Make the smallest decision that fixes the named constraint.
Choose MailerLite when a relatively small service-business list needs campaigns, visual automation, forms, landing pages, websites, and straightforward paid capacity. Free stops at 250 active subscribers; Comfort starts at $12 per month with 50 automations, three seats, and a send allowance tied to the subscriber tier.
Choose Kit when audience publishing, recommendations, digital products, tagging, and a large free list are more important. Kit Newsletter supports up to 10,000 active unique subscribers and unlimited broadcasts for $0, but only one basic automation and one sequence. Creator adds unlimited automation at $39 monthly or $390 yearly for 1,000 subscribers.
Decision snapshot
MailerLite Free has 2,500 monthly sends; Kit Newsletter has unlimited broadcasts and limited automation.
MailerLite Comfort starting price versus Kit Creator at 1,000 subscribers.
MailerLite Free/Comfort active automations versus Kit Newsletter/Creator automation boundary.
Scenario: 1,000 subscribers, weekly email, and one welcome sequence
A consultant publishes four broadcasts monthly and uses one evergreen sequence. Three people occasionally need account access.
Assumptions
- The audience remains at 1,000 active subscribers throughout the year.
- One Kit sequence is sufficient; MailerLite needs no more than Comfort’s documented limits.
- No separate referral program, advanced analytics, or ecommerce automation is required.
Disclosed math
- Kit Newsletter: $0 per year under the documented plan boundary.
- MailerLite Comfort starting-price floor: $12 × 12 = $144 before the exact 1,000-subscriber checkout.
- Kit Creator annual prepay: $390, or $246 above MailerLite’s starting-price floor.
Result: Kit Newsletter wins on cash for this simple creator-style workflow. MailerLite Comfort can still be the better fit when three seats, many active automations, a service-business site/landing-page bundle, or control over the free recommendation tradeoff matters.
Scenario outputs are arithmetic from the assumptions above, not traffic, conversion, revenue, or savings forecasts.
Use these decision criteria
Compare list economics with workflow economics
Kit’s free audience ceiling is large, while MailerLite exposes more active automation capacity on its small-list plans. Count both.
Evaluate the free-plan tradeoff
Kit’s managed Recommendation slot helps fund the Newsletter Plan. Decide whether that surface and revenue allocation fit the brand.
Price team access
MailerLite Comfort documents three users and Power unlimited; Kit Creator is not the unlimited-user tier. Confirm who truly needs access.
Choose, pause, or reject
| Option | Choose when | Pause when |
|---|---|---|
| Choose MailerLite | The list is a client-nurture asset and multiple modest automations, forms, or site surfaces matter. | The list is already above Free and the only workflow is one newsletter sequence. |
| Choose Kit | Publishing identity, recommendations, digital products, and the large free audience allowance are central. | Several independent sequences are required but the Creator budget is not justified. |
| Delay migration | The current tool exports cleanly, meets consent needs, and the modeled annual saving is smaller than migration labor. | A hard production boundary is already blocking sends or automation. |
Test one real month, not the template gallery
- Create the same form, consent text, confirmation, and welcome sequence in both products.
- Send one representative broadcast to internal test addresses and inspect mobile output.
- Add two collaborators and confirm their required permissions.
- Export subscribers, tags or groups, custom fields, and suppression state.
Pass rule: Choose the lower-total-cost platform that preserves consent and supports the production calendar without exceeding its active subscriber, send, automation, or user boundary.
Limits to keep visible
- MailerLite’s $12 is a starting price; the exact subscriber tier must be checked.
- Kit prices paid plans by active subscriber count and can prorate upgrades.
- Neither vendor’s feature page proves deliverability for your domain or list.
Continue the decision
Frequently asked questions
Why is Kit free for more subscribers than MailerLite?
The products use different plan economics. Kit’s Newsletter Plan includes a managed Recommendation slot and limits automation, while MailerLite Free uses a much smaller active-subscriber and send ceiling.
Is MailerLite Comfort cheaper than Kit Creator?
At the published starting points, yes: MailerLite Comfort starts at $12 monthly, while Kit Creator is $39 monthly for 1,000 subscribers. Exact MailerLite tier pricing and used features still matter.
Which is better for several lead magnets?
MailerLite can be the lower-cost shortlist when several active automations are needed. Kit Newsletter has one sequence; Kit Creator removes that limit at a higher paid entry.
Primary sources checked
- MailerLite current plans and starting prices ↗
- MailerLite Free, Comfort, and Power limits ↗
- MailerLite subscriber, sending, and billing rules ↗
- Kit current pricing and plan features ↗
- Kit Newsletter Plan limits ↗
- Kit Creator and Pro plan comparison ↗
- Kit subscriber billing and proration ↗
Pricing changes. Recheck the vendor’s checkout before buying.