25 minute read time

15+ Kit (Formerly ConvertKit) Alternatives for Growing Creators

Campaign Monitor - May 30, 2025

Disclaimer: The features, pricing, and details mentioned for each product are as of May 2025 and may have changed since then.

According to online reviews, many users struggle with ConvertKit’s learning curve and limited customization.

We tested 16 alternatives that offer better customization, more powerful automation, and clearer analytics. Ready to find your perfect email marketing match?

Let’s dive in.

(TL;DR) ConvertKit alternatives at a glance

What’s “wrong” with ConvertKit?

ConvertKit (now rebranded as Kit) is a solid email marketing platform built specifically for creators, and it does many things well. However, after analyzing hundreds of reviews online from G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, SoftwareAdvice, and Gartner, several recurring issues kept surfacing:

• Pricing Scalability: The Creator plan limits users to 1,000 subscribers before forcing an upgrade, making it costly for creators experiencing fast audience growth.
• Design Flexibility: Email customization is basic, with fewer visual editing options compared to platforms that emphasize drag-and-drop design.
• Reporting Gaps: Analytics and reporting lack depth and real-time insights, making it harder to track campaign performance compared to competitors.
• Learning Curve: While the platform is user-friendly initially, unlocking and effectively using advanced features requires a steep learning curve, especially for beginners.

1) Campaign Monitor by Marigold – The #1 ConvertKit alternative in the market right now

4.7/5 (1000+ reviews)

Campaign Monitor by Marigold delivers powerful features and intuitive design that makes email marketing accessible to everyone.

With its drag-and-drop email builder, prebuilt automated journeys, and straightforward yet effective segmentation capabilities, it’s ideal for businesses that want professional results without the complexity.

Campaign Monitor vs. ConvertKit: Key differences

Key features

• Drag-and-Drop Email Builder: Create visually stunning emails in minutes with an intuitive interface that requires zero coding knowledge.
• Prebuilt Automated Journeys: Leverage prebuilt journeys (welcome series, abandoned cart, anniversaries, and events) to save time, boost engagement, and drive conversions.
• Send Time Optimization – Use machine learning to deliver emails when each individual subscriber is most likely to engage.
• Industry-Leading Deliverability: Ensure your emails reach the inbox with tools like Inbox previews, spam testing, and access to deliverability experts.
• Dynamic Content: Personalize emails at scale by showing different content to different segments within a single campaign.

Campaign Monitor has a free plan, but pricing starts at $12 USD/month

What else can you do with Campaign Monitor?

Beyond email marketing, Campaign Monitor offers powerful audience segmentation, advanced analytics with revenue attribution, AI writer, and transactional email capabilities. Its agency-friendly features make it perfect for businesses managing multiple clients, with a unified dashboard that streamlines workflow.

2) Mailchimp – Good for small and mid-sized businesses

4.4/5 (5000+ reviews)

Mailchimp has evolved from a simple email service provider to a comprehensive marketing platform that offers significantly more tools than ConvertKit’s focused approach. With website building, social media advertising, and advanced automation, it’s a true all-in-one solution.

Key features

• AI-Powered Tools: Generate email copy, subject lines, and even design elements using Intuit Assist—far more advanced than anything ConvertKit offers.
• Customer Journey Builder: Create complex automation flows with up to 200 touchpoints (on Standard plan), compared to ConvertKit’s more limited automation capabilities.
• Website & Landing Page Builder: Build complete websites and landing pages without additional tools, expanding beyond ConvertKit’s basic landing page functionality.
• Multichannel Marketing: Manage email, social ads, postcards, and more from one platform—something ConvertKit simply doesn’t offer.

Mailchimp has a free plan, but pricing starts at $13/month

Considerations before going with Mailchimp

Some users report that the email builder, while user-friendly, can sometimes be limiting for more complex designs. Additionally, the platform imposes strict automation limits on the Essentials plan (only 4 journey points), forcing upgrades for more complex workflows.

Read more: 11 Mailchimp Alternatives That Offer Better Value for Growing Businesses

3) ActiveCampaign – Automation with CRM integration

4.5/5 (13,000+ reviews)

ActiveCampaign specializes in sales automation and CRM integration, making it ideal for businesses focused on lead nurturing and conversion. While ConvertKit targets creators, ActiveCampaign is built for companies with more complex sales processes.

Key features

• AI-Powered Automation Builder: Generate entire workflows from a simple prompt—a capability that makes ConvertKit’s automation tools look primitive by comparison.
• Advanced CRM Integration: Track deals, lead stages, tasks, and engagement history in one unified system, far beyond ConvertKit’s basic subscriber management.
• Predictive Sending: Automatically determine the optimal time to send emails to each contact based on their behavior, a sophisticated feature ConvertKit lacks.
• Win Probability & Lead Scoring: Score contacts based on behaviors and predict conversions to focus on your most promising leads—functionality ConvertKit doesn’t offer.

Pricing starts at $15/month

Considerations before going with ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign’s full feature access requires a Pro or Enterprise tier, which may make it less accessible for smaller businesses. The interface can be overwhelming especially those new to email marketing.

Read more: 15+ ActiveCampaign Alternatives That Offer Better Value

4) Constant Contact – Great for event marketing 

4.1/5 (6000+ reviews)

Constant Contact stands out with its integrated event management tools, making it perfect for businesses that regularly host events, webinars, or workshops. This functionality goes well beyond ConvertKit’s core email capabilities.

Key features

• Event Management: Host events, sell tickets, and process payments directly through the platform—functionality ConvertKit doesn’t offer at all.
• AI Copy Generator: Automatically draft messaging based on campaign goals, similar to but more developed than ConvertKit’s limited content tools.
• Social Media Marketing: Schedule and post to Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn directly from the platform, offering multichannel capabilities ConvertKit lacks.
• Dynamic Content: Customize emails by user segments (Premium plan), providing more advanced personalization than ConvertKit’s basic options.

Pricing starts at $12/month

Considerations before going with Constant Contact

The Lite and Standard tiers offer limited automation capabilities compared to Campaign Monitor’s more comprehensive options. Advanced reporting and segmentation features are only available on the Premium plan, which may disappoint users looking for deeper insights at lower price points. Additionally, Constant Contact offers fewer ecommerce-specific features than some competitors.

Read more: Constant Contact Alternatives That Offer Better Automation

5) Brevo – Multi-channel marketing support

4.5/5 (2000+ reviews)

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) offers one of the most generous free plans in the industry with unlimited contacts, making it an excellent choice for businesses just starting out. Its multi-channel approach integrates email, SMS, chat, and WhatsApp.

Key features

• Universal Inbox: Centralize communications from email, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and live chat—a unified approach ConvertKit doesn’t provide.
• Predictive Sending: AI-optimized delivery times ensure emails arrive when recipients are most likely to engage, outperforming ConvertKit’s basic scheduling.
• SMS & WhatsApp Marketing: Send text messages and WhatsApp communications alongside email campaigns, offering channel diversity ConvertKit lacks.
• Mobile Wallet Marketing: Digitize loyalty cards, coupons, and tickets for Apple Wallet and Google Pay—a unique feature not available in ConvertKit.

Brevo has a free plan, but pricing starts at $9/month

Considerations before going with Brevo

Brevo restricts several essential marketing features to higher-tier plans, with A/B testing and marketing automation only available on the Business plan.

The platform requires additional add-ons for Brevo branding removal even on paid plans, affecting professional presentation. Additionally, the email builder lacks some of the design flexibility and advanced customization options offered by more design-focused competitors like Campaign Monitor.

Read next: We Compared 15+ Brevo Alternatives Offering Improved Features

6) Klaviyo – Good for ecommerce brands

4.6/5 (1000+ reviews)

Klaviyo is purpose-built for e-commerce brands with deep integrations into shopping platforms and sophisticated product recommendation engines. While ConvertKit serves creators broadly, Klaviyo specifically targets online retailers.

Key features

• Unified Customer Data Platform: Combine CRM, email, SMS, and analytics in one system for a complete view of customer behavior—far more comprehensive than ConvertKit’s basic subscriber data.
• Predictive Analytics: Forecast customer lifetime value, churn risk, and next purchase date using machine learning, offering insights ConvertKit can’t provide.
• Product Recommendations: Dynamically insert personalized product suggestions based on browsing or purchase history, functionality ConvertKit lacks entirely.
• Reviews Platform: Collect and display customer reviews for products with pre-built email flows—a complete e-commerce solution not available in ConvertKit.

Klaviyo has a free plan, but pricing starts at $45/month

Considerations before going with Klaviyo

Klaviyo’s platform is heavily optimized for e-commerce businesses, making it less suitable for service-based companies or B2B organizations.

The platform’s reviews and advanced data platform features require additional add-on purchases beyond the base pricing.

Read more: 17 Klaviyo Alternatives That Offer Better Value for Small Businesses

7) SendGrid – Developer-friendly email marketing

4/5 (300+ reviews)

SendGrid excels at email deliverability and technical infrastructure, making it ideal for developers and technical teams. Unlike ConvertKit’s creator focus, SendGrid provides robust APIs and developer tools for custom implementations.

Key features

• RESTful Email API: Send programmatic emails with comprehensive SDKs for Python, Java, Node, and more—offering technical flexibility ConvertKit lacks.
• Dynamic Templates: Use Handlebars for advanced personalization beyond ConvertKit’s basic merge tags.
• Event Webhooks: Track email events in real-time through webhooks, providing more technical integration options than ConvertKit offers.
• Dedicated IPs: Improve deliverability with dedicated sending IPs (on higher plans), a technical advantage over ConvertKit’s shared infrastructure.

SendGrid has a free plan, but pricing starts at $19.95/month

Considerations before going with SendGrid

SendGrid’s platform is built primarily for developers and technical users, creating a steep learning curve for marketers.

The platform prioritizes functionality over user experience, with an interface that’s not optimized for visual campaign builders. Additionally, many key deliverability features like dedicated IPs and validation tools are only available on higher-tier plans.

Read more: SendGrid Alternatives That Don’t Require Technical Skills

8) GetResponse – Decent for webinar and course marketing

4.3/5 (700+ reviews)

GetResponse combines email marketing with webinar hosting and course creation tools, making it perfect for educators and coaches. This integrated approach offers functionality well beyond ConvertKit’s core email features.

Key features

• AI Course Creator: Automatically structure courses, modules, and quizzes from topic descriptions—a specialized tool ConvertKit doesn’t provide.
• Webinar Platform: Host live and on-demand webinars directly within the platform, eliminating the need for separate webinar software that ConvertKit users require.
• Sales Funnels: Build complete conversion funnels with integrated pages, forms, emails, and payment processing—more comprehensive than ConvertKit’s basic sales tools.
• Website Builder: Create full websites with SEO settings and mobile optimization, expanding beyond ConvertKit’s limited landing page functionality.

Pricing starts at $19/month

Considerations before going with GetResponse

GetResponse’s extensive feature set can create an overwhelming experience for users seeking simple email marketing functionality. Additionally, some AI features are limited to higher tiers, requiring upgrades to access the platform’s full potential.

Read more: 15+ GetResponse Alternatives That Offer a Comprehensive Feature Set

9) AWeber – AI assisted marketing tool

4.2/5 (600+ reviews)

AWeber stands out with its AI-driven content creation tools that help overcome writer’s block and streamline campaign creation. Its focus on small businesses provides a more accessible alternative to ConvertKit’s creator-centric approach.

Key features

• AI Writing Assistant: Generate complete emails or newsletter drafts in your brand voice—more advanced than ConvertKit’s basic content tools.
• Subject Line Assistant: Create high-impact subject lines optimized for open rates, offering more guidance than ConvertKit provides.
• Ecommerce & Monetization: Sell digital goods, subscriptions, and accept donations directly through the platform with lower transaction fees than ConvertKit.
• Web Push Notifications: Re-engage site visitors with one-click subscription to push notifications, a channel ConvertKit doesn’t offer.

Pricing starts at $15/month

Considerations before going with AWeber

AWeber’s deep feature set can also be overwhelming for absolute beginners, making the interface complex to navigate. While AWeber’s email features are robust, it lacks SMS and mobile push notifications, limiting communication channels.

Read more: 15 AWeber Alternatives That are Cost-Effective

10) Omnisend – Decent ecommerce-focused multi-channel marketing

4.6/5 (900+ reviews)

Omnisend specializes in e-commerce marketing across multiple channels, including email, SMS, and web push notifications. Its pre-built workflows and dynamic content blocks are specifically designed for online stores.

Key features

• Omnichannel Campaigns: Combine email, SMS, and web push notifications in unified campaigns—a multi-channel approach ConvertKit lacks.
• Product Reviews: Collect and showcase customer reviews via automated email/SMS requests, functionality not available in ConvertKit.
• Campaign Booster: Automatically re-send to non-openers with different subject lines, increasing engagement beyond ConvertKit’s capabilities.
• Wheel of Fortune: Create interactive spin-to-win forms for lead generation, offering more engaging signup options than ConvertKit’s basic forms.

Pricing starts at $16/month

Considerations before going with Omnisend

Omnisend is heavily optimized for e-commerce, which means service businesses or content creators might not benefit from all the specialized features. To access the advertised 30% pricing discount, quarterly upfront payment is required, which may not suit businesses preferring monthly billing cycles.

Additionally, SMS marketing requires additional credits beyond the small trial allocation, potentially increasing costs for multi-channel campaigns.

Read next: We Compared 15 Omnisend Alternatives – Here are Top 3

11) Moosend – Decent email automation capabilities

4.7/5 (700+ reviews)

Moosend offers enterprise-grade email marketing features at budget-friendly prices, making it an excellent alternative to ConvertKit for cost-conscious marketers who don’t want to sacrifice functionality.

Key features

• AI-Enhanced Tools: Generate email copy, subject lines, and product descriptions with AI—more advanced than ConvertKit’s basic content creation.
• Customer Lifecycle Map: Visualize customer stages based on RFM (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) analysis, providing deeper insights than ConvertKit’s basic reporting.
• SMTP Server: Send via Moosend’s infrastructure for transactional emails, offering technical capabilities ConvertKit doesn’t provide.
• Unlimited Lists & Tags: Organize subscribers without the list-based billing that makes ConvertKit expensive as you grow.

Pricing starts at $9/month

Considerations before going with Moosend

Moosend’s advanced features like AI assistance, smart sending, and multi-trigger automations are locked behind the Advanced plan.

The platform lacks native SMS capabilities, relying on third-party integrations for text messaging, which creates a less unified experience than Campaign Monitor’s integrated approach.

Read next: We Compared 12+ Moosend Alternatives that Offer Scalable Pricing

12) MailerLite – Good for businesses with simpler marketing needs

4.6/5 (1000+ reviews)

MailerLite combines simplicity with powerful features, making it perfect for beginners who find ConvertKit’s interface challenging. Its clean, intuitive design focuses on essential functionality without overwhelming users.

Key features

• Drag-&-Drop Editor: Create emails with 70+ content blocks including surveys, quizzes, and product galleries—offering more design flexibility than ConvertKit.
• Website Builder: Build complete websites with blogs, SEO controls, and custom code injection, expanding beyond ConvertKit’s limited landing pages.
• Digital Products & Paid Newsletters: Monetize content with one-time or subscription payments via Stripe, similar to ConvertKit but with lower transaction fees.
• Smart Sending: Use machine learning to determine optimal send times for each subscriber, a sophisticated feature ConvertKit lacks.

MailerLite has a free plan, but pricing starts at $10/month

Considerations before going with MailerLite

Advanced features like auto-resend and delivery by time zone are locked to higher plans, limiting functionality for budget-conscious users. Additionally, MailerLite doesn’t offer a native SMS channel, which Campaign Monitor provides for truly multi-channel marketing.

Read more: MailerLite Alternatives That Don’t Limit Your Subscriber Count

13) Drip – Good behavior-based automation for e-Commerce

4.4/5 (400+ reviews)

Drip focuses on behavior-driven segmentation and automation, making it ideal for e-commerce brands that want to create highly personalized customer journeys based on purchase history and site behavior.

Key features

• Dynamic, Behavioral Segments: Create segments that update in real-time based on customer actions—more sophisticated than ConvertKit’s basic tagging.
• Visual Workflow Builder: Design complex automation flows with drag-and-drop nodes for email, onsite, and social retargeting—more powerful than ConvertKit’s limited automation.
• Onsite Messaging: Deploy popups, slide-ins, and sticky bars triggered by behavior, offering more engagement options than ConvertKit’s basic forms.
• Revenue Attribution: Track email and workflow-driven sales with detailed dashboards, providing deeper insights than ConvertKit’s basic analytics.

Pricing starts at $39/month

Considerations before going with Drip

Drip’s single-tier pricing structure means there’s no option to access a limited feature set at a lower cost, which may be prohibitive for very small businesses or those just starting out.

While Drip excels at email and onsite messaging, it lacks native SMS capabilities, requiring integration with third-party services for text messaging campaigns.

Read more: 11+ Drip Alternatives with Scalable Pricing Models

14) HubSpot – Marketing platform with CRM integration

4.4/5 (12K+ reviews)

HubSpot provides an extensive marketing ecosystem that goes well beyond basic email campaigns. It combines marketing, sales, and customer service tools in one platform, which helps businesses streamline their workflows and avoid the common problem of juggling disconnected systems.

Key features

• Comprehensive Marketing Suite: Manage emails, social media, content, and paid advertising from a single dashboard for coordinated campaigns.
• Robust CRM Integration: Sync contacts, track interactions, and personalize communications across marketing, sales, and service teams effortlessly.
• Advanced Automation: Build complex, multi-step workflows that react to customer behaviors across channels for tailored experiences.
• Detailed Reporting: Access in-depth analytics that connect marketing efforts directly to revenue, helping optimize ROI.
• Landing Page Builder — Create conversion-optimized pages with adaptive testing and personalization based on contact data.

HubSpot has a free plan, but pricing starts at $15/month

Considerations before going with HubSpot

While HubSpot’s all-in-one model is powerful, its cost can quickly escalate with additional features and users. The platform’s wide range of features can also be complex and overwhelming for teams seeking a straightforward email marketing tool.

#15) Mailtrap – Decent tool for developers & marketers

4.8/5 (50+ reviews)

Mailtrap is a versatile email platform designed to serve both developers and marketing teams by combining robust email testing tools with reliable email delivery services. It focuses on helping teams build, test, and send emails while ensuring high deliverability and inbox placement.

Key features

• Unified Sending & Testing: Seamlessly test emails in a secure sandbox environment before sending through their reliable API/SMTP services to real inboxes.
• Email API & SMTP Service: Offers powerful and easy-to-integrate RESTful APIs and SMTP support for smooth email sending from applications.
• Advanced Deliverability Tools: Provides detailed analytics, bounce handling, ISP feedback loops, and dedicated IPs with warm-up to maximize inbox placement.
• Comprehensive Email Marketing: Includes drag-and-drop editors, templates, scheduling, contact management, and campaign automation for marketers.
• Robust Security & Compliance: Features like GDPR compliance, ISO 27001 certification, IP whitelisting, and fine-grained API key permissions ensure enterprise-grade security.

Mailtrap has a free plan, but pricing starts at $15/mo

Considerations before choosing Mailtrap

Mailtrap excels as both an email testing sandbox and a sending platform, but some users find the separation between testing (Email Sandbox) and sending (Email Sending) requires managing two services.

While it offers extensive deliverability insights and security features, marketing automation capabilities are more basic compared to full-scale ESPs. Businesses with complex automation needs might need supplementary tools.

#16) SendPulse – Decent multi-channel automation capabilities 

4.6/5 (600+ reviews)

SendPulse is a versatile marketing platform that combines easy-to-use email marketing tools with powerful automation across email, SMS, push notifications, and chatbots. Designed for both beginners and growing businesses, it offers an AI-driven experience to create, personalize, and optimize campaigns that engage audiences at every stage of the sales funnel.

Key features

• Automation 360: Build complex automated workflows combining email, SMS, web push, and chatbot campaigns triggered by customer actions.
• AI-Powered Copywriting: Generate or refine email content with AI tools that adjust tone, style, and length to suit your brand and audience.
• Dynamic Segmentation & Personalization: Use detailed subscriber data and tags to deliver highly targeted and relevant messages.
• Comprehensive Analytics: Track opens, clicks, conversions, and campaign performance with integrated reporting and Google Analytics support.
• Multichannel Communication: Reach customers not just by email but also through WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram, Facebook chatbots, and web push notifications.
• Robust Support & Training: Access 24/7 multilingual support, extensive knowledge base, and free training via SendPulse Academy.

SendPulse has a free plan, but pricing starts at $10/mo

Considerations before choosing SendPulse

Some users find SendPulse’s wide feature set a bit overwhelming, and while automation is powerful, it might require a learning curve for beginners. Additionally, pricing scales with subscriber count, which can increase costs as your list grows.

The Verdict: Which ConvertKit alternative should you choose? (Our top 3 picks)

After thoroughly testing all these alternatives, here are our top recommendations:

1. Campaign Monitor: The clear winner for businesses seeking beautiful, professional emails with intuitive automation. Its superior design flexibility, visual journey builder, and unique features like Link Review make it the most compelling ConvertKit alternative for growing businesses that want to elevate their email marketing.
2. MailerLite: Best for beginners and budget-conscious marketers who need simplicity without sacrificing power. Its clean interface and generous free plan make it an excellent starting point.
3. Brevo: Ideal for businesses wanting multichannel marketing (email, SMS, WhatsApp) with a generous free plan. Its universal inbox and AI-powered features provide excellent value.

Your specific needs should guide your final choice. Consider factors like your technical expertise, budget constraints, industry requirements, and growth projections when selecting the platform that will best serve your email marketing goals both now and in the future.