MailerLite vs ConvertKit: Detailed Comparison

MailerLite and ConvertKit have a lot of similar features, which can be confusing for email marketers on the lookout for an ESP to join. In this MailerLite vs ConvertKit comparison, we will share the top features of both ESPs, compare them, tell you which one performed better, and then pick a winner. 

MailerLite is an ESP that caters to businesses of all sizes and comes with intuitive tools to create, automate, and analyze email campaigns. MailerLite has been praised for its user-friendly interface and its drag-and-drop editor, which simplifies the process of designing visually appealing emails. MailerLite also comes with automation and basic testing tools. The pricing plans are also affordable, making it a popular choice among new email professionals. 

ConvertKit is an email marketing platform that targets creators, bloggers, and small business owners. Besides email marketing, it also lets you build landing pages and signup forms. Creators can manage lists using segmentation and tagging features. ConvertKit comes with powerful automation capabilities, allowing users to run drip and nurture campaigns. 

Our goal is to give you the specifics on the features of MailerLite and ConvertKit, so rest assured — you’ll know which ESP is right for you at the end of this guide.

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MailerLite vs ConvertKit — Which One is Better for You?

MailerLite and ConvertKit feature a plethora of tools and features that help email marketers execute comprehensive email campaigns.

To pick the better option between these two, we decided to review features we consider critical in email marketing.

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Templates and Email Editor

MailerLite and ConvertKit have much in common, so we decided to start this comparison by discussing the one area where both these ESPs have opposite approaches. 

MailerLite’s template library contains modern designs and a variety of content building blocks. You get over 70 pre-designed email templates, all of them customizable. The platform has an efficient drag-and-drop email editor that you can use to create your own HTML emails using different media and custom layouts.

In the quest for better deliverability, ConvertKit avoids HTML email templates completely and only provides a library with text-based options. The email editor, too, is pretty basic — you can create an HTML email if you like, but you’d need a strong understanding of HTML and CSS styling to build it from scratch. It does not support drag-and-drop functionality, either.

The table breaks down the email creation capabilities of both platforms: 

Feature	MailerLite	ConvertKit
HTML template library	✅	❌
Drag and drop email editor	✅	❌
Simplicity of UI	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: If you plan to send media-rich, vibrant emails to your subscribers, MailerLite would be an obvious choice.

As the experts on email deliverability, we agree that text-based emails are best. That said, we also populated the Campaign Refinery template library with beautiful design options and HTML templates so our clients can send HTML-based emails when they want!

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Automation

If a robust automation suite is important to you, then you’re in luck as both MailerLite and ConvertKit feature simplified controls for you to set up automated campaigns. You can easily move your subscribers through your marketing/sales funnel and send welcome messages, transactional emails, confirmation emails, drip campaigns, etc., on both platforms.

Both ESPs take a visual approach to designing automation flows and share intuitive steps to help you set up your sequence. 

You can access a library of automation templates on ConvertKit, which MailerLite does not — this could be a dealbreaker for certain email professionals. Another area where ConvertKit has an advantage is its tag assignment system, which gives you the flexibility to categorize subscribers into different segments.

A summary of automation features from both ESPs:

Feature	MailerLite	ConvertKit
Visual automation builder	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Automation templates	❌	✅
Tagging	❌	✅
Variety of triggers/actions	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winner: ConvertKit, simply because automation templates are very useful.

With Campaign Refinery, you can easily assign and remove tags from your contacts using our Tag Manager. We also have a powerful yet simple Branch and Rule builder that lets you design the most complex automation flows with ease. 

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Reporting and Analytics

MailerLite continues its theme of keeping a simplistic UI, by giving its users an analytics screen that is straightforward and has a neat layout. There is good use of visual hierarchy with the most important metrics at the top and a good breakdown of your overall email marketing operation. MailerLite also lets you track the performance of your e-commerce stores as well as view device and client data.

Comparatively, ConvertKit opts for a stripped-down, bare-bones version to share analytics reports with users. There is no overview; you can only view click rates, open rates, and unsubscribes, but not complaint rates.

Breaking down the analytics and reporting features on MailerLite and ConvertKit:

Feature	MailerLite	ConvertKit
Simplicity of UI	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Layout	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
E-commerce statistics	✅	❌
Performance overview	✅	❌

Winner: MailerLite, for building a simple and detailed analytics dashboard. 

Design was a key factor when creating the Campaign Refinery analytics dashboard — we wanted to give our users an interface that would display meaningful metrics combined with insightful visuals. 

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Deliverability

If your emails aren’t making it to the primary inbox, then it’s a drain on both your time and your resources. This is why deliverability is the #1 feature you should look for when choosing an ESP.

MailerLite seems committed to deliverability, as it has a screening process for its customers. This can seem like a nuisance for email marketers eager to get started, but the benefit is that spammers won’t join the platform and drag down their reputation. 

Besides this, MailerLite also shares best practices and training material on improving inbox placement rates. You can get access to a verification tool called MailerCheck to manually test your email lists for invalid email IDs.

ConvertKit doesn’t screen its customers, but it does monitor its user base for malicious spam senders. It also shares documentation and technical support for domain authentication on its support pages. ConvertKit has an automation flow that doubles up as a list-cleaning tool, but you have to run this manually.

According to EmailToolTester, there is a stark contrast in the deliverability rates of these two competitors; while MailerLite’s inboxing rates average around 95%, ConvertKit is near the 88% mark. This can be a deal breaker for many email marketers; if their emails aren’t making it to the primary inbox, then it’s a drain on both their time and resources.

A breakdown of MailerLite and ConvertKit’s deliverability features:

Feature	MailerLite	ConvertKit
Deliverability guides and training	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Deliverability rate	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Domain authentication	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Customer screening	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Winner: Choosing a winner for this section comes down to the numbers. This one goes to MailerLite for its deliverability rates.

Campaign Refinery has the best deliverability among all ESPs, and we didn’t want to leave anything to chance. This is why we have an application-based process for new clients, an automated list cleaner that removes all problematic email addresses from your email list, a mandate for all client domains to be authenticated, and strict monitoring for spammy activities! 

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Page and Form Building

Designing landing pages helps marketers convert — it could be a purchase, signup, or download. Landing pages capture valuable information like email addresses or demographics through forms in exchange for valuable content. This allows marketers to build their lead lists for future campaigns.

While you can build an entire website or blog with your MailerLite account, ConvertKit sticks to just landing pages. Both platforms offer fully customizable templates with access to image libraries for further tweaking. You get access to third-party integration for different services on both MailerLite and ConvertKit.

You can also design feature-rich forms on either of these platforms. Data collected from signups can be segmented automatically and the forms are mobile-responsive on MailerLite and ConvertKit.

Page building features of both platforms are largely similar:

Feature	MailerLite	ConvertKit
Landing page templates	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Signup form templates	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Double opt-in	✅	✅
Automatic segmentation	✅	✅
Mobile-formatting	✅	✅

Winner: It’s a tie between these two for page building and signup forms — but if you want to build a website, go for MailerLite.

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MailerLite vs ConvertKit Pricing: Which ESP Offers Better Value?

Both ESPs come with free plans, but as expected, there are limitations. Paid plans would be the way to go, especially if you have a large contact list. Like most ESPs, both MailerLite and ConvertKit charge you according to the size of your subscriber base.

We decided to compare the pricing for 1,000 contacts on each of the platforms.

Details on MailerLite tiers:

MailerLite plan	Monthly price	Yearly price	Features
Free	$0	$0	‣ 12,000 free emails per month ‣ 1 user account ‣ 1 website ‣ 10 landing pages ‣ Unlimited segmentation ‣ Free image library ‣ Automation ‣ API documentation
Growing Business	$15	$162($13.50 per month)	‣ 1,000 subscribers ‣ Unlimited email sends ‣ 3 user accounts ‣ Unlimited websites, landing pages, popups, and signup forms ‣ Unlimited segmentation ‣ Free image library ‣ Automation ‣ API documentation
Advanced	$30	$324($27 per month)	‣ 1,000 subscribers ‣ Unlimited email sends ‣ Unlimited user accounts ‣ 15% discount on Google Workspace ‣ Unlimited websites, landing pages, popups, and signup forms ‣ Unlimited segmentation ‣ Free image library ‣ AI writing assistant  ‣ Automation ‣ Automation triggers ‣ API documentation
Enterprise	Custom	Custom	Custom

ConvertKit gets a bit more expensive. 

There are three plans in total and they look like this:

ConvertKit plan	Monthly price	Yearly price	Features
Free	$0	$0	‣ 1,000 subscribers ‣ 1 account user ‣ Unlimited landing pages ‣ Unlimited forms ‣ Unlimited broadcasts ‣ Tagging and segmentation
Creator	$29	$290($25 per month)	‣ 1,000 subscribers ‣ Unlimited landing pages ‣ Unlimited forms ‣ Unlimited broadcasts ‣ Tagging and segmentation + ‣ 2 account users ‣ Autoresponders ‣ Visual automation controls ‣ Third-party integration support ‣ Live ChatEmail support
Creator Pro	$59	$590($50 per month)	‣ 1,000 subscribers ‣ Unlimited landing pages ‣ Unlimited forms ‣ Unlimited broadcasts ‣ Tagging and segmentation ‣ Autoresponders ‣ Visual automation controls ‣ Third-party integration support ‣ Live ChatEmail support + ‣ Unlimited account users ‣ Referral program on their network ‣ Advanced performance metrics

Winner: If price is a factor, it’s clearly budget-friendly to send emails via MailerLite. Additionally, ConvertKit gets significantly more expensive as your contacts list grows.

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MailerLite vs ConvertKit: Who Wins?

Both platforms have a loyal user base that praises them; both are popular with email marketers who sign up for specific features.

MailerLite is popular for its simple UI, its pricing, and its templates. Comparatively, ConvertKit users join for its Creator Network and its automation and list segmentation features.

Let’s compare the two side by side:

Feature	MailerLite	ConvertKit
Deliverability	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
User interface	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Template library	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐
Automation features	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Autoresponders	✅	✅
List cleaning	✅	✅
Third-party integration	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Analytics	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Page and form builder	✅	✅

This was a tough one; but we gave it to MailerLite for three reasons. Firstly, its deliverability is superior. The second is its template library. The final point that pushed the case in its favor is the lower pricing. 

But if you want a golden combination of deliverability, low pricing, and templates — Campaign Refinery is the answer. Here’s why.

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Campaign Refinery: The Best Choice Between Competition

If you’re comparing MailerLite and ConvertKit, we know what you’re looking for. You want an email marketing platform you can depend on, that can scale along with your business, that fits in your budget, and gets you excellent engagement and deliverability rates. 

Well, you’re in the right place! 

Our customers love Campaign Refinery; the testimonials speak for themselves: 

“We struggled for years to make email work for our sales team. Campaign Refinery powered our email from $0 to $3.6m in the first 12 months.”

– Cale Owen, GymLaunch

“An amazing platform! I love that I’m basically guaranteed to inbox. In fact, not inboxing is a thing of the past.”

– Stefan Ciancio, Webinarkit

Why Pick Campaign Refinery Over MailerLite or ConvertKit?

Campaign Refinery has the best of both platforms and our clients have clearly achieved stellar results by teaming up with us.

If you’re worried all this email goodness will be expensive, you’re in for a surprise! 

How Affordable is Campaign Refinery?

For the value we offer, teaming up with Campaign Refinery is a steal!

Our credit-based payment system is as transparent as it gets. You don’t have to pay more because you have a large subscriber base; you pay with credit for each email send.

Here’s a breakdown of the plans we provide at Campaign Refinery:

Campaign Refinery Plan	Price	Credits	Features
Business	$99/mo	50,000	‣ Unlimited contacts ‣ Campaign library ‣ Segmentation tools ‣ Automatic list cleaning ‣ Gamification ‣ Evergreen Flash Sales ‣ Advanced automation features
Growth	$299/mo	200,000	‣ Unlimited contacts ‣ Campaign library ‣ Segmentation tools ‣ Automatic list cleaning ‣ Gamification ‣ Evergreen Flash Sales ‣ Advanced automation features + ‣ Disable Campaign Refinery branding ‣ Higher volume of API access
Enterprise	>$1k/mo	1 million	‣ Unlimited contacts ‣ Campaign library ‣ Segmentation tools ‣ Automatic list cleaning ‣ Gamification ‣ Evergreen Flash Sales ‣ Advanced automation features ‣ Disable Campaign Refinery branding + ‣ Dedicated Success Manager ‣ Custom API volumes

Moving to Campaign Refinery: How Complicated Is It?

Our customer care team will make your migration as smooth as possible, but depending on the scale of your operation, it can take time. Still, we assure you we will make the process as smooth as possible.