Happy Valley

Kit vs Mailchimp

Kit and Mailchimp are both email marketing tools. Kit is aimed at creators, while Mailchimp is aimed at small businesses and creators. Mailchimp costs less, from $13/mo versus $39/mo for Kit. Both have a free plan.

Kit

Email marketing built for creators

Mailchimp

The best-known email marketing platform

PricingFreemium · $39Freemium · $13
Starting price$39/mo$13/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial14 days14 days
Built forCreatorsSmall businesses, Creators
Platformswebweb, ios, android
CountryUS · 2013US · 2001
Rating——

Choose Kit if

Independent creators and small media businesses whose revenue depends on an owned email audience.

  • Free up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends
  • Tagging and automations are powerful yet simple
  • Built-in monetization and audience growth tools

Look elsewhere if: Online stores needing product feeds and abandoned-cart flows, or B2B teams needing CRM-style lead management.

Choose Mailchimp if

Small businesses and e-commerce stores that want an easy, well-integrated email tool and send a few campaigns a month.

  • Familiar, polished editor and huge template library
  • Deep e-commerce integrations and revenue reporting
  • Mature deliverability infrastructure

Look elsewhere if: Newsletter creators (Kit, beehiiv), high-volume senders on a budget (Brevo), or SaaS lifecycle messaging (Customer.io, Loops).

Kit vs Mailchimp pricing

Kit

  • Free$0Up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, forms
  • Creator$39/mo1,000 subs; $33/mo billed yearly; unlimited automations, 2 users
  • Pro$79/mo1,000 subs; $66/mo yearly; referrals, scoring, unlimited users

Mailchimp

  • Free$0Up to 250 contacts, 1 audience
  • Essentials$13/moStarting price; 14-day free trial, 3 audiences
  • Standard$20/mo6,000 emails/mo; 14-day free trial, 5 audiences
  • Premium$350/mo150,000 emails/mo, advanced tools, priority support

Kit · Key features

  • Text-first editor designed for deliverability and personal tone
  • Tag and segment subscribers by behavior, form or product
  • Visual automation builder with rules and sequences
  • Kit Commerce for digital products and paid newsletters
  • Creator Network recommendations and newsletter referral program
  • Landing pages, forms and link pages included

Cons

  • Limited design templates; not for image-heavy campaigns
  • Reporting is basic below the Pro plan
  • Fewer e-commerce integrations than Klaviyo or Mailchimp

Mailchimp · Key features

  • Drag-and-drop email builder with templates and brand kit
  • Customer journeys (automation) with branching and triggers
  • Audience segmentation, tags and predictive demographics
  • Landing pages, signup forms, pop-ups and SMS marketing (US)
  • Reporting with revenue attribution for connected stores
  • Creative Assistant and generative AI for copy and images

Cons

  • Contact-based pricing gets expensive fast; unsubscribed contacts can still count
  • Free plan is now very limited
  • Automation builder lags Klaviyo and ActiveCampaign

Kit vs Mailchimp: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Kit or Mailchimp?

Mailchimp starts at $13/mo and Kit at $39/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Kit and Mailchimp have a free plan?

Yes, both Kit and Mailchimp have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Which is better for small businesses, Kit or Mailchimp?

Mailchimp lists small businesses as a core audience, while Kit is aimed more at creators.

Not sure yet?