Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, BestStacked may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects our scores, rankings or verdicts. Full disclosure.
Kit Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 9 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Free up to 10k subscribers
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Creators, newsletter writers, course sellers
- Platforms
- Web
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
The Verdict
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) remains our pick for individual creators who want email, automation, and selling in one place. The Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited landing pages, forms, and broadcasts, plus built-in commerce. Creator ($39/month, or $33/month billed annually) adds Visual Automations, sequences, and the earning tools; Pro ($79/month, or $66/month annually) adds a referral program, engagement scoring, and deliverability reporting. Kit takes 3.5% + 30¢ per sale on every plan and 23.5% of Paid Recommendations and sponsorship earnings. The honest weakness is that pricing climbs quickly with list size: at 50,000 subscribers Creator is $379/month on monthly billing, and Kit's CRM depth is limited next to ActiveCampaign. For solo creators, course sellers, and newsletter writers under 25k subscribers, Kit is the right answer.
Best for
Solo creators, newsletter writers, and course sellers who need email plus simple automation and commerce.
Skip if
You are running a multi-channel marketing team or you have 50k+ subscribers — ActiveCampaign or Brevo will give you more for less.
AlternativesBeehiiv, Brevo, ActiveCampaign
The Background
What Is Kit?
Kit is an email marketing platform built specifically for creators. Originally launched in 2013 as ConvertKit, the company rebranded to Kit in 2024 and refocused the product around three jobs: build an audience, automate communication with that audience, and sell digital products to them directly inside the platform. Unlike traditional email tools that target businesses, Kit's interface and pricing are organized around how an individual creator actually works — landing pages, opt-in forms, broadcast emails, automated sequences, and a built-in commerce layer that lets you sell ebooks, courses, or memberships without leaving the platform. In a creator or small-business stack, Kit usually sits at the center: forms and landing pages feed the list, the Kit App Store and API connect course, membership, and store tools, and commerce, Paid Recommendations, and newsletter sponsorships turn the list into revenue.
The Product
Kit Features: What You Actually Get
Visual Automations
Kit's drag-and-drop automation builder lets you design subscriber journeys with conditional branches, time delays, tag-based triggers, and event-based actions. Visual Automations and sequences are on Creator and Pro (the Free plan has neither), and the underlying primitives — tags, segments, sequences — are flexible enough to handle most creator workflows without a custom CRM.
Build a 7-day welcome sequence that branches based on what lead magnet someone signed up for.
Unlimited landing pages and forms
Even on the Free plan, you get unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms, a newsletter site, and a custom domain for landing pages. Forms connect directly to your subscriber list with no extra setup. For creators just starting out, this means you can run a lead-capture funnel without paying for a separate landing page tool.
Spin up a free landing page for a new lead magnet without touching any other software.
Broadcast emails and sequences
Broadcasts are one-off newsletter sends; sequences are evergreen email series that subscribers receive automatically based on triggers. Broadcasts are unlimited on every plan; sequences require Creator or Pro.
Send a Tuesday newsletter to your full list, and at the same time keep a 12-email welcome sequence running for new subscribers.
Built-in commerce
Sell digital products, paid newsletters, and recurring subscriptions directly through Kit on every plan, including Free. Payments run through a Kit-managed Stripe account, and Kit handles delivery and subscription management. The fee is 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction on all plans; Kit's pricing page says that includes card processing fees. Kit collects VAT only (not US sales tax), and payouts go out weekly.
Launch an ebook, send the buyer their download link automatically, and tag them for upsell sequences — all inside Kit.
Recommendations Network
Through Kit's Creator Network, creators recommend each other's newsletters when someone subscribes. Free recommendations are on every plan (Free accounts get five Smart Recommendation slots). On Creator and Pro you can also earn through Paid Recommendations, where other creators pay per subscriber you send them; Kit takes 23.5% of those earnings (a 20% service fee plus a 3.5% transaction fee).
Get new subscribers from other creators in your niche by recommending each other's newsletters.
Subscriber tagging and segmentation
Tag subscribers based on what they did (clicked a link, bought a product, opened a specific email) and segment them with rules. The model is simpler than ActiveCampaign's lead scoring but flexible enough to power most creator workflows without becoming overwhelming.
Tag everyone who clicked a course launch email, then send a follow-up only to people who clicked but didn't buy.
Pro: referral system, scoring, and deliverability reporting
Pro adds the newsletter referral system (a free SparkLoop plan, which Kit values at $99/month), subscriber engagement scoring, engagement analytics, an insights dashboard, deliverability reporting, Facebook custom audiences, unlimited users, and the Growth Concierge team. Free migration from another platform is included on both Creator and Pro.
Run a 3-tier referral program where subscribers earn a discount, a guide, and a coaching call for sharing your newsletter.
Newsletter sponsorships, SMS, and Kit MCP
Paid plans can apply to Kit's newsletter sponsorships, where Kit matches brands to creators, you approve every ad, and advertisers pay per verified click; Kit keeps 23.5% of ad revenue. Creator and Pro also include SMS marketing (delivered through the SlickText app) and Kit MCP, which connects Kit to AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT.
Approve a sponsor placement for your weekly newsletter and send an SMS reminder before a launch closes.
Feature recap
- Visual automation builder with conditional branches
- Unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms
- Broadcast and evergreen sequence emails
- Built-in digital commerce with Stripe (3.5% + 30¢)
- Creator-to-creator Recommendations Network
- Subscriber tagging and segmentation
- Pro tier with referral system and deliverability reporting
- Newsletter sponsorships, SMS, and Kit MCP on paid plans
The Numbers
Kit Pricing: Every Plan Explained
Kit prices by subscriber count. The Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, and paid plans add features rather than just lifting subscriber caps. Creator and Pro both have a 14-day free trial. Prices below are for 1,000 and 10,000 subscribers; annual billing costs ten times the monthly rate (Kit's "save 17%").
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | Up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, free Recommendations, commerce at 3.5% + 30¢. No sequences or Visual Automations | Creators starting out and validating an audience |
| Creator (1k subs)Best value | $39 | $390 ($33/mo, save $78) | Unlimited Visual Automations and sequences, Kit MCP, A/B subject lines, polls, SMS, Paid Recommendations, sponsorships, 2 users | Most full-time creators |
| Pro (1k subs) | $79 | $790 ($66/mo, save $158) | Newsletter referral system, engagement scoring, deliverability reporting, Facebook custom audiences, unlimited users, priority support | Creators 5k+ subscribers running referrals |
| Creator (10k subs) | $139 | $1,390 ($116/mo) | All Creator features, scaled to 10,000 subscribers | Established creators in the 5k–10k range |
| Pro (10k subs) | $189 | $1,890 ($158/mo) | All Pro features, scaled to 10,000 subscribers | 10k+ subscriber creators with referral programs |
Kit's pricing model is creator-friendly at the small end and steep at the large end. Up to 10,000 subscribers, the Free plan covers list-building, broadcasts, and selling, but it has no sequences or Visual Automations, so the first welcome sequence is usually the upgrade trigger. Creator at $39/month ($33/month billed annually) adds automations, sequences, and the earning tools. Pro at $79/month ($66/month annually) is justifiable if you are running referrals or want engagement scoring and deliverability reporting. Where it gets expensive is at scale: at 50,000 subscribers Creator is $379/month and Pro is $519/month on monthly billing ($316 and $433/month billed annually). There is no cheaper tier below 1,000 subscribers. Annual billing saves two months — take it once you are committed.
The Tradeoffs
Kit Pros and Cons
What we love
- Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers
- Visual automation builder with conditional branches on paid plans
- Built-in commerce for digital products and subscriptions on every plan
- Free creator-to-creator recommendations on every plan
- Several ways to earn: commerce, Paid Recommendations, and sponsorships
- Clean, distraction-free writing interface
- Free migration from another platform on Creator and Pro
- API access on every plan, plus 100+ direct apps
What could be better
- Pricing scales aggressively above 10k subscribers
- Limited CRM depth compared to ActiveCampaign
- SMS runs through the SlickText app rather than a native channel
- Email design templates are intentionally minimal
- Kit takes 23.5% of Paid Recommendations and sponsorship earnings
- Free plan support is email only, and paid apps need an upgrade
- Free plan has no sequences or Visual Automations
The Audience
Who Should Use Kit?
Best for: solo newsletter writers building an audience
If you are growing a newsletter from zero, the Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, so you can build the list before paying. Free recommendations through the Creator Network are included on every plan. Upgrade when you need a welcome sequence or automation.
Best for: course creators selling digital products
The built-in commerce layer with Stripe means you can sell an ebook, digital download, or paid subscription without bolting on Gumroad or Stan Store, at 3.5% + 30¢ per sale. On Creator and Pro, tag-based automation handles upsell and downsell sequences.
Skip if: you run multi-channel marketing with SMS and paid ads
Brevo or ActiveCampaign is a better fit. Kit is intentionally focused on email and commerce: SMS comes through the SlickText app and ad-audience sync is limited to Facebook custom audiences on Pro, so a team that needs multi-channel campaigns and a CRM built in should look elsewhere.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed Kit
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : Substantive update. Renamed plans to Kit's current Free / Creator / Pro and corrected prices: Creator $39/mo or $390/yr ($33/mo), Pro $79/mo or $790/yr ($66/mo); at 10,000 subscribers $139 and $189/mo; at 50,000 subscribers Pro is $519/mo, not $549. Corrected the commerce fee to 3.5% + 30¢ on every plan (Kit says it includes card processing), the Free plan (no sequences or Visual Automations), the refund window (30 days from signup), support (24/7 email and chat on paid plans), free migration (Creator and Pro), and SMS (available via SlickText) and Facebook custom audiences (Pro). Added Kit's 23.5% fee on Paid Recommendations and newsletter sponsorships. Removed the iOS/Android app claims (no Kit app found), the user count, unverified superlatives and outcome claims, the AI-training claim, and unverified integrations (Webflow, Deadline Funnel, SSO). Verified Beehiiv and Substack pricing; ActiveCampaign and Brevo prices now point to the vendor.
The Field
Kit vs The Competition
Kit is our pick for individual creators, but these competitors are worth serious consideration depending on your specific needs.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | Free up to 10k subscribers | Yes | Visual Automations | 9/10 |
| Beehiiv | Free (2,500 subs) / $49/mo (Lite, annual) | Yes | Best for paid newsletters and ad revenue | 9.4/10 |
| Brevo | See brevo.com | Yes | All-in-one email + SMS + CRM | 8.7/10 |
| ActiveCampaign | See activecampaign.com | No | Deep automation and CRM | 8.7/10 |
| Substack | Free (10% of paid subscriptions) | Yes | Best for paid subscription newsletters | 8.2/10 |
Beehiiv: Beehiiv is the closest direct competitor and arguably better if your monetization strategy is paid subscriptions or ads: its Lite plan advertises a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions. Its free plan stops at 2,500 subscribers, versus Kit's 10,000. Kit wins on automation depth and commerce.Read our Beehiiv review →See Kit vs Beehiiv →
Brevo: Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) includes SMS and a basic CRM alongside email. The trade-off is a less creator-focused interface and weaker commerce features.Read our Brevo review →
ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign is the right choice if your needs are closer to small-business marketing than creator publishing. The automation goes deeper but the learning curve is real.Read our ActiveCampaign review →
Substack: Substack is free to publish and keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus Stripe's processing and Billing fees. It has a built-in reader network, app, video and chat, but simpler automations and no standalone digital-product sales like Kit's.Read our Substack review →
In The Wild
How People Actually Use Kit
A newsletter writer growing from 500 to 10,000 subscribers
Run the growth phase on the Free plan. Use free recommendations from week one to trade subscribers with other creators in your niche. Move to Creator when you need a welcome sequence or automation, or want to earn through Paid Recommendations or sponsorships.
A course creator launching a $497 course
On Creator or Pro, use Visual Automations to send a 7-day pre-launch sequence with branching based on engagement. Sell access directly through Kit Commerce (3.5% + 30¢ per sale), automatically tag buyers, and trigger an onboarding sequence when payment goes through. Kit delivers digital files and links; host the course itself on a platform like Teachable or Kajabi, which connect through the Kit App Store.
A coach offering a paid newsletter at $10/month
Set up a paid subscription in Kit Commerce (monthly, quarterly, or yearly), send paid issues as broadcasts filtered to subscribers of that product, and let Kit handle subscription management and renewals. Free posts go to your full list; paid posts go only to paying subscribers.
A solopreneur running a digital agency with a small list
Use Kit for both nurture and lead-gen. Tag every subscriber with their interest area, send segmented broadcasts, and (on Creator or Pro) run a 'welcome to the agency' automation that delivers your case studies and links to your Calendly or SavvyCal booking page.
The Ecosystem
Kit Integrations
Kit's pricing page lists 100+ direct apps in the Kit App Store, and API access is included on every plan, so anything missing can be wired up through Zapier, Make, or n8n. Paid apps in the App Store need a paid plan.
- →Stripe (native, for commerce)
- →Zapier
- →WordPress
- →Squarespace, Shopify, Wix
- →Teachable, Thinkific, Kajabi
- →Calendly, Acuity, SavvyCal
- →ThriveCart and Gumroad
- →Make and n8n
- →SlickText (SMS) and Facebook custom audiences (Pro)
- →Webhooks
- →REST API (v4) on every plan
- →Kit MCP for Claude and ChatGPT (paid plans)
SMS runs through the SlickText app, ad-audience sync covers Facebook custom audiences on Pro only, and there is no CRM pipeline. Kit is a focused creator email tool, not an all-in-one marketing platform. If your stack needs those built in, look at Brevo or ActiveCampaign.
Common Questions
Kit FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use Kit?
Kit is the email platform we recommend most often to creators in 2026, and a Free plan that covers 10,000 subscribers makes it easy to start. Solo newsletter writers, course sellers, and coaches can build a list and sell digital products without a subscription fee, paying only 3.5% + 30¢ per sale. The Creator plan at $39/month ($33/month billed annually) adds the automations and sequences most creators need once they start launching. The Pro tier is worth it when you want to run a referral program or need engagement scoring and deliverability reporting. The honest weakness is that pricing gets aggressive above 10,000 subscribers, and Kit is intentionally focused on email and commerce rather than the multi-channel marketing some teams need. But for the audience the product was designed for — individual creators building a publishing business — Kit is still the right call. We score it 9.0/10 and it is our top pick among email platforms for creators.
Yes, if
you are a solo creator, course seller, or newsletter writer with under 25,000 subscribers
No, if
you run multi-channel marketing for a small business — Brevo or ActiveCampaign will fit better
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
Keep reading
Related to Kit
Head-to-head
Compare Beehiiv vs Kit (ConvertKit)
Pricing, strengths and who each tool fits — side by side.
Category
Best AI Tools for Creators
See how Kit ranks against the rest of the category.
Review
ActiveCampaign review
Deep email + automation platform below enterprise pricing
Review
Mailchimp review
Email and SMS Marketing for Small Businesses, Priced by Contacts From $13 a Month
Review
GetResponse review
Email Marketing With Automation, Webinars and Courses Under One Roof
Stack Pack
The Creator Stack
Kit is part of this stack.
Stack Pack
The Course Creator Stack
Kit is part of this stack.
Get the best of BestStacked
The AI tools worth knowing. None of the noise.
- New AI tool and software reviews as they publish
- Head-to-head comparisons and stack breakdowns
- The occasional recommendation worth knowing
No fake urgency. No made-up weekly cadence. Unsubscribe anytime.