Your email list is the one asset you actually own. Not your followers, not your SEO rankings — the list. So the tool you build it on matters more than almost anything else in your stack.

We ran all three through the same research rubric we use on our own stack. Here's the short version, then the detail.

The 30-second answer

  • Just starting, want the lowest friction? → MailerLite. Cleanest editor, generous free tier, easiest to learn. Start here if email is new to you.
  • You're a creator/founder who will sell digital products? → Kit (formerly ConvertKit). Built around creators; tagging and automation are first-class; the ecosystem (commerce, recommendations) compounds.
  • You want one tool to do email + landing pages + light CRM/webinars? → GetResponse. The most features per dollar, and the most room to grow before you migrate.

There is no universally "best" — there's a best for where you are. Below is how we'd actually choose.

How we compared them

We weighted four things a solo builder feels within the first 90 days: time-to-first-send (how fast you can get a working list), automation depth (can it do behavior-based sequences without a PhD), deliverability reputation, and where the price cliff is (every email tool gets expensive as your list grows — the question is when).

MailerLite — start here if you're new

Best for: first-timers, newsletters, anyone who wants "send a nice email" without a manual.

  • Pros: the friendliest editor of the three; a real free tier; clean automations; strong deliverability for the price.
  • Cons: the lightest automation logic of the three — you'll feel the ceiling if you build complex behavioral funnels; some advanced blocks are paid-tier only.
  • The catch we'd flag: approval/onboarding is strict about list quality (a good thing long-term), so import clean lists only.

Kit (ConvertKit) — best for creators who sell

Best for: course creators, writers, and founders who'll sell digital products to their list.

  • Pros: tag-based subscriber model is the right mental model for creators; automations are powerful and visual; the creator ecosystem (commerce, Sponsor Network, recommendations) is a real growth flywheel you don't get elsewhere.
  • Cons: the visual builder is less "designer-friendly" than MailerLite (Kit is opinionated that plain-text-style emails convert better — they're often right, but you have less control); pricing climbs with subscriber count.
  • The catch we'd flag: if you just want a pretty monthly newsletter and will never sell anything, Kit is more tool than you need.

GetResponse — best all-in-one before you outgrow it

Best for: founders who'd otherwise buy three tools — email, landing pages, and a webinar/CRM bolt-on.

  • Pros: the widest feature set of the three (landing pages, forms, basic CRM, even webinars on higher tiers); a genuinely long cookie/relationship if you grow with it; strong automation.
  • Cons: more surface area means a steeper first hour; the cheapest plan gates the features that make it worth choosing over MailerLite.
  • The catch we'd flag: don't buy GetResponse for just email — at that job MailerLite is simpler and Kit is better for creators. Buy it when you want the all-in-one.

Our pick

For a brand-new solo builder, we'd start on MailerLite and not look back until the automation ceiling actually hurts. For anyone whose plan includes selling to the list — a course, a template, a SaaS — we'd start on Kit and grow into its ecosystem. Reach for GetResponse specifically when you want to collapse email + landing pages + light CRM into one bill.

Whichever you choose, the move that actually matters is starting the list today. The tool is a detail; the list is the asset.

See the full terms, cookie windows, and where each ranks in The Stack — and the companion guides on where to deploy an AI-built app.