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Mailchimp vs Kit pricing
Mailchimp and Kit are the two best-known email tools for small senders and creators. This page lines up their free plans and published tiers using StackScope's email marketing report, last verified October 2026.
Kit's free plan is far larger: 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, forms and landing pages, against 250 contacts and 500 sends per month for Mailchimp. Kit's free plan deliberately withholds automation, offering only 1 basic automation and 1 email sequence. On paid plans the picture shifts with list size. Mailchimp Standard is $17 per month at 500 contacts, $51 at 2,500 and $115 at 10,000, though the vendor presents the 10,000-contact figure as a first-year promotional rate. Kit Creator is $33 at 1,000 subscribers, $49 at 3,000 and about $117 at 10,000, an annual-effective figure rounded from Kit's schedule. Mailchimp also bills for every contact in the audience, including unsubscribed ones, unless you archive them.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry | Mid | Highest | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo1 seat, 1 audience, 250 sends/day cap — sending pauses if you exceed it, doesn't trigger a charge | $17/moStandard · 500 contacts · $20/mo billed monthly | $51/moStandard · 2,500 contacts · $60/mo billed monthly | $115/moStandard · 10,000 contacts · $135/mo billed monthly — vendor currently presents this as a first-year promotional rate for eligible businesses, not a guaranteed renewal rate | Catch: the bill scales fast with contact count, and lower tiers cap automation. Praised for a drag-and-drop builder that makes professional campaigns easy even for non-technical users. G2 reviewers repeatedly flag "expensive" as a recurring theme. A real billing trap: Mailchimp bills for every contact in your audience — including unsubscribed ones — unless you manually archive them. Monthly send allowances are capped at a multiple of contact count (10× Essentials, 12× Standard, 15× Premium); exceeding them can trigger overage charges. |
| Kit Most generous free plan | 10,000 subscribersUnlimited broadcasts, forms, landing pages, digital products; 1 basic automation, 1 email sequence — genuinely ongoing, not a trial | $33/moCreator · 1,000 subscribers · $39/mo billed monthly | $49/moCreator · 3,000 subscribers · $59/mo billed monthly | ~$117/moCreator · 10,000 subscribers · $139/mo billed monthly — annual-effective figure rounded from Kit's 2-months-free annual schedule; confirm the exact yearly total in Kit's own calculator | Catch: the free plan is huge on subscribers but deliberately withholds automation. Praised for simplicity and creator-focused tools — built-in digital product sales and a cross-promotion network make it easy to actually monetize a list. Kit's published pricing has moved up since our last check — Creator is now $59/mo at 3,000 subscribers and $139/mo at 10,000 on monthly billing. Creator Pro starts at $79/mo (1,000 subscribers; annual pricing not independently verified) and adds subscriber scoring and a referral system, most useful past ~5,000 subscribers. Billing is subscriber-based — Kit doesn't impose a comparable monthly send cap the way most competitors do. |
Figures are aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party pricing research as of October 2026 and reflect published list prices. This page shows two of the four tools in the full Email Marketing Software report, which carries the complete footnotes and every source conflict we flagged. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product.
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FAQ
Common questions
Is Kit cheaper than Mailchimp?
It depends on list size. Kit Creator is $49 per month at 3,000 subscribers, while Mailchimp Standard is $51 at 2,500 contacts. At 10,000 the figures are about $117 for Kit and $115 for Mailchimp, but Mailchimp's is a first-year promotional rate.
Which has the better free plan?
Kit's: up to 10,000 subscribers, without automation beyond 1 basic automation and 1 sequence. Mailchimp's covers 250 contacts and 500 sends per month.
Does Mailchimp charge for unsubscribed contacts?
Yes. It bills for every contact in your audience, including unsubscribed ones, unless you manually archive them.
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See all four tools in the full Email Marketing Software report →
Vendor pricing: Mailchimp pricing · Kit pricing