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TL;DR: For your first 1,000 subscribers, MailerLite is the better buy for most bloggers: full automation, a friendlier editor and a lower paid price ($12/month versus $33). Kit wins if you want to stay free the longest, because its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, or if you’re building a creator business around courses and paid products.
I’ve spent real time inside both platforms, and the “which is best” question has two different answers depending on what you optimize for: the lowest cost with full features, or the longest free ride. This comparison lays out the actual numbers so you can decide in ten minutes and get back to writing.
One naming note before we start: Kit is the platform formerly known as ConvertKit. Same company, same product, new name. If you’ve read older comparisons like my post on ConvertKit vs Mailchimp for creators, that’s the same tool we’re discussing here.
MailerLite vs Kit at a glance
| MailerLite | Kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month | Up to 10,000 subscribers |
| Free plan limits | 3 automations, 3 forms, 1 website and 1 landing page | 1 basic automation; unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts |
| Paid entry price | Comfort, from $12/month | Creator, from $33/month (or $390/year) |
| Higher tier | Power, from $25/month, unlimited emails | Pro, from $66/month |
| Editor style | Visual drag-and-drop, big template gallery | Clean, text-first emails |
| Best for | Bloggers who want pretty emails and automation on a budget | Creators selling products who need deep automations and integrations |
Prices on both platforms scale with list size, so treat these as starting points and run your own numbers through their calculators before committing.
Pricing for your first 1,000 subscribers
Here’s the split that surprises people. On free plans, Kit wins outright: its Newsletter plan covers you all the way to 10,000 subscribers, while MailerLite’s free plan caps at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. You could reach your first 1,000 subscribers on Kit without paying a cent.
On paid plans, the order flips. MailerLite’s Comfort plan starts at $12 a month, and annual billing takes roughly another 10% off. Kit’s Creator plan starts at $33 a month, or $390 a year. That gap adds up to a couple hundred dollars a year at the exact stage when your blog probably isn’t earning much yet.
So the honest framing is this: Kit gives you the longest free runway, while MailerLite gives you the cheapest full toolbox once you’re ready to pay.
Free plan reality check
Free plans are marketing, and both companies designed theirs to nudge you somewhere. Kit’s free plan is generous on volume but thin on automation: you get a single basic automation, so one welcome flow and that’s it. You also get unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, which is genuinely useful for a new blog.
MailerLite’s free plan is the mirror image: tiny on volume but fuller on features, with three automations, three forms and the core editor included. Support is the catch. Free users get email and chat support for the first 14 days, and after that you’re on your own with the documentation.
My take: if your budget is zero and your list is your only project, start free on Kit and enjoy the headroom. If you’re under 250 subscribers and want to practice proper automation from day one, MailerLite’s free plan teaches you more.
Editors, templates and day-to-day use
MailerLite feels like a design tool. You drag blocks around, pick from a large template gallery, and build landing pages that look polished without fiddling. If visual newsletters suit your brand, or your audience expects a magazine feel, you’ll work faster here.
Kit takes the opposite stance: emails are text-first on purpose, built on the theory that a plain email from a person outperforms a glossy one from a brand. Plenty of full-time creators agree with that theory. The editor has grown more flexible over the years, but design is clearly not the heart of the product.
Neither approach is wrong. Match the tool to your voice: magazine-style content fits MailerLite, letter-from-a-friend fits Kit.
Automation, integrations and selling
On paid tiers, both platforms are capable. Kit’s visual automations and tagging system remain the reference point for creators running launches, evergreen funnels and product segmentation. Paid Kit plans also include Kit’s MCP, launched in May 2026, which connects AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT to your account so you can analyze your audience or draft broadcasts from a chat window.
MailerLite’s automation builder covers the standard blogger cases well: welcome series, link triggers, segmentation, RSS campaigns. It has less depth in complex edge cases, though for a blog plus a couple of digital products I’ve never hit a wall that mattered.
Integrations tilt toward Kit. Course platforms, membership tools and commerce apps usually ship their Kit integration first. MailerLite covers the majors (WordPress, Shopify, Zapier) but sits lower on most third-party priority lists.
One nuance for affiliate-focused bloggers: MailerLite is stricter about affiliate-heavy sending, so read their acceptable use policy before building a list around affiliate promotions. Kit is more relaxed there. If affiliate income is your plan, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing ($197) is the course I took myself, from Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, who earns over $50,000 a month with affiliate marketing, and it covers email promotion without burning your list.
Verdict: which one should you pick?
- Brand-new blog, zero budget: start on Kit’s free Newsletter plan and grow to 10,000 subscribers before paying.
- You send weekly and want automation, templates and low cost: MailerLite Comfort at $12/month is the value pick.
- You sell courses or run launches: Kit Creator, for the automations and integrations.
- You want unlimited sends and 24/7 chat support: MailerLite Power at $25/month.
And if you’re still figuring out what to actually send, my ultimate guide to email marketing covers list building, deliverability and content that keeps subscribers opening.
FAQ
Is MailerLite really free?
Yes, up to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails per month, including 3 automations and 3 signup forms. Beyond that you’ll need the Comfort plan, which starts at $12 a month and removes the feature ceilings.
Is Kit free for 1,000 subscribers?
Yes. Kit’s free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms. The trade-off is automation: you get one basic automation until you upgrade to the Creator plan.
Which is cheaper, MailerLite or Kit?
On paid plans, MailerLite: Comfort starts at $12 a month against $33 for Kit Creator, and both scale up with list size. On free plans, Kit stays free far longer thanks to its 10,000 subscriber allowance.
Can I switch email platforms later without losing my list?
Yes. Both platforms export your subscribers as a CSV and both offer import tools, so moving a small list is an afternoon job. Your forms and automations do need rebuilding, which is why switching early beats switching late.
Which has better deliverability?
Both are reputable senders, and your own habits matter more than the platform: an engaged list, a consistent schedule and regular cleaning beat any migration. Choose based on features and price, not on deliverability rumors.
Bottom line: most bloggers chasing their first 1,000 subscribers will be happiest paying for MailerLite, and it’s the platform I point friends to for their first serious list. Try MailerLite here, or grab Kit’s free plan if a $0 budget is the deciding factor right now.