MailerLite vs ConvertKit 2026: Which Email Platform Wins?
MailerLite costs 40-55% less than ConvertKit at every subscriber tier. Is that savings worth it? Here's the honest breakdown of where the gap is real and where it's just pricing.
Disclosure: ConvertKit affiliate link below (30% recurring, 24 months). MailerLite has an affiliate program; links earn a commission. Both platforms tested independently.
Quick verdict
MailerLite if you run a small business newsletter, send broadcast emails, and want solid email marketing at half the price. ConvertKit if you're a creator selling digital products, need deep behavioral automation, or want your email platform to handle product sales and subscriber scoring. The "creator vs small business" framing is accurate -- these tools are built for different audiences.
Pricing: The Real Numbers
| Subscribers | MailerLite Growing | ConvertKit Creator | Annual savings with ML |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 1,000 subs, 12,000 emails/mo | 1,000 subs, unlimited emails | Both free |
| 1,000 | $13.50/mo ($162/yr) | $29/mo ($348/yr) | $186/yr |
| 2,500 | $18/mo ($216/yr) | $49/mo ($588/yr) | $372/yr |
| 5,000 | $27/mo ($324/yr) | $66/mo ($792/yr) | $468/yr |
| 10,000 | $54/mo ($648/yr) | $99/mo ($1,188/yr) | $540/yr |
| 25,000 | $109/mo ($1,308/yr) | $199/mo ($2,388/yr) | $1,080/yr |
| 50,000 | $220/mo ($2,640/yr) | $379/mo ($4,548/yr) | $1,908/yr |
At 10,000 subscribers, you save $540/year with MailerLite. At 50,000 subscribers, you save $1,908/year. That's real money -- the question is whether ConvertKit's additional features justify the premium at your list size.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | MailerLite | ConvertKit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 1,000 subs, 12k emails | 1,000 subs, unlimited | Tie |
| Email sends | 12,000/mo on free tier; unlimited on paid | Unlimited on all plans | ConvertKit (free) |
| Visual email builder | Excellent drag-and-drop | Good; simpler by design | MailerLite |
| Automation sequences | Solid; conditional logic available | Deeper; tag-triggered, behavioral | ConvertKit |
| Subscriber tagging | Basic segments and groups | Powerful tag system + scoring | ConvertKit |
| Digital product sales | Not available | Built-in storefront | ConvertKit |
| Landing pages | Good builder; 10 free templates | Good builder; unlimited free | Tie |
| Deliverability | 97-98% (industry-leading) | 97-98% (industry-leading) | Tie |
| A/B testing | Subject line + content testing | Subject line testing | MailerLite |
| Forms and popups | Strong popup/embed options | Forms; fewer popup styles | MailerLite |
| Newsletter referral program | Not available | SparkLoop integration built in | ConvertKit |
| Creator Network | Not available | Cross-promotion with other creators | ConvertKit |
| Email analytics | Standard open/click/bounce | Standard + subscriber scoring | ConvertKit |
| Integrations | 130+ integrations | 100+ integrations + Zapier | Tie |
| API | Full REST API | Full REST API | Tie |
Automation: Where ConvertKit's Edge Is Real
MailerLite has solid automation -- you can build welcome sequences, time-delayed drip campaigns, and conditional branches (if subscriber clicked X, send Y). For 80% of small business email workflows, this is enough.
ConvertKit's automation depth goes further in ways that matter for creators:
- Tag-based triggers: Start a sequence when a subscriber is tagged (from any source -- purchase, form, Zapier webhook). MailerLite triggers are mostly form-based.
- Sequence completion triggers: When a subscriber finishes a sequence, automatically tag them and move them to the next sequence. MailerLite requires manual setup per transition.
- Subscriber scoring: Track engagement over time and segment by score. Surface your most engaged subscribers for personal outreach or special offers. MailerLite has no equivalent.
- Product purchase triggers: When someone buys your digital product, automatically tag them, remove the pitch emails, and start the onboarding sequence. Built-in with ConvertKit's native commerce; requires Zapier integration with MailerLite.
Deliverability: Both Are Excellent
Deliverability is the most important email marketing metric -- if your emails go to spam, everything else is irrelevant. Both MailerLite and ConvertKit consistently rank at 97-98% deliverability in independent testing (EmailToolTester, MailerCheck). This is not a meaningful differentiator.
Both maintain strong sender reputation through clean list hygiene tools, bounce management, and spam reporting workflows. Neither gives you a deliverability advantage over the other.
Digital Products: ConvertKit's Built-in Commerce
ConvertKit has a native digital product storefront. You can sell ebooks, courses, templates, and downloadable files directly from your ConvertKit account, with 3.5% + 30 cents per transaction (Creator Pro plan) or 0.5% + standard Stripe fees. No separate Gumroad, Payhip, or Shopify integration required.
For creators building a product business, this is genuinely valuable: the buyer's email address is automatically added to your list, tagged, and entered into your post-purchase sequence in one step. With MailerLite, you'd need a third-party store + Zapier to replicate this flow.
MailerLite has no digital commerce features. If you sell products, you need a separate platform (Gumroad, Payhip, Shopify) and Zapier to sync buyers to your list.
Free Tier Comparison
Both offer generous free tiers at 1,000 subscribers:
- MailerLite free: 1,000 subs, 12,000 emails/month, automation, landing pages. The 12,000 email limit means you can send up to 12 broadcasts per month. Most small senders are fine.
- ConvertKit free: 1,000 subs, unlimited email sends, basic sequences, landing pages. No send limit is the key advantage. No digital commerce on the free plan.
If you're starting from zero and not sure you'll exceed 1,000 subscribers: ConvertKit's free tier is marginally better because of unlimited sends. Once you're paying, MailerLite's pricing advantage kicks in.
Migration: What Moving Between Platforms Actually Costs
If you're currently on Mailchimp and considering a switch, the migration process is similar for both:
- Export subscriber list as CSV from Mailchimp
- Import to MailerLite or ConvertKit, map fields
- Recreate your automation sequences (this is the real work -- budget 4-8 hours)
- Update email signup forms on your website
- Send a re-engagement email to warm up the new sender reputation
Migration from MailerLite to ConvertKit (or vice versa) follows the same process. The automation recreation is always the bottleneck -- your sequences don't transfer automatically between platforms.
Who Should Choose MailerLite
- Small businesses sending broadcast newsletters (promotions, updates, announcements)
- E-commerce shops with simple email sequences and product promos
- Bloggers and content sites with large lists who want to minimize costs
- Anyone who doesn't sell digital products via email
- Users who need strong popup/form options for lead capture
Who Should Choose ConvertKit
- Creators selling digital products (courses, ebooks, templates) via email
- Podcasters and YouTubers building a monetized audience
- Newsletter operators who want subscriber scoring and growth tools (referral program, Creator Network)
- Anyone building complex behavioral email sequences based on subscriber actions
- Coaches and course creators who need tight product-to-email integration
FAQ
Is MailerLite actually good, or just cheap?
MailerLite is genuinely good. The deliverability is excellent (comparable to ConvertKit), the automation builder handles most use cases, and the visual email editor is arguably better. "Cheap" isn't the right frame -- it's priced lower because it's targeted at small businesses, not creators with complex product funnels. For the target audience, it's the right tool at the right price.
Can MailerLite replace ConvertKit for a course creator?
With effort, yes. You'd need Gumroad, Payhip, or Thinkific for product sales, and Zapier to sync buyers to your MailerLite list. The automation can be replicated with tags and conditional sequences. The $40-90/month savings at scale may justify the integration complexity. But if product sales are central to your business, ConvertKit's native integration is genuinely smoother.
How does MailerLite compare to Mailchimp?
MailerLite beats Mailchimp on price at almost every tier and on deliverability. Mailchimp's main advantage is brand recognition and a large template library. Mailchimp charges for unsubscribed contacts (a dirty practice MailerLite doesn't use). Most Mailchimp users would be better served by MailerLite at a lower price.
Does ConvertKit charge for unsubscribed contacts?
Yes -- ConvertKit counts unsubscribed contacts toward your billing tier. This is a hidden cost most users miss. If 20% of your list has unsubscribed (typical), you're paying for contacts you can't email. MailerLite only counts active subscribers. At 10,000 total contacts with 20% unsubscribed, you'd pay ConvertKit for 10,000 but MailerLite for 8,000.
Which platform is better for deliverability?
Both are excellent and essentially equivalent. Independent deliverability testing consistently puts both at 97-98%. Don't choose between them on deliverability -- it's not a meaningful differentiator.
Can I use both platforms simultaneously?
Technically yes, but there's no good reason to. Pick one platform and commit to it. Split lists across platforms creates segmentation complexity, billing duplication, and attribution confusion. Start with ConvertKit free (if you're a creator) or MailerLite free (if you're a small business), grow to 1,000 subscribers, then re-evaluate whether you need to pay.
Affiliate disclosure: ConvertKit link earns 30% recurring commission for 24 months. MailerLite link earns a commission. Both platforms were tested independently; commissions don't influence rankings.