Mailchimp vs ConvertKit: Feature Comparison That Actually Matters

In crowded email platforms, Mailchimp vs ConvertKit comes up fast because they solve different jobs. ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in 2024, though most buyers still search for ConvertKit, so this guide uses both names for clarity. 

For creator-led newsletters and digital products, Kit leans into monetization and low-friction publishing. 

For small teams that want a broader marketing suite, Mailchimp piles on channels, analytics, and AI. As of January 2026, plan limits, pricing, and feature sets below reflect each vendor’s live pages and docs.

Who Each Platform Serves

Creators, writers, educators, and solo businesses gravitate to Kit because its toolset centers on audience growth and earnings. Sponsor matching, paid recommendations, paid newsletters, and native digital product delivery show up in the core app rather than a patchwork of add-ons. 

Agencies, ecommerce shops, and multi-person teams tend to choose Mailchimp when they need social scheduling, websites, surveys, SMS, and deeper reporting under one roof.

Quick Verdict

For a creator focused on turning a newsletter into revenue, Kit feels purpose-built and easier to operate. For a business that needs multichannel reach, stronger email marketing automation, and richer dashboards, Mailchimp wins on breadth and AI assistance. 

Either platform can send great campaigns; the “right” choice depends on whether your primary work is publishing and selling content or running cross-channel marketing.

Feature Comparison That Actually Matters

Consistent decisions come from a sober look at daily work: writing, segmenting, automating, optimizing, and, in many cases, selling. The notes below avoid checkbox wars and highlight differences that change outcomes. 

Expect Kit to prioritize creator monetization and simplicity, while Mailchimp prioritizes channel coverage, Mailchimp AI tools, and analytics surfaced across the app.

Ease Of Use and Editors

Kit’s builder is clean and fast. Starting Points and a growing template marketplace keep designs straightforward and on-brand without fiddly layout traps. That simplicity helps when publishing frequently.

Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop editor supports columns, content blocks, and advanced elements, then layers optimization checks. The tradeoff is more settings to learn and a higher chance of designing something heavier than needed.

Design and Templates

Kit offers polished creator-made templates through its marketplace plus native Starting Points. Template quality is high, and the marketplace expands often, although many premium designs are paid.

Mailchimp supplies a large library of responsive templates inside a flexible editor, helpful for ecommerce and brand campaigns that need more visual structure. Creative Assistant can generate on-brand assets using your Brand Kit.

Automation Depth

Kit’s Visual Automations, Sequences, and Rules make it simple to build welcome flows, tag-based logic, and multi-entry journeys without drowning in options. The focus stays on subscriber behavior and simple if/then rules that creators actually use.

Mailchimp’s Journeys support multi-step logic, ecommerce triggers, and cross-channel actions. It also ships AI-powered flows for common lifecycle goals and surfaces anomaly detection and optimization tips inside reporting. Teams needing layered paths across channels benefit here.

Monetization and Commerce

Kit bakes in newsletter monetization features: paid newsletters, the Sponsor Network for ads, paid recommendations, a referral layer, tips, and Kit Commerce for selling and delivering digital products. This is the fastest route to earning without third-party stacks.

Mailchimp handles ecommerce email campaigns very well and connects to major storefronts for product targeting, abandoned carts, and post-purchase flows. For paid newsletters or digital delivery, Mailchimp typically relies on outside tools.

AI and Analytics

Mailchimp integrates Intuit Assist and related AI features across the platform: content suggestions, design help, and AI-assisted automations. Reporting is extensive, including multi-campaign dashboards, ecommerce revenue attribution, and comparative industry metrics.

Kit focuses less on AI. Its analytics are streamlined on lower tiers, with deeper insights and engagement scoring unlocked on higher plans. Creators who prioritize speed and monetization over heavy analysis often accept this trade.

Deliverability and List Hygiene

Strong inbox placement starts with domain alignment. Both providers guide you through DKIM and SPF, and both recommend DMARC for modern sender requirements. 

Kit publishes deliverability guidance and requires verified sending domains; Mailchimp documents authentication paths and policy updates tied to Gmail and Yahoo requirements introduced in 2024.

Forms and Landing Pages

Kit’s forms and landing pages are fast to ship and geared for lead magnets, email courses, and simple SEO basics. Templates are attractive and mobile-ready, with straightforward settings and basic analytics.

Mailchimp offers pop-ups, embedded forms, and a landing page builder inside its multi-channel hub, which helps keep capture, campaigns, and scheduling in one place for teams already working there.

Integrations and Ecosystem

Mailchimp’s Integrations Directory spans hundreds of apps across CRM, ecommerce, analytics, and social, plus a marketing calendar and social scheduler that many small teams use to centralize planning.

Kit connects to a solid set of creator tools and storefronts and adds an App Store for quick connections. For deep CRM use cases or enterprise stacks, Mailchimp generally offers broader coverage.

Snapshot: Plans and Highlights

Short, practical benchmarks help narrow options when time is tight.

Pricing That Scales In Practice

Clarity on pricing saves headaches once the list grows. As of January 2026, Kit’s ConvertKit free plan allows up to 10,000 subscribers on the Newsletter tier, including unlimited broadcasts and landing pages, plus upgrade paths for automations and advanced analytics. Mailchimp’s Free offers 500 contacts with capped monthly sends and fewer advanced features, pushing most businesses to Essentials or Standard early.

Here’s a directional Mailchimp pricing comparison using current public starting points. Always confirm final totals in each app based on contacts, monthly sends, and add-ons.

Vendors price in local currencies, use tier steps, and change promos. Run your own estimate inside each pricing calculator.

Concrete Use Cases To Decide Faster

Solo Newsletter Turning Into A Product

A creator building a content business needs tools that turn attention into revenue. Kit’s paid subscriptions, Sponsor Network, paid recommendations, and seamless digital delivery reduce tech overhead and speed up experiments. The Creator Network also helps cross-promote and grow.

Shopify Store Needing Lifecycle Email and Ads

A store that depends on browse and cart triggers, product feeds, and remarketing benefits from Mailchimp’s ecommerce data, social scheduling, and SMS add-on. AI-assisted flows accelerate setup for common lifecycle campaigns.

Services Firm Reporting To Clients

A team that must roll up performance across channels will appreciate Mailchimp’s reporting depth, dashboards, and calendar. Centralized planning shortens review cycles and keeps campaigns coordinated.

Buyer Notes That Actually Help

Authentication using DKIM and SPF, plus DMARC where applicable, improves inbox placement and future-proofs sending against Gmail and Yahoo requirements adopted in 2024.

• SMS is not universal. Mailchimp’s SMS is a paid add-on with regional constraints; confirm availability and credit pricing for your country.
• Template discipline beats bloat. Lightweight layouts tend to render better and trigger fewer spam heuristics than dense multi-column designs. Kit’s marketplace and Starting Points keep that discipline intact.
• Growth loops reduce ad spend. Kit’s paid recommendations and sponsor placements can offset costs while building the list, which is rare among newsletter platforms.

Final Recommendation

For creator-led businesses where the newsletter is the product, Kit is the easier, more profitable path. 

For teams that need channel breadth, rich dashboards, email list management at scale, and automations tied to commerce and ads, Mailchimp remains a safe, capable choice. 

The deciding question reads simple: monetize an audience with minimal tooling, or orchestrate multi-channel marketing across an evolving stack.