Is ConvertKit really free?

Yes, ConvertKit — now rebranded as Kit — really does offer a $0 plan. But the generous headline hides a list of restrictions that matter more than the price tag.

The free tier supports up to 10,000 email subscribers, one of the most generous caps in the industry. According to industry comparisons, that dwarfs competitors like Beehiiv (2,500) and MailerLite (250). No credit card is required, and per Kit's official pricing page, you get unlimited email broadcasts, subscriber tagging, and basic monetization through Kit Commerce.

The free plan's strongest feature is arguably the unlimited sending. As one detailed analysis puts it, "the unlimited broadcast sending is the strongest argument for Kit's free plan" — for solo newsletter writers who just want to email their list, it's genuinely viable long-term.

Here's what you actually get at $0:

• Up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts
• One landing page and one form for capturing signups
• Subscriber tagging and community forum support
• Basic digital product and paid newsletter selling (with transaction fees)

Now the fine print. As of September 3, 2026, automations are completely gone from the free plan — a documented change noted by pricing reviewers. Earlier versions included one automation rule and one sequence, so even a basic welcome email now requires a paid plan starting at $39/month.

The free tier also excludes third-party integrations, team member access (free allows just one user), A/B testing, advanced reporting, and removal of Kit branding. And if you sell digital products, expect transaction fees reported at 3.5% plus $0.30 per sale on the free plan, per long-term user reviews.

The takeaway: Kit's free plan wins on raw list size but trades it for functionality. It works for broadcasting to an audience; it doesn't work for automating, integrating, or collaborating. That's the same pattern we see across small-business software — a free tier that covers the basics but leaves the operational work, the follow-up, the connected systems, as a paid upgrade. When those gaps start costing you leads, a fully managed setup like AI Business Sites, where the follow-up and automation are built in rather than gated, becomes the more practical route.

Here's the uncomfortable truth about "free" email marketing: the moment you actually need the platform to do something useful, the bill arrives. ConvertKit (now Kit) offers one of the most generous free subscriber caps in the industry — up to 10,000 subscribers at $0/month — but the fine print tells a different story about what that free list can actually do.

The most significant restriction hit in September 2026, when automations were completely removed from the free plan. Welcome sequences, nurture campaigns, and other automated emails — the backbone of any serious email strategy — are now off-limits without paying. Earlier versions of the free plan at least included one automation rule and one sequence, so this is a real step backward for anyone relying on the free tier.

Beyond automations, the free plan excludes several features that matter as a business grows. According to a detailed breakdown of Kit's free plan, the $0 tier leaves out:

• The visual automation builder and its templates
• Third-party integrations with other tools
• Team member access (free plans are limited to one user)
• Kit branding removal, A/B testing, and advanced reporting

Monetization comes with its own catch. While the free plan includes Kit Commerce for selling digital products and paid newsletters, transaction fees apply — sources report 3.5% plus $0.30 per sale on free and Creator plans, though Kit's official pricing page cites a lower 0.6% fee. Either way, the platform takes a cut of revenue you might assume is entirely yours.

Then there's the pricing cliff itself. There are no intermediate options between free and paid: the jump to the Creator plan is $39/month at 1,000 subscribers, climbing to $139/month at 10,000 subscribers, according to pricing analysis. Long-time users report that costs "sting once a list scales past" a few thousand subscribers, with bills growing from list expansion rather than from any added features.

This is worth pausing on, because the pattern isn't unique to Kit. Feature-gated free tiers and subscriber-based pricing mean your software bill is tied to your success — the better your list grows, the more you pay, forever. It's why we built AI Business Sites around a different model: one flat monthly price with the CRM, email follow-up, and automations included, so growth doesn't trigger an upgrade invoice.

None of this makes Kit a bad tool. For a solo newsletter writer who only needs basic broadcasts, the free plan remains genuinely valuable. But if your business needs automated sequences, integrations, or team access, budget for paid plans from day one — or choose a model where the essentials aren't held behind an upgrade trigger.

The honest answer to "free or not free" depends less on ConvertKit and more on what you actually do with email. If you're a solo creator sending regular newsletters to a growing list, the free tier can carry you a long way. The moment you need automation, integrations, or a polished brand presence, the math changes.

Kit's free plan remains one of the most generous in the industry, supporting up to 10,000 subscribers at $0/month — far beyond competitors like Beehiiv (2,500) or MailerLite (250), according to industry pricing comparisons. For solopreneurs building an audience through straightforward broadcasts, that ceiling buys real runway.

The free tier includes unlimited email sends, landing pages, forms, and subscriber tagging, per detailed plan breakdowns. One expert reviewer puts it plainly: unlimited broadcast sending is the strongest argument for Kit's free plan — but only for writers with no automation needs.

The free plan has hard limits that no subscriber count fixes. As of September 2026, automations were removed entirely from the free tier, meaning no welcome sequences or nurture campaigns without upgrading. Third-party integrations, team access, and Kit branding removal are also paywalled regardless of list size.

Creators who need those capabilities face a steep cliff: the jump from free to the Creator plan starts at $39/month for 1,000 subscribers and climbs to $139/month at 10,000, with no intermediate options noted by plan analysts. Annual billing softens this slightly with 16-17% savings, per Kit's official pricing page.

Ask yourself these questions before upgrading:

• Do you need automated sequences (welcome emails, drip campaigns)? Free no longer includes them.
• Do you rely on integrations with other tools in your stack? Those require a paid plan.
• Does professional branding matter? Kit's logo stays on free-tier pages.
• Is your list approaching 10,000? Compare Kit's scaling costs against flat-rate alternatives like Flodesk ($38/month regardless of size).

Email marketing is one line item in a broader monthly budget — hosting, content, CRM, and follow-up tools each carry their own price tags, and stitching together six subscriptions is a common small-business trap. That's the same logic behind managed platforms like AI Business Sites, which bundles website, CRM, and content into one predictable cost rather than gating features behind tier upgrades.

The takeaway: long-term Kit users report that costs sting as lists scale, with bills growing from list size rather than added features. Stay free while broadcasting serves you; budget $39/month the day automation becomes non-negotiable.