Writer’s Review: “The rebrand was pointless and the recent price hike stung. But underneath the questionable marketing decisions, the product is still one of the best email platforms for creators. The free plan is absurdly generous, the automations are powerful, and the company is bootstrapped and profitable — which means it’s not going anywhere.”
Let’s talk about the name change
In October 2024, ConvertKit rebranded to “Kit.” That’s it. The product didn’t change. The features didn’t change. The team didn’t change. They just dropped a name that creators had spent a decade learning to trust and replaced it with one of the most generic, unsearchable names in SaaS history. Try Googling “Kit email” and see what happens.
Founder Nathan Barry’s reasoning was that the brand had outgrown the “convert” part of the name. Fair enough — but the rebrand confused existing users, muddied SEO, and gave competitors a free window to poach customers who thought the product was shutting down. It was a self-inflicted wound. The good news? It only affected the name. Everything under the hood is still the same ConvertKit that 600,000+ creators rely on.
How it compares on price
Email platform pricing is based on subscriber count, making direct comparison tricky. Here’s what you’d pay at the 1,000 subscriber mark — longer bars mean better value:
Beehiiv — Free (up to 2,500)Cheapest
Kit Free — $0 (up to 10,000)Best Free Tier
Mailchimp — $13/mo
Kit Creator — $39/moOur Pick (paid)
ActiveCampaign — $49/moPriciest
Pricing at ~1,000 subscribers. Longer bar = better value. Kit isn’t cheap on paid plans, but its free tier is the most generous in the industry. For a full comparison, see our Beehiiv vs ConvertKit showdown.
The good and the bad
+ Free plan supports 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails — the best free tier available
+ Visual automation builder is genuinely intuitive and powerful
+ Bootstrapped and profitable ($40M+ ARR, zero outside funding) — not reliant on VC money
+ Sell digital products and paid newsletters directly through the platform — no Shopify needed
− Email templates are limited — design options lag behind Mailchimp and Flodesk
− “Kit” rebrand hurt brand recognition and makes it harder to Google
− Free plan only allows 1 automation sequence — you’ll hit that limit fast
Pricing breakdown
Pricing shown at the 1,000 subscriber tier. Annual billing saves ~16% (2 months free). All prices in USD.
$0/mo forever
Newsletter (Free)
SubscribersUp to 10,000
EmailsUnlimited
Landing pagesUnlimited
Automations1 only
Integrations✗ None
Sell products✓ Yes
$39/mo monthly
$33/mo (annual)
Creator BEST VALUE
Subscribers1,000 (scales up)
Automations✓ Unlimited
Integrations✓ 70+
Free migration✓ Yes
Email sequences✓ Unlimited
Sell products✓ Yes
$79/mo monthly
$66/mo (annual)
Creator Pro
Everything in Creator✓
Subscriber scoring✓ Yes
Newsletter referrals✓ Yes
Facebook audiences✓ Yes
Advanced reporting✓ Yes
Fix link errors✓ Post-send
Watch out: As mentioned above, the free plan’s single automation limit is the real trap. You’ll build one welcome sequence, realise you need a second for a different lead magnet, and suddenly you’re on the $39/mo Creator plan. That’s by design. Start free, but budget for the upgrade if email marketing is central to your strategy.
Category ratings
Visual Automations9.2
Ease of Use9.0
Creator Tools (products, subscriptions)8.7
Free Plan Generosity9.5
Email Design & Templates6.5
Value for Money (paid plans)7.0
Should you buy it?
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Bloggers, YouTubers, and course creators
Kit was literally built for you. Tag-based subscriber management, visual automations, and the ability to sell digital products directly — no other platform understands the creator workflow this well.
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Anyone starting with under 10,000 subscribers
The free plan is genuinely enough to run a real newsletter business at this scale. Unlimited emails, unlimited landing pages, and you can even sell products without paying a penny. No other platform comes close at this tier.
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Creators who want to sell digital products without a separate platform
Kit Commerce handles payments, delivery, and even paid newsletter subscriptions natively. If you’re selling ebooks, courses, or memberships, you can skip Gumroad or Shopify entirely.
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Design-focused brands who need beautiful emails
Kit’s email templates are functional but basic. If visual design is core to your brand identity, you’ll be frustrated by the limited customisation options. Other platforms do this significantly better.
Budget-sensitive users who need advanced features cheaply
At $39/mo for 1,000 subscribers, Kit’s paid plans are on the expensive side — especially after the recent price hike. If you need automations but can’t stomach the cost, there are cheaper options.
Newsletter-first publishers who want built-in growth tools
If growing your newsletter is the primary goal and you want recommendation networks, built-in monetisation through ads, and a reader-facing publication, a dedicated newsletter platform may serve you better.
The rebrand was a misstep and the price increase hurt. But ConvertKit — sorry, Kit — remains one of the best email platforms for creators who need automations, subscriber management, and the ability to sell digital products without stitching together three different tools. The free plan is a genuine gift at 10,000 subscribers. Start there, grow into the Creator plan when you need unlimited automations, and don’t bother with Creator Pro unless you’re running a newsletter with 10,000+ subscribers and need the referral system.
Start Kit’s free plan — up to 10,000 subscribers
No credit card required. Unlimited emails. Upgrade when you’re ready.