It's tempting to treat ConvertKit as a live brand, but its own About page now reads Kit, Formerly ConvertKit, so the real comparison is MailerLite against Kit. MailerLite's pages lead with keeping things simple, with automations and performance tracking. Kit's lead with creator tools: a visual automation builder, branded forms and Subscriber Signals. Let the way you grow your list decide.
Newsletter writers and small-business owners usually arrive at this pair from different directions. Creators hear about ConvertKit from other creators, while shop owners and service businesses tend to find MailerLite when they're looking for something that won't take a week to learn. Both send email and automate it. Where they split is in what each company puts first, and that's what this page sets out, in each vendor's own words and with nothing ranked.
The renamed brand behind the search
Kit's About page states it plainly: Kit, Formerly ConvertKit. If you've been reading older reviews, tutorials or forum threads, they'll talk about ConvertKit, and what you'll sign up for today is Kit. Nothing on that page suggests the product was swapped for another one; it reads as a rename. Still, it changes how you research, because help articles, integrations and screenshots may carry either name.
MailerLite hasn't changed its name, and its pages describe a stay-simple approach: no unnecessary features or complicated processes. In its own words, everything it does is designed to provide intuitive solutions for complicated tasks. So you're weighing a renamed creator platform against a platform that sells restraint, and those are two different promises.
Three traps to test before moving a list
Trap one: researching the old name
Search results for ConvertKit can mix old and new material. Before you rely on a tutorial or a comparison, check whether it describes the product as Kit. If it doesn't, treat any feature list in it as a starting point and confirm it on Kit's own site, since a rename is often the moment a product's pages get rewritten.
Trap two: reading simple as limited
MailerLite's simplicity is its pitch, not a missing piece. Its pages still list automations that send targeted emails automatically, performance monitoring so you can find what works best for your business, and an AI tool connection that, in its words, can check your real data, draft a campaign, pull a report or clean up your list. Judge it on whether the features you'll use are there, not on how many it shows you.
Trap three: signing up for creator features you won't touch
Kit's pages lead with a visual automation builder that moves each subscriber down the right path, inline, pop-up and slide-in forms that deliver freebies and tag people by interest at signup, and Subscriber Signals, which flags high-influence subscribers and tells you when they join. Those are built for people who sell to an audience. If you send a monthly update to customers, ask yourself whether you'll use them.
Side by side in each vendor's words
On sending, Kit describes newsletters, launches and promotions going to your list, with opens, clicks and sales reported per email. MailerLite describes perfectly-timed, targeted emails sent automatically, plus campaign performance tracking. Both cover the everyday job; Kit frames reporting around each send, and MailerLite frames it around learning what works for your business.
On automation, Kit talks about a visual builder that routes each subscriber, while MailerLite talks about automations that send at the right moment. On growing a list, Kit is specific about forms and tagging by interest at signup. On help from AI, MailerLite describes a connection that works with your own data, from drafting a campaign to tidying your list. And on attitude, MailerLite's line about no unnecessary features is the clearest statement either company makes about who it's for.
Both at a glance
The short table below sticks to what each platform is and the reader it seems built around.
| Tool | Kind of platform | Built around |
|---|---|---|
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | Creator email marketing platform | Creators selling to an audience through newsletters and launches |
| MailerLite | Email marketing platform | Small businesses wanting automation without complicated processes |
Each platform, alphabetical and in no particular order
Two entries, one line each, drawn from the vendors' own pages.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Best for: Creators sending newsletters, launches and promotions with visual automations, branded forms and Subscriber Signals. Vendor claim: Kit, Formerly ConvertKit.
MailerLite
Best for: Small businesses wanting email automations and reporting from a simple-by-design platform. Vendor claim: send perfectly-timed and targeted emails automatically.
Send one real issue from each
The quickest way to settle this is to put one real newsletter through both. Use an issue you'd send anyway, and a small test group of your own addresses rather than your audience.
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- Rebuild your signup form and see how each one handles tagging new readers.
- Set up the welcome email you already send, as an automation.
- Write and send the issue, then open it on your phone and on a laptop.
- Look at the report that comes back and ask whether it tells you something you'd act on.
- Note how long each step took and where you went looking for help.
Keep your notes short and honest. The platform that got your issue out with the least fuss is usually the one you'll still be happy with in a year.
Matching the platform to the way you sell
If your list is how you sell, through launches, products or promotions to readers who know you, Kit's pages are written for you: visual automations, forms that tag by interest and Subscriber Signals all point at creators building an audience. If email is one tool among many in a small business, and you'd rather not learn features you won't use, MailerLite's keep-it-simple approach is the closer match.
Whichever way you lean, don't move your whole list until the test issue has gone out cleanly. For more options in each direction, see these MailerLite alternatives and ConvertKit alternatives, and if AI writing help is high on your list, the roundup of AI email marketing tools is worth a look.
Do you make email marketing software for creators or small businesses? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Is ConvertKit the same as Kit?
Yes. Kit's own About page reads Kit, Formerly ConvertKit, so anything you read about ConvertKit refers to the product now sold as Kit.
Does MailerLite offer a free plan?
The MailerLite pages quoted here don't spell one out. Plans and limits change, so check MailerLite's own site before you decide.
Does Kit offer a free plan?
Kit's pages quoted here don't describe one. Limits change, so look at Kit's own site for what's on offer when you're ready to sign up.
What are Subscriber Signals in Kit?
Kit says Subscriber Signals flags high-influence subscribers and notifies you when they join, so you can spot readers who might matter more to your growth.
Can MailerLite use AI with my own data?
MailerLite describes an AI tool connection you can ask to check your real data, draft a campaign, pull a report or clean up your list. Try it on a test group first.
How hard is it to move a list between them?
Contacts usually move easily. Automations, forms and tags often need rebuilding, so list what you've set up and allow time to recreate it before you switch.
