- Premium features included
- No hidden costs or usage limits
- Scale from startup to enterprise
Choosing the right email marketing platform in 2025 feels a bit like dating—you’re trying to balance ease-of-use, features, price, and whether things will actually scale as you grow. I spent weeks testing Sender vs. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) to figure out which one really delivers.
While both platforms help you send emails and grow your audience, they’re built for completely different users with different priorities. Sender focuses on affordability and straightforward email marketing for businesses. Kit caters specifically to creators who want to monetize their audience. Let’s get into what each platform actually offers.
Sender is a budget-friendly, feature-rich email and SMS marketing platform aimed at small to medium businesses and ecommerce stores. It offers generous free-tier allowances (2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/month), solid deliverability, landing pages, and multi-channel support that combines email and SMS in one place.
The platform delivers professional automation and ecommerce integrations at accessible price points that won’t strain your marketing budget.
Kit is laser-focused on creators—bloggers, authors, coaches, content-driven businesses—who value simplicity, list growth, and monetization tools. With features like paid newsletters, digital product sales, and a Creator Network for cross-promotion, Kit goes beyond basic email marketing to help creators turn their audience into revenue.
The free Newsletter plan now includes up to 10,000 subscribers—one of the most generous in the industry.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Free Plan
2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/month
10,000 subscribers, unlimited emails
Starting Price
$7/month (1,000 subscribers)
$39/month (1,000 subscribers)
Ease of use
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Automation
Unlimited
Unlimited
Email Templates
100+ responsive templates
Around 35 free and paid templates
SMS Marketing
Included (credit system)
Not available
Monetization Features
None
Digital products, paid subscriptions, tip jar
Ecommerce Focus
Strong (Shopify, WooCommerce)
Basic integrations only
Best For
Small-to-medium businesses
Content creators & bloggers
Bottom Line: Sender wins on affordability and feature-to-price ratio with comprehensive tools for traditional email marketing. Kit excels at creator-specific needs like audience monetization and simplified workflows, but charges premium prices.
Your choice really depends on whether you’re running a business that needs cost-effective marketing tools or building a creator brand focused on community and revenue generation.
Sender provides comprehensive campaign management tools designed for business efficiency. The platform includes automated workflows for abandoned carts, welcome series, re-engagement campaigns—all available even on the free plan. You can schedule campaigns, set up drip sequences, implement multi-channel strategies combining email and SMS.
The drag-and-drop builder makes campaign creation intuitive, while behavioral triggers let you target users based on actions like purchases or link clicks. Multivariate testing (up to 8 variants) lets you test different email variations to optimize performance.
Kit takes a creator-first approach with features specifically built for content distribution. The Broadcast feature handles one-time newsletters with unlimited sends across all plans. Sequences automate content delivery based on subscriber actions, and the visual automation builder lets you create complex workflows with multiple entry points. Kit’s tagging system replaces traditional list segmentation, giving you flexible subscriber organization.
Email A/B testing is available but limited to subject lines only on lower plans, and content on Creator Pro. The platform emphasizes simplicity—you won’t find overwhelming features, just what creators actually need.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Unlimited sends
No
Yes
Email A/B testing
Subject lines, content, sender name, time
Subject lines only (lower plans), content (higher plan)
Scheduling
Yes
Yes
Pre-built workflows
Yes
Yes
Multi-channel campaigns
Yes (Email + SMS)
No
Winner: Sender edges ahead for businesses needing comprehensive campaign management and multi-channel capabilities, especially with SMS integration included.
Sender offers over 100+ professionally designed templates covering newsletters, promotions, ecommerce, seasonal campaigns. The drag-and-drop editor provides complete creative freedom—add images, videos, buttons, product blocks, social media links, countdown timers, custom HTML blocks.
Templates are fully responsive and mobile-optimized. You can save custom designs as reusable templates, and the visual editor shows exactly how your email will look across devices. The interface strikes a nice balance between simplicity and power.
Kit’s email builder prioritizes deliverability over design complexity. With only 35 templates available, the selection feels limited compared to competitors. The intentional simplicity serves a purpose—plain-text and minimally designed emails achieve Kit’s claimed 99.8% deliverability rate.
You can embed videos (converted to GIFs), add countdown timers, create product blocks, but don’t expect extensive design customization. The platform includes reusable content snippets for headers, footers, CTAs. For creators who prioritize message over design, this works perfectly.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Template library
100+ templates
35 templates
Drag-and-drop editor
Full-featured
Basic, text-focused
Mobile preview
Yes
Yes
Custom HTML
Yes
Yes
Design flexibility
High
Limited (intentional)
Winner: Sender for businesses wanting design flexibility and visual impact. Kit works for creators prioritizing simplicity and deliverability.
Sender includes SMS marketing capabilities integrated directly into the platform. You can send promotional texts, transactional messages, combine email + SMS in automated workflows. The platform provides a toll-free number for US and Canada messaging upon signup with no extra registration fees.
Pricing starts at just $0.005 per message for US texts, with SMS credits equal to your plan value included on Pro plan. The multi-channel approach lets you reach customers where they’re most responsive.
Kit does not offer SMS marketing functionality. The platform remains laser-focused on email and content distribution tools for creators. If you need SMS capabilities, you’ll need to integrate a third-party service through Zapier or use a separate platform entirely. For most creators focused on newsletters and content, this isn’t a dealbreaker, but it limits multi-channel marketing options.
Feature
Sender
Kit
SMS sending
Yes
No
Toll-free number
Yes (US/Canada)
No
Email + SMS automation
Yes
No
SMS pricing
From $0.005/message
N/A
Winner: Sender clearly wins here—it’s not even a competition when one platform offers SMS and the other doesn’t.
Sender delivers unlimited automation workflows even on free plans—honestly, this is rare in email marketing. Pre-built templates cover abandoned carts, welcome sequences, birthday emails, re-engagement campaigns, more.
The visual automation builder uses behavioral triggers, time delays, conditional logic to create sophisticated sequences. You can combine email and SMS in automated workflows, segment based on user actions, set up A/B tests within automations.
Kit’s visual automation builder stands out as genuinely intuitive. The platform offers pre-made automation templates designed specifically for creators—product launches, course enrollments, webinar sequences, paid newsletter promotions. You can add up to 5 entry points per automation, triggering different sequences based on how subscribers join.
The Rules feature provides simple “if this, then that” logic for quick automations. While less complex than enterprise platforms, Kit’s automation perfectly matches creator needs without overwhelming complexity.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Automation
Unlimited
1 on free, unlimited on paid plans
Visual builder
Yes
Yes
Pre-built templates
Yes
Yes
Behavioral triggers
Yes
Yes
Conditional logic
Yes
Yes
Winner: Tie. Sender wins for businesses needing unlimited automations on free plans and ecommerce triggers. Kit wins for creators wanting purpose-built templates and simplified workflows.
Sender provides landing page builders and customizable forms for lead capture. You can create sign-up forms in multiple formats (inline, popup, slide-in, etc.) and embed them on your website. You use the same drag-and-drop interface to create landing pages, with 40+ templates available.
The forms integrate seamlessly with automation workflows, automatically adding subscribers to specific segments or triggering sequences based on which form they complete. You can also create gamified spin-to-win wheels for engagement.
Kit excels at landing pages with 50+ professionally designed templates for various use cases—product launches, webinar signups, newsletter subscriptions, waitlists, event registrations. The builder’s beginner-friendly with customization options for fonts, colors, layouts. You can use custom domains even on the free plan, giving your pages a professional look.
The forms come in four display formats (inline, modal, slide-in, sticky bar) and include an “incentive email” feature that automatically delivers lead magnets. It also offers features like audience recommendations (cross-promotion between creators) which adds a nice twist.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Landing page templates
40+ templates
50+ templates
Form types
Multiple formats
Multiple formats
Custom domain
Yes (Pro plan)
Yes (All plans)
Creator/network recommendations
No
Yes
Gamification
Spin-to-win wheel
Third-party only
Winner: Both platforms offer solid landing pages and forms, but Kit edges ahead with more polished templates and creator-focused design that simplifies the subscriber journey.
Sender uses Groups (static lists) and Segments (dynamic, auto-updating filters) for subscriber organization. You can create custom fields and segments based on subscription status, demographics, campaign activity, SMS engagement, ecommerce metrics, abandoned carts, purchase behavior.
Segments automatically update when subscribers meet defined conditions—unlike groups which require manual updates. You can easily clean your list by filtering bounced and invalid contacts. Import contacts via CSV, API, or direct ecommerce integrations with full interaction history tracking.
Kit replaces traditional lists with a tag-based system that gives you more flexibility. Instead of moving subscribers between lists, you simply add or remove tags based on their behavior and interests. This approach eliminates the confusion of duplicate subscribers across multiple lists and makes segmentation more dynamic.
You can create segments by combining multiple tags with “and/or” logic. Tags automatically apply based on actions like link clicks, product purchases, form submissions. While this takes getting used to if you’re accustomed to traditional lists, many users find it more intuitive once they understand the system.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Segmentation approach
Groups + segments
Tag-based system
Custom fields
Yes
Yes
Behavioral segmentation
Yes
Yes
List cleaning
Filters
Cleaning templates
Import options
CSV, API, integrations
CSV, API, integrations
Winner: Tie. Sender suits businesses comfortable with traditional list management. Kit’s tag system works better for creators who need flexible, dynamic segmentation.
Sender provides robust ecommerce functionality with direct integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop. The platform automatically syncs customer data, purchase history, browsing behavior for targeted campaigns. Pre-built automation workflows handle abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase follow-ups, product recommendations, customer win-back campaigns.
You can segment customers based on purchase behavior, average order value, product interests. Dynamic product blocks let you showcase items directly in emails with real-time pricing and inventory updates.
Kit offers basic ecommerce integrations but isn’t built primarily for online stores. You can connect Shopify and WooCommerce to trigger simple automations like purchase confirmations, but the platform lacks advanced ecommerce features. There’s no dynamic product recommendations, sophisticated abandoned cart sequences, automated replenishment reminders.
Kit does let you sell digital products directly through the platform—ebooks, courses, coaching packages—making it perfect for creator products but limiting for traditional ecommerce operations.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Ecommerce integrations
Strong (major platforms)
Basic only
Abandoned cart automation
Advanced
Basic
Product recommendations
Yes
No
Sell digital products
No
Yes
Purchase behavior segmentation
Advanced
Basic
Winner: Sender dominates for traditional ecommerce businesses. Kit wins if you’re selling digital creator products like courses or ebooks.
Sender maintains strong deliverability through robust infrastructure and best practices guidance. The platform provides SPF, DKIM, DMARC authentication with clear setup instructions, helping emails pass security checks. From my testing, inbox placement rates stayed above 90%.
The platform includes list cleaning suggestions and monitors sending reputation. With features like engagement-based segmentation and bounce management, Sender helps maintain healthy sender reputation automatically.
Kit claims an industry-leading 99.8% deliverability rate with average open rates above 40%—impressive numbers if they hold in real-world use. Kit’s minimalist email design philosophy intentionally supports deliverability—plain-text emails have less chance of triggering spam filters.
The platform uses Mailgun’s infrastructure for sending and provides guidance on setting up SPF, DKIM, DMARC authentication. Users can request custom domain setup for verified sending.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Deliverability rate
90%+
99,8%
Authentication support
SPF, DKIM, DMARC
SPF, DKIM, DMARC
Sending infrastructure
Dedicated
Mailgun (external)
Deliverability monitoring
Basic
Available on Pro plan
Winner: Both platforms deliver emails reliably. Kit claims higher numbers but uses simpler email designs to achieve them. Real-world performance is comparable.
Sender provides comprehensive analytics covering open rates, click rates, bounce rates, unsubscribes, geographic data. The dashboard displays campaign performance at a glance with visual charts and trends. You can see which links get the most clicks, view a newsletter heatmap showing where subscribers interact most.
Revenue tracking connects email campaigns to sales conversions when integrated with ecommerce platforms. Reports export easily for presentations or further analysis.
Kit offers basic reporting on the standard Creator plan with metrics like opens, clicks, subscriber growth. The reporting interface is clean but limited compared to enterprise solutions. The Creator Pro plan unlocks advanced reporting including subscriber scoring (engagement levels), advanced analytics, deliverability reporting, conversion tracking.
You can view trends over time and track which automations perform best. The Insights feature shows customer journeys from website visit to conversion, though this feels less developed than competing platforms.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Basic metrics
Yes
Yes
Heatmaps
Yes
No
Revenue tracking
Yes
Yes
Subscriber scoring
No
Yes
Advanced analytics
Yes
Yes
Winner: Sender provides better out-of-box reporting for all users. Kit locks advanced analytics behind the expensive Pro plan.
Sender integrates with 100+ tools including WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Zapier, PrestaShop. The API and webhook support let developers build custom integrations with CRMs, ecommerce platforms, marketing tools. Setup’s straightforward with clear documentation.
While the integration library isn’t as extensive as enterprise platforms, it covers the essentials most businesses need. The Zapier connection opens up thousands of additional integration possibilities.
Kit offers 100+ direct integrations with popular platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, WordPress, Squarespace, Stripe. The platform connects seamlessly with creator tools like Teachable, Podia, Kajabi for course creators. The API’s developer-friendly with comprehensive documentation.
Zapier integration adds thousands more possibilities. For creators, the available integrations cover most needs, though power users might miss some niche options.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Direct integrations
100+
100+
Ecommerce platforms
Yes
Yes
Course platforms
Limited
Strong
API access
Yes
Yes
Webhook support
Yes
Yes
Winner: Kit offers more creator-specific integrations. Sender covers business essentials well. Both are solid options.
Sender provides 24/7 customer support through live chat with average response times under 10 seconds. Email support’s available for all users, and the knowledge base covers common questions thoroughly. Users consistently praise the support team’s responsiveness and helpfulness in reviews.
The platform only offers phone support for Enterprise, but the quick chat response times compensate. Even free plan users get access to support channels, which is generous compared to competitors.
Kit offers email and live chat support for paid plan users, with priority support on Creator Pro plans. Free Newsletter plan users get email support, forums and the knowledge base. Response times are generally good—within a few hours for most queries.
The knowledge base is extensive and well-organized with tutorials, guides, troubleshooting articles. The Creator community provides peer support, though this varies in quality. Phone support isn’t available on any plan.
Feature
Sender
Kit
Live chat
24/7 (all users)
24/7 (paid plans only)
Email support
All users
All users
Phone support
Enterprise
No
Knowledge base
Yes
Yes
Winner: Sender wins with 24/7 support available to all users including free plans, versus Kit’s email-only support for free users.
Sender is GDPR-compliant with features supporting data privacy regulations. The platform includes automatic unsubscribe links in all emails, consent management tools, data processing agreements. You can export subscriber data and delete contacts to honor data deletion requests.
Double opt-in functionality ensures confirmed consent. The platform stores data securely and provides tools for managing user permissions and access controls for teams.
Kit is fully GDPR-compliant with built-in features for data protection. Every email includes an unsubscribe link by default, which you can customize. The platform supports double opt-in for confirmed consent, lets you export subscriber data easily, handles data deletion requests.
Kit’s European users benefit from EU data residency options. The platform provides clear documentation on compliance features and takes data security seriously with regular audits and security protocols.
Feature
Sender
Kit
GDPR compliance
Yes
Yes
Double opt-in
Yes
Yes
Auto unsubscribe links
Yes
Yes
Data export
Yes
Yes
Data deletion
Yes
Yes
Winner: Tie. Both platforms meet essential compliance requirements with proper data protection features.
Sender Standard plan
Kit Creator plan
1,000 subscribers
$7/month
$33/month
5,000 subscribers
$23/month
$75/month
10,000 subscribers
$40/month
$116/month
25,000 subscribers
$82/month
$166/month
50,000 subscribers
$158/month
$316/month (55k subs)
Summary: Both platforms use subscriber-based pricing that scales with list size. Sender pricing offers significantly lower costs across all tiers—at 1,000 subscribers, you pay $7/month versus Kit’s $33/month. Kit increased prices in September 2025, making the platform considerably more expensive than before. Annual billing typically saves around 16-20% on both platforms.
Kit’s pricing includes monetization features like selling digital products, paid subscriptions, tip jars. However, Kit charges a 3.5% + $0.30 transaction fee on all sales—an additional cost to factor in when calculating your true expenses.
Feature
Sender Free
Kit Newsletter (Free)
Subscribers
2,500
10,000
Monthly emails
15,000
Unlimited
Automation workflows
Unlimited
1 sequence only
Landing pages
Yes
Yes
Forms
Yes
Yes
Live chat support
Yes
No
Platform branding
Yes
Yes
Sell digital products
No
Yes
Summary: Sender’s free plan is exceptionally generous for businesses—unlimited automation workflows even at zero cost is rare. Kit’s free Newsletter plan supports 10,000 subscribers (4x Sender’s limit) with unlimited email sends, making it perfect for growing creators who don’t need advanced automation yet.
Kit lets you sell digital products and subscriptions even on the free plan, while Sender doesn’t offer this at all. For creators just starting out, Kit’s free plan is hard to beat. For businesses wanting full automation capabilities, Sender delivers more.
Sender
Kit
Summary: Both platforms excel in their respective niches but fall short in others. Sender maximizes value for budget-conscious businesses needing comprehensive email marketing with SMS capabilities. Kit commands premium prices but delivers specialized tools creators actually use for audience monetization and growth.
Small-to-medium ecommerce businesses benefit from Sender’s affordable pricing and strong Shopify/WooCommerce integrations that sync customer data automatically. Pre-built abandoned cart workflows and dynamic product blocks help recover lost sales and increase order value.
Unlimited automation on free plans lets bootstrapped stores implement sophisticated strategies immediately.
Nonprofits and membership organizations appreciate the generous free plan and $7 entry-level pricing when budgets are tight. The platform handles newsletters, event promotions, donor campaigns, and volunteer recruitment with unlimited automation workflows—all without enterprise complexity.
Solopreneurs benefit from Sender’s all-in-one approach that eliminates tool juggling. Manage email campaigns, SMS marketing, automation workflows, and landing pages from a single affordable platform. The intuitive interface requires minimal learning curve, while 24/7 support means you’re never stuck troubleshooting alone.
With unlimited automation even on free plans, you can run sophisticated marketing on autopilot while focusing on actual business work—no team required.
Professional bloggers and newsletter publishers thrive with Kit’s 10,000-subscriber free plan and unlimited sends. The Creator Network accelerates growth through cross-promotion, while the tag-based system and minimalist design keep focus on content over graphics.
Online course creators and coaches leverage seamless integrations with Teachable, Podia, and Kajabi. Pre-made automation sequences handle course launches and student onboarding. Sell digital products directly through Kit with automatic lead magnet delivery and paid subscription functionality for recurring revenue.
Authors and independent creators monetize through ebooks, paid subscriptions, and exclusive content sales. The tip jar enables reader support, while the Creator Network facilitates cross-promotion. Kit handles Stripe payments, subscriber access management, and sales reporting—all built-in.
Sender users on G2 rave about its exceptionally generous free plan, offering up to 15,000 emails monthly for 2,500 subscribers with no time limits. Reviewers love the intuitive drag-and-drop interface and gentle learning curve, making it perfect for small businesses and startups.
The responsive customer support receives high marks, with users appreciating the patient troubleshooting assistance. Strong core features include automation workflows, segmentation, and easy WordPress integration, delivering excellent value.
Kit users on G2 praise its creator-friendly approach that balances powerful features with simplicity. Reviewers love the intuitive setup for forms, automations, and subscriber management, noting the clean interface requires minimal learning curve even for non-technical users. It’s seen as ideal for creators and marketers seeking straightforward email marketing without complexity.
However, users wish for more competitive pricing as they scale beyond the free plan, and desire greater flexibility in lead magnet options and access to advanced automation features in lower-tier plans.
Sender users on Capterra consistently praise its comprehensive email marketing capabilities and exceptional value for money. Reviewers highlight the platform’s user-friendly setup, reliable deliverability, helpful analytics, and responsive customer support.
The generous free plan stands out as particularly appealing. While some wish for more native CRM integrations, users find Zapier effectively bridges this gap. Overall, it’s seen as a solid, affordable solution that delivers everything needed.
Kit users on Capterra appreciate its creator-focused approach and ease of use, particularly praising its seamless multi-channel sharing capabilities and HubSpot integration. Reviewers find it beginner-friendly and perfect for content creators with established audiences.
However, some note limitations in design flexibility, email layout options, and segmentation features. The platform seems purpose-built for its niche, though it may not suit all business types.
Sender users on Reddit highlight it as a refreshingly straightforward email marketing tool that gets the job done without unnecessary complexity. Long-time users appreciate the genuinely usable free plan offering up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails monthly with strong deliverability.
Reviewers praise the easy-to-use interface, extensive template library, helpful support, and solid automation features including welcome sequences and abandoned cart flows. It’s seen as a practical alternative to pricier platforms, delivering essential email marketing without the headaches or high costs.
Kit users on Reddit have mixed experiences with the platform. While some appreciate it for simple email marketing and funnels, others report performance issues with the email editor and slow load times. Users question whether Kit’s features justify its pricing, noting limitations for advanced ecommerce needs.
The consensus suggests Kit works well for newsletter-focused creators and those monetizing content, though some feel the free plan offers strong value while paid tiers may not meet all business requirements as they scale.
Yes, both platforms support CSV imports for easy migration. Kit offers free migration services for 5,000+ subscribers. The main work involves rebuilding automation workflows and updating email authentication records (SPF, DKIM). Export your list, clean it if needed, and import to your new platform.
Yes, both support custom domains for landing pages. Kit allows custom domains even on the free Newsletter plan, while Sender requires a paid plan for this feature. Both platforms let you brand your pages professionally, though Kit offers more polished landing page templates (50+ versus Sender’s 40+)
Only if you’ll actively use the monetization tools. At 5,000 subscribers, Kit costs $890/year versus Sender’s $277/year—a $613 difference. That’s justified if digital product sales, paid subscriptions, or the Creator Network accelerate your revenue. Otherwise, Sender delivers comparable email marketing at a fraction of the cost.