Kit vs ActiveCampaign:
plan the newsletter and its next step.
Compare Kit and ActiveCampaign by free broadcasts, paid automation scope, account users and monthly sends through four newsletter and welcome-journey examples.
Start with the workflow.
Then select the retained plan.
Kit’s current Free plan fits broadcast-led audience building up to its subscriber cap; sequences and visual automations require a paid Kit plan. ActiveCampaign’s paid Email tiers combine campaigns and automation, with send allowances tied to the purchased contact band. Count broadcasts and automated emails together before choosing.
Seven differences that change the shortlist
| Buying question | Kit | ActiveCampaign |
|---|---|---|
| Continuing free start | Up to 10,000 subscribers; unlimited broadcasts | No permanent free Email package listed |
| Current Email packages | Free, Creator, Pro | Starter, Plus, Pro, Enterprise |
| Automated journeys | Sequences and visual automations on paid plans | Starter: five actions per automation; higher tiers: unlimited actions |
| Send allowance | No numerical broadcast send cap listed | Starter/Plus: 10× band; Pro: 12×; Enterprise: 15× |
| Current included users | Confirm Free/Creator roles; Pro highlights unlimited users | Starter/Plus one; Pro three; Enterprise five |
| Subscriber growth | Paid price tiers and upgrade behaviour need review | Purchased contacts and sends are separate counters |
| Other channels and sales tools | Digital-product costs and integrations separately scoped | Enhanced CRM, SMS, WhatsApp and transactional email add-ons |
Four worked buying briefs
These are hypothetical scenarios with explicit assumptions. They do not establish equal capabilities, measured usability or a negotiated price.
| Broadcast calculation | Automated emails | Total marketing sends | Allowance result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 × 4 | 0 | 3,600 | 6,400 headroom |
| 900 × 12 | 0 | 10,800 | 800 over |
| 900 × 8 | 3,200 | 10,400 | 400 over |
| 900 × 8 | 2,800 | 10,000 | Fits exactly |
900 subscribers receiving four broadcasts
Does a broadcast-only newsletter fit the initial capacity?
Kit: 3,600 broadcast emails fit the checked Free subscriber capacity.
ActiveCampaign: An assumed 1,000-contact Starter band provides 10,000 monthly marketing sends, so 3,600 fits.
ActiveCampaign is paid, and this numerical send fit does not establish comparable branding or workflow features.
900 subscribers receiving twelve broadcasts
Does audience size alone prove the send capacity?
Kit: The subscriber cap fits; no numerical broadcast send cap is listed.
ActiveCampaign: 10,800 marketing sends exceed a 1,000-contact Starter band’s 10,000 allowance.
Send volume is based on the purchased band, not 900 × ten. Additional capacity or an overage arrangement needs review.
900 subscribers, eight broadcasts and 3,200 automated emails
What do broadcasts and journeys use together?
Kit: The audience fits Free, but automated sequences select a paid plan.
ActiveCampaign: 7,200 + 3,200 = 10,400 sends exceeds the assumed Starter allowance by 400.
A send-limit fit and an automation-feature fit are different decisions. No GBP subscription or total invoice is inferred.
Three people maintain a six-action welcome journey
Do user access and the automation steps fit?
Kit: Evaluate a paid automation package and the required user permissions.
ActiveCampaign: Starter’s five-action limit fails; Plus removes that limit but lists one included user, while Pro lists three.
Required users may be purchased separately. Evaluate access, exits and consent handling, then quote the actual arrangement.
Use the purchased band and billing cycle
For current ActiveCampaign Email packages, Starter and Plus have ten times the purchased contact limit in monthly marketing sends, Pro twelve times and Enterprise fifteen times. Direct and automated campaigns count; 1:1 and transactional emails use separate arrangements.
The table assumes a 1,000-contact band and full broadcasts to 900 subscribers. Real segments, exclusions and journey entries change the total. Kit’s Free subscriber allowance and unlimited broadcasts do not grant free visual automations or sequences.
Draw the entry and exit before selecting a tier
A welcome sequence needs the signup event, eligibility, delay, content and exit conditions. Add the purchase or unsubscribe path before comparing the editor. Kit’s current Free documentation puts sequences and visual automations on paid plans; older one-automation Free allowances are not assumed here.
ActiveCampaign Starter has five actions per automation. A six-action design exceeds that boundary, while Plus and higher remove that numerical action limit. Trigger availability, account users, integrations and purchased channels still need separate checks.
Model the actual busy month
ActiveCampaign’s help documentation lists US$0.005 per excess marketing send when the allowance is not increased. In the hypothetical table, 800 over-limit sends therefore illustrate a US$4 isolated overage, and 400 illustrate US$2. The vendor also documents a sending cutoff at a larger overage level; confirm the account’s current terms.
The GBP selector and purchase links appeared alongside dollar-labelled reference headlines during this check, so no verified GBP subscription fee is inferred. Kit prices scale by paid subscriber tier; introductory Pro rates are distinct from renewal pricing. Add digital-product fees, extra users and messaging or CRM purchases to the chosen workflow budget.
Test signup, exit and export with synthetic subscribers
Use authorised test addresses to inspect the signup confirmation, tags, form embed, phone email layout and unsubscribe path. For a journey, check repeat entry, replies and a subscriber who purchases before the final step.
Inspect what happens when the trial ends and export a small sample with the consent information your process requires. No account signup, contact import or real campaign was performed for these worked examples.
Questions before you choose
Is Kit still called ConvertKit?
Kit was previously branded ConvertKit. Compare current Kit Free, Creator and Pro capabilities rather than assuming an older plan table.
Can Kit Free run an automated welcome sequence?
The current Free documentation places email sequences and visual automations on paid plans. Broadcast capacity alone does not enable that workflow.
Does 900 contacts mean 9,000 ActiveCampaign sends?
The multiplier applies to the purchased contact limit. In the worked 1,000-contact Starter band, the allowance is 10,000 marketing sends per cycle.
Is ActiveCampaign enhanced CRM included with every Email subscription?
The pricing page scopes enhanced CRM as an add-on on qualifying tiers. Quote the required pipeline or sales-engagement package separately.
Keep the assumptions with the figures
Use the date, billing cycle, units and limits with each example. Check current account terms before purchasing. Unverified prices and model costs stay unpriced.
Download the buying examples as JSON ↓Share the comparison
Use these examples when discussing the shortlist with your team.