TL;DR: In 2026, Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the better email platform for creators, bloggers and solopreneurs: it’s free up to 10,000 subscribers, automations are simpler, and unsubscribed contacts never count toward your bill. Mailchimp is the better fit for e-commerce and corporate teams — but its free plan now caps at just 250 contacts, and 10,000 contacts cost around $100/month versus $0 on Kit.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — I only recommend tools I’ve used for my own business.
A few years ago I already compared these two, and this page has been updated again for 2026 — because a lot changed. ConvertKit is now called Kit, its free plan grew to a massive 10,000 subscribers, and Mailchimp quietly shrunk its free plan to 250 contacts. Here’s the honest, current comparison.
Kit vs Mailchimp in 2026: the quick comparison
| Kit (ConvertKit) | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends, landing pages & forms | 250 contacts, 500 emails/month, Mailchimp branding |
| Paid from | $39/mo Creator ($33 annually) | $13/mo Essentials (500 contacts) |
| Cost at 10,000 subscribers | $0 (free plan) or Creator tier | ±$87–$100/mo (Essentials/Standard) |
| Billing logic | Per subscriber; unsubscribed contacts are free | Unsubscribed & non-subscribed contacts count until you archive them |
| Automations | Visual, creator-friendly, unlimited on Creator | Multi-step only from Standard ($20+/mo) |
| Monetization | Paid newsletters, tip jars, sponsor network, creator network | Focused on e-commerce/CRM integrations |
| Best for | Creators, bloggers, coaches, newsletter writers | E-commerce stores & corporate marketing teams |
What changed: ConvertKit is now Kit
In 2024 ConvertKit rebranded to Kit — same product, same team, sharper focus on creators. Since the rebrand they doubled down on what made them different: a free plan up to 10,000 subscribers, a built-in creator network and recommendations engine to grow your list, and native monetization (paid newsletters, digital products, tip jars and a sponsor network). If you read my older ConvertKit posts: everything still applies, it just got better.
An email platform built for creators
Kit thinks in subscribers, tags and segments — one person is one subscriber, no matter how many interests they have. Mailchimp historically thinks in lists and “audiences”, and it still bills you for unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts until you manually archive them. On a growing blog that difference alone can be hundreds of dollars a year.
The automation builder is where creators feel it most: in Kit you visually map “joined this form → gets this sequence → gets tagged on click” in minutes. I’ve built my favorite time-saving automations this way, and I’ve used Kit for everything from launches to PR outreach.
When Mailchimp is the better choice
Honest answer: Mailchimp wins for e-commerce and corporate teams. Its product recommendations, ad retargeting, CRM features and multichannel campaigns (SMS, social) go deeper than Kit’s. If you run a store on Shopify or WooCommerce with a marketing team, Mailchimp Standard ($20+/mo) is a serious option. But for a solo creator those features are paid weight you’ll never use — on a platform whose free plan now only covers 250 contacts.
Pricing in 2026: the real numbers
- Kit Newsletter (free): up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends, unlimited landing pages & forms, 1 automation + 1 sequence.
- Kit Creator: from $39/month ($33 billed annually) for 1,000 subscribers — unlimited automations & sequences, free concierge migration.
- Kit Creator Pro: from $79/month ($66 annually) — referral system, subscriber scoring, advanced reporting.
- Mailchimp Free: 250 contacts, 500 emails/month.
- Mailchimp Essentials: from $13/month for 500 contacts (±$87/month at 10k).
- Mailchimp Standard: from $20/month (±$100/month at 10k) — this is where real automation unlocks.
- Mailchimp Premium: from $350/month.
Deliverability matters more than price, though — an email that lands in spam earns nothing. Both platforms score well; I wrote about keeping your emails out of spam if you want to protect your sender reputation on either tool.
My verdict for 2026
If you’re a blogger, creator or coach: choose Kit. You can grow to 10,000 subscribers before paying anything, the automations are simpler, and switching later is painful — so start where you want to scale. If you’re an online store with a team: look at Mailchimp Standard first.
→ Try Kit free (up to 10,000 subscribers) and see the difference yourself
FAQ: Kit vs Mailchimp
Yes. ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in 2024. Same product, same team — the platform kept evolving under the new name, with a bigger free plan and a creator network built in.
Yes. Kit\u2019s free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends, landing pages and forms. You get one automation and one sequence; unlimited automations start on the Creator plan at $39/month ($33 billed annually).
Mailchimp\u2019s free plan is now limited to 250 contacts and 500 emails per month. Paid plans start at $13/month (Essentials, 500 contacts) and scale fast: around $87\u2013$100/month for 10,000 contacts, while Premium starts at $350/month.
Kit. It is built around subscribers instead of lists (no double-billing), tagging and automations are simpler, and monetization tools like paid newsletters, tip jars and sponsor networks are native. Mailchimp makes more sense for e-commerce teams that live inside its CRM and ad integrations.
Yes. Kit has a free concierge migration for lists over 5,000 subscribers and an importer for smaller lists. Your tags and segments come along, and Kit doesn\u2019t count unsubscribed contacts against your bill.