ConvertKit Review: Email Templates, Custom Webforms, & More

ConvertKit Review: Email Templates, Custom Webforms, & More
9
Features
10
UI/UX
9
Support
9
Trust
Our Rating
4.6 / 5
Networks
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube
LinkedIn
Support
Live Chat

Price Plans

  • 1K Subscribers ($29/month)

  • 3K Subscribers ($49/month)

  • 5K Subscribers ($79/month)

  • 8K Subscribers ($99/month)

  • 10K Subscribers ($119/month)

Free Version

Yes

Free Trial

Yes/14 days
  • Web-Based

  • Credit Card

Starter package

Free

ConvertKit Review: In Depth

ConvertKit is an email marketing software that aims to grow businesses through online sales and outreach management. This service is for any creator, be it a business entrepreneur, a blogger, an artist, a teacher, or anything in between. The bottom line is helping these people make a great living online by converting more leads, snagging more deals, and selling more products. This isn’t the only software of its kind out there, so keep reading this review to see what makes this software one of the best.

Key Features

There are a few things that make this enterprise stand out from competitors. Besides dedicating itself to clients of all sizes and niches, the business is fully committed to being 100% independent.

  • Clients have collectively made hundreds of thousands of dollars using this software
  • The business doesn’t benefit from outside investors
  • The company’s team is less than 50 members, all working remotely
  • It helps 250,000 people earn a great living online

ConvertKit Review: Background Information

ConvertKit History

The company was founded in 2013 by Nathan Barry and David Wheeler. Its headquarters are in Boise, Idaho, although many of the 48 employees work remotely in 38 cities across the world. The team is a great blend of professional software engineers, SaaS developers, designers, outreach experts, educators, and implementation strategists. The software features about 40 tech products that supply better analytics, marketing, and automation to customers.


Service Features & Technical Details

The platform’s mission is to help creators earn a living online, but how do they do it? They utilize a combination of customizable registration and opt-in forms, trusted analytics tools, email marketing automation, and personalized deliverability. Plus, they’re always adding new tools.

Email Marketing

ConvertKit Email Marketing

More goes into email marketing than simply sending out some messages and waiting to see who responds. The platform uses dozens of tools to automate different processes and allow for greater customization. This pertains to things like subscription forms, delivery schedules, reports, and syncing contact lists.

  • A/B Testing
  • Analytics Reports
  • Automation
  • Compliance With CAN-SPAM Act
  • Contact List Organization
  • Customizable Content
  • Drip Campaigns
  • Email Editors
  • Event-Triggered Email
  • Management tools
  • Mobile Optimization
  • Templates
  • Personalized Landing Pages
  • WebForms/Registration

Marketing Automation

ConvertKit Marketing Automation

Similar to email marketing, the automation software makes it much easier for clients to manage multiple campaigns and tasks within their team or organization. These tools help entrepreneurs and creators become more visible online, which helps them gain more clients and buyers. Best of all, the software is easy enough to use that no previous tech experience is required. Automating the most difficult tasks leaves room for customers to focus on what they do best: creating valuable content for their audiences.

  • Analytics
  • Audience Segmentation
  • Custom Calls-to-Action
  • Drip Campaigns
  • Evergreen Content
  • Landing Pages
  • Tracking ROI
  • WebForms/Registration

Key Features in Detail

Since email marketing and automation encompasses a whole lot more, here is an in-depth look at those particular features. The software utilizes about 40 distinct tech and marketing tools to help customers from all disciplines and fields.

Ease of Use: No Tech Experience Required

Even though the software seems (and is) very technological, that doesn’t mean it’s hard to use. Thanks to a streamlined interface, just about anyone can get started with using the tools within minutes. Plus, the website has a help center with video tutorials and webinars that can bring more clarity to the features. However, there is one caveat to the company’s ease of use. In just a few instances, clients may have to mess around with some coding in HTML. This is mostly for reformatting email templates.

Newsletter Creation: Personalized Messages to Reflect the Brand

Creating a newsletter is easy, with fast and efficient customization tools. If a person can write an email draft and send it, then they can use this newsletter editor. That said, there may be fewer options than some people would like. Currently, clients can choose regular text, bullet points and lists, images, and file uploads. The addition of video content and social media widgets would be ideal. As for the personalization and email types, clients can pick from a fair share of selections.

  • A/B testing for subject lines
  • Auto-responders
  • Classic newsletters
  • If/Then/Else HTML coding
  • Landing page creation

Template Design Choice & Flexibility: Good, But Could Be Better

The software is off to a good start here, but in 2023, people want more room to play around. Currently, they can choose from three distinct templates, and they’re all quite traditional. Also, if they want to add a call-to-action, they’ll have to put it in manually. Image collections are also tough to place into the template, and column layouts are impossible. So, text-based newsletters are fine, but for those who want more visuals, they’ll be out of luck. This would be important to note for artists, bloggers, and other visually-based creators.

Email Automation: On Par With Competitors

Fortunately, the program does manage to do automation quite well. It might not be a forerunner in this field, but it does enough to get the job done well. Clients can designate a “trigger event” and then customize the particular action that the software makes. For instance, if a website visitor clicks a certain link, this could cause an opt-in/opt-out box to appear.

List Management: A Good, Time-Saving Tool

Again, this is an area where ConvertKit does a good job. The system is flexible and makes it easy to add or remove contacts from email campaigns to lists and newsletters. This helps a lot with segmenting different audiences, which enables clients to send more pertinent information to their subscribers. The result is that customers can spend less time worrying about their marketing efforts and more time creating quality content.

Registration Forms: Simply Templates, Sleek Designs

The platform allows for different kinds of registration forms. These include slide-in forms, pop-ups, and embedded subscription prompts. Also, clients can select traditional landing pages. With the software’s visual editor, switching up the templates is easy. To add more appeal and personality, there are several designs to choose from. It’s also easy to review double registration, which requires visitors to click a confirmation link in their email to solidify their subscription. This is becoming more and more common among opt-in/opt-out processes.

Deliverability: Too Many Emails Land in the Spam Folder

Regarding what percentage of sent emails reach the people in the contacts list, ConvertKit could be better. Clients want to trust that they can rely on great deliverability. However, the software doesn’t seem too promising. Far too many emails and newsletters land in the contacts’ spam folders. That’s no place that anyone wants to be. That, and it drastically decreases a creator’s chances of success. This is an area to keep an eye on.

Reports & Analysis: Getting Back to Basics

Creators and entrepreneurs must understand their audiences and subscribers. ConvertKit has more of a basic approach when it comes to reporting and analytics. That said, it does provide the must-haves, such as clicks, open rates, and unsubscribes. However, the bounce rate is missing. It would be convenient if there were a better visual representation of all of that data. It can also be difficult to track conversions and leads that came from social media. Integrated reporting helps with following how subscribers interact with marketing emails, which can inform the client’s plans and approaches.

Pro Features: So-So Permissions & Professionalism

Out of the different types of authentication, this software supports Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM). This allows the client’s name or business to appear in the sent email’s domain settings. Most customers will be fine with that amount of authentication support. However, there isn’t an option to create new, custom redirect links.

As for different levels of account access, users are free to invite any team members into administrative roles or to keep them out. This also pertains to the landing page editor, which has four unique templates to choose from. The editor is easy to use and is accessible to all team members and administrators. The downside is that there is limited personalization (as with most of the features).

Additional Features: Some Good, Some Bad

Something that the software could benefit from is spam-and-design testing. Given that far too many newsletters end up in spam folders, this kind of testing protocol would be crucial. Better bounce rate management and analytics are also a must-have that the company needs to adopt. Right now, the platform can identify hard bounces and take the appropriate actions.

Soft bounces become hard after multiple unsuccessful attempts to send the email out to the recipient. Customers can get over some of these hurdles with the integrations. However, there is no blacklist feature, and the program is only available in English. On the plus side, there is unlimited data and image storage, so clients can keep all of their media secure in one place.

Integrations: Nearly 100 to Choose From

As of early 2023, the software works with around 90 integrations. These vary in terms of functionality and customization. They include things like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Zapier. What’s a bit strange is that clients may need to manually integrate by doing basic HTML coding. This is mostly just copying and pasting, but for a platform that’s supposed to make the job easier, this can be a huge turnoff. All in all, the e-commerce and business integrations here are suitable for a variety of industries and professionals.


ConvertKit Plans & Pricing

It takes just minutes to create a free account. There are four pricing plans to choose from, each offering varying functionality in customization, integrations, reporting, and support. Moreover, clients can try out the first three plans at no cost.

Package #1: 0 – 1K Subscribers

This first-tier plan is great for beginners or anyone with less than 1,000 subscribers. The price isn’t terrible, especially considering that most of the features are available in some capacity with this lowest package. This includes things like automation features, analytics, and custom registration forms. Also, there’s no limit on the number of emails clients can send at any given time.

ConvertKit Plans & Pricing 0-1K
Features: API, custom forms, email/live chat support, integrations, reporting, subscriber tagging, visual sales funnels

Functionality: Cloud, Web

Number of Users: Unlimited

Number of Accounts: 1

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $29/month

PROS:

  • Availability of features
  • Decent pricing
  • Great for beginners
  • Multiple users
  • Unlimited emailing
CONS:

  • Limited support
  • No concierge migration

Package #2: 1K – 3K Subscribers

Those who have a bit more knowledge and clout under their belts should check out this second-tier package. It costs $49 per month, which isn’t too outlandish for most established businesses. They’ll get all of the same features as the previous plan but with the capacity to support a larger subscriber base. Plus, clients can get detailed profiles on their audience segments for greater success.

ConvertKit Plans & Pricing 1-3K
Features: API, custom forms, email/live chat support, integrations, reporting, subscriber tagging, visual sales funnels

Functionality: Cloud, Web

Number of Users: Unlimited

Number of Social Accounts: 1+

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $49/month

PROS:

  • Deliverability rates
  • Free quick migration
  • In-depth subscriber profiles
  • Over 70 integrations
  • Reporting
CONS:

  • Doesn’t integrate with Google Analytics
  • Limited support

Package #3: 3K – 5K Subscribers

For $79 per month, people with a significant subscriber base can take advantage of unlimited Webforms, email customizations, and automated reporting. This plan works with dozens of integrations in the e-commerce, analytics, marketing, and social media fields. While some basic HTML coding may be required, the interface as a whole is quite intuitive.

ConvertKit Plans & Pricing 3-5K
Features: API, custom forms, email/live chat support, integrations, reporting, subscriber tagging, visual sales funnels

Functionality: Cloud, Web

Number of Users: Unlimited

Number of Social Accounts: 1+

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $79/month

PROS:

  • Automated reporting
  • Dozens of integrations to work with
  • Free trial available
  • Supports whole teams
  • Unlimited Webforms
CONS:

  • Pricing might be too high for some
  • Some basic coding required

Package #4: 5K+ Subscribers

Anyone with more than 5,000 subscribers can test out the highest plan that the software has to offer. The price depends on that sub count and can get quite expensive. For example, a client with 6,000 subs would be paying $99 per month. That said, there are great features, including the migration service. They’re perfect for teams that are switching from a competitor to ConvertKit.

ConvertKit Plans & Pricing 5K+
Features: API, custom forms, email/live chat support, free concierge migration, integrations, reporting, subscriber tagging, visual sales funnels

Functionality: Cloud, Web

Number of Users: Unlimited

Number of Social Accounts: 1+

Scheduling: Yes

Price: $99/month

PROS:

  • Allows multiple accounts per user
  • Free concierge migration
  • Industry-leading deliverability
  • Invite unlimited many team members
  • Unlimited integrations
CONS:

  • Caps at 8,000 subscribers
  • Pricing adds up quickly

Pricing & Key Features Comparison Table

The software makes it simple to see which plan best suits a person’s business. Just take a look at the subscriber count to see which package would be the ideal fit.

0-1K 1K-3K 3K-5K 5K+
Price $29/month $49/month $79/month $99/month
Automations Yes Yes Yes Yes
Custom Forms Yes Yes Yes Yes
Delivery Rates Yes Yes Yes Yes
Integrations Yes Yes Yes Yes
Migration Service Limited Limited Limited Concierge
Reports Yes Yes Yes Yes
Subscriber Tags Yes Yes Yes Yes
Support Yes Yes Yes Yes
Unlimited Emails Yes Yes Yes Yes

Terms & Conditions

The Terms of Service had its last update in late 2018. Users must be 18 years or older. The Agreement states that ConvertKit and the customer are each seen as independent contractors, regardless of any third-party involvement. Users are not permitted to use offline readers or other bots to send messages to the software server in rapid succession. Copyright infringement and a code of conduct apply to all customers. All services and products are sold on an “as-is” basis and are not subject to a warranty.

Privacy Policy

The privacy policy was last updated in April 2018. It states that the company is a limited liability company and collects personal and non-personal data from clients. This includes payment information, employment details, IP address, purchase history, cookies, and tracking technology. This info is used to improve the quality of the website and provide services. Customers can opt-out of receiving email communications from the company by emailing [email protected].

Refund Policy

The company has a 30-day refund policy. As long as customers request their money back within a month of purchasing a plan or product, they are entitled to a refund. Keep in mind that the free trial period lasts for the same amount of time.


Customer Support

ConvertKit Customer Support

There are only a few ways to get in touch with the team, mostly through online correspondence.

Telephone

There doesn’t appear to be a company telephone number for the administrative team. This makes sense considering the team is scattered throughout the entire world. That said, there is an HQ in Boise, Idaho, so there should be a phone number.

Email

For those who have more pressing concerns, they can contact the team via email at [email protected]. Otherwise, they can send a message through a request ticket on the support page. This opens a pop-up chat box where individuals can leave their message and email address.

Online Chat

The platform has an online chatbot that prompts new visitors who land on the homepage. Anyone can click the speech bubble icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen to open up the chatbot. Here, individuals can get answers to basic questions, such as pricing, features, and contact information.

Support Center

The “Knowledge Base” is a part of the company website where individuals can find relevant articles, guides, and video workshops. There are also answers to a few frequently asked questions at the bottom of the page. A search bar at the top allows users to type in their concern and pull up articles that may answer their queries.

Quality of Service

The platform has an average of 3.5 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot. The primary complaints focus on poor customer service and lack of functionality. However, these Trustpilot scores are based on just four total reviews. The company is not listed with the Better Business Bureau. Other review sites state that the service is fine for beginners or those with a smaller following. There are plenty of integrations that are especially good for bloggers.


Customer Types

This platform aims to be accessible to those who may have limited experience with email marketing, as well as creatives who want to boost their chances of online success.

Small Businesses

Smaller organizations or start-ups would do particularly well with this software. This is because most of the features are readily available on the lowest-tiered plan. For just $29 a month (or $25 if billed annually), customers can create unlimited emails, visual automation, and custom forms.

Mid-Sized Companies

Those with a bit of a larger following can benefit from all that this platform has to offer. With a thousand, 3,000 or more subscribers, there are plenty of tools to make reaching them a lot easier. Plus, accounts can have as many team members as need be.

Large Enterprises

A bigger business may still be a good fit for this provider. As long as they have less than 8,000 subscribers, they can take advantage of all that the top-tiered plan offers. This includes full support in switching services, unlimited sent emails, and visual analytics.

Freelancers

A freelancer or entrepreneur could most certainly make good use of this software. As long as they’re fine with $29 per month, they get almost unlimited access to integrations, API, registration forms, email analytics, and more. Plus, they can change their plan as they grow.


ConvertKit Pros & Cons

ConvertKit has a lot going for it. Many consumers will appreciate that even the lowest pricing plan still features unlimited integrations and customization. The support team typically responds with 24 hours, and as long as a business has fewer than 8,000 subs, they should be good to go.

That said, the delivery rates could be better since lots of sent emails land in the spam folder. Also, some more lead generating and scoring tools would be ideal.

Pros

Cons

  • Great integrations for e-commerce, blogs, & more
  • Landing page & form creation
  • Relatively easy to use
  • Subscriber tags for greater personalization
  • Targeted campaigns
  • Limited free version
  • No lead generation

Top 6 Best Service Alternatives

For those who are on the fence about ConvertKit, consider some of these worthy competitors. Then, check out the comparison table to see a side-by-side look at each basic plan.

1. GetResponse: Marketing & E-Commerce

ConvertKit GetResponse Alternatives

GetResponse helps to bridge the gap between businesses and their clientele. Through email marketing and some e-commerce tools, users can do a better job of reaching their buyers. The basic plan includes autoresponders, a few templates, and unlimited landing pages. There’s a 30-day free trial.

2. ActiveCampaign: Another Good Choice for Bloggers

ConvertKit Active Campaign Alternatives

This provider offers a 14-day free trial and is a great choice for bloggers and email marketers. Features include A/B testing, 12 landing page templates, and integrations (including Google Analytics). It also has sales CRM tools for better lead scoring.

3. Drip: An Expensive Alternative

ConvertKit Drip Alternatives

As the name suggests, this provider is an expert in drip campaigns, but it’s also got e-commerce CRM tools. Its users include businesses big and small, who come for the simple landing page templates and stay for the great visuals and dozens of integrations.

4. SendInBlue: A Plethora of Digital Marketing Tools

ConvertKit Sendinblue Alternatives

SendInBlue has over 80,000 clients and helps with transactional email, campaign management, and marketing reports. The Lite plan has a 40,000 email limit per month, but no daily restrictions. Customers can choose from a template library and use A/B testing.

5. Campaign Monitor: A Visual Dream

ConvertKit Campaign Monitor Alternatives

Campaign Monitor is a solid choice for marketing and management tools. The drag-and-drop interface is easy as could be, and there are hundreds of professionally-designed templates. Clients can create stunning newsletters and get visual representations of their subscribers’ completed actions.

6. MailChimp: A Top-Rated Toolkit

ConvertKit MailChimp Alternatives

MailChimp aims to help clients grow closer to their customers, mostly through email marketing and automation. That said, this provider also has a custom CRM toolkit and can work across multiple channels. The service is top-rated and includes delivery analytics for everything.

ConvertKit & Alternatives Comparison Table

Check out and compare the basic paid packages for each provider. Keep in mind these are the lowest prices available, so the chart reflects the features in those packages.

Convert
Kit
Get
Response
Active
Campaign
Drip Service SendIn
Blue
Campaign
Monitor
Mail
Chimp
Price $29/mo $15/mo $9/mo $49/mo $25/mo $9/mo $10/mo
# of Subs 1,000 1,000 500 $2,000 $2,000.00 $2,500 $1,000
Custom Forms Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Email Automation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Functionality Cloud/
Web
Cloud/
Web
Cloud/
Web/
Mobile
Cloud/
Web
Cloud/
Web/
Mobile
Cloud/
Web
Cloud/
Web/
Mobile
Delivery Rates Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Integrations Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Sales CRM No Yes Yes No No No Yes
Templates Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Scheduling Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Reporting Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ConvertKit Better Than MailChimp?

It depends on what the user wants to accomplish. If they are completely new to email marketing, then both are good choices because they’re beginner-friendly. MailChimp does provide more in the way of e-commerce and CRM tools, as well as more in-depth delivery rates and analytics. The pricing is also much more affordable. That said, ConvertKit has its advantages, such as unlimited custom forms and emails on the basic plan and over 70 integrations.

Does ConvertKit Have Landing Pages?

Yes. Users can personalize these landing pages with a few different templates to match their brand voice. They can also complete their pages with registration or subscription forms as well as opt-in/opt-out pop-ups. The subscriber tagging tool is also useful here because it can track each visitor’s actions once they visit the page. Keep in mind that most other providers have landing pages as well.

Does ConvertKit Work With Wix?

Yes. Users can bring their forms and templates to their Wix website with just a bit of basic HTML coding. In reality, it’s as simple as copying and pasting, so it’s not too intense. This is what makes this provider such a good choice for bloggers and creatives. Wix is a popular domain choice for plenty of creators, and being able to create custom forms on the platform and then paste it into the website is super handy.

How to Cancel a ConvertKit Account?

Start by logging in to the site. Then, go to the account settings by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner. From there, navigate to the “Billing” tab on the left-hand corner. There should be a link under the Billing History option. It says, “If you’ve found ConvertKit isn’t a good fit for you, you can cancel your account here.” Click that link and follow the instructions. Alternatively, you can fill out a request ticket for additional assistance.


Wrap Up: Solid Email Management, But Hard to Track Leads

Even though it’s called ConvertKit, users will find it hard to track their lead generation and conversion rate with this software. The pricing may be on par with its rivals, but other platforms offer CRM for e-commerce, more template designs, and better delivery rate analytics. This doesn’t mean that the service isn’t worth checking out. For a newcomer or someone who wants to get their feet wet, there’s always the 30-day free trial.

Published: July 21, 2020Updated: March 27, 2024

Megan Green

Megan Green

Megan is a writer who works at the junctures of science and stories. Previously, she has been the editor of a fashion magazine, an educator, mom, and a baker. She is keen on working with brands and lifestyle products, and outdoor tasks. Megan is outgoing, optimistic and has a great personality. She delivers top-notch content with a unique view on usual things.


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