ConvertKit (Kit) vs Mailchimp vs Beehiiv (2026)
Three tools with very different philosophies. Kit (rebranded from ConvertKit) is built for creators who monetize their list. Mailchimp is the general-purpose marketing platform — powerful but its free plan has shrunk 87.5% since 2022. Beehiiv is a newsletter-first platform bundling website, email, and 0%-commission monetization together.
Find yourself first
Creators who monetize
Selling digital products, paid newsletters, or subscriptions. Kit and Beehiiv both build this in — Mailchimp doesn't.
Small businesses
Wanting a general-purpose marketing platform with CRM-style features. Mailchimp leads here, at a real cost.
Newsletter-first publishers
Wanting a website, email, and ad network bundled together. Beehiiv is purpose-built for this.
Anyone starting with a free plan
Kit's 10,000-subscriber free tier is dramatically more generous than Mailchimp's shrinking 250-contact limit.
Teams comparing true annual cost
All three price by subscriber/contact count — the sticker price rarely reflects what you'll actually pay at scale.
Anyone considering switching platforms
All three offer free migration tools — this page maps the real trade-offs before you commit.
Free plans are shrinking — except one
The 10-second answer
Kit (ConvertKit)
Free up to 10,000 subscribers — most generous free tier here. Creator $39/mo monthly ($33/mo annual) at 1,000 subs, scaling with list size. Built-in digital product sales (3.5%+$0.30 fee) and paid newsletters.
Free (10K) → $39/mo ($33 annual)Mailchimp
Free 250 contacts (shrunk 87.5% since 2022). Essentials $13/mo (no automation). Standard $20/mo (multi-step automation, AI features). Premium $350/mo minimum — no smaller tier exists.
Free (250) → $13/mo → $20/moBeehiiv
Free up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, no monetization. Scale $49/mo monthly ($43/mo annual) unlocks 0%-commission paid subscriptions, ad network. Max $109/mo ($96 annual) adds branding removal, 10 publications.
Free (2,500) → $49/mo ($43 annual)Match your situation
| Your situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You're a creator selling digital products or courses | Kit | Built-in digital product sales, visual automations, 70+ integrations — designed for this. |
| You want the most generous free plan possible | Kit | 10,000 subscribers free vs Mailchimp's 250 or Beehiiv's 2,500. |
| You need a full marketing suite (CRM, landing pages, ads) | Mailchimp | Broadest general-purpose feature set, though pricier and with a shrinking free tier. |
| You want a newsletter website + email + monetization bundled | Beehiiv | Website builder, ad network, 0% commission paid subscriptions all included. |
| You're transitioning from Substack and want to keep 100% of subscription revenue | Beehiiv | 0% platform take vs Substack's 10% — Stripe's 2.9%+$0.30 still applies either way. |
| You need multi-step automation at the lowest possible price | Mailchimp Standard $20/mo | Essentials no longer includes automation at all — Standard is the real entry point. |
| Your list is under 2,500 and you're not ready to pay anything | Beehiiv or Kit | Both offer genuinely free, full-featured tiers — Mailchimp's free plan is now too thin for real use. |
| You need multi-step automation on a tight budget with a big free list | Kit (limited automation on free) | Free plan allows 1 automation — enough to test; upgrade to Creator for unlimited. |
What will your list size actually cost?
All three price by subscriber/contact count, and all three have hard tier jumps. Drag to your list size to see which plan you'd need on each platform and the real monthly cost.
Assumptions: Kit and Mailchimp figures assume you want automation/full features (Kit Creator, Mailchimp Standard). Beehiiv figures assume Scale plan (monetization included). All annual billing rates where available. Digital product transaction fees and Stripe processing fees not included in monthly plan cost shown.
The numbers that matter
most generous free tier of the three
2,000 contacts → 250 contacts today
no smaller tier exists, even under 10K contacts
hard cliff — no small paid tier between free and Scale
vs Substack's 10% — Stripe fees still apply either way
Creator plan rose from $29 to $39/mo
Three tools, three philosophies
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Built for Creators Who Monetize
Free (10K) → $39/mo ($33 annual)Email marketing platform built specifically for creators — bloggers, course sellers, podcasters, newsletter operators.
- Most generous free plan — 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends, unlimited landing pages/forms
- Built-in monetization — sell digital products, paid newsletters, subscriptions (even on free plan)
- Visual automation builder + unlimited sequences on Creator plan
- 70+ direct integrations, free migration from other platforms
- Only charges for active, confirmed subscribers — unsubscribed/duplicates don't count
- Prices rose ~34-35% in September 2025 — old $29/mo Creator plan no longer exists
- Free plan limited to 1 automation and 1 sequence — a real constraint before upgrading
- Digital product sales carry a 3.5%+$0.30 transaction fee on every plan, including free
- Paid Recommendations network takes 23.5% of referral earnings
Mailchimp — The General-Purpose Marketing Platform, Now Pricier
Free (250) → $13/mo → $20/mo → $350/moBroad marketing automation platform — email, landing pages, CRM-style features, ads — but its entry tiers have thinned out.
- Broadest general-purpose feature set of the three — landing pages, retargeting ads, AI creative assistant
- Standard plan ($20/mo) includes multi-step automation, predictive segmentation, send-time optimization
- Widely integrated — works with almost every e-commerce and CRM platform
- 15% nonprofit discount available
- Free plan cut twice since 2022 — now just 250 contacts, 500 emails/month (was 2,000 contacts)
- Multi-step automation removed from Essentials in June 2025 — now requires Standard ($20/mo minimum)
- Premium starts at $350/mo with no smaller tier — even a small list pays the full price for those features
- Bills for ALL contacts including unsubscribed unless manually archived — a real hidden cost
- Legacy (pre-2019) accounts hit with an 11-13% price increase in April 2026
Beehiiv — The Newsletter-First Platform
Free (2,500) → $49/mo ($43 annual)Website, email, and monetization bundled together — built for newsletter-first media businesses, not general marketing.
- Free plan includes a real website builder, custom domain, unlimited sends up to 2,500 subscribers
- 0% platform commission on paid subscription revenue — only Stripe's standard 2.9%+$0.30 applies
- Ad network and referral programs built directly into the platform
- Both Scale and Max include full monetization tools — no artificial feature-gating between them
- Notable publishers (TIME, Newsweek, TechCrunch) use the platform, signaling enterprise-grade reliability
- Hard cliff at 2,500 subscribers — no small stepping-stone plan between $0 and the first paid tier
- Pricing scales with subscriber count on both Scale and Max — a 50,000-subscriber list pays roughly 5x the entry sticker price
- Meaningfully pricier than Kit or MailerLite at equivalent list sizes for basic sending
- Branding removal requires Max ($109/mo), not available on Scale
Strengths at a glance
| Criteria | Kit | Mailchimp | Beehiiv |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan size | Best — 10,000 subscribers | Just 250 contacts (cut 87.5% since 2022) | 2,500 subscribers |
| Built-in monetization | Digital products, paid newsletters | Not a focus | 0% commission paid subs, ad network |
| General marketing features | Creator-focused, narrower | Best — broadest suite | Newsletter-focused, not general |
| Entry price with automation | $39/mo ($33 annual) | $20/mo (Standard) | $49/mo ($43 annual) |
| Billing fairness | Only bills active subscribers | Bills unsubscribed contacts too | Bills active subscribers |
| 2026 pricing trend | +34-35% price hike Sept 2025 | Free plan cut twice; legacy hike Apr 2026 | Stable |
🟢 STRONG · 🟠 ACCEPTABLE WITH CAVEATS · 🔴 WEAK / WATCH OUT
Feature by feature
| Feature | Kit | Mailchimp | Beehiiv |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✓ Best — 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends | ✗ 250 contacts, 500 emails/month only | ⚡ 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends |
| Multi-step automation on entry paid tier | ✓ Creator $39/mo — unlimited automations | ✗ Not on Essentials — requires Standard $20/mo | ⚡ Scale $49/mo — included |
| Sell digital products / subscriptions | ✓ Built in, even on free plan (3.5%+$0.30 fee) | ✗ Not a core feature | ✓ 0% commission (Scale+), Stripe fees apply |
| Website / landing page builder | ⚡ Landing pages only | ⚡ Basic landing pages | ✓ Full website builder + custom domain, even free |
| Ad network / sponsorships | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Built-in Ad Network (Scale+) |
| Billable contacts | ✓ Active, confirmed subscribers only | ✗ All contacts incl. unsubscribed | Active subscribers |
| AI features | ⚡ Limited | ⚡ Intuit Assist (beta, Standard+) | ✓ Beehiiv AI (Scale+) |
| Top-tier entry price | Pro $79/mo ($66 annual) | Premium $350/mo — no smaller tier | Max $109/mo ($96 annual) |
| Nonprofit/education discount | ✗ Not published | ✓ 15% discount | ✗ Not published |
Every plan, verified
All prices verified July 2026 directly against official vendor pricing pages. Figures shown are entry-tier (1,000 subscribers/500 contacts where applicable) — all three platforms scale pricing with list size.
| Tier | Kit (ConvertKit) | Mailchimp | Beehiiv |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ✓ 10,000 subscribers, unlimited sends, 1 automation, digital product sales allowed | 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo, no automation, no scheduling | 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends, website + custom domain, no monetization |
| Entry paid | Creator $39/mo monthly ($33/mo annual) at 1,000 subs — unlimited automations, 70+ integrations | Essentials $13/mo at 500 contacts — no multi-step automation | Scale $49/mo monthly ($43/mo annual) at 1,000 subs — monetization, automations, A/B testing |
| Mid tier | Creator Pro $79/mo monthly ($66/mo annual) at 1,000 subs — engagement scoring, deliverability reporting | Standard $20/mo at 500 contacts — multi-step automation, predictive segmentation, AI | Max $109/mo monthly ($96/mo annual) at 1,000 subs — branding removal, 10 publications, priority support |
| Top tier | N/A — Creator Pro is the highest published tier | Premium $350/mo at 10,000 contacts minimum — no smaller tier exists | Enterprise — custom, 100,000+ subscribers |
| Scaling example (10K subs/contacts) | Creator ~$139/mo | Premium $350/mo (floor) | Scale ~$99/mo |
| Transaction / revenue fees | 3.5%+$0.30 on digital product sales; 23.5% on Paid Recommendations earnings | N/A — not a monetization platform | 0% platform commission on paid subs; Stripe's 2.9%+$0.30 still applies |
| Watch out for | Free plan capped at 1 automation and 1 sequence. Prices rose 34-35% in Sept 2025. | Bills for unsubscribed contacts unless manually archived. Automation requires Standard, not Essentials. Premium has no tier below 10,000 contacts. | Hard cliff from free (2,500) to paid — no small stepping-stone tier. Branding removal requires Max, not Scale. |
Choose by fit
Choose Kit if…
- You're a creator monetizing through digital products or paid newsletters
- You want the most generous free plan to grow your list before paying anything
- Visual automation and 70+ integrations matter for your workflow
- You only want to pay for confirmed, active subscribers
- You've budgeted for the September 2025 price increase
Choose Mailchimp if…
- You need a broad marketing suite beyond just email — landing pages, ads, CRM-style tools
- You're comfortable starting at Standard ($20/mo) since Essentials lacks automation
- Your organization qualifies for the 15% nonprofit discount
- You already have deep Mailchimp integrations and switching costs are high
- You regularly clean your contact list to avoid paying for unsubscribed contacts
Choose Beehiiv if…
- You're building a newsletter-first media business, not general marketing
- You want a website, email, and monetization bundled under one platform
- Keeping 100% of paid subscription revenue (minus Stripe fees) matters
- You're switching from Substack and want built-in ad network tools
- You're prepared for the free-to-paid cliff once you exceed 2,500 subscribers
Match the tool to your job
Solo creator, pre-monetization
Kit Free10,000 subscribers free — the biggest runway before paying anything.
Selling digital products / courses
KitBuilt-in commerce tools, even on the free plan.
General small business marketing
Mailchimp StandardBroadest feature set — landing pages, ads, automation — at $20/mo.
Newsletter + website + monetization
BeehiivAll three bundled — genuinely different category from the other two.
Migrating from Substack
Beehiiv0% platform commission vs Substack's 10% — free migration tools available.
Nonprofit or educational org
Mailchimp15% published discount — neither Kit nor Beehiiv publish an equivalent.
Large list, budget-conscious
Compare all three by list sizeUse the calculator above — the cheapest option shifts meaningfully as your list grows.
Team needing multiple seats
Mailchimp Standard5 seats included vs Kit's per-plan structure and Beehiiv's 3-seat Scale limit.
Ad network / sponsorship revenue
BeehiivOnly one of the three with a built-in ad network.
What vendors won't lead with
📉 Mailchimp — free plan has shrunk 87.5% since 2022
2,000 contacts (2022) → 500 (2023) → just 250 contacts and 500 emails/month as of January 2026. If you're evaluating Mailchimp based on older reviews describing a generous free plan, that plan no longer exists.
🔒 Mailchimp — automation removed from the entry tier
The Classic Automation Builder was deprecated in June 2025, meaning multi-step automation now requires Standard ($20/mo) at minimum — not Essentials ($13/mo) as many still assume. Teams with basic welcome sequences on Essentials found them suddenly requiring an upgrade.
👻 Mailchimp — you pay for unsubscribed contacts too
Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts toward your plan limit and billing. Only manually archived or deleted contacts are excluded — regular list hygiene is required to avoid paying for people who will never see your emails.
💳 Kit — digital product sales carry a real transaction fee
Selling digital products or paid subscriptions through Kit costs 3.5%+$0.30 per transaction on every plan, including free. On a $50 product, that's roughly $2.05 taken per sale — factor this into your pricing if you monetize through the platform.
📊 Kit — Paid Recommendations takes a real cut
If you earn through Kit's Paid Recommendations network, Kit takes 23.5% of those referral earnings. It's a revenue share rather than a bill, so it won't show on your invoice, but it meaningfully reduces the net income that feature generates.
🧗 Beehiiv — the free-to-paid cliff has no stepping stone
Launch is free up to 2,500 subscribers with genuinely useful features. But there is no small paid tier — the moment you exceed 2,500 or want monetization, you're at the 2,501-5,000 subscriber bracket, which runs roughly $89/month. There's no $10-20/month intermediate option like some competitors offer.
Quick answers
No — ConvertKit rebranded to "Kit" in October 2024. The product and pricing structure are the same, just the name changed. Older reviews and comparisons referencing "ConvertKit" describe the same platform now called Kit.
Significantly. The free plan went from 2,000 contacts (2022) to 500 contacts (2023) to just 250 contacts and 500 emails per month as of January 2026 — an 87.5% reduction over four years. It's now better suited to testing the interface than running a real small business newsletter.
Yes, on the platform fee specifically — Beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue on Scale and Max plans, compared to Substack's 10%. However, Stripe's standard payment processing fee (2.9%+$0.30 per transaction) still applies regardless of platform, so "0% take" doesn't mean zero fees entirely.
Kit, by a wide margin — its free Newsletter plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited sends, unlimited landing pages, and even digital product sales. Beehiiv's free plan covers 2,500 subscribers with a full website builder but no monetization. Mailchimp's free plan, at just 250 contacts and 500 emails/month, is the most limited of the three following its 2026 reduction.
Yes. Mailchimp counts subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts toward your billable total unless you manually archive or delete them. This is a genuine hidden cost — regularly cleaning your list is necessary to avoid paying for contacts who will never receive your emails.
Generally yes. Kit offers free migration assistance on Creator and Pro plans for lists over 5,000 subscribers. Beehiiv provides a free migration tool that imports subscriber lists from other platforms (automations typically need manual rebuilding). Mailchimp supports standard CSV import/export. Budget a few hours for rebuilding automations regardless of which direction you migrate.
Ready to pick your email platform?
All three offer free plans — test with your real list size before committing to annual billing.