ConvertKit vs MailerLite: Your Guide to Choosing the Best

In this article, I will provide a comprehensive comparison between ConvertKit and MailerLite, two popular email marketing platforms. I will analyze their features, pricing, ease of use, deliverability, reporting, and support to help you make an informed decision on which platform is best for your needs.

Key Takeaways:

• ConvertKit and MailerLite are both popular email marketing platforms.
• Features, pricing, ease of use, deliverability, reporting, and support are important factors to consider when making a decision.
• MailerLite offers an intuitive dashboard and drag-and-drop editor for ease of use.
• ConvertKit lacks a visual editor, making it more challenging to design emails.
• MailerLite provides a wide range of pre-designed templates that can be easily customized.

Ease of Use and Editor

When it comes to email marketing automation, user-friendly interfaces and intuitive editors play a crucial role in creating successful email campaigns. Both MailerLite and ConvertKit strive to offer an easy-to-use experience, but there are notable differences in their approaches.

MailerLite’s Intuitive Dashboard and Drag-and-Drop Editor

MailerLite stands out with its intuitive dashboard and highly-praised drag-and-drop editor. The dashboard provides a clear overview of your email list management, automations, and campaigns, making it easy to navigate and access essential features. This user-friendly interface allows beginners to quickly grasp the platform’s functionalities and get started with their email marketing strategies right away.

The drag-and-drop editor in MailerLite is another highlight. It offers a seamless email design experience, allowing you to customize your templates easily. You can simply drag and drop elements, rearrange sections, and add images with just a few clicks. This flexibility empowers even those without HTML/CSS knowledge to create visually appealing emails that resonate with their audience.

==> Try ConvertKit
==> Try MailerLite

ConvertKit’s Lack of Visual Editor

On the other hand, ConvertKit lacks a visual editor, which can be a downside for users who prefer a more visual approach to email design. Instead, ConvertKit focuses on simplicity, offering plain-text email templates that prioritize content over visual aesthetics. This minimalist approach may appeal to some users who prefer a no-frills experience.

However, for those who value design customization and visual appeal, ConvertKit may fall short. Without a visual editor, creating visually engaging emails may require more technical knowledge and HTML/CSS coding skills, which could be a barrier for beginners or non-technical users.

Conclusion: MailerLite’s User-Friendly Interface and Flexible Editor

In summary, MailerLite’s intuitive dashboard and drag-and-drop editor make it a clear winner in terms of ease of use and email design flexibility. Its user-friendly interface allows beginners to quickly adapt to the platform, while the drag-and-drop editor enables effortless customization of email templates. However, ConvertKit’s minimalist approach may still appeal to users who prioritize content over aesthetics or have coding expertise.

Design and Flexibility

When it comes to email design and flexibility, MailerLite and ConvertKit offer different approaches. MailerLite stands out with its drag-and-drop editor and a wide range of pre-designed templates that can be easily customized without requiring any HTML/CSS knowledge. This makes it a great option for users who want to create visually appealing emails quickly and effortlessly. With MailerLite, you have the freedom to customize colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand’s aesthetic.

On the other hand, ConvertKit takes a simpler approach by providing plain-text email templates. While this may appeal to users who prefer a more minimalist design, it can limit your options for customization. ConvertKit does offer the ability to use HTML/CSS knowledge to customize the design further, but this may not be ideal for users who are not familiar with coding. If you have specific design requirements or want more visual flexibility, MailerLite is the better choice.

In terms of flexibility, MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor allows you to easily rearrange and add elements to your emails. This means you can create custom layouts and designs to suit your needs, even if you have no coding experience. ConvertKit, on the other hand, lacks a visual editor, making it more challenging to design complex layouts.

Customization Options Comparison

As shown in the comparison table above, MailerLite offers a more comprehensive email design experience with its drag-and-drop editor and extensive customization options. ConvertKit, on the other hand, is more suited for users who prefer a simpler and text-focused design. It’s important to consider your design preferences and technical skills when choosing between these platforms.

==> Try ConvertKit
==> Try MailerLite

Email Automations

Email automation features play a crucial role in streamlining your email marketing campaigns and saving time. Both MailerLite and ConvertKit offer robust automation capabilities, allowing you to create personalized and targeted email workflows. Let’s take a closer look at their respective workflow builders, customization options, and email sequences.

Workflow Builder:

When it comes to creating email workflows, MailerLite’s visual builder stands out. It provides an intuitive interface that allows you to easily drag and drop different triggers, actions, and conditions to create complex sequences. With MailerLite, you can automate various actions such as sending welcome emails, follow-ups, and abandoned cart reminders.

In contrast, ConvertKit also offers a visual automations feature, but it may not be as user-friendly as MailerLite’s builder. ConvertKit’s workflow builder focuses on simplicity and ease of use, making it suitable for users who prefer a more straightforward approach to email automation.

Customization:

MailerLite and ConvertKit both offer customization options to tailor your automated emails to your brand’s visual identity. However, MailerLite provides more flexibility in terms of customization, allowing you to design emails with personalized branding elements, images, and colors. ConvertKit, on the other hand, offers more limited design options, making it more challenging to create visually appealing automated emails.

Email Sequences:

Email sequences are an essential feature for delivering a series of automated emails to your subscribers. ConvertKit excels in this area, offering a dedicated email sequences feature that allows you to create and schedule a sequence of emails to be sent at specific intervals. This capability is particularly useful for delivering email courses, nurturing leads, or providing targeted content to your subscribers.

MailerLite also supports email sequences, allowing you to set up automated sequences of emails. However, it’s worth noting that ConvertKit’s email sequences feature provides more advanced options and customization compared to MailerLite.

==> Try ConvertKit
==> Try MailerLite

Registration Forms

When it comes to creating registration forms for your email marketing campaigns, both MailerLite and ConvertKit offer GDPR-compliant options. However, there are some differences in terms of customization and design.

MailerLite

MailerLite provides a range of customization options for forms, allowing you to create visually appealing and branded registration forms. With its drag-and-drop editor, you can easily add fields, customize colors, fonts, and layouts to match your brand’s style. This flexibility helps you create forms that not only capture important information but also align with your overall branding strategy. MailerLite also offers the ability to integrate forms into landing pages, giving you even more options for capturing leads and growing your subscriber list.

ConvertKit

ConvertKit, on the other hand, has a more limited form builder in terms of customization. While you can create basic registration forms, the options for design customization are not as extensive as MailerLite. ConvertKit focuses more on simplicity and functionality rather than elaborate design options. If you’re looking for a straightforward and no-frills approach to registration forms, ConvertKit may be a suitable choice.

Overall, MailerLite takes the lead in terms of customization options for registration forms, allowing you to create visually appealing and branded forms that align with your brand’s style. However, if design customization is not a top priority for you, ConvertKit’s simplicity and functionality may be sufficient for your needs.

Email Reporting and Analytics

When it comes to email marketing, tracking and analyzing your campaigns’ performance is crucial for optimizing your strategies. Both MailerLite and ConvertKit offer reporting features to help you gain insights into how your emails are performing. However, there are notable differences in the depth and scope of their reporting capabilities.

Email Analytics

In terms of email analytics, MailerLite provides a more comprehensive set of data. It offers detailed metrics such as open rates, click rates, and unsubscribe rates, allowing you to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns. Additionally, MailerLite’s reporting includes information on the devices used by your subscribers to open your emails, providing valuable insights into their preferences and behavior.

On the other hand, ConvertKit’s reporting focuses primarily on click rates, open rates, and unsubscribe rates. While these metrics are essential, they offer a more basic level of insight compared to MailerLite’s comprehensive reporting. If you require in-depth analytics to understand your audience’s engagement with your emails, MailerLite may be the better choice.

Integration with Shopify and WooCommerce

MailerLite goes a step further by offering integration with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce. This integration allows you to track not only email metrics but also the purchases made by your subscribers after clicking on your emails. Having access to this data can help you understand the impact of your email marketing efforts on your sales and revenue.

Summary

In summary, MailerLite surpasses ConvertKit in terms of reporting capabilities. With its comprehensive email analytics, including open rates, click rates, unsubscribe rates, and device usage data, MailerLite provides a more detailed picture of your email campaigns’ performance. Additionally, the integration with Shopify and WooCommerce further enhances MailerLite’s reporting by linking email performance to actual sales. If you prioritize robust reporting and analytics in your email marketing, MailerLite is the recommended choice.

Note: This table highlights the key differences in reporting capabilities between MailerLite and ConvertKit.

==> Try ConvertKit
==> Try MailerLite

Conclusion

After conducting a thorough comparison of ConvertKit and MailerLite, it is evident that MailerLite emerges as the best choice for small businesses and creators seeking an affordable and feature-rich email marketing platform. With its user-friendly interface, flexible design options, robust automation features, and comprehensive reporting, MailerLite offers a complete solution to meet your email marketing needs.

Throughout my review, I found MailerLite to be a standout platform. Its intuitive dashboard and drag-and-drop editor make it incredibly easy to use, even for beginners. Additionally, MailerLite’s wide range of pre-designed templates, coupled with its customization options, allow for visually appealing and branded emails without any HTML/CSS knowledge.

When it comes to automation, both MailerLite and ConvertKit offer impressive features. However, MailerLite’s visual workflow builder provides greater flexibility and customization options. Plus, the inclusion of automation in MailerLite’s free plan is a significant advantage, as ConvertKit requires a paid plan for this feature.

MailerLite’s reporting capabilities also outshine ConvertKit, providing comprehensive data on opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and even device usage. The integration with Shopify and WooCommerce further enhances its analytics, allowing you to track purchases and measure the success of your campaigns.

While ConvertKit offers unique features like visual automations and email sequences, MailerLite’s overall package of features, pricing, and usability makes it the preferred choice. However, it’s important to consider your specific needs and goals before making a decision. ConvertKit might still be a viable option for those who prioritize its unique features and have more advanced email marketing requirements.