Generous subscriber cap, but strict feature walls. Here is exactly what you get and what you lose.
by Alkan Balkaya · Last updated: 2026-09-07The ConvertKit (Kit) free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers at $0 per month, but limits you to one automation, one landing page, and one form, with Kit branding on every email and no integrations. Unlimited broadcasts are the standout perk. Mailsoftly’s free plan gives 500 contacts and 2,000 emails a month with your Gmail, Outlook, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account, plus real human support and free hands-on migration.
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, offers one of the most generous free subscriber limits in email marketing: up to 10,000 subscribers at $0 per month. That headline number is impressive. The fine print, however, tells a different story. One automation rule, one landing page, Kit branding on every email, and zero integrations. If you are evaluating the ConvertKit free plan, the real question is whether those trade-offs match your workflow.
This post breaks down exactly what Kit’s free tier includes, where it forces an upgrade, and how it compares against other free plans that may give you more usable features.
Comparing options? See our full guide to the best Kit alternatives for the complete picture.
Weighing Kit’s free plan? Mailsoftly’s free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,000 emails a month with your Gmail, Outlook, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account with automation included. See it next to the paid tiers before you decide.
Compare Mailsoftly plans →
Key Takeaways
The Kit free plan (formerly ConvertKit Newsletter Free) gives you up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, one form, one landing page, and one automation rule at $0 per month. It is built for creators just starting to collect subscribers. The standout number is that 10,000 subscriber cap, significantly higher than most competitors. But the feature set around that subscriber cap is deliberately thin.
The subscriber ceiling is the hook. Everything else is designed to push you toward the paid Creator plan once your needs outgrow a single automation and a single landing page.
Want the numbers side by side? Every Mailsoftly plan, the free one included, on one page.See Mailsoftly plans →
The free tier covers the basics for a simple newsletter: unlimited broadcasts, one form, one landing page, one automation rule, subscriber tagging, and community support. Despite the restrictions, that is enough for a solo newsletter setup. Here is what you can do without paying.
The unlimited broadcast sending is the strongest argument for Kit’s free plan. If you are a solo newsletter writer with a growing list and no need for automations, that single feature carries real weight.
The free plan withholds the visual automation builder, third-party integrations, team access, branding removal, A/B testing, and advanced reporting. The feature gaps are where Kit’s free tier starts to feel more like a trial than a long-term solution. For anyone running a real email program, these missing pieces add up quickly.
No visual automations. The free plan gives you a single text-based automation rule. The drag-and-drop visual automation builder that Kit markets so heavily is locked behind the Creator plan. If automations are central to your strategy, the free plan is effectively unusable.
No integrations. Zapier, Shopify, WordPress plugin connections, and all other third-party integrations require a paid plan. This means your free Kit account lives in isolation from the rest of your tech stack.
No team accounts. You cannot invite a VA, a co-creator, or anyone else. It is a single-user experience only.
Kit branding on everything. Every email footer, every landing page, and every form displays a “Powered by Kit” badge. For businesses building a professional brand, this is a real problem. Your subscribers see Kit’s brand instead of yours.
If you want a more detailed look at ConvertKit pricing across all tiers, we have broken down every plan in a separate guide.
The free plan is enough when you run a personal newsletter with a single form, send manual broadcasts only, need no integrations, accept Kit branding, and work solo. It works for a narrow but real use case. If you match this profile, Kit’s $0 plan can carry you for a while.
Think: a solo blogger writing a weekly update who wants a clean signup form and a simple “send to everyone” workflow. That person can genuinely thrive on Kit’s free plan. The moment you need a second automation, a Zapier connection, or unbranded emails, the free tier stops working.
The free plan forces an upgrade the moment you want a welcome sequence, connect a tool, hire help, need unbranded emails, or want A/B testing. Kit’s upgrade triggers are deliberate. The features withheld from the free plan are exactly the ones that growing creators need first.
You want a welcome sequence. A proper onboarding sequence requires multiple automated emails. The free plan’s single automation rule cannot handle that. You need Creator at minimum.
You connect tools. If you sell digital products through Gumroad, Teachable, or Shopify, those integrations require a paid plan. Without them, you are manually managing subscriber lists across platforms.
You hire help. The moment a virtual assistant, designer, or co-creator needs access, you are forced off the free plan.
You care about brand presentation. The “Powered by Kit” badge on every email is a deal breaker for businesses that want to present a polished, professional image to their audience.
You need A/B testing. Subject line testing is locked behind Creator Pro ($79/mo at 1,000 subscribers). Even the first paid tier, Creator, does not include it.
For a head-to-head look at how Kit compares on features, our MailerLite vs ConvertKit comparison covers the gap in detail.
Pricing data as of 2026-09-07. The jump from Free to Creator is steep: $39/mo at 1,000 subscribers and $139/mo at 10,000 subscribers, with no intermediate tier. Here is the full breakdown.
| Feature | Newsletter (Free) | Creator | Creator Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (1K subs) | $0/mo | $39/mo | $79/mo |
| Price (5K subs) | $0/mo | $89/mo | $139/mo |
| Price (10K subs) | $0/mo | $139/mo | $189/mo |
| Subscribers | Up to 10,000 | Up to 25,000+ | Up to 25,000+ |
| Automations | 1 rule | Unlimited visual | Unlimited visual |
| Integrations | None | All | All |
| Kit branding | Required | Removable | Removable |
| A/B testing | No | No | Yes |
| Team members | No | No | Yes |
The jump from Free to Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $39/mo. At 10,000 subscribers, Creator costs $139/mo. That is a steep cliff. There is no middle ground, no $15/mo intermediate plan. You go from $0 to $39 the moment you need a second automation or any integration. Annual billing shaves roughly 16 percent off those figures, but the free-to-paid gap remains the same.
The strongest free alternatives are MailerLite, which packs the most features under a 250-subscriber cap, and Mailsoftly, which sends unbranded emails on 500 contacts and 2,000 sends per month. Kit’s free plan wins on raw subscriber count, but competing platforms give you more usable features at $0. The question is whether you value a large list ceiling or a complete toolset.
MailerLite’s free plan caps you at 250 active subscribers and 2,500 emails per month since the June 2026 update. Far fewer subscribers than Kit. You still get the visual automation builder (up to 3 automations), the drag-and-drop email editor, 1 landing page, 3 embedded forms, and A/B testing. Beyond those caps, the free plan leaves out advanced features like the unsubscribe page builder and auto-resend. If your list is under 250 and you need automations, MailerLite’s free plan is meaningfully more powerful than Kit’s.
Mailsoftly’s free plan gives you 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month with your Gmail, Outlook, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account. The subscriber count is smaller. What you get in return: no forced branding on your emails, full access to the email editor, segmentation tools, and contact management. There is no “Powered by Mailsoftly” watermark cluttering your footer. For growing businesses and early-stage creators who prioritize professional presentation over list size, that difference matters. You can check Mailsoftly pricing for full tier details.
| Platform | Subscribers | Sends/mo | Branding | Automations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit (ConvertKit) | 10,000 | Unlimited | Forced | 1 rule |
| MailerLite | 250 | 2,500 | Forced | Full visual |
| Mailsoftly | 500 | 2,000 | None | Full access |
The trade-off is clear. Kit gives you the biggest list ceiling. MailerLite gives you the most features. Mailsoftly gives you clean, unbranded emails. Your priority determines the right choice. If you want to weigh a purpose-built Kit alternative against the free tier, that comparison lays out the specifics.
For a business, the ConvertKit free plan is usually too limited. The forced “Powered by Kit” badge, the single automation, and the lack of integrations undercut the professional presentation and connected workflow most businesses need. It can work as a short trial, but it rarely holds up as a permanent setup.
The core issue is branding and connectivity. A business that emails customers, syncs with a store, or hands the account to a teammate hits the free plan’s walls almost immediately. Every email carrying a competitor’s badge quietly signals that you have not committed to your own tooling, and that impression is hard to walk back with a paying audience.
If professional presentation matters more than a large list ceiling, a free plan with unbranded emails and full feature access is the better starting point. That is precisely the trade-off Mailsoftly’s free tier is built around, and it scales without the sudden $39 cliff. For a fuller verdict on the platform itself, read our ConvertKit review.
To migrate off the free plan cleanly, export your subscribers as CSV, save your email templates and automation logic, import to your new platform, update your forms, then cancel or pause Kit. Do not just delete your account. Follow these steps to preserve your subscriber data and avoid losing contacts.
If you are switching to Mailsoftly, the free plan includes hands-on migration support. For a deeper understanding of the platform before you decide, our explainer on what is ConvertKit covers the rebrand and how it affects your account.
For the broader landscape, see our full comparison of the best Kit alternatives covering every major platform.
No. Every email footer, landing page, and form on the ConvertKit free plan displays a “Powered by Kit” badge, and you cannot remove it without upgrading to the Creator plan, which starts at $39 per month at 1,000 subscribers. For businesses building a professional brand, this forced watermark is often a deal breaker.
Yes. Kit offers a genuinely free plan with no credit card required and no trial expiration. You can use it indefinitely with up to 10,000 subscribers. The catch is functionality, not cost. You are limited to one automation, one landing page, no integrations, and Kit branding on every email.
The ConvertKit free plan allows up to 10,000 subscribers at $0 per month, one of the highest free ceilings in email marketing. Once you exceed 10,000 subscribers, you must move to a paid Creator plan, which costs $139 per month at that tier (as of 2026-09-07). The generous limit only covers list size, not features.
The catch is feature gating, not hidden charges. Kit withholds visual automations, integrations, team access, A/B testing, and branding removal from the free tier. These are the exact features most users need as they grow. The free plan is designed to get you started, then create pressure to upgrade to Creator at $39/mo once your needs exceed basic broadcasting.
Technically, yes. You get one automation rule. This is a simple trigger and action pair, like “send a welcome email when someone subscribes.” The visual automation builder with branching logic, multiple steps, and conditional paths is only available on Creator and Creator Pro plans.
Compare before you commitSee Mailsoftly plans →
500 contacts, 2,000 emails per month with your Gmail, Outlook, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 account. Free hands-on migration. No credit card.
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