Kit (formerly ConvertKit) Review: Simple Yet Powerful?

The Broadcasts feature has become my bread and butter for regular email marketing campaigns. The A/B testing is handy—I can test 2-5 subject line variants (on Creator Pro), and the system sends the winner to everyone else automatically. This email marketing service helps save time by automating what used to be manual work.

One feature I discovered that’s become super useful: the “Resend to unopens” option. You can use it once per broadcast, and it only hits people who didn’t open the first time. Yeah, I know open rates aren’t perfect with Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection messing things up, but it still helps.

The A/B testing window runs anywhere from 30 to 240 minutes, and the reports make it clear which version won with all the stats laid out—though the basic analytics could be deeper.

The visual template editor uses blocks (layout blocks, media, snippets), which felt restrictive at first. But here’s what changed my mind: you can inject custom CSS through an HTML block when you need specific typography or spacing that the editor won’t play nice with. The templates are mobile-responsive by default, which is nice.

I’ve been browsing the template library in their Marketplace for ideas—there’s a mix of free and paid designs made for creators. You can also create your own templates and save them for reuse. The Snippets feature saves me time, too. I reuse the same legal footer and sponsor slots across broadcasts without the copy-paste dance every time.

The basic visual automation builder scared me at first, but now it’s my favorite among Kit features. You can trigger automations through forms, tags, purchases, or link clicks. My automated email sequences use tagging, delays, and branching based on subscriber info like location or how engaged they are. Kit makes it easy to automatically send targeted messages based on subscriber behavior.

For simple if-this-then-that tasks, I use the lightweight “Rules” feature. Kit also comes with list-cleaning automations that spot cold subscribers and run them through a re-engagement series before cutting them loose—my deliverability has gotten way better since I started using these.

Here’s one limitation that tripped me up: segments can’t trigger automations themselves. You need tags, opt-ins, or events instead. Took me a minute to wrap my head around it, but now I think of tags as events and segments as saved views of my list.

Additional note: The Creator Plan includes more advanced automations and conditional content options.

Setting up Kit Commerce was easier than I expected—Stripe is integrated directly, so no separate external setup required. Everything runs inside your Kit account. You can do one-time payments, payment plans, subscriptions, and even Pay-What-You-Want pricing.

The fees are clear (3.5% + 30¢ in USD), and payouts typically happen daily after a short hold period (though this can vary by country). Creator Pro adds referral growth through SparkLoop integration, though I haven’t messed with that yet—it’s worth noting SparkLoop is technically a third-party tool bundled with the plan. What I like most is having fewer moving parts—checkout is quick, and everything connects naturally to email automations for post-purchase flows.

Digital Products

Product setup is straightforward: name → product type → price → fulfillment → URL. You can use a custom domain if you’ve set one up. Digital files deliver automatically after payment, and Kit hosts the product pages for you.

For my paid newsletter, I’ve got multiple subscription options (monthly, quarterly, yearly). It’s a practical setup that skips the third-party checkout hassle while keeping my workflow simple.

Monetization

Beyond selling products, I’ve tried Kit’s Tip Jar and looked through the built-in sponsor network (haven’t used it yet though). The Paid Recommendations feature is interesting—another revenue stream without leaving your email platform. The newsletter referral system helps grow your list organically.

Everything connects back to subscriber profiles where you can see purchases and which automations they’ve completed. This makes it easy to segment buyers and automate upsells or renewal reminders without complicated workarounds. The platform gives you all the tools you need to monetize without relying on external services.

I use opt-in forms all the time (inline, modal, and slide-in options) and I’ve built landing pages without needing a website. The landing page builder handles custom fields, double opt-in, success redirects, and works smoothly with WordPress through Kit’s plugin. 

The landing page editor isn’t the fanciest, but it gets the job done for lead capture and creating a solid lead magnet. You can connect your own domain to these pages, which removes Kit branding on paid plans.

For A/B testing landing pages, Kit’s pretty honest about it—they tell you to use external A/B tools instead of pretending they have something that doesn’t really work. For longer forms and landing pages or multi-step funnels, custom fields plus automations often work better than complicated form builders anyway. The pages include SEO settings to help with organic traffic.

The tag-first approach with segments as saved filters took time to click for me, but now I prefer it. Adding custom fields is easy, and I use them for personalization or branching in automations. Kit even suggests using custom fields for quick surveys, which works pretty well. The platform doesn’t have subscriber scoring like some competitors, but the tagging system compensates for that.

Cold subscribers get flagged automatically (90-day default) with built-in cleanup flows. One real limitation: you can’t trigger an automation when someone “joins a segment”—you need tags, opt-ins, purchases, or link clicks instead. 

Advanced segmentation features are available on higher tiers, letting you treat customers differently based on multiple criteria. Kit calls these segments “saved searches,” which is actually how they work.

The Insights suite has four dashboards—Acquisition, Engagement, Sales, and Velocity. I set up the tracking pixel through GTM, and now I see subscriber-level attribution with UTMs and referrers right on profiles. This shows me which channels bring in the customers who spend money.

Broadcast reports include A/B testing results with winner badges and combined stats. The data took a while to backfill when I first set it up, but once it was running, I finally had a creator-friendly view that connects traffic → subscriber → customer without duct-taping multiple tools together. That said, there’s no advanced reporting like you’d find in enterprise platforms—the analytics stay pretty basic.

The new App Store has been helpful—you can install apps with real update/uninstall flows, plus there’s the usual Zapier/Make connectors I depend on. Though I’ll be honest, the app selection is still pretty limited compared to what Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign offer in their marketplaces. For developers (not me, but I’ve got a friend who helps), API v4 is current, though v3 still works.

The WordPress plugin handles forms and landing pages on my site. Bottom line for me: I can stay no-code through the App Store, but there’s room to grow with API/webhooks if I ever need more.

Kit doesn’t beat around the bush about email deliverability. I went through domain verification (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for sender reputation, and they’re upfront about how Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection inflates open rates—so I focus on clicks and revenue instead.

The built-in “cold subscriber” views and cleaning automations have been crucial for maintaining good email deliverability. What I’ve learned: technical setup plus list hygiene plus watching behavioral metrics equals reliable performance. Throughout this Kit review, I’ve found their deliverability guidance to be solid and practical.

Support is available daily via chat/email with generally quick response times, which has saved my bacon during late-night campaign launches. The support team has been genuinely helpful, though there’s no priority support unless you’re on higher tiers. 

The knowledge base goes deep, and they offer free migrations plus expert help. When I switched from my old ESP, the migration guidance was genuinely helpful—they didn’t just leave me to figure it out alone. You can contact support directly from the dashboard, which is convenient.

G2 Kit review shows a split between strong praise and sharp criticism. Positive users highlight the platform’s community-driven growth features, noting referral opportunities that help expand email lists, and rave about the speed of customer support—even receiving replies within minutes during off-hours.

However, negative feedback paints a very different picture: one reviewer described support as ineffective and repetitive, with multiple agents failing to address the same issue, calling the service “an absolute disaster.” Overall, experiences vary widely, with customer support being both the biggest strength and weakness depending on the reviewer.

Capterra reviews of Kit lean positive but flag some gaps. Users appreciate its simplicity and ease of use, calling it effective for basic tasks like email and product recommendations without overwhelming features. Reviewers also note its casual, creator-friendly feel, making it approachable for solo professionals.

However, criticisms point to a clunky interface and limited advanced functionality, with some finding the layout unintuitive and too basic for complex needs. Overall, Kit earns praise for accessibility and speed but leaves power users wanting more refinement and depth in features.

Reddit discussions about Kit show a sharp divide. Some users appreciate its simplicity and affordability, noting that it handles core email tasks reliably and works well for straightforward campaigns.

However, many highlight serious frustrations: slow performance, a glitchy email editor, and long load times that disrupt workflow. The harshest critics call the platform unreliable for deliverability, accuse customer service of being “horrendous,” and complain about high costs given the issues. Overall, Reddit sentiment suggests Kit suits lightweight use but struggles with stability, support, and value at scale.

Based on my experience and this Kit email marketing review? Yeah—especially for creators, bloggers, and solo entrepreneurs. It focuses on making things usable with simple automation, subscriber tagging, and basic landing pages, while the monetization tools work well. Deliverability has been solid for me when I follow best practices.

That said, if you need fancy analytics or design options, you might find it limiting compared to enterprise tools. The Kit pros and cons really depend on what you’re trying to do with the platform. My Kit review experience has been mostly positive for creator-focused needs.

I use it mainly for email marketing and audience building—growing my subscriber list, sending broadcasts, and building automated sequences. Beyond email though, I also sell digital products and run a paid newsletter through the platform. It’s become my all-in-one email and monetization platform, which simplified my whole marketing setup. Many Kit customer reviews I’ve read mention similar experiences, and the Kit testimonials often highlight this all-in-one benefit.

Yep, and it’s useful! The free plan includes email broadcasts, landing pages, forms, and subscriber tagging for up to 1,000 subscribers. You’ll need to upgrade to paid tiers for automated sequences, referral systems, and full monetization tools. I started free to test everything out, and it had enough features to know the platform would work for me before I paid anything. Based on Kit user feedback and Kit ratings I’ve seen, many creators appreciate starting here to test the waters.