Both of these are the "simple" options in the email world — no enterprise dashboards, no sales calls, just a list and a send button. But they make very different bets about what you'll do with that list. Here's the straight talk on which one a small newsletter should start on (based on our research pipeline).

The 30-second answer

  • Just starting, list under 250, want the cheapest entry point? → MailerLite. Free up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails/month; paid plans start around $12/mo.
  • You'll sell to your list — a course, a template, a paid newsletter? → Kit (ConvertKit). Free up to 10,000 subscribers, and the creator ecosystem (paid newsletters, recommendations, sponsorships) is built in.
  • Which is cheaper long-term? → It depends on list size: MailerLite's paid plans are cheaper at small scale, but Kit's free tier is so generous that most small newsletters never pay anything at all.

One tool is the cheapest way to send a clean email; the other is the cheapest way to build a business around your list.

How we compared them

We looked at four things a solo builder feels within the first 90 days: how generous the free tier really is, where the price cliff hits, how deep the automations go, and whether the tool supports selling to the list. Figures below were checked against each tool's pricing pages in August 2026 — pricing approximate, confirm current rates before you buy.

MailerLite — the cheapest way to send a real email

Best for: first-timers and small newsletters that just want to send clean, good-looking emails without a manual.

  • Pros: the friendliest editor of the two; a real free tier (250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month); paid plans are cheap (Comfort starts around $12/mo for 500 subscribers); automations are clean and simple to set up.
  • Cons: the free tier is small — 250 subscribers is easy to outgrow; the free plan puts a MailerLite logo in your emails; automation logic is the lightest (one automation on the free plan, more triggers only on higher tiers).
  • The catch we'd flag: the free tier is a trial, not a forever home — the moment you pass 250 subscribers you're on a paid plan, and the Comfort/Power tiers gate the features that make it worth choosing (multiple automation triggers, unlimited sends, no logo).

Kit (ConvertKit) — built for creators who sell

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

  • Pros: the free tier is huge (up to 10,000 subscribers) — most small newsletters never pay; the tag-based subscriber model is the right mental model for creators; visual automations are powerful; the creator ecosystem (paid newsletters, recommendations, sponsorships) compounds over time.
  • Cons: the visual builder is less designer-friendly (Kit is opinionated that plain-text-style emails convert better — they're often right, but you have less control); paid plans climb with subscriber count (Creator is ~$39/mo for 1,000 subscribers, ~$33/mo billed annually).
  • The catch we'd flag: if you'll never sell anything to your list, Kit is more tool than you need — the features that justify it (commerce, recommendations, sponsorships) are for people with an offer.

Our pick

For a brand-new solo builder whose goal is simply to send a clean newsletter cheaply, the research pick is MailerLite — it's the lowest-cost entry point, and the free tier is enough to learn on. But if your plan includes selling to the list — a course, a template, a paid newsletter — start on Kit: the free tier covers up to 10,000 subscribers, and the ecosystem is where the compounding happens.

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 three-way breakdown in Kit vs GetResponse vs MailerLite.