MailerLite vs Kit for Small Business: Free Plans and Prices
How we checked this: Compared from official docs and pricing pages as of 2026-10-19. We haven't tested these tools hands-on.
For a bigger free list, Kit's Free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers [2]. MailerLite Free covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month [1]. At 1,000 subscribers, paid plans billed monthly cost $19 a month (MailerLite Comfort) versus $39 a month (Kit Creator), as of Oct. 19, 2026 [1][2].
For other marketing and office tools, see our guide to the best AI tools for small business.
MailerLite vs Kit: the short answer
- Free list size: Kit Free goes up to 10,000 subscribers [2]; MailerLite Free goes up to 250 [1].
- Paid price at 1,000 subscribers: MailerLite Comfort is $19/month billed monthly [1]; Kit Creator is $39/month billed monthly [2].
- Trials: both offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card [1][2].
Free plans compared
| MailerLite Free | Kit Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 [1] | $0 [2] |
| Subscribers | Up to 250 [1] | Up to 10,000 [2] |
| Emails | 2,500 a month [1] | Unlimited email broadcasts [2] |
| Automations | 3 active automations, 5 steps [1] | Not included: Kit's plan table shows no visual automations or automated email sequences on Free [2] |
| Landing pages and forms | 1 website and 1 landing page; 3 active forms [1] | Unlimited landing pages and forms [2] |
| User seats | 2 [1] | 1 (Creator: 2; Pro: unlimited) [2] |
Kit lists "Unlimited Visual Automations" and "Unlimited email sequences" under its Creator plan [2]. If you need automated reminders or follow-ups, you'll need Kit Creator or Pro, or MailerLite's Free plan with its 3 active automations [1][2].
Cost at 500, 1,000, 2,500 and 10,000 subscribers (as of 2026-10-19)
Prices as of 2026-10-19 (vendor pricing pages), USD. Prices and plan limits change. Check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
| Subscribers | MailerLite Comfort | MailerLite Power | Kit Creator | Kit Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $12 ($10.80) [1] | $25 ($22.50) [1] | Free plan covers it [2] | Free plan covers it [2] |
| 1,000 | $19 ($17.10) [1] | $39 ($35.10) [1] | $39 ($33) [2] | $79 ($66) [2] |
| 2,500 | $33 ($29.70) [1] | $49 ($44.10) [1] | No 2,500 tier; next tier up, 3,000: $59 ($50) [2] | No 2,500 tier; at 3,000: $99 ($83) [2] |
| 10,000 | $89 ($80.10) [1] | $129 ($116.10) [1] | $139 ($116) [2] | $189 ($158) [2] |
Kit's price slider has no 2,500 tier: it steps from 1,000 to 3,000, 5,000, 8,000 and 10,000 subscribers [2]. Kit Pro's yearly figures in brackets are its standard yearly rates. Kit also lists a limited-time first-year Pro price at 1,000 subscribers of $50/month billed yearly ($593 billed for the first year), which renews at the standard rate [2]. MailerLite says yearly billing saves 10% [1]; Kit says paying yearly saves 17% [2].
Worked cost example: a 1,000-subscriber newsletter for a year
Say your business has 1,000 subscribers and wants paid features. Using list prices billed yearly:
- MailerLite Comfort at 1,000 subscribers: $17.10/month billed yearly × 12 = $205.20 a year [1].
- Kit Creator at 1,000 subscribers: $390 a year, billed yearly [2].
- Difference: $184.80 a year in MailerLite's favor at 1,000 subscribers, both billed yearly.
If you only need broadcasts and forms, Kit Free covers up to 10,000 subscribers at $0 [2]. That's a big saving if you don't need automations, because Kit Free doesn't include visual automations or email sequences [2].
Automations, landing pages and forms
MailerLite:
- Free: 3 active automations with 5 steps, 1 website and 1 landing page, 3 active forms [1].
- Comfort at 500 subscribers: 5,000 monthly emails, 50 automations, 10 forms, 10 sites and 3 user seats [1].
- Power at 500 subscribers: unlimited monthly emails, automations and user seats [1].
- MailerLite says every paid plan gets its full feature set and you pay more only for a bigger list or more sending [1]. Its comparison table does show different limits for Comfort and Power [1].
Kit:
- Free: unlimited landing pages, forms and email broadcasts, plus tagging and segmentation [2].
- Creator adds unlimited visual automations and email sequences [2].
- Pro adds unlimited users, subscriber engagement scoring, deliverability reporting and a newsletter referral system [2].
Deliverability and support
We haven't tested either tool, so we can't compare deliverability. Kit Pro lists "deliverability reporting" as a feature [2]; that's a reporting tool, not a delivery rate. MailerLite lists knowledge base support on Free, email support on Comfort and live chat and email support on Power [1].
Going over your limit and switching
Kit says that when you go over your plan's limit, it automatically upgrades you to the next subscriber tier; it counts only unique, active subscribers [2]. Kit also offers free migrations on paid plans and a refund within the first 30 days on monthly or annual plans [2].
Who should pick which
MailerLite fits you if you want lower paid prices at 1,000 subscribers ($19/month billed monthly [1]) and some automations on the free plan (3 active [1]).
Not for: MailerLite isn't for you if:
- your list is over 250 and you want to stay free, because Free stops at 250 subscribers [1];
- you send more than 2,500 emails a month on Free, because that's the Free cap [1].
Kit fits you if you want a large free list (up to 10,000 subscribers [2]) for broadcasts, landing pages and forms [2].
Not for: Kit isn't for you if:
- you want the lowest paid price at 1,000 subscribers, because Creator is $39/month billed monthly against MailerLite Comfort's $19/month billed monthly at the same list size [1][2];
- you don't want automatic plan upgrades, because Kit moves you to the next tier when you go over [2].
What to do next
Count your current subscribers and the automations you need (for example, a booking reminder or a follow-up after a job). Then compare the two pricing pages at your list size today. For tools to manage the leads behind your list, see the best CRM for contractors.
Frequently asked questions
Is MailerLite free?
Yes, for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 2 user seats [1].
Which is cheaper for 1,000 subscribers?
On list price, MailerLite. As of Oct. 19, 2026, MailerLite Comfort at 1,000 subscribers is $19/month billed monthly [1]; Kit Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $39/month billed monthly [2].
What happens if I go over my Kit tier?
Kit upgrades you automatically to the next subscriber tier [2].
Can I move my list to Kit?
Kit offers free migrations on its paid plans [2].
Sources
Claims on this page are cited to the sources below. Prices and features change, so check the vendor's own page before you buy.