Compare / Kit vs MailerLite
Kit vs MailerLite
Both are favorites for newsletters and creators, and both have genuinely good free plans. The split is simple: Kit gives you far more free subscribers, MailerLite gives you better free automation and a nicer editor.
This breakdown covers list size, what you can automate and sell, and how the price moves as you grow, so you can pick by where you are headed.
The short version
Growing a newsletter as large as possible for free? Start on Kit, 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts. Want automation and a polished editor on a small list right now? Start on MailerLite.
| Kit | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Free subscribers | 10,000 subscribers | 500 subscribers |
| Free sends | Unlimited broadcasts | 12,000 emails/mo |
| Automations on free | Not on free (paid) | Full automation builder |
| Sell products | Digital products & subs, free | Not on free |
| Landing pages & forms | Unlimited, free | Included free |
| Best for | Growing a newsletter big | Polished, automated emails early |
What each free tier actually does
The detail that decides it: what you can really do on each free plan, and where it stops.
Kit free plan
10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts
Kit's free plan lets you grow a newsletter to 9,000 subscribers and email them as often as you like, at no cost. You can host unlimited landing pages and signup forms, tag and segment your audience, and even sell a digital product or paid subscription. What you cannot do free is build an automated welcome sequence or connect third-party tools, those are the upgrade triggers.
What you can do
- Grow to 10,000 subscribers free with unlimited broadcasts
- Sell digital products and paid subscriptions on the free plan
- Build unlimited landing pages and signup forms
- Tag and segment your audience
What you can't
- Build automated email sequences or visual funnels (paid)
- Connect most third-party integrations on free
- Get free migration from another tool
- Use advanced reporting
MailerLite free plan
500 subscribers, full automation builder
MailerLite's free plan caps you at 500 subscribers but gives you the whole toolbox: a clean editor, the full multi-step automation builder, landing pages, signup forms, and a basic website. A creator under 500 subscribers can run a properly automated welcome series and a polished newsletter for free, which Kit makes you pay for. The catch is simply the 500-subscriber ceiling.
What you can do
- Build multi-step automations free (welcome series, etc.)
- Use the best free editor and template set in this bracket
- Create landing pages, forms, and a basic website
- Send up to 12,000 emails a month to 500 subscribers
What you can't
- Grow past 500 subscribers without paying
- Sell digital products on the free plan
- Remove MailerLite branding from emails
- Match Kit's free subscriber ceiling
Free list size
Kit's free plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, which is an enormous amount of free runway for a newsletter, you could spend a year or more under that ceiling. MailerLite caps free at 500 subscribers. If your single goal is to grow the list as large as possible before paying anyone, Kit wins this on the numbers alone.
Automation
This is where MailerLite hits back. Its free plan includes the full multi-step automation builder, so you can run an automated welcome series and behavior-triggered emails for free. Kit keeps automated sequences and visual funnels for its paid plans, so on Kit free you can broadcast to everyone but cannot drip a new subscriber through onboarding automatically. For automation on day one, MailerLite is the free pick.
Selling products and creator tools
Kit is built for creators, and even the free plan lets you sell digital products and paid subscriptions and take payments, alongside unlimited landing pages and forms. MailerLite keeps selling digital products for paid plans. If part of the plan is to monetize the audience directly, Kit lets you start that for free.
Editor and ease of use
MailerLite's editor and templates are the more polished of the two, and the free plan includes landing pages and a basic website, so a small creator can make something that looks good fast. Kit's editor is deliberately plain-text-friendly, which many newsletter writers prefer, but it is less suited to image-heavy, designed emails. Pick by the kind of email you actually want to send.
Pricing as you grow
Kit's paid plans start around $15/mo and unlock automations and integrations, with price scaling by subscriber count. MailerLite starts around $9/mo and scales gently. At small list sizes MailerLite is cheaper and more capable; once you are past a few thousand engaged subscribers and want creator monetization, Kit's pricing buys features built for that job.
Who should pick which
Pick Kit if
- Your main goal is to grow the list as large as possible for free
- You want to sell digital products or subscriptions on the free plan
- You prefer a clean, text-first newsletter style
- You are building a creator business, not just sending campaigns
Pick MailerLite if
- You want automated welcome sequences without paying
- Your list is under 500 and you want it free and polished now
- You value a strong editor, templates, and free landing pages
- You want the cheapest capable option at small scale
The verdict
If the goal is to grow a newsletter as large as possible for free, start on Kit. Ten thousand free subscribers with unlimited broadcasts is far more runway than anything else here, and you can sell products without paying.
If you want a polished, automated setup right now and your list is still small, MailerLite is the better free plan, because it includes the automation builder and editor Kit charges for. Creators chasing list size pick Kit; creators who want automation on day one pick MailerLite.
FAQ
Is Kit or MailerLite better for a newsletter?
Kit if you want to grow large, since its free plan allows up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts. MailerLite if you want automation and a better editor on a list under 500.
Can I automate a welcome sequence for free?
On MailerLite, yes, the multi-step automation builder is on the free plan. Kit keeps automated sequences for paid plans, so on Kit free you can broadcast but not run a sequence.
Can I sell products on the free plan?
On Kit, yes, the free plan supports selling digital products and paid subscriptions. MailerLite keeps selling for paid plans.