Mailerlite vs Convertkit: Which Is Better in 2023?
Choosing the right email marketing tools is crucial for growing your business. But with so many options, how do you decide between industry leaders MailerLite and ConvertKit?
Both platforms offer robust features for email marketing service, list management, and campaign analytics. And that’s why we came up with this head-to-head comparison to show how these two popular tools stack up against each other.
Read on to get the details you need to make an informed decision between these two powerful email marketing software for 2023 and beyond.
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Mailerlite vs Convertkit: Overview
| Feature | Mailerlite | Convertkit |
| Free Trial/Plan | Free up to 1,000subscribers | Free up to 1,000 subscribers |
| Price | Starts at $10 monthly for 500 subscribers | Starts at $15 a month for 300 subscribers |
| Automation builder | Yes | Yes |
| Email Builder | Yes | Yes |
| Landing Pages / Forms | Yes | Yes |
| SMS Marketing | Yes | No |
Table comparing Mailerlite vs ConvertKit
Mailerlite
Overview
MailerLite is an easy-to-use email marketing automation tool for solopreneurs, small businesses, and startups looking to grow their mailing lists. It boasts some of the best digital marketing tools you can use to grow your audience faster and drive revenue in a smart manner.
Key Features
- Ability to create campaigns easily with drag-and-drop blocks and a user-friendly interface
- Streamlines email creation with pre-designed email templates
- Automated welcome emails & workflows
- Ability to create custom landing pages to complement emails and grow your list with MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor
- Ability to monitor campaign performance through essential email reporting tools like opens, clicks, and unsubscribe rates
- Contact management system with tags and filters
- Native integrations with popular apps, CRMs, and e-commerce platforms
- Access to a free plan of up to 1,000 subscribers
User Experience
The user experience with MailerLite is very straightforward and beginner-friendly. The interface has a clean design that is easy to navigate.
Creating successful email campaigns is simple with the drag-and-drop email builder and access to hundreds of mobile-friendly templates. With excellent deliverability, MailerLite makes it easy for email marketing novices to quickly get the hang of MailerLite’s tools.
Pricing
MailerLite has 4 pricing plans:
- Free Plan: MailerLite’s free plan allows one user up to 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 emails per month, and basic features like 24/7 email and chat support, ten landing pages, drag-and-drop builder, templates, and basic reports.
- Grow Plan: The Grow plan starts at $10 monthly for up to 500 subscribers and three users. It includes everything in the free plan plus advanced metrics, auto resend, websites & blogs, unsubscribe page builder, A/B testing, landing pages, forms, and 24/7 support.
- Advanced Plan: The Advanced Plan begins at $21 monthly for unlimited users for up to 500 subscribers. It has most of the key features, including unlimited emails. Advanced builds on Grow by adding 15% off Google Workspace, subscriber tracking, advanced automation and integrations, preference center, AI assistant, custom HTML editor, and promotion pop-ups.
Bottom Line
MailerLite is a capable email marketing tool perfect for solopreneurs and small teams wanting an affordable solution for successful email marketing campaigns.
ConvertKit
Overview
ConvertKit is considered the best email marketing platform for creators, influencers, and bloggers. It’s an ideal email marketing software you can use to grow your business through marketing automation and optimization of digital sales.
Key Features
- Ability to customize subscriber organization with tags, custom fields, and advanced filtering tools
- Allows for automating workflows & sequences to engage users and convert subscribers
- Ability to create a top-notch landing page & form builder
- Offers detailed subscriber analytics with engagement segmentation, projected revenue tools, and advanced reporting
- Helps your emails reach inboxes and comply with regulations through dedicated IP addresses and advanced deliverability features
- Allows for robust integrations & API
- Offers maximum flexibility to customize automation workflows
User Experience
The user experience with ConvertKit has more of a learning curve, especially for beginners. The interface is not overly intuitive at first. Creating complex workflows and automation takes time to master.
However, for experienced users, the powerful features and customization options provide an unmatched ability to create sophisticated email campaigns.
Pricing
ConvertKit has 3 pricing plans:
- Free Trial: ConvertKit’s free trial allows up to 1,000 subscribers and access to key features like broadcasts, forms, community support, selling digital products & subscriptions, recommendations, and automation.
- Creator Plan: The Creator plan starts at $29 monthly for up to 1,000 subscribers. It includes everything in the free trial plus email sequences, live chat support, migration tools, third-party integrations, an additional team member, landing page builder, and visual workflow builders.
- Pro Plan: Pro begins at $79 monthly for up to 5,000 subscribers. In addition to Creator features, you can access limited functions, like advanced subscriber scoring, more detailed reporting, a referral system, unlimited team members, and the ability to remove ConvertKit branding.
Bottom Line
ConvertKit is ideal for small businesses, creators, and influencers who want advanced email marketing automation and analytics.
Mailerlite vs ConvertKit: Common Questions
Though both offer robust features, we’ll compare MailerLite and ConvertKit head-to-head to determine which platform comes out on top.
Which Has the Better User Interface?
MailerLite
MailerLite has a clean, simple interface that is intuitive for beginners. The dashboard provides easy access to your campaigns, templates, forms, and subscriber lists.
The platform has a top navigation bar that lets you toggle between the main features.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit’s dashboard has a clean, beginner-friendly layout that most first-time users will find easy to navigate. The top menu bar makes key functionality conveniently accessible.
ConvertKit’s usability matches MailerLite’s simplicity. However, creating automation and workflows takes time to master and is better suited for experienced users.
Verdict
MailerLite wins when it comes to having the most user-friendly and intuitive interface. For beginners who want a platform they can easily figure out, MailerLite is a great choice.
That said, advanced users who are willing to take the time to learn it will appreciate ConvertKit’s expansive options.
Which Provides the Best Analytics?
MailerLite
MailerLite provides basic email analytics like open, clickthrough, and unsubscribe rates. You can view these metrics for individual campaigns or as overall averages.
They offer some segmentation, like location, device, and link clicks. Popular reports include opens over time, subscriber engagement, and link click-throughs.
However, advanced metrics like deliverability rates or granular engagement tracking are only available on higher-priced plans.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit has significantly more advanced email analytics capabilities. You can dive deep into subscriber engagement data with cohort reports, ROI tracking, and projected revenue tools.
Metrics like deliverability rate, spam test scores, and subscriber lifecycle views are included. Segmentation options are very granular for things like demographics, engagement, tag data, and more.
Verdict
ConvertKit is the clear winner in the depth of email analytics and segmentation capabilities. ConvertKit provides unmatched email analytics.
MailerLite offers sufficient basic metrics but lacks robust segmentation.
Which Offers the Better Free Plan?
MailerLite
MailerLite’s free plan includes 1,000 subscribers, 12,000 monthly emails, a drag-and-drop editor, basic templates, and essential reports. You can also access forms, 10 landing pages, and integrations.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit’s free trial offers 1,000 subscribers, unlimited emails, access to automation, broadcasts, forms, landing pages, and other key features.
Verdict
ConvertKit has the edge for its free plan by letting you test most platform capabilities. MailerLite’s plan is permanent but has limits on certain features.
ConvertKit’s trial gives more flexibility to evaluate the tool.
Which Has Better Customer Support?
MailerLite
This email marketing service gives free users access to 24/7 email support and an expansive, searchable knowledge base with articles, guides, and webinars.
Paid users unlock additional live chat support around the clock. MailerLite also offers a unique expert directory and support resources like documentation, webinars, and guides for self-service.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit’s support offers email ticketing and a knowledge base for all users. Paid users get priority 15-minute responses during weekday business hours.
ConvertKit lacks 24/7 live chat or phone support, even on paid tiers. However, they have a community forum, blog, and online workshops for added help.
Verdict
MailerLite edges out ConvertKit for free users or those wanting phone and live chat support by providing more robust options and quicker responses. However, ConvertKit’s email and knowledge base resources are still extensive for self-service, and their educational content is valuable.
Mailerlite vs ConvertKit: How to Decide Between Them
Choosing between MailerLite and ConvertKit for your email marketing needs can be a tough call. To help you make the right decision for your business, let’s go over the following factors:
Tools and Features
When it comes to creating and sending email campaigns, MailerLite and ConvertKit take slightly different approaches.
MailerLite focuses on simplicity with its drag-and-drop builder and ample templates. This makes it easy for beginners to create professional emails without advanced skills.
ConvertKit provides more powerful workflow automation and segmentation features. Its flexible editor offers greater customization for advanced users. The tradeoff is ConvertKit’s more steep learning curve, but its tools enable highly targeted campaigns.
For beginners, MailerLite’s simple editor and pre-designed templates make getting started easier. On the flip side, advanced users will appreciate ConvertKit’s flexibility for crafting targeted campaigns.
Pricing and Subscriber Count
Regarding affordability and list size capabilities, MailerLite and ConvertKit take very different approaches to their pricing plans.
MailerLite offers more value, especially for smaller lists, with its permanently free plan supporting up to 1,000 subscribers. This allows early-stage businesses to get started at no cost. MailerLite remains competitively priced at higher tiers, with its Grow plan costing just $10/month for up to 1,000 subscribers.
ConvertKit’s free trial is limited to 14 days and 1,000 subscribers. At the paid tiers, ConvertKit is significantly more expensive. For example, at 5,000 subscribers, ConvertKit’s Creator plan costs $79/month, while MailerLite is only $29. The price gap widens as your list grows.
MailerLite is better suited for solopreneurs and small teams wanting an affordable solution. But ConvertKit offers more advanced capabilities at its higher price point for established influencers.
Trial Period
A key difference in the free plans has to do with trial length. MailerLite provides a free forever option with core features, while ConvertKit limits you to a 30-day free trial.
You can use MailerLite’s basic email builder and list management at no cost indefinitely. With ConvertKit, you only get 30 days to try the full suite before picking a paid plan.
The time-restricted free trial does allow full access to test ConvertKit’s automation and other advanced tools. But MailerLite’s permanent free option offers more flexibility for early-stage users.
So consider your needs —a short-term full trial of ConvertKit vs long-term basic access with MailerLite. Pick the free plan that best fits your business lifecycle and desired features.
Ease of Use
When it comes to usability, both MailerLite and ConvertKit aim to provide intuitive interfaces compared to competitors like Mailchimp. The initial setup process is straightforward with both platforms.
However, MailerLite offers a more beginner-friendly visual email editor. Its familiar drag-and-drop builder is simpler to start creating emails with than ConvertKit’s inline editing system.
MailerLite provides easy access to all main features directly from its clean dashboard. ConvertKit’s dashboard is also jargon-free but has fewer options available upfront.
On email creation, MailerLite’s ample templates and drag-and-drop editor make designing campaigns highly accessible. ConvertKit’s editor has more of a learning curve and lacks abundant templates.
For those wanting a simple and intuitive email builder, MailerLite is the more user-friendly platform overall, especially for beginners. But ConvertKit still maintains a relatively clean interface despite its more steep learning curve.
Final Thoughts
Deciding between MailerLite and ConvertKit for your email marketing campaigns comes down to identifying the best match for your unique needs and situation.
If simplicity and affordability are top concerns for your business, MailerLite is likely the solution. Its intuitive drag-and-drop builder, clean interface, and budget-friendly pricing provide tremendous value to get you started.
For established influencers, larger teams, and anyone wanting maximum customization, ConvertKit is the way to go. ConvertKit offers unmatched flexibility, customization, and analytics capabilities to take your email marketing to the next level.
With this thorough comparison of MailerLite vs ConvertKit, you now have the information you need to make a confident, informed decision.
