ConvertKit Free Plan Vs Paid Plan: Which One Should You Choose?
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Building your email list is more important nowadays than ever. If you’re tired of the non-stop algorithm changes of social media, and creating content that is gone in 24 hours, getting your own audience is a must.
The good news is that you can build your own audience from scratch with email marketing platforms, and in the case of ConvertKit, you also have the option to start growing your email list for free.
In this blog post, I’m going to tell you the differences between the free and paid plans available in ConvertKit, so that you can decide which one is the right one for you at the moment.
Pay special attention to the section “What are the pros and cons of ConvertKit free vs paid”, where I compare what you have available in both free and paid plans, and what is only available in paid plans.
Why should you use ConvertKit?
ConvertKit is an email marketing platform that allows you to build your own email list and get your own audience, without depending on the ever-changing social media algorithms.
With ConvertKit, you can also sell your own products, subscriptions, and paid newsletters, all in one place.
Who is ConvertKit good for?
ConvertKit is good for bloggers, content creators, creative entrepreneurs, coaches, course creators, and infopreneurs who want to send mostly text-based emails.
If you’re on a paid plan, you get access to the visual automation builder, which means that you can create a welcome or nurture sequence for new subscribers.
However, if you’re a creative entrepreneur who needs a more visual platform (designers, photographers, artists, calligraphers, to name a few), I recommend Flodesk.
It’s really easy to set up and it’s the one that I use and totally love. You can send emails + sell your products, all in one place (read more about Flodesk and get 50% off here).
Do you need a website to use ConvertKit?
No, you don’t need a website to start building your email list with ConvertKit.
You can start with the free landing page builder that ConvertKit has (no code necessary), and create a “Coming Soon” page.
In that way, you can invite people to join a waitlist for your upcoming products, courses, or services, and you can start sending them emails and getting them interested in what you do before you launch your website.
However, you would still need a business email address, something like hi@yourwebsite.com to send emails to your new subscribers.
Can I use ConvertKit for free?
Yes! There are two ways to use ConvertKit for free:
- You can sign up for a free ConvertKit account, which allows you to create unlimited landing pages, forms, and broadcasts, for up to 1000 subscribers. You can also sell your products and subscriptions (although this isn’t available in every country yet), and create tags and segmentation.
- You can try the features available on a paid plan for free for 14 days (like automation, which is a huge feature and it’s not available in the free plan; and third party integrations). No credit card required! And you can cancel at any time.
Choose whatever plan you want (free or paid) in ConvertKit’s pricing page.
How long is ConvertKit free trial?
ConvertKit has a 14-day free trial, which means that you can try the features available in a paid plan for free for two weeks (like automation), no credit card required.
And if you don’t like it, or you feel like it’s not what you’re looking for, you can cancel at any time.
How many emails can you send with ConvertKit?
You can send unlimited broadcasts, no matter if you choose to start with a free plan or a paid plan.
But there’s an important difference between both plans.
In the free plan, you can’t use automation or sequences. So when someone subscribes to your email list via a form in exchange for a freebie, you can only have separate incentive emails for each opt-in to automatically deliver your lead magnets.
Besides that, if you are in ConvertKit’s free plan, you can’t automate a welcome or nurture sequence after your new subscriber receives your free guide.
But you can totally do that, and more, in the Creator or Creator Pro plans in ConvertKit. So if you want to send more than broadcast emails, consider trying one of ConvertKit’s paid plans for free for 14 days.
What are the main differences between ConvertKit free and paid plans?
In the tables below, you can read the differences between ConvertKit free plan, and the paid plans (Creator and Creator Pro).
Free Plan
✅ Unlimited landing pages
✅ Unlimited forms
✅ Unlimited broadcasts
✅ Create link pages
✅ Landing page and form templates
✅ Email template library
✅ Deliver opt-in incentives
✅ Audience tagging and segmentation
✅ Sell digital products & subscriptions
✅ Set up tip jars
✅ A/B Split testing
✅ Community support
❌ Automated email sequences
❌ Visual automation builder
❌ Visual automation template library
❌ Third-party integrations
❌ Additional team members
❌ Free migration from another platform
❌ Newsletter referral system
❌ Subscriber engagement scoring
❌ Deliverability reporting
❌ Advanced reporting
Creator (Paid)
✅ Unlimited landing pages
✅ Unlimited forms
✅ Unlimited broadcasts
✅ Create link pages
✅ Landing page and form templates
✅ Email template library
✅ Deliver opt-in incentives
✅ Audience tagging and segmentation
✅ Sell digital products & subscriptions
✅ Set up tip jars
✅ A/B Split testing
✅ Live chat and email support
✅ Automated email sequences
✅ Visual automation builder
✅ Visual automation template library
✅ Third-party integrations
✅ 1 additional team member
✅ Free migration from another platform
❌ Newsletter referral system
❌ Subscriber engagement scoring
❌ Deliverability reporting
❌ Advanced reporting
Creator Pro (Paid)
✅ Unlimited landing pages
✅ Unlimited forms
✅ Unlimited broadcasts
✅ Create link pages
✅ Landing page and form templates
✅ Email template library
✅ Deliver opt-in incentives
✅ Audience tagging and segmentation
✅ Sell digital products & subscriptions
✅ Set up tip jars
✅ A/B Split testing
✅ Priority live chat & email support
✅ Automated email sequences
✅ Visual automation builder
✅ Visual automation template library
✅ Third-party integrations
✅ Unlimited team members
✅ Free migration from another platform
✅ Newsletter referral system
✅ Subscriber engagement scoring
✅ Deliverability reporting
✅ Advanced reporting
What are the pros and cons of ConvertKit free vs paid?
This is my personal opinion about the pros and cons of ConvertKit, and I’m particularly comparing what you can do in both free and paid plans (Pros), and what’s only available in the paid plans (Cons), because that’s what this blog post is about.
Pros
- Unlimited broadcasts in free and paid plans.
- Unlimited landing pages and email opt-in forms in free and paid plans.
- Deliver opt-in incentives in free and paid plans.
- List segmentation and tagging in free and paid plans.
- Landing page and form templates in free and paid plans.
- A/B split testing in free and paid plans.
- Resend unopened campaigns in free and paid plans.
- Sell digital products, subscriptions, and paid newsletters in free and paid plans (but remember that you can’t automate the content in the free plan).
- Set up tip jars in free and paid plans (like you do with Ko-fi, where you can, ahem, buy me a coffee if you’d like to).
Cons
- Automations and sequences are only available in the paid plans.
- Deliverability reporting is only available in the Creator Pro plan (something that Flodesk has available in every email that you send, as well as unsubscribes, bounced, and reported spam).
- Integrations are only available in the paid plans.
- Team members are only available in the paid plans (one team member in the Creator Plan, and unlimited team members in the Creator Pro plan).
- Free migration from another platform is only available in the paid plans (but there are tutorials to migrate your email list, even if you’re on a free plan; you’ll just have to do it yourself).
ConvertKit free plan FAQs
Do I have to wait until I reach 1000 subscribers to upgrade my free account to a paid account?
No, you don’t have to wait. If you want to get access to sequences and automations, or any other feature available only in the paid plans, you can upgrade your free account whenever you want.
If I have less than 1000 subscribers, can I downgrade my paid account to a free account?
Yes, you can! You have to contact ConvertKit’s support to change to a free account.
But beware that you will lose access to any automations or sequences that you set up on your account, or any other feature that is only available on a paid plan.
Do I have support in the free account?
Yes, you have! You get access to community support.
However, if you’re on the Creator plan, you get access to live chat and email support, and if you’re in the Creator Pro plan, you have priority live chat and email support.
If I’m on the free plan, can I migrate my email list from another email service provider?
Yes, you can!
The difference with the paid plans is that you’ll have to do it yourself, following a tutorial provided by ConvertKit. Make sure that you have less than 1000 subscribers before starting the migration process. Otherwise, you’ll have to choose the Creator or Creator Pro plan.
However, if you’re on a paid plan, you can schedule a free migration.
More Email Marketing Resources
Email banner template
Canva email banner template – Dreamy
Email banner tutorial
How to design an email banner in Canva for your small business
Flodesk 50% off discount code
Get 50% off in the first year of your Flodesk subscription, and a 30 day free trial.
Flodesk email template tutorial
How to design an email template in Flodesk for your creative business
I hope that was useful to you, beautiful!
Don’t forget to choose a free or paid plan on ConvertKit to start building your email list today. 😉😻
With all my love,
Giselle
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Meet the author
Hi, beautiful! I’m Giselle.
I provide female entrepreneurs, like you, beautiful and soulful images, Flodesk templates, and Canva templates that they can use in their personal brands.
I also write resource tutorials and reviews to make your blogging life easier, and have fun designing and selling printable planners.