# Kit (ConvertKit) Alternatives: Which to Choose, by the Reason You Are Leaving

> Kit alternatives by reason: beehiiv for several newsletters, MailerLite and Brevo for lists that never buy, Substack for discovery, Klaviyo for stores, ActiveCampaign for a CRM, and how to cut Kit's bill before leaving.

_Source: https://professionalstoolkit.com/articles/kit-alternatives — The Professional's Toolkit · updated 2026-10-09_

---


People search for alternatives to ConvertKit about 170 times a month in the United States. The usual
reasons, from our 100 recent Kit reviews and Kit's own policies, are the October 2025 price increase,
support after it, the verification step before sending, and the one-audience-per-account model. This
page is organised by those reasons, with prices from each vendor's own pages.

## Why people leave Kit

- **Price.** Kit raised prices for existing customers from October 2025, the "first price increase in
  12 years" [10]; one reviewer says it was "nearly 3x" for them [9].
- **Support after the increase.** Support is the largest theme in our corpus: 26 positive, 12 negative
  [9].
- **Several audiences.** Kit advises a separate account, and a separate plan, for each distinct
  audience [22].
- **Verification.** New accounts cannot send until Kit approves them [7].



> 💡 **undefined:** Prune and switch to a lower band before leaving over price.

## The alternatives at a glance

| Platform | Our score | Entry paid price, monthly | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo | 3.88 | $20 | 250 profiles | Online stores |
| Kit | 3.79 | $39 at 1,000 | 10,000 subscribers | Creators who sell |
| MailerLite | 3.71 | $12 at 500 | 250 subscribers | Small business email |
| Constant Contact | 3.63 | $12 | None | Local business, nonprofits |
| beehiiv | 3.61 | $59 at 1,000 | 2,500 subscribers | Paid newsletters, media |
| Brevo | 3.58 | $9 at 5,000 emails | 100,000 contacts stored | Large lists mailed rarely |
| Mailchimp | 3.46 | $13 promotional | 250 contacts | Small business promotions |
| ActiveCampaign | 3.44 | $19 | None | Automation and CRM |

From each vendor's pricing page [52] [50] [54] [44] [53] [49].

## If you run several newsletters: beehiiv

beehiiv bills a whole workspace as one list, with three publications on Lite and ten on Pro [44].
Three newsletters of 3,000 cost one Lite at the 10,000 tier, $139 a month, against three Kit Creator
plans at $59 each, $177. beehiiv also takes 0% of paid subscriptions. It does not refund: "All sales
are final upon subscription" [46].



> ⚠ **undefined:** Check the new platform can import paid subscribers.

## If the list will never buy: MailerLite or Brevo

MailerLite Comfort is $12 a month at 500 subscribers [50]; Brevo Starter is $9 a month at 5,000
emails and its free plan stores 100,000 contacts at 300 emails a day [53]. Both are a fraction of
Kit's $39. Both lack Kit's creator commerce and the Creator Network.

## If you want discovery more than control: Substack

Substack has no plan fee and keeps 10%: "Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees."
[51]. Compared with Kit's free plan, which allows paid subscriptions up to 10,000 subscribers at
3.5% plus 30 cents, Substack costs more per sale; what it offers is its reader network.

## If you sell physical products: Klaviyo

Klaviyo, first in our scores at 3.88, is built on store data. For a creator who has become a store,
with inventory, carts and repeat purchases, it is the better fit. Kit reads purchases from Shopify and
others for tagging [28], but its automations are built for creator funnels, not store events.

## If you need a CRM: ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign, at 3.44, pairs deep automation with a sales pipeline and scores 4.2 on our integrations
axis. For a coach or consultant with a sales process, it covers what Kit does not.

## If you mostly want a lower bill: stay, but prune

Before leaving Kit over price, check whether the list can drop a band. Kit's own advice is to prune
about every six months, which "can even lower your email bill" [5]; the lower band starts at the
next billing date once you switch [4]. A list cleaned from 3,200 to 2,900 subscribers moves from
$89 to $59 a month on Creator.

## If the reason is the October 2025 price rise

Kit's founder explained the increase in a public letter: prices had not changed since 2013 while the
product had added visual automations, recommendations, the app store, a deliverability team, commerce
and 24/7 support [10]. Customers kept their plan limits and features, and discounts, including
nonprofit discounts, carried over to the new price [4].

Before switching, compare the new Kit price with the alternative at your exact list size. At 10,000
subscribers Kit Creator ($139) and beehiiv Lite ($139) cost the same; MailerLite Comfort ($89) is
cheaper; Brevo depends on how often you send [2] [44] [50] [53]. Then add the cost of
moving: rebuilding sequences, re-verifying a domain, and, for paid newsletters, the readers who will not
resubscribe on a platform that cannot import them.

## If the reason is support

Support is the largest theme in our Kit corpus, 38 of 100 reviews, and two thirds of those are positive
[9]. The negative third describes long exchanges on technical questions. Every alternative in our
category has a support score at or below Kit's 3.6 except Constant Contact, also 3.6. If support is the
reason, test Constant Contact first, and judge any alternative on one real question during its
trial.

## Prices at common sizes, monthly

| Subscribers | Kit Creator | beehiiv Lite | MailerLite Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $39 | $59 | $19 |
| 5,000 | $89 | $109 | $49 |
| 10,000 | $139 | $139 | $89 |
| 25,000 | $199 | $199 | $179 |

From each vendor's published ladder [2] [44] [50]. For pure sending MailerLite is the
cheapest at every size; Kit and beehiiv meet at 10,000 and 25,000.

## Our scores, axis by axis

| Axis | Kit | Klaviyo | MailerLite | beehiiv | Brevo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| Capability | 3.8 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| Ease of use | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.4 |
| Integrations | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
| Support | 3.6 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
| Sentiment | 4.0 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2.9 |
| Composite | 3.79 | 3.88 | 3.71 | 3.61 | 3.58 |

Kit has the best support score and the best sentiment score in this group. Leaving it over support
means moving to a platform we score lower on support, with the exception of Constant Contact (3.6).

## Choosing by scenario

| Your situation | First choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Creator selling courses, under 10,000 | Stay on Kit | Free plan sells; Creator for sequences |
| Three newsletters, one budget | beehiiv | One bill per workspace |
| Small business, no products | MailerLite | Lowest price per subscriber |
| 80,000 contacts mailed monthly | Brevo | Priced by emails sent |
| Shopify store | Klaviyo | Store-event automation |
| Writer wanting discovery | Substack | Reader network, no plan fee |
| Coach with a sales pipeline | ActiveCampaign | Automation and CRM |

## If the reason is verification

Kit's verification asks for a link to your blog before sending, to confirm "You're a real person" and
that you own your domain [7]. Most email platforms review accounts in some way; Kit simply does it
before the first send rather than after. If timing is the problem, send the link on day one; if the
problem is that you have no site yet, a landing page built in Kit counts as a start.

## If the reason is one account per audience

Kit's advice for creators with several businesses is plain: "A fresh account for every distinct
audience is the best practice and our advice." [22]. One account has one list and "we only store a
single custom domain per account" [22]. Each account is billed on its own band, so three audiences
of 3,000 pay three times $59 instead of once at a higher band.

Two alternatives handle this better. beehiiv bills a workspace of several publications as one list
[44]. MailerLite, at $33 for 2,500 subscribers, makes even separate accounts cheaper [50]. Within
Kit, the cheaper route for related audiences is one account with tags and segments, accepting the
limits Kit describes: no sending to all subscribers without mixing audiences, one default sender
address, and the risk that an unsubscribe removes a reader from both [22].

## If the reason is a missing feature

Kit has no website builder beyond landing pages and a newsletter site, no podcast hosting, and no store
automation of the cart-and-browse kind [6]. If one of those is the reason, beehiiv covers the
first two and Klaviyo the third. If the missing feature is automation on the
free plan, MailerLite's free plan includes three automations, but only up to 250 subscribers [56].

## What you give up by leaving Kit

- **The largest free plan that allows selling**: 10,000 subscribers [6].
- **A refund window**, 30 days by the help centre [4].
- **Branding removal on the entry plan** [3].
- **The Creator Network** and its recommendations [6].
- **Published fees** on sponsorships and recommendations [32] [31].

## If you are a nonprofit

Kit's billing article confirms that nonprofit discounts exist and survived the 2025 price change [4].
Ask Kit for the current terms before comparing it with an alternative, because a discounted Kit plan can
change the order of the price tables above. Constant Contact also markets to nonprofits and publishes a
30-day money-back guarantee [54].

## If you write a paid newsletter on Kit's free plan

Staying is often cheapest. Kit Free allows paid subscriptions up to 10,000 subscribers at 3.5% plus 30
cents per sale including processing [6] [2]. Of the paid-newsletter options we have measured, only
Kit lets you charge readers on a free plan this large: beehiiv needs a paid plan for subscriptions and
Substack keeps 10% [44] [51]. Leaving would mean paying a plan fee or a larger share of every
subscription, for a list that already costs nothing to host.

## Questions that narrow the list

1. **Do you sell products?** If yes, Kit is hard to replace; compare only beehiiv and Klaviyo.
2. **How many separate audiences?** More than one favours beehiiv's single bill [44].
3. **Will the list ever buy?** If never, MailerLite or Brevo [50] [53].
4. **Is the newsletter itself the product?** beehiiv's 0% share and publication tools.
5. **Do you need a reader network more than a checkout?** Substack [51].
6. **Is your reason price?** Check the band below yours first; pruning may solve it [4].

## If you are a coach or consultant

Coaches often sell packages rather than products. Kit supports payment plans that split a package into
at least two instalments, monthly, quarterly or yearly [42], and collects VAT for EU and UK clients
once enabled [43]. ActiveCampaign adds a sales pipeline for coaches who work leads by hand. A coach
who sells mostly through launches and sequences is usually better off staying on Kit and adding a
simple CRM than moving the whole list.

## The cost of moving

Moving is rarely free even when the new plan is cheaper. Sequences and automations must be rebuilt.
Forms embedded on a website must be replaced. A custom sending domain must be authenticated again.
Paid subscriptions may not transfer: beehiiv cannot import paid subscribers managed through Kit and
Stripe Express [47]. Set those costs against the saving before deciding.



## FAQ

**What is the best alternative to ConvertKit?**

beehiiv for several newsletters or paid publishing, MailerLite for low cost, Klaviyo for stores, Substack for discovery.

## How to leave Kit cleanly

1. Export subscribers as CSV [25].
2. Move paid subscriptions where the new platform supports it; check its guide first, since beehiiv
   cannot import paid subscriptions from Kit and Stripe Express [47].
3. Cancel; the account stays active to the end of the billing period [4].
4. Request a refund within 30 days if eligible [4].
5. Request account deletion; it completes within 24 to 48 hours, and only the owner can request it
   [24].




## Sources

[1] Kit vendor pricing page — https://kit.com/pricing (2026-10)
[2] Kit help: creator vs pro choose the right plan — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/4494683-creator-vs-pro-choose-the-right-plan (2026-10)
[3] Kit help: billing at kit — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2502679-billing-at-kit (2026-10)
[4] Kit help: account upgrade downgrade faqs — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2537095-account-upgrade-downgrade-faqs (2026-10)
[5] Kit help: the kit free plan — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/16627071-the-kit-free-plan (2026-10)
[6] Kit help: why do i need to get my account verified — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2502678-why-do-i-need-to-get-my-account-verified (2026-10)
[7] Kit Terms of Service — https://kit.com/terms (2026-10)
[8] Trustpilot aggregate and review corpus for Kit — https://www.trustpilot.com/review/kit.com?languages=all (2026-10)
[9] Kit page: /pricing-updates-2025 — https://kit.com/pricing-updates-2025 (2026-10)
[10] Kit page: /pro — https://kit.com/pro (2026-10)
[11] Kit page: /ai — https://kit.com/ai (2026-10)
[12] Kit page: /ai/mcp — https://kit.com/ai/mcp (2026-10)
[13] Kit page: /features/commerce — https://kit.com/features/commerce (2026-10)
[14] Kit page: /features/commerce/paid-newsletter — https://kit.com/features/commerce/paid-newsletter (2026-10)
[15] Kit page: /features/newsletter-sponsorships — https://kit.com/features/newsletter-sponsorships (2026-10)
[16] Kit page: /features/paid-recommendations — https://kit.com/features/paid-recommendations (2026-10)
[17] Kit page: /features/recommendations — https://kit.com/features/recommendations (2026-10)
[18] Kit page: /features/automations — https://kit.com/features/automations (2026-10)
[19] Kit page: /features/deliverability — https://kit.com/features/deliverability (2026-10)
[20] Kit help: acceptable use policy — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/3038130-acceptable-use-policy (2026-10)
[21] Kit help: can i use one kit account for multiple domains or businesses — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2502514-can-i-use-one-kit-account-for-multiple-domains-or-businesses (2026-10)
[22] Kit help: what type of affiliate marketing is and isn t allowed at kit — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/4881296-what-type-of-affiliate-marketing-is-and-isn-t-allowed-at-kit (2026-10)
[23] Kit help: how to delete your kit account — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/11621148-how-to-delete-your-kit-account (2026-10)
[24] Kit help: how to export subscribers in kit — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2502489-how-to-export-subscribers-in-kit (2026-10)
[25] Kit help: creating a paid newsletter — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/4587009-creating-a-paid-newsletter (2026-10)
[26] Kit help: subscription product faqs — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/6027690-subscription-product-faqs (2026-10)
[27] Kit help: purchases feature setup and faq — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2502675-purchases-feature-setup-and-faq (2026-10)
[28] Kit help: how to refund a purchase — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/4833813-how-to-refund-a-purchase (2026-10)
[29] Kit help: kit stripe — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2632323-kit-stripe (2026-10)
[30] Kit help: how to enable paid recommendations in the creator network — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/7973490-how-to-enable-paid-recommendations-in-the-creator-network (2026-10)
[31] Kit help: monetizing your emails with kit newsletter sponsorships — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/8532157-monetizing-your-emails-with-kit-newsletter-sponsorships (2026-10)
[32] Kit help: how to run kit newsletter sponsorships — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/11645396-how-to-run-kit-newsletter-sponsorships (2026-10)
[33] Kit help: viewing your programmatic ads performance and payout reports — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/8532151-viewing-your-programmatic-ads-performance-and-payout-reports (2026-10)
[34] Kit help: migrating from beehiiv to kit — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/10248340-migrating-from-beehiiv-to-kit (2026-10)
[35] Kit help: migrating from substack to kit — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/6393834-migrating-from-substack-to-kit (2026-10)
[36] Kit help: migrating from mailchimp to kit — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/2502565-migrating-from-mailchimp-to-kit (2026-10)
[37] Kit help: migrating from mailerlite to kit — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/6980365-migrating-from-mailerlite-to-kit (2026-10)
[38] Kit help: how to connect the ai connectors to your ai tools — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/14827557-how-to-connect-the-ai-connectors-to-your-ai-tools (2026-10)
[39] Kit help: ai connector tools — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/15072804-ai-connector-tools (2026-10)
[40] Kit help: kit glossary key terms explained — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/16125614-kit-glossary-key-terms-explained (2026-10)
[41] Kit help: payment plans — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/6060884-payment-plans (2026-10)
[42] Kit help: how to collect vat on product and tips purchases — https://help.kit.com/en/articles/6631323-how-to-collect-vat-on-product-and-tips-purchases (2026-10)
[43] beehiiv help or pricing file — https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing.md (2026-10)
[44] beehiiv help or pricing file — https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/13092031997847.md (2026-10)
[45] beehiiv help or pricing file — https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/13092084756631.md (2026-10)
[46] beehiiv help or pricing file — https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/22435253930519.md (2026-10)
[47] beehiiv help or pricing file — https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/14194737991319.md (2026-10)
[48] Mailchimp vendor pricing page — https://mailchimp.com/pricing/ (2026-09)
[49] MailerLite vendor pricing page — https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing (2026-10)
[50] Substack, going paid — https://substack.com/going-paid (2026-10)
[51] Klaviyo vendor pricing page — https://www.klaviyo.com/pricing (2026-10)
[52] Brevo machine-readable pricing reference — https://www.brevo.com/pricing.md (2026-10)
[53] Constant Contact vendor pricing page — https://www.constantcontact.com/pricing (2026-10)
[54] MailerLite help: plan and billing — https://www.mailerlite.com/help/plan-and-billing (2026-10)
[55] MailerLite help: free plan update — https://www.mailerlite.com/help/free-plan-update-faq (2026-10)
[56] MailerLite refund policy — https://www.mailerlite.com/help/mailerlite-refund-policy (2026-10)