Every email platform promises growth. Few explain what you actually get back for every dollar you spend. If you are choosing between ConvertKit, now rebranded as Kit, and Mailchimp, the right question is not "which has more features?" but "which one turns my list into more revenue per dollar?" This guide gives you the numbers, a simple ROI formula and a clear recommendation by business type.
A Quick Clarification
ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in 2024. It is the same product. This article uses both names so you can find the information however you search.
Pricing in 2026 (USD)
Kit (ConvertKit)
- A free Newsletter plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers.
- Creator costs $39 per month ($33 billed annually) and Pro costs $79 per month ($66 annually), priced for 1,000 subscribers.
- Paid plans include a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Prices rise with list size.
Mailchimp
- The Free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails per month.
- Essentials starts at $13 per month, Standard at $20 and Premium at $350.
- At 5,000 contacts, Essentials rises to about $75 per month and Standard to about $100.
- Annual billing earns a 15% discount.
Mailchimp's headline prices apply to tiny lists. Because you pay for every stored contact, costs climb quickly as your audience grows.
The ROI Formula
Return on investment is simple:
ROI = (revenue attributed to email − platform cost) ÷ platform cost
Two inputs drive it: how much revenue your emails generate, and how much the platform costs at your list size. Compare both platforms with your own numbers.
A worked example
Imagine a coach with 3,000 subscribers selling a $97 course. A welcome sequence converts 1.5% of new subscribers, and a monthly promotion converts another 0.5% of the list.
- New subscribers per month: 250, so the welcome sequence yields about 4 sales, or about $388.
- Promotion: 0.5% of 3,000 is 15 sales, or about $1,455.
- Monthly revenue: about $1,843.
If the platform costs $100 a month, ROI is ($1,843 − $100) ÷ $100, or about 17 to 1. Even a cost of $200 still produces a strong return. These figures are illustrative, so use your own conversion rates.
The lesson is that the price gap between platforms matters less than the conversion rate of your sequences. A tool that makes automation easier to build can be worth more than one that is slightly cheaper.
Automation: Where Revenue Is Made
Kit
Kit is built around tags, segments and sequences, which suits creators and service businesses. You can trigger a welcome series from a form, tag buyers so they stop receiving sales emails, and move subscribers into new sequences based on clicks. You can also sell digital products and build landing pages without extra tools. The free plan lacks visual automations, so most revenue-focused users will want a paid plan.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp's Customer Journey Builder supports branching logic, but it requires the Standard plan. Essentials offers more limited automation. That means the realistic starting price for serious automation is around $20 per month, not $13. Mailchimp's strengths are its templates, its large integration library and its Shopify connection, which suits online stores.
Deliverability and Growth Costs
Revenue depends on your emails reaching inboxes. Both platforms manage sending infrastructure, but your own list quality matters more: remove inactive subscribers, use clear opt-in forms and avoid purchased lists. Because both tools charge by list size, cleaning inactive contacts can lower your bill and improve engagement.
Which Delivers Higher ROI?
Kit tends to win for:
- Creators, coaches, course sellers and service businesses.
- Businesses that depend on tagging and behavior-based sequences.
- Anyone who wants a generous free plan while building a list.
Mailchimp tends to win for:
- Ecommerce stores that need product-focused templates and store integrations.
- Teams that value ready-made designs and a familiar dashboard.
- Businesses already using the Mailchimp ecosystem.
How to Run a Fair Test
- Import the same 500 contacts into a trial of each platform.
- Build the same three-email welcome sequence in both.
- Measure setup time, not just features.
- Compare open rates, click rates and revenue after 30 days.
- Calculate your ROI with the formula above.
Action Checklist
- Estimate your list size in 12 months.
- Price both platforms at that list size.
- List the automations you need, such as welcome, abandoned cart or product launch.
- Confirm which plan unlocks those automations.
- Start a free trial of each and build one sequence.
- Track revenue per subscriber for 30 days.
- Remove inactive contacts every quarter.
- Re-check pricing before you renew, because plans change often.
Prices and features were checked in October 2026 and can change. Confirm current details on each provider's website before you buy.
