Kit (ConvertKit) Review 2026: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) has been the go-to email platform for online creators since Nathan Barry founded it in 2013. The 2025 rebrand from ConvertKit to Kit signals a broader ambition, but the core product remains focused on helping creators build audiences and earn a living through email.
This review covers Kit's features, pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and who should (and should not) use it in 2026.
The Verdict
Kit is the best newsletter platform for creators who sell digital products, courses, or memberships alongside their email list. Its visual automation builder is the best in the industry, and native commerce features eliminate the need for Gumroad or Teachable. The free tier (10,000 subscribers) is the most generous available. However, for creators whose newsletter IS the product, Beehiiv offers better growth and monetization tools.
What Is Kit?
Kit is an email marketing platform designed for online creators: bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters, course creators, and newsletter writers. It combines email broadcasting, automation sequences, landing pages, subscriber management, and digital product sales into one platform.
Unlike Mailchimp (which targets small businesses and e-commerce) or Beehiiv (which targets newsletter-first creators), Kit is built for the creator who uses email as a core part of a broader business that includes products, services, or content.
Key Features
Visual Automation Builder
Kit's visual automation builder is its defining feature. You can create complex subscriber journeys with branching logic, time delays, conditional checks, and triggers based on subscriber behavior. No other newsletter platform matches the depth and usability of Kit's automations. If you need welcome sequences, launch funnels, or behavioral email flows, Kit is the best choice.
Native Digital Product Sales
Sell ebooks, courses, templates, presets, and other digital products directly through Kit. No Gumroad, no Teachable, no Stripe configuration. Customers pay, get the product delivered, and enter your email list automatically. Kit handles payment processing and delivery. This is the single biggest differentiator from Beehiiv and Substack.
Subscriber Tagging & Segmentation
Tag subscribers based on behavior (link clicks, purchases, form submissions), interests, or custom fields. Use tags to trigger automations or segment your broadcasts. The tagging system is flexible and powerful, though Beehiiv's segmentation capabilities have caught up in recent updates.
Landing Pages & Forms
Kit includes a landing page builder and embeddable signup forms. The templates are functional but not design-forward. Adequate for most creators, but if you want a polished web presence, Beehiiv's website builder or Ghost's themes are superior.
Creator Network
Kit has a recommendation feature where creators can recommend each other's newsletters to new subscribers. Similar in concept to Substack's recommendation engine, but with smaller scale. Beehiiv's Boost network is more mature for paid cross-promotions.
Kit Pricing
| Plan | Price | Subscribers | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newsletter (Free) | Free | Up to 10,000 | Broadcasts, landing pages, basic tagging |
| Creator | $25/mo | Up to 1,000 | Automations, sequences, integrations |
| Creator Pro | $50/mo | Up to 1,000 | Advanced reporting, subscriber scoring, priority support |
Pricing scales with subscriber count. At 5,000 subscribers, the Creator plan costs ~$66/month. At 25,000 subscribers, it costs ~$150/month. At 50,000 subscribers, ~$266/month. This makes Kit significantly more expensive than Beehiiv at scale ($39/month for up to 100K).
The free tier is excellent for getting started: 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, and basic landing pages. But you need a paid plan to access automations and sequences, which are Kit's strongest features.
Pros
- Best-in-class visual automation builder
- Native digital product sales
- Most generous free tier (10,000 subs)
- Excellent email deliverability
- Large integration ecosystem (200+)
- Creator Network for cross-recommendations
- Proven platform (since 2013)
Cons
- Email editor is functional but basic
- No built-in ad network
- No referral or boost program
- Pricing increases sharply with subscriber count
- Landing page designs are limited
- No SEO-optimized web hosting
Who Should Use Kit?
- Course creators and educators who sell digital products and need automated delivery
- YouTubers and podcasters who use email to drive engagement and product sales
- Creators with complex funnels who need branching automations and behavioral triggers
- Anyone who needs native commerce without adding Gumroad, Teachable, or Stripe
Who Should NOT Use Kit?
- Newsletter-first creators should use Beehiiv, which has better growth tools (ad network, referrals, boosts)
- Writers who want simplicity should use Substack (zero setup, built-in audience)
- Developers who want full ownership should use Ghost (open-source, self-hostable)
- Budget-conscious creators at scale should consider Beehiiv ($39/mo for 100K subs vs Kit's $266/mo for 50K)
Kit vs the Competition
Kit vs Beehiiv: Kit is better for selling products. Beehiiv is better for pure newsletter growth. Full comparison here.
Kit vs Substack: Kit has automations, commerce, and a 10K free tier. Substack is simpler and has built-in discovery but takes 10% of revenue. See our Substack alternatives breakdown.
Kit vs Mailchimp: Kit is designed for creators. Mailchimp is designed for small businesses and e-commerce. Kit is simpler, cheaper at moderate scale, and has better automation for newsletters. Mailchimp has deeper e-commerce integrations.
Try Kit free for up to 10,000 subscribers
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