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ConvertKit (Kit)

ConvertKit — recently rebranded to Kit — is email marketing built specifically for creators. Unlike Mailchimp or Constant Contact, it’s designed around subscribers, tags, and visual automations rather than lists and campaigns.

What you get

• Visual automations — Drag-and-drop builder for email sequences and triggers
• Landing pages and forms — Built-in lead capture with templates
• Tag-based segmentation — Automatically tag subscribers based on behaviour
• Subscriber scoring — Identify your most engaged readers
• Recommendations — Subscriber-to-subscriber recommendations for growth
• Commerce — Sell digital products directly via email
• Integrations — Works with Ghost, Shopify, Teachable, Gumroad, and more

ConvertKit’s approach is fundamentally different from traditional email marketing platforms. Instead of organising subscribers into rigid lists, it uses tags — flexible labels that you can apply, remove, and combine based on subscriber behaviour. This makes it possible to create highly personalised email experiences without managing dozens of separate lists.

Pricing

Pricing increases with subscriber count. At 3,000 subscribers, the Creator plan costs $50/month. At 10,000 subscribers, it is $93/month. This means ConvertKit can become expensive at scale compared to alternatives like Mailchimp or Beehiiv — but the trade-off is a platform purpose-built for creators, not a repurposed enterprise tool.

The free plan supports up to 1,000 subscribers with basic features — enough to validate your newsletter idea and build a list before committing financially.

Key features explained

Visual automations are the heart of ConvertKit. You can build complex email sequences triggered by subscriber actions — someone joins via a landing page, receives a welcome sequence, gets tagged based on link clicks, and moves through different email paths automatically. The drag-and-drop builder is intuitive enough for non-technical creators while powerful enough for sophisticated marketing funnels.

Subscriber scoring (Creator Pro) automatically ranks your subscribers based on engagement — email opens, link clicks, purchases. This helps you identify your most loyal readers and target them with special offers or exclusive content, maximising revenue from your best subscribers.

Recommendations is a unique growth feature where other ConvertKit creators can recommend your newsletter to their audience, and vice versa. It works like a cross-promotion network — if you build relationships with complementary creators, you can grow your subscriber base organically without paid advertising.

Pros and cons

How ConvertKit compares

	ConvertKit	Mailchimp	Beehiiv	Substack
Starting price	Free (≤1K)	Free (≤500)	Free (≤2.5K)	Free (10% rev cut)
Mid-tier price (1K subs)	$25/month	$13/month	$42/month	$0 + 10%
Visual automations	✅ Drag-and-drop	✅ Classic builder	✅ Simple flows	❌ None
Paid newsletters	✅ Commerce	❌ No	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in
Landing pages	✅ Unlimited	✅ Limited	✅ Unlimited	❌ Blog only
Ad network	❌	❌	✅ Beehiiv Ads	❌
Best for	Course creators, digital products	E-commerce, retail	Growth-focused newsletters	Writing-first, simplicity

Who is it for?

Good fit:

• Newsletter writers who want to grow and monetise
• Creators selling digital products via email
• Anyone moving from Substack who wants more control
• Podcasters and YouTubers with email lists
• Course creators running launch sequences

ConvertKit’s tag-based architecture makes it uniquely suited for creators who want to build sophisticated email experiences without writing code. While Mailchimp requires navigating complex list management and Beehiiv pushes growth features, ConvertKit focuses on the fundamentals: send the right email to the right person at the right time, with minimal friction. For course creators launching products, this focus on simplicity pays dividends during high-stress launch periods.

Consider alternatives:

• Ghost if you want publishing + email in one platform
• Beehiiv if you need growth features (boosts, ad network)
• Mailchimp is cheaper for pure email blasts but less creator-focused

Getting started with ConvertKit

Begin by importing existing subscribers or creating your first landing page. ConvertKit’s landing page builder is intentionally simple — choose a template, add copy, and publish. You can go from zero to a live sign-up page in under 15 minutes.

Next, set up your first automation. A typical welcome sequence includes a confirmation email, a content preview email, and an introduction email. Use tags to segment subscribers who click different links — this lets you send targeted content without manual list management.

The Recommendations feature is ConvertKit’s hidden gem for growth. After publishing a few issues, apply to the network. Other creators may recommend your newsletter to their audience, driving organic growth without paid advertising.

For creators selling digital products, set up Commerce to sell directly from emails. You can create product pages, set prices, and accept payments without a separate shopping cart.

Try ConvertKit