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The Quick Answer
Choose MailerLite if you want the best value, beautiful email designs, and solid automation at the lowest price. It’s the better all-around tool for most small businesses.
Choose ConvertKit if you are a blogger, creator, or newsletter writer focused on building an audience and selling digital products. It’s purpose-built for that use case.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | MailerLite | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| Free Plan | Up to 1,000 subscribers | Up to 10,000 subscribers |
| Starting Price | $9/month | $25/month |
| Email Templates | 50+ beautiful templates | Minimal — text focused |
| Automation | ✅ Included free | ✅ Included free |
| Landing Pages | ✅ Included | ✅ Included |
| E-commerce | ✅ Good | ✅ Good |
| Digital Products | Basic | ✅ Excellent |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Design Flexibility | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Creator Tools | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
Pricing Comparison
MailerLite Pricing
| Plan | Price | Subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 1,000 |
| Growing Business | From $9/month | Up to 500 |
| Advanced | From $19/month | Up to 500 |
ConvertKit Pricing
| Plan | Price | Subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 10,000 |
| Creator | From $25/month | Up to 300 |
| Creator Pro | From $50/month | Up to 300 |
Verdict: MailerLite is significantly cheaper on paid plans. ConvertKit’s free plan allows far more subscribers. If budget is your primary concern, MailerLite wins on paid plans. If you want to stay free longer, ConvertKit’s 10,000 subscriber free plan is hard to beat.
Email Design: MailerLite Wins
MailerLite has one of the best drag-and-drop email editors available. You get 50+ professionally designed templates, full design control over colors, fonts, and layouts, and emails that look great on every device.
ConvertKit takes the opposite approach — it is intentionally minimal. Most ConvertKit users send plain text or very simple HTML emails. The philosophy is that plain text emails feel more personal and get higher open rates. This works brilliantly for newsletter writers and creators. For businesses that want promotional emails with product images, banners, and visual layouts, it feels limiting.
Winner: MailerLite for design flexibility. ConvertKit for newsletter-style text emails.
Automation: Tie
Both platforms offer solid automation on their free plans — a genuine differentiator from competitors like Mailchimp.
MailerLite’s automation builder is visual and intuitive. You can set up welcome sequences, re-engagement campaigns, and e-commerce flows in minutes without any technical knowledge.
ConvertKit’s automation is tag and sequence based. It is extremely powerful for creators — you can tag subscribers based on interests, behavior, and purchases, then send highly targeted sequences. It has a slight learning curve but more flexibility for complex creator funnels.
Winner: Tie — MailerLite is easier, ConvertKit is more flexible for creators.
Subscriber Management: ConvertKit Wins
ConvertKit’s tag-based system is genuinely superior to traditional list-based management. Instead of having subscribers on separate lists that can’t interact, ConvertKit lets you tag the same subscriber multiple ways and target them with laser precision.
MailerLite uses traditional groups and segments which work well for most businesses but lack the flexibility of ConvertKit’s tag system.
Winner: ConvertKit for subscriber management and segmentation.
Digital Products and Monetization: ConvertKit Wins
ConvertKit has built-in tools for selling digital products, courses, and paid newsletters directly through the platform. If monetizing your audience through digital products is your primary goal, ConvertKit is purpose-built for this.
MailerLite has basic e-commerce integrations but is not designed primarily as a creator monetization platform.
Winner: ConvertKit for digital product sales and creator monetization.
Ease of Use: MailerLite Wins
Both tools are beginner-friendly, but MailerLite is genuinely easier to learn. The interface is cleaner, the editor is more intuitive, and you can send your first campaign faster.
ConvertKit’s tag-based system, while powerful, requires more time to understand and set up correctly.
Winner: MailerLite for ease of use.
Customer Support
Both platforms offer email support. MailerLite offers 24/7 live chat on paid plans. ConvertKit offers live chat during business hours on paid plans. Both have comprehensive knowledge bases and video tutorials.
Winner: Tie — both offer solid support for paid users.
Who Should Choose MailerLite?
- Small business owners who want professional-looking emails
- E-commerce businesses running promotional campaigns
- Anyone on a tight budget who needs paid plan features
- Businesses that want landing pages and pop-ups included
- Anyone who values beautiful email design
Who Should Choose ConvertKit?
- Bloggers and content creators
- Newsletter writers building a paid or free newsletter
- Course creators and online educators
- Anyone selling digital products or memberships
- Creators who want to monetize their audience directly
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch from ConvertKit to MailerLite or vice versa?
Yes — both platforms allow you to export your subscriber list as a CSV and import it to the other platform. Switching is straightforward and most businesses complete it in under an hour.
Which has better deliverability — MailerLite or ConvertKit?
Both have excellent deliverability rates. MailerLite’s strict account approval process helps maintain high deliverability across the platform. ConvertKit’s reputation among creator audiences also contributes to strong open rates.
Is MailerLite or ConvertKit better for beginners?
MailerLite is easier to get started with thanks to its visual editor and template library. Most beginners send their first campaign within an hour of signing up.
Which is better for a small e-commerce store?
MailerLite is the better choice for e-commerce — it has stronger visual email tools and better integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce for abandoned cart and purchase follow-up emails.
Final Verdict
Both MailerLite and ConvertKit are excellent email marketing platforms — the right choice simply depends on what kind of business you are building.
Go with MailerLite if you are a small business owner who wants the best value, beautiful emails, and solid all-around features at the lowest price.
Go with ConvertKit if you are a creator, blogger, or newsletter writer whose primary goal is building and monetizing an audience.
You really can’t go wrong with either. Both offer free plans — try whichever fits your use case and upgrade when your list grows.
Last updated: 2026. Pricing and features subject to change.
➡️ Try MailerLite free — free up to 1,000 subscribers, no credit card required.
