ConvertKit vs MailerLite: Which One Should You Be Using?

Welcome to this comparison between ConvertKit and MailerLite.

After testing both of these email marketing tools out, they ended up being pretty similar in most categories, but there were a few aspects that made the decision clear in the end!

That’s exactly what we’ll be covering in this article – which tool is going to be the best fit for your business?

Ready? Let’s dive right in.

Our Pick

ConvertKit

ConvertKit is the perfect email marketing service for bloggers, creators, and solopreneurs! Built with simplicity and power in mind, I’m sure you’ll love it.

Try ConvertKit for free →

About ConvertKit

ConvertKit was founded by Nathan Barry in January 2013 Since then, it has become one of the most popular autoresponders on the market, as it reportedly generates over $1.43 million in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).

Although ConvertKit is primarily designed for digital creators and bloggers, it can be used for the email marketing campaigns of almost any business. The tool is known to be simple yet effective, as it makes email marketing much easier than some other autoresponders.

About MailerLite

MailerLite was founded by Ignas Rubežiusin and Eimantas Norkūnas in 2010. Similar to ConvertKit it has also become one of the most popular autoresponders on the market.

MailerLite is trusted by over 1 million businesses around the world, who combined send over 1 billion emails per month.

Its main target audience is simply businesses and freelancers that are looking to stay connected with customers through email marketing. They do have a few additional templates for Ecommerce businesses though, which may suggest that it’s their primary audience.

Which has better features?

Now that we have taken a look at some information about both platforms, let’s take a look at some of the features.

ConvertKit Features 

ConvertKit aims to give creators everything they need in terms of email marketing. This includes features for collecting emails, sending them, and also automating them.

Landing Pages

One of Convertkit’s core features is the landing page builder.

It comes with a simple, easy-to-use drag and drop builder which you can use to create your landing pages in minutes. This means if you are looking to build your list through collecting emails on a landing page, you won’t need an external landing page software like Unbounce.

ConvertKit comes with access to over 100,000 stock images, as well as a library of templates that you can use. The landing pages are also mobile-responsive which of course is pretty good.

Something that I also like about ConvertKit is that the landing pages are GDPR compliant which is also good as you won’t run into any issues.

Other details about ConvertKit’s landing pages:

• They can collect custom data
• They have customizable success messages
• They can deliver lead magnets automatically
• They can be connected to your automation sequences
• They can be integrated with other tools using the integrations

Email Signup Forms

ConvertKit also comes with email signup forms. You can add these to your landing pages, use them on their own, or embed them into another website of yours.

This is pretty standard for most autoresponders. However, something that is kind of unique about ConvertKit is that you can automatically deliver the lead magnet using the forms. This is quite cool, and something that most autoresponders don’t have.

Just like the landing pages, the form templates are also mobile-responsive, and GDRP compliant.

Email Designer

ConvertKit also comes with an easy-to-use email designer. Just like with the landing pages, it also has stock photos that you can directly access inside of this feature.

It comes with beautiful templates and great formatting options to help you create nice-looking emails. The templates are also responsive on all devices which is also good.

Plus, if you want to, you can customize your emails with HTML code.

Email Marketing  & Automation

Probably the most important feature that ConvertKit offers is email marketing & automation.

You can send broadcasts and build automation sequences to help you stay connected with your leads. The automation sequences are incredibly easy to use and simple, despite having a good number of action-based triggers to choose from.

This allows you to send targeted emails at the right time. I also find that ConvertKit’s automation sequences are much easier to use than from most other autoresponders. They are laid out simply, and the next step that you need to take is always clear.

Plus, they are also easy to keep an overview of with analytics that are insightful, yet easy to understand.

ConvertKit also comes with automation templates to make the process for you easier. In short, they have everything you need to build a powerful automated email marketing campaign, but also make it very easy.

MailerLite Features

MailerLite has similar features to ConvertKit, but they do vary slightly. Take a look below to see the details.

Email Editor

First of all, we have MailerLite’s email editor which is comparable to ConvertKit’s email designer. Again, it’s full of great templates that can easily be edited with the drag and drop builder.

I find that ConvertKit’s email designer is just a little easier to use and makes dragging elements feel a little smoother. However, that might just be me. From a function perspective, they are very similar.

The only difference in functions is that MailerLite has a countdown timer. Other than that, they are very similar.

Landing Page Builder

Similar to ConvertKit, MailerLite also has a landing page builder.

The templates in both of these platforms look extremely similar, and there really aren’t too many differences. Both of the landing page features are extremely easy to use and have a drag & drop editor.

You’ll be able to connect custom domains, collect emails, and connect the landing pages to automation sequences.

Email Marketing & Automation

Here’s one of the areas in which ConvertKit and MailerLite vary.

ConvertKit offers advanced tagging options to help you send more targeted emails. MailerLite on the other hand only has very basic tagging options. Other than that, the email automation sequences are almost identical to ConvertKit’s.

The only other aspect in which MailerLite lacks a little compared to ConvertKit is the automation templates.

ConvertKit comes with a range of pre-built email funnels and automation workflows to help you sell products. MailerLite has a few, but it simply doesn’t compare. Just like ConvertKit, MailerLite also has some great analytics to help you understand your campaigns better.

Apart from these three points their email marketing & automation sequences are very similar.

Pop-Ups & Forms

The next feature is Pop-ups & forms.

This is comparable to ConvertKit’s forms. The main differences are that while MailerLite has more options for pop-ups, ConvertKit lets you deliver your lead magnet automatically. Other than that, they both come with great templates and an easy-to-use editor.

Advantage: ConvertKit

How much does each cost?

Let’s take a look at the cost these platforms come at. Interestingly, they both offer a free plan which isn’t that common for autoresponders.

ConvertKit Pricing 

ConvertKit has a free plan which comes with:

• Unlimited landing pages & forms
• Unlimited traffic
• Customizable domain
• Send email broadcasts
• Subscriber tagging
• Manage 1,000 subscribers

However, it doesn’t come with automation sequences/email funnels, premium support, and integrations.

To access these features, you would have to be on their “Creator” plan starting at $29 per month.

Lastly, there is also the “Creator Pro” plan which comes with:

• Facebook custom audiences
• Deliverability reporting
• Invite your team
• Redirect links in email broadcasts
• Subscriber engagement scoring
• Newsletter referral system
• Priority support

This plan starts at $59 per month for 1000 subscribers.

You can check out their full pricing here.

MailerLite Pricing

MailerLite has one of the best free plans on the market.

You get full access to their features including automation sequences and you’ll be able to manage up to 1000 subscribers.

Plus their Pro plan starts at just $10 per month for 1,000 subscribers too. From a pricing point of view, MailerLite is a little more affordable than ConvertKit.

The main differences between the pro and free plan are:

• No MailerLite branding
• Newsletter templates
• Custom HTML editor
• Use Custom domains
• Promotion pop-ups
• Advanced Analytics (for example ClickMaps)
• Premium Support

You can check out their full pricing here.

Advantage: MailerLite 

Everything else you need to know about ConvertKit vs MailerLite

Below, we’ve covered everything else you need to know about ConvertKit and MailerLite.

Which is easier to use?

ConvertKit is a little easier to use overall. Their automation sequences are simpler, despite being a little more advanced. You get more and also better automation templates that will help you sell products or drive your leads to a specific action.

MailerLite is easy to use too, but it doesn’t quite compare with ConvertKit.

Advantage: ConvertKit

Which has better support?

MailerLite wins in the support aspect. While ConvertKit only provides ticketing and email support, MailerLite also provides 24/7 live chat for paid customers.

Advantage: MailerLite

Which has better integrations?

MailerLite has 114 integrations with all types of leading brands in the digital marketing space. It has everything from Ecommerce platforms to landing page builders and CRM tools. You can check out their full list of integrations here: https://www.mailerlite.com/integrations

ConvertKit has a great list of integrations with leading brands in the digital marketing space, with over 90 included. The list is far too long to name them all here, but it integrates with most pieces of software that you would expect.

Some of the integrations include:

• Zapier
• Shopify
• Gumroad
• AppSumo
• Wix
• WordPress
• JetPack CRM
• WebinarJam
• Unbounce
• Kajabi
• Wishlist
• MemberPress
• PayKickStart
• Thrive Leads
• ConvertBox

And a whole load of others. You can check out the full list here: https://convertkit.com/integrations

Advantage: MailerLite

Which has better templates?

While MailerLite has some brilliant email templates, it lacks the automation templates compared to ConvertKit.

ConvertKit has great templates for their emails, automation sequences, and landing pages.

Advantage: ConvertKit

Which has better deliverability? 

Both of these autoresponders give you everything you need to get your emails delivered. You have the ability to authenticate your emails using SPF and DKIM records to help improve your deliverability rate.

ConvertKit claims their customers’ emails have a deliverability rate of 99%. For MailerLite on the other hand there have been reports claiming that their servers have a bad reputation.

Advantage: ConvertKit

My final thoughts

Both of these autoresponders are solid options for businesses of all sizes. They have a great set of features, are affordable, and are also very easy to use.

It might be hard picking between them because of how similar they are. To make your choice easier, we created a summary below to help you choose the right autoresponder for you.

Why you should choose ConvertKit

ConvertKit is the perfect email marketing tool for bloggers and digital creators. It comes with lots of powerful features to help you engage your audience, and sell more products. Plus, It has beautiful email and landing page templates, and editing them is extremely easy.

It even has pre-built automation sequence templates that can be helpful if you’re not very experienced, or just want to get some ideas. ConvertKit also has great deliverability rates which is another advantage it has over MailerLite.

It’s also incredibly easy to use. Overall, you can’t go wrong going with ConvertKit, especially if you are a blogger or digital creator.

Why you should choose MailerLite

MailerLite also has its advantages. First of all, it has the best free plan from most autoresponders I have ever seen. It’s very rare for a free plan to include features like automation sequences, but MailerLite’s does.

Aside from that, MailerLite has great support which is always good, especially for software that is part of your business.

Another rather small advantage of MailerLite is that they have around 21 additional integrations. If you need some of them, then going for MailerLite would make sense.

Plus, MailerLite has a countdown timer widget for your emails, while ConvertKit doesn’t.

Hey! Dylan here, I'm the guy behind HustlerSource. After years of building different online businesses from the ground up, I designed this website to help you find the right tools and strategies to grow your own business!