Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

Category: Email/Newsletter

Email built for creators, with a growth network attached.

Kit, which was ConvertKit until its 2024 rebrand, is email marketing built around creators and the people who publish like them. The core is a tag-and-segment model rather than rigid lists, so one subscriber carries whatever combination of interests and behaviours applies, which makes targeted sending straightforward instead of a list-management exercise. On top sit a visual automation builder, landing pages and forms, broadcast and sequence sending, and a commerce layer for selling digital products, subscriptions and tips without a separate checkout. Two things distinguish it from general ESPs. The Creator Network lets publishers recommend each other at the point of subscription, which is a genuine, compounding growth channel rather than a feature. And a sponsorship marketplace connects newsletters with brands wanting to advertise in them. Deliverability is strong, the free tier runs to 10,000 subscribers, and migration from another platform is handled for you.

Our verdict

The best email platform for anyone whose audience is the product. The tag-based model is the quiet structural advantage, because once you stop thinking in lists, segmenting by what someone actually did becomes easy rather than an administrative chore. The Creator Network is the real reason to pick Kit over a general ESP though: recommendations from other publishers compound, cost nothing, and bring subscribers who already read newsletters. The sponsorship marketplace matters for the same reason if you intend to monetise. A free tier to 10,000 subscribers is more generous than almost anything comparable, so the barrier to testing is nil. It is less suited to ecommerce, where Klaviyo's product and purchase data integration is far deeper, and the design and template side is deliberately plain, which suits text-led newsletters but frustrates anyone wanting heavily designed campaigns. Reporting is adequate rather than deep. If you publish a newsletter, start here.

Best for: Newsletter publishers, creators and solo operators who sell their own products, and anyone who wants list growth built into their email tool rather than bolted on.

Pros

  • Creator Network brings compounding subscriber growth from other publishers, at no cost
  • Tag-and-segment model is far more flexible than managing lists
  • Free to 10,000 subscribers, one of the most generous tiers available
  • Sell digital products, subscriptions and tips without a separate checkout
  • Sponsorship marketplace connects you with brands wanting to advertise
  • Strong deliverability and migration handled for you

Cons

  • Less suited to ecommerce, where Klaviyo's purchase data integration goes much deeper
  • Templates and design options are deliberately plain
  • Reporting is adequate rather than deep
  • Costs climb once you pass the free subscriber threshold
  • Still indexed and discussed under the old ConvertKit name, which causes confusion

Pricing: Free to 10,000 subscribers, then paid (Freemium)

Rating: 4.5/5