Kit’s free plan carries 10,000 subscribers with no sending limit. Mailchimp’s carries 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, capped at 250 a day. That is a fortyfold gap on list size and a twentyfold gap on sending — the largest free-tier difference between any two platforms we have compared.
Kit and Mailchimp pricing pages both read on 8 August 2026, USD view, at 1,000 subscribers and 0–500 contacts respectively. Neither account was opened, so what follows is a reading of published terms rather than a judgement on either product, and no winner is named.
The Short Version
These two are aimed at different people and it shows in the first number. Kit gives away audience size because its business model assumes you will monetise later. Mailchimp gives away almost nothing because its business model assumes you will upgrade quickly. Read each in full in our Kit review and Mailchimp review.
Free Plans Compared
| Kit Newsletter | Mailchimp Free | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | 10,000 | 250 |
| Monthly sending | Unlimited | 500, capped at 250/day |
| Sends to a full list | Unlimited | About 2 per month |
| Automations | 1 basic visual automation | None |
| Email sequences | 1 | None |
| Landing pages and forms | Unlimited | Available |
| Audiences / seats | 1 user | 1 audience, 1 seat |
| If you exceed the cap | Auto-upgrade to next tier | Sending is held until you upgrade |
Mailchimp cut its free plan from 500 contacts to 250 in January 2026, so tables published before then overstate it. The harsher limit is the send allowance: 500 emails a month against a 250-contact list is roughly two sends. Exceed 250 contacts and Mailchimp places a hold on sending — live and test emails alike — until you upgrade or delete contacts.
Paid Pricing Compared
| Kit | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | Creator, $39/mo at 1,000 subscribers | Standard, $12.01/mo ongoing at 0–500 contacts |
| Advertised entry price | $33/mo (annual view shown first) | $6/mo (12-month intro rate) |
| Sending | Unlimited on every plan | 12× contact limit on Standard |
| Users | 2 on Creator, unlimited on Pro | 5 on Standard |
| Transaction fee on sales | 3.5% + 30¢, every plan | Not applicable |
| Migration help | Free on paid plans | Self-serve |
Both pricing pages show you a number you will not pay. Kit defaults to the annual view, so $33 is the annualised rate and $39 is the monthly one. Mailchimp leads with $6, which is a 12-month introductory rate that becomes $12.01 ongoing. Mailchimp’s page also serves local currency by location — force the USD view before comparing.
The Number That Actually Decides It
Whether you need more than one automation. Kit will carry 10,000 subscribers for nothing indefinitely, but only with a single basic workflow and one sequence. Mailchimp’s free plan has no automation at all. So the real question is not which free tier is bigger — it is obviously Kit — but whether one sequence is enough for how you plan to work.
If it is, Kit is free where Mailchimp would be billing you well before 10,000 contacts. If it is not, you are choosing between Kit Creator at $39 and Mailchimp Standard at $12.01, and Mailchimp is comfortably cheaper.
Verdict
For audience growth on a budget, Kit by a distance. For a small business that needs multiple seats, audiences and automation flows without paying creator-platform prices, Mailchimp. The two are not really competing for the same buyer, which is why the headline free-tier gap is so wide.
Disclosure
RightToolHQ has no affiliate relationship with Kit or Mailchimp at the time of writing. This page contains no affiliate links. If that changes, this notice will be updated and any affiliate link clearly marked. See our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure.