*This blog contains some affiliate links, which means no extra cost for you, but may provide me with some commissions. I only recommend products I know or use and think are a good fit for you, too.

Trying to pick between MailerLite and Kit for your digital product business? I’ve tested both, and here’s the honest scoop.
If you’re just starting out, you want a tool that’s budget‑friendly but also gives you the basics to grow. And as someone who’s built and sold digital offers from scratch, I’ve got thoughts on both.
Let’s break it down.

If you haven’t started yet, grab my mini course: How to start selling digital downloads online HERE.

What’s the Rapid Comparison Between MailerLite and Kit?

Feature‑by‑feature Breakdown (Subscribers, Automation, File Delivery, Address)

Free Plan vs Paid Plan: What You Get & What You Pay

MailerLite’s free plan: up to 500 subscribers, includes automation, landing pages, websites. Paid plans start at around $9/month for “Growing Business”.
Kit’s free “Newsletter” plan: includes digital sales, but only basic automation/sequence. Paid “Creator” plan from ~$33/month (depending on billing) for unlimited automations.

Want a FREEBIE? Grab this checklist template, a perfect lead magnet for your shop or website.

You can find more free Resources to launch and Grow Your Digital Product Business HERE

Why MailerLite Is a Great Starter Platform

What You Get for Free When You’re Just Starting

MailerLite’s free plan includes: up to 500 subscribers, drag‑and‑drop editor, automation workflows, website builder, landing pages, signup forms/pop‑ups, and comparative reporting. This gives you a strong foundation at zero cost.

How the Website & Landing Pages Help in Giveaways and Bundles

These built-in tools are gold when participating in giveaways or bundle promotions. Why? Because one of the most effective (and fun) ways to grow your list is by sharing freebies, and even better, by collaborating with other creators.

Think of it like this: Instead of hustling for every subscriber solo, you team up with other sellers. You all contribute a freebie, maybe a digital product, a checklist, a workbook, and then each of you shares the giveaway or bundle with your audience. Everyone wins. You grow your list by attracting new, aligned subscribers.

This is where tools like MailerLite and Kit really shine. Both make it easy to:

Set up a branded landing page for your giveaway
Host the opt-in form to collect emails
Deliver the freebie (either through a hosted file or an external link)
Add tracking, tags, or segment the new leads

But MailerLite takes this a step further by including website pages and up to 10 landing pages on the free plan. That gives you room to:

Create a custom opt-in page for each bundle or event
Build a small branded site that shows your digital products, social links, and contact info
Link all your offers in one place — perfect for cross-promotion and re-engagement

It makes your giveaway presence look polished and professional, even if you’re brand new. And best of all? You don’t need any coding skills or extra hosting.

If you’re planning to grow through bundles, collaborations, or list-building events, these tools are your best friend. And MailerLite might just give you a bit more to play with from the start.

Automations: Your Behind-the-Scenes Assistant

You might be wondering: are workflow automations really important for digital sellers, especially if I’m just starting out?

Automations are pre-set email workflows that get triggered when someone takes an action. For example, when someone signs up for your freebie, an automation can instantly send them the file, follow up a few days later with a related tip, and maybe even pitch them a paid product. All while you’re busy doing other things.

For digital sellers, this is a game-changer. You can:

Deliver lead magnets or freebies instantly
Nurture new subscribers with welcome sequences
Segment your audience based on their behavior or interests
Set up product launch or promo sequences in advance

Basically, automations let you scale your communication without doing more work. That’s why they matter, even if your list is still small.

MailerLite really stands out here.

Even on the free plan, MailerLite includes a powerful visual automation builder. You can create multi-step workflows, trigger emails based on clicks or time delays, and build entire sales funnels, without paying a cent. You get access to tools most platforms charge for.

Now, I did start out using both MailerLite and Kit side by side. But once I got a taste of MailerLite’s automations, I knew it was the right choice for me. That was honestly the biggest reason I stuck with it.

Kit, on the other hand, is much more limited on the free plan. You only get one automation, a basic sequence. It’s great for sending a welcome email or simple follow-up, but if you want to build out a full funnel, you’ll need to upgrade to their paid plan.

So if automation is something you know you’ll want, and I promise, you will, MailerLite gives you the freedom to experiment and grow without pressure.

Want to grow faster? Grab my Subscriber Builder Pack

Is It Complicated to Migrate Between MailerLite and Kit (or Vice Versa)?

Not at all, and I say that from experience.

When I first started building my email list, I was testing everything. I used both MailerLite and Kit at the same time because I wasn’t ready to commit to paying full price. I had around 300 subscribers and was still figuring out which features actually mattered to me.

After playing with both platforms, I quickly realized how valuable automation was — especially for welcoming new subscribers and delivering my freebies without manual follow-up. MailerLite offered that right away, even on the free plan. So, I decided to move my subscribers over to MailerLite to take full advantage of that.

But I didn’t drop Kit right away. I still used it for forms, especially for giveaways. The ability to upload a file directly and deliver it instantly — without extra tools — was a huge time-saver. Plus, they had no issues with affiliate links, which made it easier to promote bundle offers and collab giveaways.

Eventually, as my workflow got more streamlined, I moved everything to MailerLite so I could manage it all in one place. But here’s the point: switching platforms wasn’t hard. You just export your subscriber list as a CSV file, import it to the new platform, and make sure your fields (like name and email) are mapped correctly. Always make sure your subscribers have opted in and are compliant with email marketing laws.

Migration Basics

Migrating from MailerLite to Kit (or the other way around) is definitely manageable, but it helps to know a few things upfront.

The process usually involves exporting your subscribers as a CSV file and then importing them into the new platform, simple enough. But issues can pop up, like mismatched field names (e.g., “first_name” vs “First Name”), missing tags or groups, and even importing unsubscribed contacts if you’re not careful.

To keep things clean, you’ll want to tidy up your list before the move, make sure your fields are consistent, remove duplicates, and export your unsubscribed or bounced contacts separately to avoid emailing them again. It’s also a good idea to gradually warm up your new sender profile by emailing your most engaged subscribers first, and don’t forget to test your automations and forms before shutting down the old tool. It might sound like a lot, but once you’ve done it, it’s really not that complicated — and totally worth it if you’re switching to a platform that better fits your business needs.

Step-by-Step: How to Migrate Between Email Platforms

In short the process to Migrate Between MailerLite and Kit (or Vice Versa) is straightforward:

Export your subscribers from the old platform as a CSV file
Clean your list — remove duplicates, verify opt-ins, and make sure your fields (like name, email, tags) are consistent
Import to your new platform, matching each field correctly

Need help with the technical side? You can check MailerLite’s import guide here and Kit’s mi gration support page here.

Things to Watch (Affiliate Links, Hosting Files, Physical Address)

Hosting files: MailerLite free plan doesn’t host giveaway freebies directly; you’ll need Google Drive/Dropbox or similar.
Physical address requirement: You must provide a mailing address for compliance (CAN‑SPAM etc). MailerLite doesn’t supply one, so you’ll need your own address or a P.O. box.
Affiliate link caution: Here’s something I wish someone had told me earlier:

MailerLite is super picky about affiliate links. One time, I was in the middle of a giveaway, and they suspended my account overnight for including a Warrior Plus link. Yikes. Luckily, they fixed it fast (kudos to their support team), but it caused a major headache.

Kit? No problems like that, at least for me. It seems that they’re much more open when it comes to affiliate marketing, which is a big deal if you’re an affiliate seller.

While I don’t have an official source, I’ve found that some user reviews mention MailerLite’s stricter approval/more rigorous list policies, too.

Why Kit Might Be the Better Choice When You’re Growing.

Design, Tagging, Affiliate‑Friendly Policy

One thing I love about Kit is how easy it is to organize your subscribers using tags. Tags are like little labels you attach to people based on what they downloaded, clicked, or signed up for. It helps you keep track of who’s interested in what, which is so important when you’re running multiple offers or freebies.

For example, if someone signs up for your Canva templates, you can tag them “design.” Later on, you could send a special promo just to your design-interested people, without bothering the rest of your list. It makes your emails feel more personal and relevant.

Kit makes this super intuitive. Their tagging system is built with creators in mind, and it’s a big reason why people love using it for digital product businesses and affiliate marketing. You’re not just sending one email to everyone, you’re sending the right message to the right people.

Mailerlite Organization

MailerLite also lets you stay organized, but it uses groups and segments. Groups are like containers you place people into manually or through a form. Segments are more dynamic; you can set rules to automatically group people based on their behavior or interests.

Both systems work well, and honestly, it’s just about preference. But if you’re focused on personalized marketing or planning multiple launches and offers, tagging (like Kit offers) can make your life easier.

Plus, Kit is known for being creator-friendly, they’re more flexible with things like digital product sales and affiliate links, which gives you more freedom to monetize the way you want.

Kit offers tagging/segmentation system that many reviewers highlight. EmailTooltester.com
They are creator‑friendly, allow digital sales and affiliate links more freely
If your business is moving into product sales and affiliate/creator mode, that’s a plus.

Built‑in File Delivery and Included Physical Address: Why They Matter

Easy File Delivery with Kit
When you’re setting up a digital freebie, whether it’s a checklist, guide, or mini product, it can take a bit of fiddling to figure out where to host your file. You have to upload it somewhere (like Google Drive), get a shareable link, and then make sure it’s delivered correctly through your email platform. It works, but it’s a few steps.

With Kit, it’s different. You can upload your file directly into the form, and it gets delivered automatically when someone signs up. No extra tools, no extra links. It’s seamless, especially handy during giveaways or when you’re offering quick digital downloads.

Keep Your Home Address Private

Email marketing laws require you to include a physical address in your emails. It’s all about compliance and building trust with your subscribers. But if you’re running your business from home, you probably don’t want your personal address out there, right?

That’s why I love that Kit provides a business address for you. No need to buy a PO box or worry about exposing your location. It keeps things professional and protects your privacy.

Conclusion

Mailerlite or Kit?

Both MailerLite and Kit offer powerful tools for digital sellers, especially if you’re building your list, promoting freebies, or starting to sell digital products. If you want lots of features right out of the gate without paying, MailerLite is a strong choice. If clean design, built-in file delivery, and creator-friendly flexibility are your top priorities, Kit might be a better fit.

The good news? You don’t have to get it perfect from the start. Test, tweak, and grow as you go. You’ve got this!

FAQs

Can I sell digital products on MailerLite or Kit free plans?

Kit: Yes — the free plan includes digital product sales.
MailerLite: Only on paid plans. The free version doesn’t support direct digital product sales.

Which email platform is better for affiliate marketing — Kit or MailerLite?

Kit tends to be more affiliate-friendly. You can use affiliate links with fewer restrictions.
MailerLite. According to my experience, it has stricter policies. Some affiliate links may trigger account reviews or restrictions.

Do I need a physical address to use Kit or MailerLite?

Yes — both platforms require a physical address for compliance (like CAN-SPAM laws).

Kit: You can use their business address, which is great for privacy.
MailerLite: You’ll need your own address or a PO box.

How do I deliver a free file in a giveaway with MailerLite or Kit?

Kit: Allows you to upload and deliver the file directly inside your opt-in form.
MailerLite: You’ll need to host your file elsewhere (like Google Drive) and link it manually.

How do I organize subscribers in MailerLite or Kit?

Kit: Uses tags, which let you label and organize subscribers based on interest, behavior, or offers they signed up for.
MailerLite: Uses groups and segments. Groups are static lists, and segments are dynamic filters based on behavior or fields.

Is it complicated to migrate email contacts between MailerLite and Kit?

Not really! You just export your list (usually as a CSV), clean it up, and import it into the new tool. You’ll need to re-map fields and rebuild automations, but it’s a smooth process. Kit also offers free migration support.

I’ll do my best to keep this post updated! If you have any new updates, I’d love to hear from you—feel free to send me an email at hello@cloudtifulbiz.com.

MailerLite or Kit for Digital Product Sellers: Choose the Game‑Changing Email Platform That Fuels Your Success