On this page
- Price at a glance
- What you pay at your list size
- Three real setups, priced on both
- A real decision, start to finish
- Feature by feature, for the money
- What each one does better
- Hidden costs on each side
- How to pay less on each
- Other tools worth a look
- Which one should you pick?
- The cost over three years
- Who should use neither
- Switching from one to the other
- Questions to ask before you choose
- How we compared
- Our verdict
- Kit vs MailerLite FAQs
Some links on this page may earn us a commission. It never changes the numbers or the verdict. How we make money.
Kit vs MailerLite comes down to one trade. MailerLite is the cheaper paid tool: $17.10 a month at 1,000 subscribers billed yearly, against $33 for Kit Creator. But Kit’s free plan covers 10,000 subscribers, and MailerLite’s covers 250. So the cheaper tool depends on whether you need automations yet.
I checked both pricing pages on 3 November 2026 and re-checked them on 6 November. Below is the cost at 1,000 and 5,000 subscribers, what each plan really includes, and a simple rule for picking one.
Need several automations now? MailerLite Comfort is about $190 a year cheaper than Kit Creator at 1,000 subscribers. Growing a newsletter with one welcome email? Kit’s free plan costs $0 up to 10,000 subscribers, where MailerLite would already charge you.
Price at a glance
| Kit | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 subscribers | Up to 250 subscribers |
| Automations on free | 1 automation, 1 sequence | 3 automations |
| Cheapest paid plan | Creator | Comfort |
| At 1,000, billed yearly | $33/mo ($390/yr) | $17.10/mo ($205.20/yr) |
| At 1,000, billed monthly | $39/mo | $19/mo |
| At 5,000, billed yearly | $65.83/mo | $44.10/mo |
| At 5,000, billed monthly | $79/mo | $49/mo |
| Automations on cheapest paid plan | Unlimited | 50 |
| Yearly discount | About 17% | 10% |
| Free trial on paid plans | 14 days, no card | 14 days, no card |
Sources: kit.com/pricing and mailerlite.com/pricing, US prices, checked 3 and 6 Nov 2026.
What you pay at your list size
Here is the cheapest plan that allows real automations, side by side:
| Subscribers | Kit Creator | MailerLite Comfort | Kit costs more by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 (yearly) | $33.00 | $17.10 | $190.80/yr |
| 1,000 (monthly) | $39 | $19 | $240/yr |
| 5,000 (yearly) | $65.83 | $44.10 | $260.76/yr |
| 5,000 (monthly) | $79 | $49 | $360/yr |
Our arithmetic from the vendors’ prices on 6 Nov 2026. Per month unless noted.
On paid plans, MailerLite wins at every size we checked. The gap grows with your list, from about $16 a month at 1,000 subscribers to about $22 a month at 5,000 on yearly billing.
But the free plans flip the result
Now look at a list with no paid plan at all. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers. MailerLite is free up to 250.
| Your situation | Kit | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|
| 200 subscribers, a weekly email | $0 | $0 |
| 1,000 subscribers, one welcome email | $0 | $17.10/mo |
| 5,000 subscribers, one welcome email | $0 | $44.10/mo |
| 1,000 subscribers, a sales funnel | $33/mo | $17.10/mo |
Billed yearly. “Sales funnel” means more than one automation or sequence.
So the honest question is not “which is cheaper?” It is “do I need more than one automation yet?” If not, Kit costs nothing for a long time.
Three real setups, priced on both
1. A writer with 3,000 free readers and a weekly letter
No automations beyond a welcome email. Kit: $0 on the free plan. MailerLite would need a paid plan, since its free plan stops at 250 subscribers; at 5,000 subscribers Comfort is $44.10 a month billed yearly, and we did not verify the 2,500-tier price. Kit wins clearly.
2. A coach with 1,000 subscribers selling a program
A freebie sequence, a welcome series and a sales sequence. MailerLite Comfort: $205.20 a year. Kit Creator: $390 a year. MailerLite saves about $185 a year on yearly billing with 50 automations, which is more than enough.
3. A creator with 5,000 subscribers and many tag-based automations
Dozens of automations reacting to clicks and purchases. Kit Creator: $65.83 a month billed yearly, with unlimited automations. MailerLite Comfort is $44.10 with 50 automations, or Power at $62.10 with unlimited. At this level the gap narrows to about $3.73 a month against Power, so pick on features and editor.
A real decision, start to finish
A nutrition coach I advised (I’ll call her Nadia) had 1,200 subscribers and a free guide. She wanted a welcome sequence for the guide, a weekly email, and a short sales sequence for her group program twice a year.
That is two sequences and one automation at least, so Kit’s free plan was out. We compared Kit Creator at $33 a month with MailerLite Comfort at about $17. She tried both during the free trials. She liked Kit’s editor more, but not $190 a year more. She chose MailerLite and put the difference toward her program launch.
The lesson: decide on features first, then price. A cheaper tool you hate using is not a saving.
Feature by feature, for the money
Automations
Kit Creator includes unlimited visual automations and sequences. MailerLite Comfort includes 50 automations, which is plenty for most small businesses. On free plans, MailerLite allows 3 automations and Kit allows 1 automation and 1 sequence.
Sending limits
MailerLite Comfort caps monthly emails at 10 times your subscriber tier. At 1,000 subscribers, that is about 10 full-list emails a month. Power removes the cap. If you email daily, budget for MailerLite Power at $39 a month at 1,000 subscribers, or compare with Kit. See MailerLite pricing for the details.
Free-plan extras
Kit’s free plan lists unlimited landing pages, forms and email broadcasts, with Kit branding and no app integrations. MailerLite’s free plan allows 2,500 emails a month and 2 team seats. For a growing newsletter, Kit’s free plan is in a different league.
Team seats
MailerLite Comfort includes 3 seats, and Power has unlimited seats. If several people work in your account, check Kit’s plan page for the seats on each plan before you decide.
Ease of use
Both editors are simple. Kit is built around creators and writers, with a clean, text-first feel. MailerLite has a broader drag-and-drop editor and includes landing pages and forms on every plan. This is a matter of taste, so use the 14-day trials. Neither asks for a card.
What each one does better
- A free plan up to 10,000 subscribers
- Unlimited automations on Creator
- A writer-first editor for newsletters
- Lower price on every paid tier we checked
- 50 automations from about $17 a month
- 3 seats on Comfort
Hidden costs on each side
| Kit | MailerLite |
|---|---|
| The jump from $0 to $33 a month the day you need a second sequence | Paying from your 251st subscriber |
| Pro costs about double Creator | Comfort’s send cap of 10 times your tier |
| Price rises with every list tier | Price rises with every list tier |
How to pay less on each
Kit
- Stay on the free plan until you need a second sequence.
- Pay yearly once you sell: about 17% off, or $78 a year at 1,000 subscribers.
- Remove inactive subscribers before each tier jump.
MailerLite
- Pick Comfort unless you email the whole list more than about 10 times a month.
- Pay yearly: 10% off.
- Build your automations during the 14-day trial so your first paid month is a working month.
Other tools worth a look
- beehiiv if your newsletter is the business. Free to 2,500 subscribers, Lite at $49 with 0% of paid subscriptions. See beehiiv pricing.
- GetResponse Starter at $15.58 a month for unlimited sends and one workflow. See GetResponse pricing.
- Systeme.io if you also need funnels and a course in the same tool, free up to 2,000 contacts. See Systeme.io pricing.
Which one should you pick?
| Your situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New newsletter, no product yet | Kit Free | $0 up to 10,000 subscribers |
| Selling with 2 or more sequences | MailerLite Comfort | About $190 a year cheaper at 1,000 |
| Many complex automations | Kit Creator | Unlimited automations |
| Daily emails to a big list | MailerLite Power or Kit Creator | Comfort’s send cap gets in the way |
| A team of three | MailerLite Comfort | 3 seats included |
The cost over three years
Email tools tend to stay for years, so a small monthly gap adds up. Billed yearly, at today’s prices:
| List size | Kit Creator, 3 years | MailerLite Comfort, 3 years | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $1,170 | $615.60 | $554.40 |
| 5,000 | $2,370 | $1,587.60 | $782.40 |
Our arithmetic, assuming prices and list size stay the same. In real life your list grows, so both totals rise.
If the two feel the same to use, that is real money. If one saves you an hour a week, it is small money. Decide on the editor first.
Who should use neither
- Paid newsletter writers should look at beehiiv, which takes 0% of subscriptions and includes an ad network.
- People who want email, funnels and a course in one tool may be better served by Systeme.io or Kajabi.
Switching from one to the other
Email tools are the easiest part of a stack to move. Export your subscribers as a CSV with their tags, import them into the new tool, and rebuild your forms and sequences. Plan a weekend for a small setup. Two tips: keep the old account open for a month so nothing breaks, and re-check your sending domain settings in the new tool before your first big send.
Questions to ask before you choose
- How many automations do I need in the next six months? One welcome email keeps Kit free. Two or more means a paid plan on either.
- How big will my list be? Under 250, both are free. Between 251 and 10,000, Kit’s free plan is the only free option.
- How often will I email? More than about 10 times a month to your whole list pushes MailerLite toward Power.
- Who else needs access? MailerLite Comfort gives you 3 seats.
- Which editor do I enjoy? Try both. The trials are free and need no card.
How we compared
We checked kit.com/pricing and mailerlite.com/pricing as a US visitor on 3 November 2026 and again on 6 November, when MailerLite’s slider confirmed the 5,000-subscriber prices and Kit showed Creator at $390 a year for 1,000 subscribers. Every total on this page is our own arithmetic from those prices.
Our verdict
On paid plans, MailerLite is the better deal. MailerLite Comfort costs $17.10 a month at 1,000 subscribers billed yearly. Kit Creator costs $33. That gap is about $190 a year at 1,000 subscribers and about $260 at 5,000. For most small businesses, Comfort’s 50 automations and 3 seats are more than enough.
Kit wins in two cases. The first is a growing newsletter that does not need more than one automation. Kit’s free plan carries you to 10,000 subscribers at no cost, where MailerLite would charge from your 251st subscriber. The second is a business with many complex automations, where Kit Creator’s unlimited automations and creator-focused tools justify the higher price.
So my rule is simple. Start on Kit free while you grow. When you need a real sales funnel, compare Kit Creator and MailerLite Comfort side by side in their free trials. If the editors feel the same to you, take MailerLite and keep the difference.
Kit vs MailerLite FAQs
Is MailerLite cheaper than Kit?
On paid plans, yes. At 1,000 subscribers billed yearly, MailerLite Comfort is $17.10 a month and Kit Creator is $33. Kit’s free plan covers far more subscribers, though: 10,000 vs 250.
Which has the better free plan, Kit or MailerLite?
Kit, by a wide margin. It covers up to 10,000 subscribers with one automation and one sequence. MailerLite’s free plan covers 250 subscribers with 3 automations.
Which is better for beginners?
Both are easy. Kit’s free plan lets beginners grow for longer without paying. MailerLite is cheaper once you need several automations.
How much does Kit cost compared with MailerLite at 5,000 subscribers?
Billed yearly, Kit Creator is $65.83 a month and MailerLite Comfort is $44.10. Billed monthly, they are $79 and $49.
Do Kit and MailerLite have free trials?
Yes. Both offer 14-day trials of their paid plans, and neither asks for a card.
Can I move from Kit to MailerLite later?
Yes. Export your subscribers and tags as a CSV, import them, then rebuild your forms and sequences. Most small setups move in a weekend.
Is Kit or MailerLite better for selling courses?
Both connect to course platforms. MailerLite is cheaper for a few sales sequences; Kit’s unlimited automations suit complex funnels.
How much does MailerLite Power cost compared with Kit Creator?
At 1,000 subscribers billed yearly, MailerLite Power is $35.10 a month and Kit Creator $33. At 5,000, Power is $62.10 and Kit Creator $65.83.
Amanat Mossalli Taju
Amanat has spent 6+ years on the strategy side of digital businesses, working with 175+ brands including SaaS companies like Tactiq, Restoke.ai and WeMoney on pricing and growth. He checks every number on PricingVerified against the vendor's own pricing page.
