Mailchimp's Free Plan Got Smaller: When Creators Should Switch to Kit

Updated Oct 7, 2026: corrected pricing claims and removed an expired offer.

Mailchimp's paid list prices haven't moved since early 2025, but its Free plan dropped from 500 to 250 contacts by December 2025, and Mailchimp still bills for unsubscribed contacts and for duplicates across audiences. For creators with growing lists, that billing model is the real cost.

Here's what you need to know, and when Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the better fit. For the full numbers, see our Mailchimp review and our Kit review.

The Mailchimp Pricing Problem

Mailchimp charges you based on contacts, but here's the part most people miss: if the same subscriber exists in two different audiences, you're paying for them twice. Unsubscribed contacts? You're still paying for those too unless you manually archive them.

For creators with segmented lists, this pricing model quietly bleeds money every single month. As your list grows, that math gets worse.

And Mailchimp also caps how many emails you can send per month based on your plan tier. If you hit the limit, you either stop sending or pay overage fees.

What Kit Does Differently

Kit was built specifically for creators. Not e-commerce brands, not enterprise marketing teams. Creators. That matters because the features are designed around how creators actually work.

Here's where Kit wins over Mailchimp:

Who Should Make the Switch

Switching makes the most sense if you're a creator who:

• Sells courses, memberships, digital products, or coaching
• Has a segmented list on Mailchimp and suspects you're paying for duplicates
• Wants automations that actually work without constant babysitting
• Has been meaning to leave Mailchimp but didn't want to deal with the migration
• Needs to grow your list organically without spending money on ads

If you just send a monthly newsletter to 200 people and don't need automations, Mailchimp's free plan is probably still fine. But if email is a core part of how you make money, Kit is the better tool for the job.

When Staying on Mailchimp Makes Sense

Switching has a cost: rebuilding forms and automations, re-checking your sending domain, and a few weeks of watching deliverability. It isn't worth it for everyone. Staying put is reasonable if:

• Your list fits comfortably on the plan you already pay for, and you archive unsubscribed contacts
• You rely on Mailchimp features your team has built around, like its store integrations or reporting
• Email is a side channel, not a revenue line, and the time to migrate is worth more than the savings

Before deciding, check whether you're paying for contacts you don't need. In Mailchimp, archive unsubscribed and long-inactive contacts and merge duplicate audiences. That alone can drop you a pricing tier. Our list cleaning guide walks through it.

Before You Switch: A Short Checklist

1. Count the real list. Export every audience, remove duplicates and unsubscribes, and verify old addresses. Price Kit on the clean number, not Mailchimp’s billed number.
2. List what you’ll rebuild. Signup forms, landing pages, automations and welcome sequences don’t move automatically. Write them down so nothing silently stops.
3. Map tags and groups. Mailchimp tags, groups and merge fields need a home in Kit’s tags and custom fields before you import.
4. Authenticate your domain. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for Kit before the first send, then ramp volume over the first few campaigns.
5. Overlap for a cycle. Keep Mailchimp active until your Kit forms and automations are confirmed working, then close it.

For the step-by-step move, see our Mailchimp to Kit migration guide and the general Mailchimp migration playbook. If Kit isn’t the right fit, our Mailchimp alternatives guide covers the other options.

My Take

Kit is one of the few platforms where the product matches the marketing.

The automation builder is genuinely powerful. The Creator Network is a unique growth channel no one else offers. And the migration support means you don't have to spend a weekend rebuilding everything from scratch.

If you're on Mailchimp and your list is growing, price both platforms at your list size before your next renewal.