Kit (ConvertKit) Review: Real Pricing, Automation, and Who It Actually Fits
The platform formerly called ConvertKit raised prices in September 2025, then expanded its free tier to 10,000 subscribers. Here is the fee-math that decides whether that trade favors you.
The September 2025 price hike, in one line
In September 2025 Kit raised list prices for new signups — its first major increase in over a decade. The Creator plan at 1,000 subscribers now sits at $33/mo and Creator Pro at $66/mo (kit.com/pricing, as of 2026-05-30). Reporting on the change is consistent that prices rose substantially, though sources differ on the exact prior figure (EmailOctopus, 2025).
The offset: Kit lifted its free Newsletter plan cap from 1,000 subscribers to 10,000 subscribers (kit.com/pricing, as of 2026-05-30). That swap is the entire story of whether Kit is cheap or expensive for you. If you live on the free plan's feature set, you got a much larger free allowance. If you need the paid plan, you pay more than 2025 customers did.
Note on pricing accuracy: some comparison matrices still quote $39/mo at 1k — that figure is outdated. The current vendor page lists $33/mo (kit.com/pricing, 2026-05-30).
Real fee-math at 500, 1k, 5k, and 25k subscribers
Two numbers decide your Kit bill: your subscriber count and whether you need real automation. The free Newsletter plan includes unlimited emails, forms, landing pages, audience tagging, and digital-product sales — but only one basic visual automation, with no email sequences (kit.com/pricing).
| Subscribers | Free plan | Creator | Creator Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $0 | $33/mo | $66/mo |
| 1,000 | $0 | $33/mo | $66/mo |
| 5,000 | $0 | $75/mo | $116/mo |
| 25,000 | caps at 10k | $166/mo | $233/mo |
Tiered figures via sender.net (2026-05-30), with the $33/$66 entry confirmed on kit.com/pricing. The free column is the wedge: at 500, 1k, and 5k subs you pay $0 if a single basic automation is enough. The moment you need sequences, drip welcome flows, or multiple automations, you jump to Creator — and at 25k you have no free option because the free plan caps at 10,000.
For budget switchers who only send broadcasts and want cheap paid sending, Kit's $33 Creator floor is undercut by MailerLite (~$10 entry) and Mailchimp (~$13) (EmailToolTester).
The 0% paid-newsletter cut — the real reason to choose Kit
Kit takes 0% of paid newsletter subscription revenue (kit.com/pricing). That is the structural advantage over Substack, which takes 10% of paid revenue. On $2,000/mo in paid subscriptions, Substack's cut is $200/mo; on Kit it is $0 against a flat plan fee.
The fine print: commerce (digital products and subscriptions processed through Kit) carries a flat 3.5% + 30c per transaction (kit.com/pricing). Kit's Paid Recommendations feature carries a separate fee on earnings from that channel specifically — sources report it at roughly 20-23.5%, and the exact current rate is not clearly listed on the public pricing page. Those fees are not revenue cuts on your core newsletter; they apply only to the commerce and recommendation surfaces.
If you run a paid newsletter at any real scale, the flat-fee model wins fast. Crossover math: Substack's 10% equals Kit's $166/mo Creator bill (at 25k subs) at roughly $1,660/mo in paid revenue — above that, every dollar of growth is yours on Kit and rented on Substack.
Ready to migrate? Start a Kit account.
Automation: the category's most intuitive builder
Kit's visual automation builder — triggers on tags, form fills, purchases, and actions — is widely rated the most intuitive in the creator-email category (EmailToolTester). It is the single feature reviewers most consistently praise.
The catch tied to the pricing above: unlimited automations and email sequences require a paid Creator plan. The free Newsletter plan ships exactly one basic automation. So the free tier is excellent for a broadcast-only writer and a non-starter for anyone building welcome sequences, re-engagement flows, or product-launch funnels.
Kit holds a 4.4/5 across roughly 217 reviews on G2 (G2, as of 2026-05-30).
Where Kit is the wrong choice
Two reader profiles should look elsewhere.
- Pure broadcast switchers on a budget. If you left Mailchimp or Substack over cost and you only send a weekly email — no sequences — Kit's free plan covers you up to 10k subs, which is great. But the second you need paid features, the $33 Creator floor is more than triple MailerLite's ~$10 entry. For broadcast-only paid sending, MailerLite or Mailchimp are cheaper.
- Anyone who locked in older pricing should not casually re-sign. New accounts pay the post-September-2025 rates; the older, lower Creator entry price is gone for new signups.
One sentiment that recurs in review aggregators is that price scales with subscriber count faster than the feature set does. We could not retrieve a clean, permalinked quote with author and date for this, so we flag it as background rather than presenting it as a verified review.
Who Kit fits
Kit is the right call if you are a creator or solopreneur who (1) wants the best automation builder in the category, (2) sells or plans to sell paid newsletters and wants to keep 100% of that subscription revenue, and (3) can run on the 10,000-subscriber free tier while you grow into needing sequences (EmailToolTester).
It is the wrong call if you need cheap paid broadcast sending and nothing else. In that lane MailerLite and Mailchimp undercut it.
If the automation + 0%-cut combination fits you, try Kit on the free plan first and upgrade only when you actually need sequences.
FAQ
How much does Kit (ConvertKit) cost in 2026?
The free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers at $0 but includes only one basic automation. The Creator plan runs $33/mo at 1,000 subs, $75 at 5,000, and $166 at 25,000. Creator Pro is $66 / $116 / $233 at those same tiers (kit.com/pricing and sender.net, 2026-05-30).
Did Kit really raise prices in September 2025?
Yes. Kit raised list prices for new signups in September 2025 — its first major increase in over a decade. The Creator plan at 1,000 subscribers is now $33/mo and Creator Pro $66/mo. Kit offset this by raising the free Newsletter plan cap from 1,000 to 10,000 subscribers (kit.com/pricing, 2026-05-30). Sources differ on the exact prior price.
Does Kit take a cut of paid newsletter revenue?
No. Kit takes 0% of paid newsletter subscription revenue. Separately, commerce transactions (digital products) carry a flat 3.5% + 30c fee, and the Paid Recommendations feature carries a separate fee (reported around 20-23.5%) on earnings from that channel only (kit.com/pricing).
Is Kit's free plan good enough for a small newsletter?
If you only send broadcasts, yes — the free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails, forms, landing pages, and tagging. But it includes only one basic automation and no email sequences, so you will need the paid Creator plan the moment you want welcome flows or drip sequences.
Is Kit cheaper than Substack?
It depends on your paid revenue. Substack takes 10% of paid subscriptions; Kit takes 0% but charges a flat plan fee. On $2,000/mo in paid revenue, Substack's cut is $200/mo versus a flat Kit fee — so above roughly $1,660/mo in paid revenue at 25k subs, Kit's flat model wins.