Evidence & disclosure
Research-based assessment, not a hands-on performance test. We compared official pricing, help documentation, and usage policies. We have not tested inbox placement or measured sales results. This article contains no affiliate links.
Keep MailerLite if your current product funnel works and a paid plan removes the specific limit you have reached. Consider Kit when its creator-focused workflow fits your next product launch well enough to justify rebuilding. Choose Kit Free only if you can operate without email sequences or Visual Automations.
A larger free subscriber allowance is attractive. It is not a replacement for the welcome series, buyer exclusions, and follow-up emails that already support your business.
To map these requirements before comparing tools, use our five-decision email automation worksheet.
First, discard the outdated free-plan comparisons
MailerLite updated Free on June 16, 2026: the allowance fell from 500 to 250 active subscribers, and from 12,000 to 2,500 monthly emails. Current documentation also limits active forms, automations, pages, and products. Guides using the older allowances can lead you to the wrong decision. MailerLite’s Free plan update
Kit’s Free-plan help article, dated September 23, 2026, includes up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, forms and landing pages, and tagging and segmentation. However, email sequences, Visual Automations, and Rules require a paid plan. Recommendations can be switched off without changing the rest of the Free plan. Do not assume an older “one free sequence” comparison still applies. Kit Free plan
What you would actually be buying
| Option | Relevant current allowance | Best reason to consider it |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite Free | 250 subscribers; 2,500 monthly sends | Your small existing setup still fits |
| MailerLite Comfort | From $12/month; 50 active automations | Extend a working MailerLite setup |
| MailerLite Power | From $25/month; unlimited automations | Higher usage or multiple-trigger workflows |
| Kit Free | Up to 10,000 subscribers; no sequences or Visual Automations | A broadcast-led newsletter |
| Kit Creator | From $39/month for up to 1,000 subscribers; unlimited sequences and Visual Automations | Automated creator funnels |
MailerLite’s automation page lists three active automations and a five-step limit on Free; Comfort raises these to 50 and 100. Power still has a 100-step workflow limit. “Unlimited automations” does not mean every dimension is unlimited. MailerLite automation
MailerLite Comfort’s sending allowance is ten times your subscriber-tier ceiling; Power offers unlimited monthly sends subject to fair use. Kit’s pricing page shows Creator at $390 billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers. Starting prices above cover different subscriber tiers, so obtain quotes for the same list size and billing period, including tax. MailerLite pricing, Kit Creator pricing, Kit annual pricing
Who should stay with MailerLite?
Stay on Free if you fit the current limits and your planned funnel does too. There is no reason to buy extra capacity before you need it.
An upgrade is the practical first option when your forms, product delivery, and nurture flow already work, and the problem is a specific subscriber, sending, or workflow limit. Recreating a functioning system has a cost even when the destination subscription is free.
Before paying, check the account’s actual upgrade screen. MailerLite is transitioning paid accounts from Growing Business and Advanced to Comfort and Power at renewal or a manual plan change, rather than switching every account on one date. Legacy Classic users need their own documentation. MailerLite paid-plan transition
When is moving to Kit worth considering?
Kit Free is worth evaluating if you mainly send scheduled newsletters and can stop using timed email sequences. Do not move an automated product funnel there merely to avoid a MailerLite bill.
Evaluate Creator when you want to organize an automated creator business around Kit’s sequences, tagging, and Visual Automations. Rebuild one representative journey in a trial first: signup, welcome emails, offer, purchase, then exclusion from further sales pitches. A successful test of that journey is more useful than a long feature checklist.
We cannot infer that Kit will improve your sales or deliverability from vendor documentation. The reason to switch should be a verified workflow advantage for your business.
Inventory the work before you migrate
Record these four areas before importing anyone:
- Entry points: embedded forms, landing pages, lead magnets, consent records, and subscriber statuses.
- Email logic: triggers, delays, branches, emails, groups/tags, and where existing subscribers are mid-sequence.
- Purchases: checkout integrations, product delivery, buyer exclusions, refunds, and repeat purchases.
- Operations: domain authentication, unsubscribe behavior, analytics, and every external integration.
Do not treat a subscriber CSV as a complete funnel backup.
Kit currently includes migration with paid plans, but its Essentials service for lists under 10,000 covers audience data. Concierge migration for 10,000-plus subscribers adds rebuilding forms, automation emails, templates, and integrations. Confirm your scope before assuming someone else will recreate a small-list funnel. Kit migration service
Price the move as setup time + overlapping subscriptions + outside help + ongoing software and transaction costs. Illustratively, six hours valued at $40 is $240; an $8 monthly saving takes 30 months to recover that time alone. These are hypothetical inputs, not a migration quote.
Before cutting over, test signup, unsubscribe, purchase, and buyer exclusions. Plan how to avoid duplicate emails and restarted sequences. Keep the old account accessible until the replacement works.
Check the content rules, too
Selling your own digital products and sending affiliate-heavy promotions are different use cases. MailerLite allows relevant, clearly identified third-party affiliate links but prohibits commission-only affiliate marketing as it defines it. Kit permits affiliate links within original creator content, not an entirely affiliate-based operation. Check your actual content against both policies before committing. MailerLite usage terms, section 13, Kit acceptable use policy
Bottom line: Upgrade to remove a demonstrated constraint. Migrate to gain a demonstrated workflow advantage. Do neither simply because an old comparison calls one plan “more generous.”
Related guides
- Before you pay for email automation: map these five decisions — define the workflow before comparing plans.
- Should you pay for Kit Creator to automate a product you already sell? — a focused buy-or-not assessment.