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Kit markets itself directly to creators: newsletter writers, course sellers, anyone trying to turn an audience into income. If that sounds like you, you’ve probably also wondered whether you’ve outgrown it, or whether ActiveCampaign’s extra features are worth the switch. I dug into the actual pricing and feature breakdowns for both platforms instead of relying on marketing pages, and a few things surprised me.
This isn’t a takedown of Kit. It’s a genuinely good tool for a lot of creators, and I’ll say where I think it still works well. But the numbers on ActiveCampaign’s side are worth seeing before you decide either way.
What Kit Does Really Well
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, was built for creators first. That shows up everywhere, not just in the marketing copy.
The Creator Profile is a simple, public page that works like a mini website. It introduces you, lets people subscribe, and shows an archive of your past emails. If you don’t want to build a full site, this alone is worth knowing about.
Kit also bakes in monetization tools most email platforms treat as an afterthought:
- A sponsor network that connects you with advertisers
- Paid recommendations, where you earn a commission for recommending other newsletters
- Tip jars for one-time support from fans
- The ability to sell digital products and paid newsletters directly
If your whole business model is “grow an audience, then monetize that audience,” Kit was clearly designed with you in mind. I don’t think that’s marketing spin. The free plan alone supports up to 10,000 subscribers, one email sequence, and basic automation, which is a real offer, not a watered-down trial.
Where the Pricing Actually Surprised Me
Here’s the part that changed my thinking. At 1,000 contacts, Kit’s entry-level Creator plan costs $29 a month. ActiveCampaign’s entry-level Starter plan, at the same contact count, costs $15 a month.
I expected the “simple” tool to be the cheaper one. It isn’t, at least not at this tier. And ActiveCampaign’s $15 plan already includes things Kit doesn’t offer at any price: a built-in CRM, site tracking, and an AI-powered automation builder.
Kit’s pricing also climbs fast. Their Creator Pro plan runs $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers, but jumps to $167 a month once you hit 10,000 subscribers. That’s a steep curve for a platform built around the idea of growing your list.
Email Marketing Automation: Where the Gap Gets Real
This is the part that actually matters once your list grows past “just starting out.”
Kit’s automation builder is genuinely easy to use. You get a visual workflow, basic triggers like a new subscriber or a clicked link, and simple tag-based branching. For a welcome sequence or a basic nurture series, it does the job.
What it doesn’t do is where things get noticeable. Kit has no A/B testing for automations, no automation goals to track milestones, and no site tracking to see what subscribers do on your website before or after they open an email. ActiveCampaign has all three, along with lead scoring and over 900 pre-built automation recipes you can adapt instead of building from scratch.
EmailTooltester, an independent review site, scored both platforms across several categories. ActiveCampaign came out ahead in automation (5 stars to Kit’s 3.5), reporting (4.5 to 3), and list management (5 to 4). Kit held its own on customer support and ease of use, which lines up with what I’d expect from a tool built to be approachable for total beginners.
The CRM Question Nobody Talks About
Kit doesn’t have a CRM. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just not what the platform is for. If you’re a solo creator selling a course or a paid newsletter, you may genuinely never need one.
But if you’re starting to track leads, manage a sales pipeline, or have more than one person touching your customer relationships, this becomes the real dividing line. ActiveCampaign’s CRM lets you assign deals, score leads based on behavior, and set up automated follow-ups tied to specific actions, like someone filling out a demo request form. None of that exists in Kit, at any price. You can see the CRM features in ActiveCampaign’s free trial if you want to look at the deal pipeline yourself before deciding.
Deliverability: The Number That’s Easy to Ignore
Open rates and click rates get all the attention, but none of it matters if your email never lands in the inbox.
ActiveCampaign ranked first in deliverability among the platforms EmailTooltester tested this year, with a 93.4% delivery rate. The average across all providers tested was 83.1%, meaning nearly 17% of all emails sent never reached anyone. I don’t have Kit’s exact number from that same report, but it’s worth checking directly if deliverability is a top priority for you, since it can quietly undercut every other feature on a platform. If you’re curious how your own sender reputation would look on a new platform, ActiveCampaign’s free trial includes deliverability reporting from day one.
So Who Should Actually Use Which
I don’t think this is a case where one platform is simply better. It depends on what you’re actually doing.
Stick with Kit if:
- You’re a solo creator with a straightforward newsletter
- Your main goal is audience growth and direct monetization, not lead nurturing
- You don’t need a CRM or detailed behavioral automation
- You want the simplest possible setup, even if it costs more per subscriber
Consider ActiveCampaign if:
- You’re managing leads, not just subscribers, and want to track them through a pipeline
- You need automation that goes beyond welcome sequences and basic tagging
- Deliverability and detailed reporting matter to your bottom line
- You’ve noticed Kit’s pricing climbing faster than your list’s value to your business
If you’re on the fence, the real numbers matter more than the marketing pages from either side. Look at where your list actually is today, not just where you hope it’ll be in a year, and pick the platform that fits that.
If you want to see ActiveCampaign’s full pricing and automation tools for yourself, you can start a free trial here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between ActiveCampaign and Kit? ActiveCampaign focuses on advanced automation, segmentation, and a built-in CRM, which suits growing businesses. Kit focuses on simplicity and creator monetization tools, like paid newsletters and tip jars, which suits individual creators.
Is ActiveCampaign more expensive than Kit? Not always. At 1,000 contacts, ActiveCampaign’s Starter plan is $15 a month, while Kit’s Creator plan is $29 a month. Kit does offer a free plan that ActiveCampaign does not.
Can Kit be used as a CRM? No. Kit lets you organize subscribers with tags, but it has no deal tracking, sales pipeline, or lead scoring. ActiveCampaign includes a full CRM built into its marketing platform.
Which platform has better email deliverability? ActiveCampaign ranked first in deliverability in EmailTooltester’s testing this year, at 93.4%. That matters because even a great email is useless if it never reaches the inbox.
Is Kit good for beginners? Yes. Kit’s plain-text and basic editors, simple automation builder, and free plan make it approachable for creators with no email marketing automation experience.
Should I switch from Kit to ActiveCampaign? It depends on whether you need features Kit doesn’t offer, like a CRM, site tracking, or advanced automation. If your list is growing past simple newsletters into lead nurturing or sales, ActiveCampaign is built to handle that. If you’re still focused on audience growth and direct monetization, Kit may still fit.
