Kit vs MailerLite: Which Budget-Friendly Email Platform Is Better?

Kit and MailerLite are the two best values in email marketing right now. Both have generous free plans, both offer more features than you’d expect at their price points, and both are strong enough that I’ve seen people agonize over this decision for weeks.

Here’s how to stop overthinking it.

At a Glance

	Kit	MailerLite
Rating	9.0	8.5
Free plan	10,000 subscribers	500 subscribers, 12,000 emails/mo
Entry paid	$39/mo (Creator, 1K subs)	$10/mo (Growing Business, 500 subs)
At 5K subs	$89/mo	$39/mo
At 10K subs	$139/mo	$73/mo
Best for	Creators, newsletters	Small businesses, budget-conscious

The Free Plan Gap

This is the decision point for a lot of people.

Kit’s free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers. You get landing pages, signup forms, and the ability to send broadcast emails. The catch: no visual automations on free, and email support only (no live chat).

MailerLite’s free plan caps at 500 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. You get the drag-and-drop editor, landing pages, signup forms, and 10 templates. Automations are included on free.

If you’re starting from zero and don’t know how fast you’ll grow, Kit’s 10,000-subscriber ceiling gives you dramatically more runway. You could build a real audience without spending a dollar.

If you’re already past 500 subscribers or need automation from day one, the free plan comparison matters less - you’ll be paying either way.

Pricing at Scale

All prices shown are monthly billing unless noted.

This is where the picture flips. Once you’re paying, MailerLite is significantly cheaper:

Subscribers	Kit Creator	MailerLite Growing Business
1,000	$39/mo	$15/mo
2,500	$59/mo	$25/mo
5,000	$89/mo	$39/mo
10,000	$139/mo	$73/mo

At 5,000 subscribers, Kit costs more than double what MailerLite charges. That gap adds up fast. The question is whether Kit’s creator-specific features justify the premium.

What Kit Does Better

Creator Monetization

Kit was built for creators who sell things. Digital products, paid newsletters, online courses - Kit handles all of these natively. The commerce features are built into the platform, not bolted on. You can sell a $49 ebook and have Kit handle the checkout, delivery, and email sequence that follows.

MailerLite has ecommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce), but it doesn’t have native product sales the way Kit does.

Visual Automations

Kit’s visual automation builder is one of the best in the category. You can see the entire subscriber journey mapped out as a flowchart, with branching logic based on tags, purchases, and behavior. It’s intuitive enough that non-technical creators can build complex sequences.

MailerLite has automations too, and they work well. But Kit’s visual builder is more polished and handles more complex branching.

Free Tier Ceiling

10,000 subscribers on free versus 500. If growth is the goal, Kit lets you reach a real audience before you pay anything.

What MailerLite Does Better

Price at Every Paid Tier

There’s no getting around it. MailerLite is cheaper at every subscriber count on paid plans. At 10,000 subscribers, the difference is $66/month ($139 vs $73). That’s $792/year.

Email Editor

MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor is arguably the best in budget email marketing. Clean, fast, and requires zero design skills. Kit leans toward text-based emails (which have their own deliverability advantages), but if you want designed, visual emails, MailerLite’s editor is stronger.

Landing Pages and Forms

Both platforms include landing pages and forms. MailerLite’s landing page builder is more flexible, with more templates and a better visual editor. Kit’s landing pages work but are simpler.

Website Builder

MailerLite includes a full website builder on paid plans. Kit doesn’t. If you need a simple site alongside your email marketing and don’t want a separate tool, MailerLite covers it.

Who Should Pick What

Choose Kit if:

• You’re a creator who sells digital products, courses, or paid newsletters
• You want to grow on a free plan as long as possible (10K ceiling)
• Visual automation workflows matter to your strategy
• You value text-based emails (better inbox placement in some cases)
• You plan to monetize your audience directly

Choose MailerLite if:

• Budget is the top priority and you need to keep costs low
• You want a better visual email editor and designed templates
• You need a website builder included in your plan
• You’re a small business doing traditional email marketing
• Ecommerce integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce) matter more than native product sales

The Bottom Line

Both are excellent tools. Kit earns a 9.0 because the creator monetization features and massive free tier make it the best starting point for anyone building an audience. MailerLite earns an 8.5 because it’s the best value in email marketing - more features per dollar than almost anyone.

The short version: if you’re a creator, start with Kit. If you’re a small business watching the budget, start with MailerLite. You’ll be well-served either way.

Try Kit free | Try MailerLite free