Mailchimp vs ConvertKit 2026: The Better Choice Is...

Choosing between Mailchimp and ConvertKit (now rebranded as Kit) comes down to a fundamental question: Are you building a business brand or a personal creator brand? Both platforms excel at email marketing, but they take radically different approaches to who they serve and how they help you grow.

We tested both platforms extensively, examining their email builders, automation capabilities, landing pages, pricing structures, and monetization features to help you make the right choice for your specific situation.

Quick Verdict: Who Wins?

Mailchimp wins for: Small businesses, ecommerce brands, agencies, and anyone who needs multi-channel marketing with advanced analytics. Choose Mailchimp if you need SMS marketing, sophisticated ecommerce integrations, and AI-powered predictive insights.

ConvertKit wins for: Content creators, bloggers, course creators, coaches, and newsletter publishers. Choose ConvertKit if you want simpler automation, creator-focused monetization, and a text-first approach that prioritizes deliverability.

Category	Winner	Why
Email Builder	Mailchimp	More templates, drag-and-drop flexibility, design options
Automation	ConvertKit	Simpler visual builder, powerful Rules feature, unlimited automations
Landing Pages	Tie	Both offer free landing pages; Mailchimp has more templates, ConvertKit is easier
Pricing (Small Lists)	Mailchimp	Cheaper entry point at $13/month for 500 contacts
Pricing (Large Lists)	ConvertKit	Unlimited emails, no overage fees, better value at scale
Free Plan	ConvertKit	10,000 subscribers vs Mailchimp’s 500
Creator Monetization	ConvertKit	Built-in digital product sales, paid newsletters, Creator Network
Ecommerce Integration	Mailchimp	Deep Shopify integration, purchase tracking, product recommendations
Ease of Use	ConvertKit	Cleaner interface with gentler learning curve
Analytics	Mailchimp	AI-powered insights, predictive analytics, comprehensive reporting

Side-by-Side Comparison

The Fundamental Difference: Business vs. Creator

Before diving into features, understanding the core philosophy behind each platform will help clarify which one fits your needs.

Mailchimp’s Approach: All-in-One Marketing Platform

Mailchimp, now owned by Intuit (the company behind QuickBooks and TurboTax), positions itself as a complete marketing platform for businesses. It serves over 11 million users worldwide and offers:

• Email marketing with 100+ professional templates
• SMS marketing in select countries
• Social media posting and ads management
• Landing pages and website builder
• AI-powered revenue intelligence
• Deep ecommerce integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and more
• CRM and audience management tools

The platform targets small businesses, ecommerce brands, agencies, and marketing teams who want everything in one place. Mailchimp assumes you’re building a company brand, not a personal one.

ConvertKit’s Approach: Creator-First Email Platform

ConvertKit (rebranded to “Kit” in 2024) was built from the ground up for individual creators. Founded in 2013 by Nathan Barry, a blogger and author who wanted simpler email marketing, the platform specifically serves:

• Newsletter writers and bloggers
• Course creators and coaches
• Authors and podcasters
• YouTubers and online educators
• Artists and musicians

ConvertKit calls itself an “email-first operating system” for creators. The platform emphasizes:

• Simple, text-focused emails that feel personal
• Powerful but approachable automation
• Built-in monetization for digital products and paid newsletters
• Creator Network for cross-promotion and growth
• High deliverability through intentionally simple email designs

Email Builder Comparison

Mailchimp Email Builder

Mailchimp’s email builder is one of its strongest features. The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to create visually appealing emails with:

• 100+ pre-designed templates organized by industry and purpose
• Flexible layout options with columns, dividers, and spacing controls
• Content blocks for text, images, buttons, videos, products, and social links
• Brand kit integration to automatically apply your colors and fonts
• AI-powered content suggestions for subject lines and body copy
• Dynamic content that changes based on subscriber data
• Product blocks that pull directly from connected ecommerce stores

The visual editor works well for creating polished, branded marketing emails. However, some users find the interface cluttered with options, and the template-heavy approach can result in emails that look promotional rather than personal.

Strengths:

• Most design flexibility of any email platform
• Templates for every occasion and industry
• AI writing assistance included
• Easy product embedding for ecommerce

Weaknesses:

• Can feel overwhelming with so many options
• Emails can look “marketing-heavy” to recipients
• Template-based designs may trigger spam filters more often

ConvertKit Email Builder

ConvertKit takes the opposite approach with a deliberately minimal email builder. The platform champions plain-text-style emails that feel like personal messages rather than marketing campaigns.

• Text-first design that looks like regular email
• Simple formatting with headers, bold, italic, and links
• Basic templates for broadcasts and sequences
• Image support (but not emphasized)
• Inline CTAs that feel natural in text
• Merge tags for personalization

ConvertKit’s philosophy is that simpler emails have better deliverability and feel more authentic to readers. Many successful creators swear by this approach - their emails land in the primary inbox and get read because they don’t look like marketing.

Strengths:

• Emails feel personal and authentic
• Better deliverability (emails look like regular mail)
• Faster to compose with less design decisions
• Focus stays on content, not formatting

Weaknesses:

• Limited design options frustrate some users
• Not ideal for product showcases or visual brands
• Templates are basic compared to competitors
• Can feel restrictive for marketing teams

Winner: Depends on your needs

Choose Mailchimp if you need visual, branded emails with product displays and sophisticated designs. Choose ConvertKit if you want personal, text-first emails that feel like authentic communication.

Automation Features

Both platforms offer powerful automation, but they approach it differently.

Mailchimp Automation

Mailchimp calls its automations “Customer Journeys” and provides an impressive array of options:

• 102 pre-built journey templates for common scenarios
• Visual workflow builder with branching logic
• Triggers including sign-ups, purchases, webpage visits, and more
• Wait times and conditions for sophisticated sequences
• A/B testing within automations
• Ecommerce automations like abandoned cart and product follow-ups

The automation builder is capable but can feel complex. You have many options, which means more decisions to make and more ways to create overly complicated workflows.

Limitations:

• Free plan has no automation access
• Essentials plan limits automations to 4 steps
• Full automation requires Standard plan ($20/month for 500 contacts)
• The interface can feel overwhelming

ConvertKit Automation

ConvertKit’s automation approach is more streamlined but equally powerful for creator use cases:

• 28 pre-built automation templates covering common sequences
• Visual automation builder with clear flow visualization
• Multiple entry points (up to 5 per automation)
• Tag-based triggers for precise subscriber targeting
• Event and condition triggers for sophisticated logic
• Unlimited automations on paid plans

What sets ConvertKit apart is the Rules feature - simple if/then automations that don’t require building a full workflow. For example: “If subscriber clicks link X, add tag Y.” This makes simple automations instant to set up.

Limitations:

• Free plan allows only 1 visual automation
• Fewer pre-built templates than Mailchimp
• Less sophisticated for complex business workflows
• No webpage visit triggers (unlike Mailchimp)

Winner: ConvertKit

For most creators and small business owners, ConvertKit’s automation is more approachable while still being powerful. The visual builder is intuitive, the Rules feature is brilliant for simple automations, and unlimited automations on paid plans removes friction. Mailchimp wins for complex ecommerce workflows with many triggers and conditions.

Landing Pages Comparison

Mailchimp Landing Pages

Mailchimp offers unlimited free landing pages on all plans, including the free tier. Features include:

• Drag-and-drop builder similar to the email editor
• Basic and themed templates for different goals
• Payment acceptance for selling products directly
• Signup forms with up to 5 tags per subscriber
• Mobile-responsive design by default
• Tracking integration with Facebook Pixel and Google Analytics
• Connected ecommerce product display from Shopify and other stores

The landing page builder pulls design elements from your brand kit for consistency. However, custom domains require a paid Websites plan, and you cannot use custom HTML or iframes.

ConvertKit Landing Pages

ConvertKit also offers unlimited free landing pages on all plans, with a creator-focused approach:

• Extensive template library for various campaigns
• Templates for event pages, webinars, waitlists, newsletters, and more
• Custom domain support even on the free plan
• Form options including inline, modal, slide-in, and sticky bars
• Integration with automations for automatic tagging and sequences
• Simple customization with less design complexity

ConvertKit’s templates are designed specifically for creator use cases - growing a newsletter, launching a course, building a waitlist. The templates are attractive and convert well, though customization options are more limited than Mailchimp’s.

Winner: Tie

Both platforms offer capable, free landing page builders. Mailchimp has more design flexibility and ecommerce integration. ConvertKit has better template variety for creators and free custom domain support. Choose based on your primary use case.

Pricing Breakdown

Mailchimp Pricing

Plan	Monthly Price	Contacts	Key Limits
Free	$0	500	2,500 emails/month, limited features
Essentials	$13/month	500	5,000 emails, 4-step automations
Standard	$20/month	500	Full automations, predictive analytics
Premium	$350/month	10,000	Advanced segmentation, phone support

Scaling costs:

• 1,500 contacts: $45/month (Standard)
• 5,000 contacts: $75/month (Standard)
• 10,000 contacts: $110/month (Standard)
• 50,000 contacts: $350/month (Standard)

Important: Mailchimp charges overage fees if you exceed contact or email limits. Costs can increase significantly as your list grows.

ConvertKit Pricing

Plan	Monthly Price	Contacts	Key Features
Newsletter (Free)	$0	10,000	Unlimited emails, 1 automation, landing pages
Creator	$29/month	1,000	Unlimited automations, migration service
Creator Pro	$59/month	1,000	Subscriber scoring, advanced analytics

Scaling costs:

• 3,000 contacts: $59/month (Creator)
• 5,000 contacts: $89/month (Creator)
• 10,000 contacts: $119/month (Creator)
• 50,000 contacts: $379/month (Creator)

Important: ConvertKit includes unlimited emails on all plans with no overage fees.

Cost Comparison by List Size

List Size	Mailchimp Standard	ConvertKit Creator	Better Value
500	$20/month	$29/month	Mailchimp
1,000	$30/month	$29/month	ConvertKit
5,000	$75/month	$89/month	Mailchimp
10,000	$110/month	$119/month	Similar
25,000	$210/month	$199/month	ConvertKit
50,000	$350/month	$379/month	Mailchimp

Winner: Depends on list size and needs

Mailchimp is cheaper at the entry level ($13-20 vs $29). ConvertKit’s free plan is far more generous (10,000 vs 500 subscribers). At scale, costs are similar, but ConvertKit’s unlimited emails and no overage fees provide more predictable pricing.

Creator Monetization Features

This is where ConvertKit truly differentiates itself.

ConvertKit Monetization

ConvertKit was built to help creators make money from their audience:

Digital Product Sales:

• Sell ebooks, courses, templates, and downloads directly through ConvertKit
• Built-in checkout with Stripe integration
• No separate ecommerce platform needed
• Automatic product delivery after purchase

Paid Newsletters:

• Charge subscribers for premium newsletter access
• Monthly or annual subscription options
• “Tip jar” feature for voluntary support
• Built-in payment processing

Creator Network:

• Cross-promote with other creators
• Free Recommendations: Kit recommends your newsletter to relevant audiences
• Paid Recommendations: Earn money by recommending other newsletters
• Discovery and growth without paid ads

Sponsor Network:

• Kit helps source and manage premium sponsorships
• Automatic ad placement in newsletters
• Managed sponsorship program (23.5% fee)
• Passive income from your newsletter

TeachKit:

• Free built-in course builder
• Deliver lessons via email
• Create mini-courses without separate platforms

Mailchimp Monetization

Mailchimp focuses on ecommerce integration rather than native monetization:

• Shopify integration for product sales and tracking
• WooCommerce integration for WordPress stores
• Product recommendation blocks in emails
• Abandoned cart automation to recover sales
• Purchase tracking and analytics

Mailchimp expects you to sell through a separate store, not through the email platform itself.

Winner: ConvertKit

For creators who want to monetize directly - selling courses, running paid newsletters, earning from recommendations - ConvertKit is the clear choice. Mailchimp requires external ecommerce platforms for selling products.

Deliverability Comparison

Email deliverability determines whether your messages actually reach subscriber inboxes.

Mailchimp Deliverability

Independent testing shows Mailchimp’s deliverability has room for improvement:

• 77.53% inbox placement (based on 529,000+ test emails)
• 18.84% landed in spam folders
• 3.65% were lost or bounced
• Lowest performance on Gmail, Outlook, and Yandex
• Best performance on Juno, Tuta, and custom mail servers

Mailchimp lacks a centralized deliverability dashboard and doesn’t provide spam complaint data directly. For high-volume senders, a dedicated IP is available for $29.95/month.

ConvertKit Deliverability

ConvertKit claims significantly better deliverability:

• 99.8% delivery rate claimed officially
• 76.59% inbox placement in independent testing
• Plain-text-style emails help avoid spam triggers
• Better performance due to simpler email designs
• Some emails land in Promotions tab rather than Primary

ConvertKit’s focus on text-first emails without heavy design elements naturally improves deliverability. Marketing-heavy templates are more likely to trigger spam filters.

Winner: Tie (with caveats)

Official claims favor ConvertKit (99.8% vs unstated for Mailchimp), but independent testing shows similar real-world inbox placement (76-77%). ConvertKit’s simpler emails may have an advantage for primary inbox placement, while Mailchimp’s designed emails work well for brands where promotional appearance is expected.

Who Should Choose Mailchimp?

Choose Mailchimp if you:

• Run an ecommerce store with Shopify, WooCommerce, or similar
• Need SMS marketing alongside email
• Want AI-powered analytics and predictive insights
• Prefer designed, visual emails with product displays
• Have a marketing team that needs collaboration features
• Need integration with QuickBooks and Intuit products
• Want the most template and design options available

Ideal use cases:

• Online retail stores with product catalogs
• Agencies managing multiple client accounts
• Restaurants and local businesses with promotions
• B2B companies with designed marketing campaigns
• Organizations needing multi-channel marketing from one platform

Who Should Choose ConvertKit?

Choose ConvertKit if you:

• Are a content creator, blogger, or newsletter writer
• Want to sell digital products without a separate ecommerce platform
• Prefer simple, personal-feeling emails over designed templates
• Need powerful automation without complexity
• Want to monetize through paid newsletters or recommendations
• Value a generous free plan to start building your audience
• Prioritize deliverability over design flexibility

Ideal use cases:

• Newsletter publishers monetizing through subscriptions
• Course creators selling educational content
• Authors building a reader community
• Coaches and consultants nurturing leads
• Podcasters and YouTubers growing their email list
• Anyone building a personal brand through content

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ConvertKit now called Kit?

Yes, ConvertKit officially rebranded to “Kit” in 2024. The product, features, and company are the same - only the name changed. Both names are still used interchangeably online, and the platform remains focused on serving content creators.

Which has better automation?

Both platforms offer powerful automation. Mailchimp has more pre-built templates (102 vs 28) and more trigger options, including webpage visits. ConvertKit’s automation is simpler to use with its visual builder and unique Rules feature for quick if/then setups. For most creators, ConvertKit’s automation is more approachable while remaining powerful.

Can I switch from Mailchimp to ConvertKit?

Yes, ConvertKit offers a free migration service on paid plans. They’ll help transfer your subscribers, tags, and sequences. Mailchimp subscribers can be exported as CSV files for import. Keep in mind that automations will need to be recreated, as they don’t transfer directly.

Which is better for selling products?

It depends on the product type. For physical products and ecommerce, Mailchimp’s Shopify integration and product blocks are superior. For digital products like courses, ebooks, and memberships, ConvertKit’s built-in commerce features let you sell directly without a separate platform.

Which has better deliverability?

ConvertKit claims 99.8% deliverability and their text-first approach helps emails land in primary inboxes rather than promotions tabs. Independent testing shows both platforms have similar real-world inbox placement (~77%). For newsletters that need to feel personal, ConvertKit’s simpler emails may have an edge.

Is the free plan enough to start?

ConvertKit’s free plan supporting 10,000 subscribers is remarkably generous for creators building an audience. You get unlimited emails, landing pages, and one automation. Mailchimp’s free plan (500 subscribers, 2,500 emails) is more limiting and pushes you to paid plans quickly.

Which platform is easier to learn?

ConvertKit is easier to learn. The interface is cleaner with fewer options, and the platform focuses on doing fewer things well. Mailchimp has more features but a steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive feature set. New users often find Mailchimp’s interface overwhelming.

Can I use both together?

Yes, some marketers use ConvertKit for newsletter and creator content while using Mailchimp for ecommerce and promotional campaigns. However, this adds complexity and cost. Most users are better served by choosing one platform that fits their primary use case.

Which integrates better with WordPress?

Both integrate with WordPress through plugins and form embedding. ConvertKit has a dedicated WordPress plugin that’s well-maintained and easy to use. Mailchimp also integrates via plugins and form codes. For bloggers on WordPress, ConvertKit’s creator focus makes it a natural fit.

What if I need SMS marketing?

Mailchimp is your answer. ConvertKit does not offer SMS marketing. If multi-channel marketing with SMS is important to your strategy, Mailchimp’s SMS capabilities (available in select countries as an add-on) make it the only choice between these two platforms.

Final Verdict

Mailchimp and ConvertKit both excel at email marketing, but they serve fundamentally different users with different goals.

Choose Mailchimp if you’re building a business brand. Mailchimp’s strength is in its comprehensive marketing platform - email, SMS, ecommerce integrations, AI analytics, and designed templates for professional marketing campaigns. It’s built for businesses that need everything in one place and teams that want sophisticated analytics and automation. The ecommerce integrations, particularly with Shopify, make it essential for online retailers.

Choose ConvertKit if you’re building a personal creator brand. ConvertKit understands that creators need to grow an audience, build trust through authentic communication, and monetize their content. The platform’s text-first emails, generous free plan, built-in product sales, and Creator Network make it uniquely suited for bloggers, newsletter writers, course creators, and anyone building a personal brand through content. The simpler interface means less time fighting with software and more time creating.

Our recommendation: Start with the platform that matches your identity. If you think of yourself as a business owner, try Mailchimp. If you think of yourself as a creator, try ConvertKit. Both offer free plans, so you can test before committing.

The good news is that both platforms have proven track records and will serve you well. The “wrong” choice between these two is still a capable email marketing platform. But the right choice will feel natural and help you work more effectively toward your goals.

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Last updated: December 2025. Pricing and features change frequently. Visit each provider’s website for current offers.