Earning22 of 25
Your list29 of 32
Growth26 of 26
Price17 of 17
newsletter platform · Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Kit
Creator email platform with a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers and a 0.6% platform share of sales.
In short
- The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited email broadcasts1.
- Kit says its 3.5% + 30c fee includes card processing, so Kit only takes 0.6% on digital product and subscription sales1.
- Creator costs $390 a year ($33 a month on monthly billing) and adds visual automations and email sequences1.
- Referral system is on Pro only; newsletter sponsorships need a paid plan1,2.
- Subscribers can be exported and imported as CSV files3,4.
Kit suits creators who want a free plan that scales to 10,000 subscribers and who sell products or subscriptions, since Kit says it keeps only 0.6% of sales1. Your newsletter site can use your own domain7. Automations and sponsorships need a paid plan, and referrals and the source breakdown of new subscribers need Pro1,2,8.
Best for: Creators who sell products and want a large free plan.
Where the points come from
Earning 22 of 25 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Paid subscriptions | YesFree plan lists selling digital products and subscriptions; the transaction fee applies to subscriptions1. | 8 / 8 |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 0.6Kit says its 3.5% + 30c includes card processing, so Kit keeps 0.6%1. | 7 / 10 |
| Built-in sponsorship or ad network | YesKit runs sponsorship campaigns you can browse and express interest in; requires a paid plan2. | 4 / 4 |
| Sell digital products | YesFree plan lists selling digital products and subscriptions1. | 3 / 3 |
Your list 29 of 32 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Export your subscriber list | YesBulk action on the Subscribers page exports subscribers as a CSV; no plan limit stated3. | 8 / 8 |
| Import subscribers | YesImport subscribers from a CSV file with column mapping; no plan limit stated4. | 5 / 5 |
| Website on your own domain | YesThe Newsletter site builder has a Domain Name option to use your own domain instead of the default kit.com address7. | 7 / 7 |
| Send from your own domain | YesA verified sending domain sets up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for your domain. Plan not stated5. | 5 / 5 |
| Open source | Not publishedNot published on the vendor's pricing page1. | 0 / 3 |
| Public API | YesDeveloper docs list endpoints to list, create and update subscribers6. | 4 / 4 |
Growth 26 of 26 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Recommendation network | YesPricing page lists free recommendations on all three plans1. | 6 / 6 |
| Referral program | YesNewsletter referral system is listed on the Pro plan1. | 4 / 4 |
| Send to a tag or segment | YesTags and segments can both be used as recipients of a broadcast; no plan limit stated, and pricing lists tagging and segmentation on all plans9,1. | 5 / 5 |
| Automated email sequences | YesCreator lists unlimited visual automations and email sequences1. | 4 / 4 |
| Subscriber source reports | YesOn Creator Pro, the new-subscribers chart breaks down new subscribers by source, referrer or UTM fields8. | 4 / 4 |
| Subject-line A/B tests | YesPricing page lists 2 subject lines on Free and Creator, 5 on Pro1. | 3 / 3 |
Price 17 of 17 points
The rule behind each line: how we score newsletter platforms.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeUp to 10,000 subscribers | Free1 | $0 | Unlimited broadcasts, tagging, recommendations |
| Creator1,000 subscribers shown | $390/year1,2 | $32.50 | Adds visual automations, unlimited sequences, sponsorships |
| Pro1,000 subscribers shown | $50/month first year, $66 after1 | $66 | Adds referral system and 5 subject lines per test |
Pro shows $50 a month ($593 billed in the first year); the discount applies only to the first year, and $66 is the regular monthly price shown1.
Strengths
- Free plan: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, and sales of products and subscriptions1.
- Kit says it keeps 0.6% of product and subscription sales after card fees1.
- Free recommendations and a 2-subject-line A/B test are listed on the free plan1.
- Public API documentation lists endpoints to list, create and update subscribers6.
Other newsletter platforms
- 1
beehiivWriters who want an ad network, referrals and growth tools97/100$0cost at 1,000 subscribers - 3
GhostWriters who want open-source software and no cut of paid-subscription revenue77/100$0cost at 1,000 subscribers - 4
SubstackWriters who want paid subscriptions and reader discovery with no monthly fee71/100$0cost at 1,000 subscribers - 5
ButtondownWriters who want low flat pricing and no cut of paid subscriptions71/100$7.50/mocost at 1,000 subscribers
Sources
- Kit pricing, Kit. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Monetizing your emails with Kit Newsletter Sponsorships, Kit Help Center. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- How to export subscribers in Kit, Kit Help Center. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- How to import a subscriber list, Kit Help Center. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- What you should know before setting up a Verified Sending Domain, Kit Help Center. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Kit developer documentation index, Kit. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Managing your Newsletter site in Kit, Kit Help Center. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Understanding the Subscriber Analytics dashboard in Kit, Kit Help Center. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
- Tags and Segments in Kit (and when to use which), Kit Help Center. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Website: kit.com · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Kit (formerly ConvertKit).