Email · Review
Kit (ConvertKit) Review 2026: Months on the Free Plan
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I’ve used Kit, the email platform formerly called ConvertKit, on its free plan for about 5 months. In that time I’ve run one small list of about 100 subscribers on it, sent 3 or 4 newsletters plus a few one-off emails, built a subscribe form and a test landing page, and never paid for an upgrade. I use it mainly as a test bed: the list is real, but it isn’t H28’s own list, and Kit isn’t my main email tool.
That’s where things stand as of November 2026, which is also when I checked the prices and plan details below. So this review is about the free plan: what it gives you, where it stops, and when the paid Creator plan starts to make sense.
Kit's free plan is worth it if you want an email list without paying: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited forms, landing pages and newsletters, and you can sell digital products at 3.5% + 30c a sale. What you give up is automation: email sequences and visual automations start on the paid Creator plan.
- Best for: anyone who wants a free lead magnet collecting emails, live quickly for $0, with room for up to 10,000 subscribers.
- You will want a paid plan if: you need a welcome sequence or any other automation, more than one user, the 100-plus app integrations, or the "Built with Kit" badge gone. All of that is on Creator; it just isn't on the free plan.
- Price: free up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator starts at $39/mo billed monthly, or $33/mo billed yearly, at 1,000 subscribers, and rises with your list (as of November 2026 - check current pricing, it changes).
What Kit is, and who it’s built for
Kit is an email marketing platform for creators. You collect subscribers with forms and landing pages, send them newsletters, and can sell digital products and paid newsletters from the same account. It used to be called ConvertKit, so a ConvertKit review and a Kit review are about the same product. Its plans today are Free, Creator and Pro.
It’s best known for automation: email sequences and visual workflows that run on their own once someone subscribes. Those sit on the paid plans. In my view, it also suits people who want to go further on the technical side and shape things with code. I don’t code and don’t need that side.
What I did on the free plan
The list came over from Mailchimp. The import was quick and easy: it ran through an API connection, with no errors. I’d already set up that API connection, so some of the smoothness may be down to me.
The landing page was a test, built to see how the editor works; I have my own site for the real thing. I also set up domain authentication, and it went through without a problem.
For the emails I kept things simple: a logo’s basic colors, short text, no code. Styling them that way was easy. Around two months in, while I was comparing Kit with beehiiv, I also tried the custom CSS once, as a test, on an email and a form. I don’t use CSS day to day, or on this list now.
Finding my way around took the first 2 or 3 hours. After that, I knew where everything was. The layout is tidy: Audience, then Create, for a form or a landing page; the Dashboard for email.
Where my emails landed
Most of my emails reached the inbox, but not all. Some went to Promotions or to spam, and a few subscribers still find them in spam, so they’re asked to mark the sender as not spam. I checked placement with my own test inboxes and by asking recipients where the email arrived. I see the same pattern on systeme.io, which I use the same way, so I can’t name a winner between the two on this.
I haven’t worked out the cause. My guess is that it comes down to each recipient: how many emails they’ve had from the sender, and whether they’ve saved the address or marked it as wanted. Kit claims a 99.8% delivery rate, but a delivery rate counts emails the receiving server accepts, not which tab or folder they land in. And a small list says nothing about sending at scale.
What Kit’s free plan includes, and where it stops
The free plan is generous on the list itself and strict on automation. Here’s what it includes:
| Free plan | What you get |
|---|---|
| Subscribers | Up to 10,000 (only unique, active subscribers count) |
| Newsletters (broadcasts) | Unlimited, with no sending limits |
| Forms and landing pages | Unlimited, and you can connect your own domain to landing pages |
| Lead magnet on signup | Yes, it can deliver a file when someone subscribes |
| Tags and segments | Included |
| Email templates | Visual editor, plus custom HTML/CSS templates |
| A/B testing | 2 subject lines, on broadcasts |
| Selling | Digital products, paid newsletters, subscriptions and tips, at 3.5% + 30c per sale |
| Email sequences and visual automations | Not included (Creator and up) |
| Apps and API | API access included; the 100-plus direct app integrations are on Creator |
| Users | 1 |
| Branding | A "Built with Kit" badge on forms, landing pages and emails (removing it is paid) |
| Recommendations | On by default; you can turn them off |
| Support |
Two rows need a word. The badge stays on everything you publish from the free plan; removing it is one of the things Creator buys. Recommendations is the Creator Network feature that lets other creators recommend you. Every account is enrolled when it signs up, and you can switch it off in the settings, on any plan, without changing anything else about your plan.
Is Kit’s free plan enough? It depends on the job
Rather than one yes or no, here’s how it holds up job by job.
- A simple newsletter: enough. Unlimited newsletters, with A/B tests on two subject lines. Upgrade when you want the extras, like sending in each subscriber’s time zone.
- A list built on a free lead magnet: enough. It can deliver the file when someone signs up, and this is the job I’d pick Kit for: it’s quick and simple to set up. Making it look prettier is where, in my view, some code helps.
- A welcome or nurture sequence: not enough. A timed series of emails is an email sequence, and sequences start on Creator. If your plan depends on one from day one, budget for Creator.
- Selling a first digital product: enough to start (the fee is below).
- Connecting your other tools: partly. The API is on the free plan; the 100-plus direct app integrations need Creator, though free apps in the App Store still work on the free plan.
- A team: not enough. The free plan has 1 user; Creator has 2, Pro has unlimited.
- My own use: enough, for now. For light testing on a list of about 100, I haven’t hit a reason to upgrade.
Styling: click options, plus a CSS route
The form, landing-page and email builders let you change colors, fonts and backgrounds without code, which is how I styled my emails. The difference shows next to beehiiv: in my use, Kit’s click options let me change much less than beehiiv’s builder does, and that gap is a big part of why beehiiv is my own pick as a non-coder.
The code route sits on top of that. The free plan lets you build custom HTML/CSS email templates, and the form and landing-page builders have a custom CSS box too. From what I’ve seen, someone who codes could get a more polished look that way, and with a coding background I think I’d make the changes I want faster. If you don’t code, you can ignore it and still style by clicking.
The landing-page editor isn’t drag-and-drop. You pick a template, click any part of it to edit, add sections and blocks, and move them up, down or sideways with arrow buttons. One thing to know before you start: you can’t switch a landing page’s template after you’ve chosen it.
What I liked, and where it falls short
Pros
- Up to 10,000 subscribers on the free plan
- Tidy navigation: I had my bearings after 2 or 3 hours
- A clean import from Mailchimp, with no errors
- Unlimited forms, landing pages and newsletters on free
- You can start selling on the free plan, with no monthly fee
- Click styling for everyday emails, plus an optional CSS route
Cons
- No email sequences or visual automations on the free plan
- Click styling doesn't go nearly as far as beehiiv's, in my use
- Simpler audience management than beehiiv, with fewer options
- A "Built with Kit" badge on everything until you pay
- One user only on free
Nothing about it has annoyed me or slowed me down, so the cons above are limits, not irritations. The simpler audience side cuts both ways: beehiiv gives you more control over your subscribers, while Kit keeps it to a few things, which suits you if you’d rather get in, build and send. The limit that matters most is automation.
Selling on the free plan (Kit Commerce)
The free plan lets you sell digital products, paid newsletters, recurring subscriptions and tips. Each sale costs 3.5% + 30c, and that figure already includes card processing; Kit’s own share of it is 0.6%. The fee is the same on every plan, so upgrading doesn’t make selling cheaper. What the paid plans add on the selling side are extras such as Paid Recommendations, newsletter sponsorships and abandoned checkout.
None of the plans lists a course builder or a funnel builder. If you’re planning a course, that’s a reason to look at an all-in-one instead.
Kit pricing when you outgrow free
The paid plans are priced by list size. Standard prices:
| Plan | At 1,000 subscribers | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | $39/mo billed monthly, or $33/mo billed yearly ($390/yr) | Email sequences and visual automations, the 100-plus app integrations, RSS campaigns, branding removal, 2 users, 24/7 email and chat support, free migration |
| Pro | $79/mo billed monthly, or $66/mo billed yearly | Everything in Creator, plus advanced A/B tests (up to 5 subject lines, or content), deliverability reporting, engagement scoring, a newsletter referral system, unlimited users and priority support |
Prices climb with your list. On monthly billing, Creator is $59 at 3,000 subscribers, $89 at 5,000 and $139 at 10,000. Paying yearly saves 17%, and both paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, no card needed.
What I have not tested
My own use stops at the free plan. I haven’t:
- run automations or sequences (they aren’t on the free plan, and I haven’t paid for Creator);
- set up a payment page or sold anything, on Kit or on systeme.io;
- used Creator or Pro;
- set up app integrations;
- sent to more than my list of about 100.
What this review says about those, and every price and plan detail, comes from the vendors’ own pricing pages and help centres.
Kit vs beehiiv, systeme.io and Mailchimp
- beehiiv: it goes further with click styling and with audience control. Its free plan holds up to 2,500 subscribers, so Kit’s is the roomier one. For a beginner who only wants an email list, I’d still point to beehiiv, since it’s built entirely around email lists.
- systeme.io: systeme.io is the all-in-one, with funnels and a course next to the list. Its free plan holds 2,000 contacts but includes one automation rule, which Kit’s doesn’t. It’s where I’d send a beginner who wants everything in one place; my systeme.io vs Kit comparison goes through the choice between the two.
- Mailchimp: I used it before, and this list came from there.
Who should use Kit (and who should not)
Pick Kit if...
- You want a free lead magnet collecting emails, live quickly for $0.
- You want room for up to 10,000 subscribers before you pay.
- You want to sell with no monthly bill, only a fee per sale.
- You'd like to shape your emails, forms and pages with code, not only by clicking.
- You like a tidy dashboard where things are easy to find.
Look elsewhere, or plan to pay, if...
- You need sequences or automations from day one: Kit has them, on Creator.
- You don't code and want the deepest click styling: beehiiv.
- You want funnels and a course next to your list: that's where systeme.io is stronger.
- More than one person needs to work in the account: that's Creator too.
My verdict
Kit’s free plan is the roomiest of the email tools I use: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited forms, pages and newsletters, and the option to sell from day one. It’s tidy to work in and easy to learn. It stops at automation, and in my use its click styling goes less far than beehiiv’s. For a list built on a free lead magnet, it’s my pick, and the free plan covers that job on its own. If you don’t code and want more control over how things look, I’d still choose beehiiv; if a welcome sequence is the plan, that’s a Creator job.
- Not on the free plan: sequences and visual automations, the 100-plus app integrations, a second user, and removing the badge.
FAQ
Is Kit (ConvertKit) free?
Yes. Kit, formerly ConvertKit, has a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited forms, landing pages and newsletters. The paid parts are automations and sequences, the 100-plus app integrations, extra users and removing the branding. I’ve used the free plan for about 5 months without paying.
How many subscribers can you have on Kit’s free plan?
Up to 10,000. Only unique, active subscribers count toward that number. Newsletters are unlimited, with no sending limits on any plan. Check the pricing page before you rely on the cap, since limits change.
Does Kit’s free plan include automations or email sequences?
No. Visual automations, the automation template library and automated email sequences are Creator and Pro features. On the free plan you can send unlimited newsletters and deliver a lead magnet on signup, but a timed series of emails needs Creator, from $39/mo billed monthly at 1,000 subscribers.
Can you sell digital products on Kit’s free plan, and what are the fees?
Yes. You can sell digital products, paid newsletters, subscriptions and tips on the free plan. Each sale costs 3.5% + 30c, with card processing included, and Kit keeps 0.6% of that. The paid plans charge the same fee.
Does Kit have landing pages and forms on the free plan?
Yes, unlimited of both, and you can connect your own domain to landing pages. I built a subscribe form and a test landing page on the free plan. The landing-page editor is template-based, with arrow buttons to move blocks rather than dragging. A “Built with Kit” badge stays on them until you upgrade.
Is Kit easy to use for beginners?
In my experience, yes: after the first 2 or 3 hours I knew where everything was, and the layout is tidy. You style by clicking, with custom CSS as an option. For a total beginner who only wants a newsletter, beehiiv is my pick; for someone who wants everything in one place, systeme.io.
How much does Kit cost per month when you outgrow free?
Creator starts at $39/mo billed monthly, or $33/mo billed yearly, at 1,000 subscribers; Pro starts at $79/mo, or $66/mo billed yearly (standard prices). Both rise with your list: Creator is $139/mo on monthly billing at 10,000 subscribers. Each paid plan has a 14-day free trial.
Is Kit (ConvertKit) worth it in 2026?
For a simple newsletter or a list built on a free lead magnet, the free plan is worth it on its own: room for 10,000 subscribers, and selling, for $0. Paying for Creator makes sense once you need sequences or automations.
Kit or beehiiv?
beehiiv if you don’t code and want the most click styling; it’s my own pick. Kit if you want the bigger free plan, up to 10,000 subscribers to beehiiv’s 2,500, and more ways to sell on the free plan.
