Kit (formerly known as ConvertKit until its rebrand in 2024) is the email marketing and newsletter platform specifically designed for professional creators who want to build, nurture, and monetize their audience. Whether you are a blogger, course creator, YouTuber, podcaster, or developer sharing technical content, Kit provides powerful automation tools combined with creator-focused monetization features that help you turn subscribers into sustainable revenue.
Unlike traditional email service providers built for e-commerce businesses, Kit focuses on what content creators actually need: intuitive visual automation workflows, landing pages optimized for lead capture, subscriber segmentation based on behavior and interests, and built-in commerce features to sell digital products and subscriptions directly through your emails.
With an industry-leading 99.8% deliverability rate and average open rates exceeding 40%, Kit ensures your carefully crafted content actually reaches your audience. The platform serves over 500,000 creators worldwide and has facilitated billions in creator earnings through its integrated monetization ecosystem.
Kit was purpose-built for the 50 billion creator economy, not for traditional businesses. The platform understands that creators need tools that help them:
The Visual Automation Builder is Kit's standout feature that transforms how creators manage email marketing. Instead of manually sending broadcasts or managing complex conditional logic through code, you build sophisticated subscriber journeys using an intuitive drag-and-drop flowchart interface.
Key automation capabilities include:
The platform includes 28 pre-built automation templates covering common creator scenarios like course launches, lead magnets, webinar funnels, and product sales sequences—allowing you to implement proven strategies in minutes rather than hours.
Kit provides unlimited customizable landing pages and opt-in forms even on the free plan, enabling you to capture email subscribers without needing a separate website or third-party tool. The landing page builder offers professional templates optimized for conversion, with A/B testing available on Creator Pro plans to identify which designs perform best.
Form and landing page features:
| Feature | Capability | Business Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Customizable Templates | Professional designs for various industries | Higher conversion rates without design skills |
| Inline & Modal Forms | Embed anywhere on your website | Flexible subscriber capture opportunities |
| Custom Fields | Collect subscriber preferences and data | Better segmentation and personalization |
| Mobile Responsive | Automatic optimization for all devices | Capture mobile traffic effectively |
| No Kit Branding (Paid) | Remove platform logos on paid plans | Professional appearance for your brand |
Email sequences are automated series of emails sent to subscribers based on specific triggers. Unlike one-time broadcast emails, sequences run continuously in the background—welcoming every new subscriber, nurturing leads over weeks or months, and driving conversions while you sleep.
Sequences excel at:
Each email in a sequence can include delays (hours, days, or weeks), ensuring subscribers receive content at the optimal pace for engagement and conversion.
Kit's subscriber management system uses tags and segments to organize your audience based on interests, behavior, purchase history, and custom criteria you define. This granular organization enables hyper-targeted email campaigns that speak directly to specific subscriber needs.
Tagging strategies creators use:
With segments, you can combine multiple tags using boolean logic to create dynamic audiences that automatically update as subscriber behavior changes—ensuring your email campaigns always target the right people.
Perhaps Kit's most compelling differentiator is the ability to sell digital products, memberships, and subscriptions directly through the platform without third-party payment processors or commerce platforms. This integrated approach means:
What you can sell on Kit:
The Creator Network is Kit's unique recommendation marketplace that helps creators grow their lists faster while earning additional revenue. Through integration with SparkLoop—the leading newsletter recommendation platform—you can:
This creates a virtuous cycle: earn money recommending quality newsletters, then reinvest that revenue into paid recommendations that grow your own subscriber base exponentially.
Referral programs incentivize your existing subscribers to recommend your newsletter to friends and colleagues by rewarding successful referrals with exclusive perks, bonus content, or other incentives you define. Kit's built-in referral system:
Top creators report that referral programs can contribute 20-40% of their total subscriber growth—making this Creator Pro exclusive feature incredibly valuable for serious newsletter publishers.
Kit offers one of the most generous free plans in email marketing, supporting up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited email sends, landing pages, and forms. This makes Kit the perfect starting platform for new creators who want professional tools without monthly costs.
Free Newsletter plan includes:
Limitations: Only 1 automation allowed, Kit branding present, limited analytics
The Creator plan removes free tier limitations and unlocks the full power of Kit's automation and monetization features, starting at 3/month for up to 1,000 subscribers.
Creator plan adds:
Pricing scales based on subscriber count: 3/month (1,000), 1/month (3,000), 9/month (5,000), 19/month (10,000)
For advanced creators and professional publishers, Creator Pro provides analytics, optimization tools, and premium support starting at 9/month for up to 1,000 subscribers.
Creator Pro exclusive features:
Annual billing discount: Pay yearly and receive 2 months free (approximately 16% savings). All paid plans include a 14-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee.
Kit provides a comprehensive RESTful API (V4) that allows developers to build custom integrations, automate subscriber management, and connect Kit with proprietary systems. The API enables programmatic control over:
Webhook capabilities let you trigger external workflows when subscribers complete sequences, make purchases, or meet specific criteria—enabling sophisticated integrations with tools like Make (Integromat), Zapier, n8n, or custom Node.js/Python applications.
The Kit App Store provides 100+ pre-built integrations with popular creator tools, eliminating manual work and data silos. Key integration categories include:
This extensive ecosystem means developers can build comprehensive marketing funnels that connect Kit with the rest of their technology stack seamlessly.
| Aspect | Kit | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Target Audience | Creators, bloggers, course sellers | E-commerce, traditional businesses |
| Free Tier | Up to 10,000 subscribers | Up to 500 contacts |
| Visual Automation | Excellent drag-and-drop builder | Available but complex interface |
| Landing Pages | Unlimited on free plan | Limited to paid plans |
| Monetization | Built-in commerce (3.5% fee) | Requires third-party integrations |
| Deliverability | 99.8% industry-leading | Industry average (~95-97%) |
| Learning Curve | Creator-friendly, moderate | Steeper for advanced features |
| Best For | Individual creators and publishers | Marketing teams and agencies |
| Aspect | Kit | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Email marketing platform | Paid newsletter publishing |
| Transaction Fees | 3.5% + /bin/bash.30 | 10% of subscription revenue |
| Automation | Extensive visual workflows | Basic automated sending |
| Customization | Full branding and design control | Limited to Substack templates |
| Landing Pages | Unlimited custom pages | Standardized profile pages |
| Integrations | 100+ third-party tools | Minimal external integrations |
| Best For | Creators wanting full control | Writers prioritizing simplicity |
The verdict: Kit offers significantly more flexibility, lower monetization fees, and powerful automation—making it ideal for creators who want to build sophisticated email marketing systems. Substack excels at pure simplicity for writers who just want to publish and get paid.
Developers who teach through blogs, tutorials, and technical content use Kit to:
Online educators leverage Kit's automation and commerce features to:
Professional newsletter creators use Kit for:
YouTubers, podcasters, and social media creators integrate Kit to:
Maintaining Kit's industry-leading 99.8% deliverability requires following best practices:
While Kit excels for creators, certain use cases are better served by alternative platforms:
Kit's 2024 rebrand from ConvertKit signals the company's commitment to the creator economy and its evolution beyond traditional email marketing. The platform continues investing in:
With over 500,000 creators worldwide choosing Kit and billions in creator earnings facilitated through the platform, it has established itself as the leading email marketing solution for the modern creator economy.
Whether you are launching your first newsletter, scaling an existing audience, or monetizing your expertise through courses and digital products, Kit provides the email marketing infrastructure creators need to succeed. The generous free plan lets you start immediately with professional tools, while paid tiers unlock advanced automation and analytics as your business grows.
The combination of creator-focused features, industry-leading deliverability, integrated monetization, and fair pricing makes Kit the obvious choice for developers, bloggers, educators, and content creators who take their email marketing seriously.
Ready to build and monetize your audience? Start with Kit's free Newsletter plan today and join hundreds of thousands of creators who have transformed their passion into sustainable businesses through the power of email marketing.
Kit is the new name for ConvertKit as of 2024. It is the same email marketing platform designed specifically for creators, but rebranded to reflect its broader mission of helping creators build businesses. All features, pricing, and functionality remain the same—just with a new name and visual identity.
Kit offers a free Newsletter plan for up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails, landing pages, and 1 automation. The Creator plan starts at 3/month for 1,000 subscribers with unlimited automations. Creator Pro starts at 9/month and adds advanced analytics, A/B testing, and referral programs. Annual billing provides 2 months free.
The Creator Network is Kit integrated recommendation marketplace powered by SparkLoop that lets you earn - per subscriber by recommending other newsletters to your audience. You can also get recommended by other creators to grow your own list faster. It creates a revenue-sharing ecosystem where creators help each other grow while earning additional income.
Yes, Kit includes built-in commerce features that let you sell digital products, memberships, paid newsletters, and subscriptions directly through the platform. Kit charges just 3.5% plus /bin/bash.30 per transaction—significantly lower than Substack 10% fee. You can create sales pages, manage pricing tiers, and automate product delivery all within Kit.
Yes, Kit offers 100+ integrations through the Kit App Store including WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, Teachable, Zapier, and many more. Kit also provides a comprehensive API for custom integrations and webhook support for real-time automation with external systems. This makes it easy to connect Kit with your existing technology stack.
Kit Visual Automation Builder lets you create sophisticated subscriber journeys using a drag-and-drop flowchart interface. You can set triggers based on form submissions, tags, purchases, or link clicks, then build automated sequences that welcome subscribers, nurture leads, segment audiences, and drive conversions—all without writing code. The platform includes 28 pre-built automation templates to get started quickly.
Kit maintains an industry-leading 99.8% deliverability rate, meaning your emails actually reach subscriber inboxes rather than spam folders. The platform average open rate exceeds 40%, which is significantly higher than the email marketing industry average of 20-25%. This high performance is achieved through strict sender authentication, anti-spam policies, and dedicated deliverability infrastructure.
Kit is specifically designed for creators while Mailchimp targets e-commerce businesses and Substack focuses on pure newsletter simplicity. Kit offers a more generous free plan than Mailchimp (10,000 vs 500 subscribers), more powerful automation than Substack, and significantly lower monetization fees (3.5% vs Substack 10%). For creators who want automation, customization, and integrated commerce, Kit is typically the better choice.
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