Kit vs MailerLite: Which One Is Worth It After the Price Hikes

Both Tools Changed Pricing at the Same Time.

In September , Kit raised its paid plan prices by up to 35% for entry-level plans - and some users on higher tiers saw increases of up to 4x. The same month, MailerLite cut its free plan subscriber limit from 1,000 down to 500.

Both changes happened within weeks of each other. This one covers both. This one does.

If you are trying to choose between Kit and MailerLite right now, the old pricing comparisons are wrong. The old free tier comparisons are wrong. Both tools repriced within the same month. Here is the honest breakdown.

Pricing Is More Lopsided Than It Looks

Here is what you pay at each subscriber tier right now, side by side.

MailerLite is 55% to 74% cheaper at every paid tier. At 10,000 subscribers, Kit users pay $780 more per year than MailerLite users.

Over three years at 10,000 subscribers, that difference is $2,340 - enough to fund a serious paid ads budget or hire a part-time content writer.

The one exception is the free tier. And that is where the decision gets interesting.

The Free Tier Math Changed in September

Before September , both platforms offered similar free tiers. After September, they went in completely opposite directions.

Kit expanded its free plan from 1,000 subscribers to 10,000 subscribers. It now lets you send unlimited emails, create unlimited landing pages and forms, and even sell digital products - all at zero cost, up to 10,000 contacts.

The catch: the free plan limits you to one automation and one sequence. You cannot build multi-step workflows without upgrading to Creator at $39/month.

MailerLite went the other direction. It cut its free plan from 1,000 subscribers down to 500. If you go over that limit, sending stops completely until you either clean your list or upgrade. The paid plan starts at $10/month for up to 500 subscribers.

What MailerLite free does include, even at 500 subscribers, is worth noting: automation workflows, A/B testing, 10 landing pages, and 12,000 emails per month. The free tier is smaller but more functional than it looks on paper.

So the free tier comparison is no longer close. Kit wins that category by a wide margin - 10,000 free subscribers versus 500. If you are starting from zero and want to delay paying as long as possible, Kit is the choice.

The Build Free Then Migrate Strategy

The Kit free plan being 20x more generous than MailerLite has created a documented practitioner strategy. Creators build to 10,000 subscribers on Kit free, then evaluate whether to stay on Kit paid plans or migrate to a cheaper option like MailerLite once the bill kicks in.

One practitioner who advises creator businesses described the approach directly: build to 10K on Kit free, then migrate to MailerLite when you hit the paid wall. At 5,000 subscribers, Kit Creator costs $79/month versus MailerLite Growing at $32/month - a $564/year difference that is hard to justify unless Kit Commerce is actively generating revenue for you.

This path makes financial sense if you are not monetizing through Kit commerce tools. But there is a cost: migration time, potential deliverability dips during the move, and rebuilding automations from scratch in MailerLite format.

Kit knows this is happening. Their response is to make the Creator Network so valuable that paying the premium feels worth it to stay. Whether that works for you depends on whether you use creator-specific features.

The September Price Hike: What Happened

Kit raised its paid plan prices significantly - its first increase in 12 years. That framing matters. For most of its existence, Kit held prices flat while building the platform. Then it raised them steeply.

The Creator plan went from $15/month to $33/month at 1,000 subscribers - a 120% increase. Creator Pro went from $29/month to $66/month. Some users on larger lists saw effective increases of up to 4x depending on their tier and plan type.

Kit offset this by expanding the free Newsletter plan from 1,000 to 10,000 subscribers at the same time. For new users starting from zero, this was a genuine benefit. For established creators already on paid plans, it changed nothing - their monthly bill went up with no new features to show for it.

One user on G2 summed up what many were thinking: now paying $39 for 1K subscribers and getting less than competitors for half the price.

Users who were on the old $9 or $15 plans had even fewer options. Kit retired its most accessible plans just before raising prices, leaving existing customers with no downscale path.

Migration threads across Reddit and creator communities showed creators actively moving to MailerLite, Beehiiv, and EmailOctopus after the hike. MailerLite claims over 6,200 people have made the switch from Kit to MailerLite, citing pricing as the top reason.

Feature Scorecard: Where Each Tool Wins

Pricing alone does not make this decision. Here is where each tool wins on features - no hedging.

Email Editor

MailerLite wins. It has a proper drag-and-drop builder where you move elements anywhere on the canvas. You can add images, buttons, grids, and GIFs with full visual control.

Kit does not have a drag-and-drop editor. Even after recent redesigns, it uses a block-based system. The philosophy is deliberate - Kit favors plain-text-style emails that feel personal, not designed. For text-focused newsletters, this works fine. For branded campaigns with product grids and styled headers, Kit editor will frustrate you.

Email Templates

MailerLite wins. It offers 90+ templates across categories. Kit has roughly 20, all text-first by design.

Landing Pages

MailerLite wins on features. It includes video blocks, quiz blocks, and countdown timers, plus unlimited landing pages on paid plans. Kit landing pages are functional but limited - no video blocks, no countdown timers on the base plan.

A/B Testing

Kit A/B testing has a significant gap. MailerLite offers A/B testing at three levels: inside automations, on landing pages, and on opt-in forms. Kit offers A/B testing on subject lines but does not have in-automation split testing or A/B testing on landing pages or forms at the base plan level. Advanced A/B testing with up to 5 variants requires Creator Pro at $66/month or more.

Automations

Roughly tied, but in different ways. MailerLite automation builder is easier to use and more beginner-friendly. Kit automation system is more flexible for tag-based logic - you can build complex conditional trees based on subscriber behavior, purchases, and engagement scores. For most users, MailerLite automations are more than enough. For creators running complex segmented funnels, Kit tag system has an edge.

Reporting

MailerLite wins. It offers a dashboard overview where you can see all campaign performance at once. Kit requires you to open each email individually to view stats. If you are sending multiple campaigns per week, Kit per-email reporting gets tedious fast.

Deliverability

Both tools are strong here. Neither has a structural disadvantage. Both enforce anti-spam policies and support custom domain authentication.

Monetization

Kit wins, and it is not close. Kit Commerce lets you sell digital products, courses, and paid newsletter subscriptions with a polished checkout experience. Kit also offers a Tip Jar for fan support, paid recommendations where you earn money promoting other newsletters, and the SparkLoop referral integration included free on Creator Pro - a tool that normally costs $99/month separately. MailerLite can sell digital products on paid plans, but the experience is less mature. Kit was built for creators who sell. MailerLite was built for marketers who send.

Creator Network

Kit only. This feature has no MailerLite equivalent. The Creator Network lets Kit users cross-promote each other newsletters directly from sign-up forms. Kit claims creators who use cross-promotion grow their lists 2x as fast. There is no equivalent growth mechanism built into MailerLite.

Integrations

MailerLite edges ahead on raw count - over 150 integrations versus Kit 90+. For most people this does not matter. Both integrate with Stripe, Shopify, WordPress, Zapier, and the major tools creators use.

Support

MailerLite wins on availability. It offers 24/7 live chat support on paid plans. Kit support is slower - multiple Capterra reviews flag waiting three or more days for responses. MailerLite users consistently rate support as one of the top reasons they stay on the platform.

Nonprofit Discount

MailerLite only. It offers a 30% discount on all paid plans for verified nonprofits, which can stack on top of the 10% annual billing discount. Kit does not offer a comparable nonprofit discount.

Website Builder

MailerLite only. It includes a full drag-and-drop website builder, not just landing pages. Kit offers landing pages but not a website builder. For creators who want their email platform and their web presence in the same tool, MailerLite has an advantage.

Free Tier Feature Comparison

The subscriber cap is not the only thing that matters on free plans. Here is what you can do on each one before paying a cent.

Kit free plan is better for raw list-building. You can grow to 10,000 subscribers, send broadcasts, and sell products before paying anything. MailerLite free plan is smaller but more functional for marketers who need automation and A/B testing from day one - even on a tiny list.

What Kit Does That MailerLite Cannot Match

These are features that have no MailerLite equivalent.

Creator Network: Cross-promotion with other Kit creators built directly into sign-up flows. If you are growing a newsletter and want organic subscriber acquisition baked into the platform, this is Kit biggest unique asset. MailerLite has no equivalent.

Paid Recommendations: Kit lets you earn money by recommending other newsletters to your subscribers after they sign up. This is a monetization lever that MailerLite does not offer at all.

Commerce maturity: Kit digital product checkout experience, subscription billing, and tip jar have been iterated on for years. MailerLite can sell products on paid plans, but the checkout is less polished and the workflow is more manual.

Tag-based subscriber management: Kit tag system is more granular than MailerLite list-and-segment approach. If you are running multiple products and want laser-targeted segmentation without manual work, Kit tagging is easier to manage at scale.

Free migrations: Kit includes free managed migrations from MailerLite on all paid plans - their team handles importing subscribers, rebuilding landing pages, and moving content over.

SparkLoop included: Creator Pro includes a free SparkLoop referral integration. SparkLoop normally costs $99/month on its own. If you are running a newsletter referral program at scale, this inclusion changes the cost math significantly.

What MailerLite Does That Kit Cannot Match

Drag-and-drop editor: If you need branded campaigns with visual layouts, product grids, or multi-column designs, MailerLite gives you that. Kit does not.

A/B testing everywhere: Inside automations, on landing pages, and on opt-in forms. Kit A/B testing is limited to subject lines at the base level and requires upgrading to Pro for anything advanced.

Dashboard reporting: View all campaign stats in one place. Kit requires clicking into each email individually.

Website builder: A full drag-and-drop website, not just landing pages. If you want your email tool and your website in one platform, MailerLite handles it.

Nonprofit pricing: 30% off all paid plans, stackable with the 10% annual discount. At 10,000 subscribers, MailerLite at $54/month becomes $37.80/month after the nonprofit discount. Kit has nothing comparable.

24/7 support: MailerLite live chat is available around the clock on paid plans. Multiple Kit users on review platforms report multi-day waits for support responses.

Price predictability: MailerLite paid pricing remains roughly half of Kit at every tier. At 50,000 subscribers, MailerLite runs $262/month less - $3,144 per year.

Which Business Are You Running

Most comparison articles try to be neutral. This one is going to tell you directly which tool to use based on your situation.

Choose Kit if you are building from zero

10,000 subscribers before you pay a cent is genuinely the most generous free tier in email marketing right now. If you are starting a newsletter from scratch and plan to monetize through digital products or paid subscriptions, Kit free plan plus its commerce tools make it the best zero-cost starting point available.

Choose Kit if cross-promotion is your growth strategy

If the Creator Network and paid recommendations are part of your growth plan, Kit is the only platform with those features built in. One creator documented in community discussions that the Creator Network drove more subscriber growth than paid ads at a fraction of the cost. That alone can justify the price premium for the right business.

Choose Kit if your revenue comes from digital products

Kit Commerce is purpose-built for this. The checkout experience, the Stripe integration, the automatic post-purchase sequences - all of it is more mature than MailerLite comparable features.

Choose MailerLite if you already have a list

At every paid tier, MailerLite is 55% to 74% cheaper than Kit. At 25,000 subscribers, staying on Kit instead of moving to MailerLite costs you over $4,000 over three years.

Choose MailerLite if you need visual email design

Product launches, event announcements, brand campaigns with images and multi-column layouts - MailerLite drag-and-drop editor handles all of it. Kit block editor does not.

Choose MailerLite if you are a small business rather than a creator

MailerLite is built for a wider range of use cases. E-commerce integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, abandoned cart workflows, in-depth dashboard reporting - these are small business features that Kit does not prioritize.

Choose MailerLite if you run a nonprofit

MailerLite offers a 30% discount that stacks. There is no Kit equivalent.

Three-Year Cost of Ownership: What You Actually Spend Over Time

When I price out email platforms for creators, I always run the three-year number. Here is what that looks like at four common list sizes, assuming you stay on the same plan throughout.

At 25,000 subscribers, MailerLite saves you $4,032 over three years. That is not a rounding error. That is a meaningful operating cost difference for a creator business. Kit justifies that difference only if the Creator Network drives enough subscriber growth, or Kit Commerce generates enough revenue, to offset the premium. If neither of those features is in your workflow, you are paying thousands of dollars for features you are not using.

The Head-to-Head Feature Score

Based on live testing data from independent reviewers, here is how each tool scores across the categories that matter most.

MailerLite wins 9 of 14 head-to-head categories. Kit wins 3 - monetization, Creator Network, and free tier size. Two are ties. But those three Kit wins are exactly what matters most to a specific type of creator. Kit wins on price.

What Real Users Say About Switching

Across Capterra, G2, and creator communities, a few patterns emerge clearly.

I see this come up constantly - Kit users leaving after the price increase hits. One G2 reviewer put it plainly: Kit raised prices 35% and the platform still lacks basic A/B testing in automations. Another wrote that it would be a nightmare to switch - before switching anyway.

When MailerLite users leave, automation depth is what pushes them out. Advanced segmentation and conditional logic in Kit is more powerful for complex funnels. Users building sophisticated drip sequences sometimes find MailerLite automation builder limiting for edge cases.

One creator who migrated from Kit to MailerLite described the result directly: switched and saved 45% immediately, the email builder is better, the landing pages are comparable, no regrets.

The flip side: multiple Kit users in creator communities explicitly said the Creator Network drove subscriber growth and the premium was worth it. One wrote that Kit has the best creator community in email marketing and the Creator Network has driven more subscriber growth than anything else they tried.

The Bottom Line

Kit is the right tool if you are starting from zero, want to grow to 10,000 subscribers for free, and plan to make money through digital products, paid newsletters, or cross-creator growth. The monetization features and Creator Network are genuinely differentiated. If you use them, the price premium pays for itself.

MailerLite is the right tool if you already have a list, want to minimize platform costs, need visual email design, or are running a small business that does not need creator-specific monetization. The feature set is comprehensive and the support is better.

The worst choice is staying on Kit paid plan out of inertia when you are not using Commerce or the Creator Network. At $780 more per year than MailerLite at 10,000 subscribers, that habit is expensive.

If you are still building your list and lead generation is your constraint - before the email platform decision even matters - Try ScraperCity free to search millions of B2B contacts by title, industry, location, and company size. Getting the list is often the bottleneck, not the platform you use to email it.

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