complex UI. Good if you need Mailchimp-specific integrations or have an existing account. Expensive relative to alternatives at the same feature set.
- MailerLite — Built for small businesses and newsletter writers who want simplicity and value. Generous free tier (1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, automation included). Best price-to-features ratio in the market.
- Kit (ConvertKit) — Built for content creators, bloggers, and newsletter-first businesses. Best-in-class subscriber tagging and segmentation. Visual automation builder. Charges more per subscriber — justified if the creator-economy features matter to you.
The free tier reality check
- Mailchimp free — 500 subscribers, 1,000 emails/month, no automation (removed from free tier in 2023). The most restrictive of the three.
- MailerLite free — 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails/month, automation workflows included. The most generous free tier in this comparison.
- Kit free — 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends, one automation sequence. Strong free tier for creators who are just starting out.
For most small businesses starting out
MailerLite is the default recommendation. It has the best free plan, competitive paid pricing, and a clean enough builder for 95% of use cases. You can always migrate later if you hit genuine feature limits.
When to choose Mailchimp
- You use a platform that integrates specifically with Mailchimp — Some older e-commerce systems or CRMs sync with Mailchimp but not alternatives.
- Your team is already trained on it — Switching costs are real. If your team knows Mailchimp, the productivity cost of migration may outweigh the savings.
- You need Mailchimp's specific reporting — Mailchimp's e-commerce revenue attribution and A/B testing are solid features at the pro tier.
When to choose Kit
- You are a creator, blogger, or newsletter writer — Kit's tagging system, subscriber profiles, and commerce integrations (sell courses, digital products) are designed specifically for this.
- You need sophisticated list segmentation — Kit's tag-based system is more flexible than Mailchimp or MailerLite's list/group model for managing audience segments.
- You plan to monetise your audience directly — Kit Sponsor Network and direct product sales are built in. The other two require third-party integrations.
The alternatives worth considering
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) is strong if you want email + SMS + transactional email in one platform, and charges by send volume rather than subscriber count — better value if you have a large but low-frequency list. ActiveCampaign leads on automation depth if you need enterprise-grade CRM + email in one tool.
Ready to decide?
Use the Email Marketing Screener to filter by your criteria and compare options head-to-head.