ConvertKit was founded in 2013 by Nathan Barry, a designer and author who built the product out of frustration with existing email tools. He famously documented the entire journey publicly, sharing revenue numbers, decisions, and challenges — a practice he called “building in public” before that term was everywhere.
The platform is purpose-built for individual creators rather than e-commerce businesses or large marketing teams. The subscriber model is tag-based rather than list-based, meaning a subscriber exists once in your account regardless of how many segments they’re in. This avoids the double-counting problem that inflates costs on other platforms.
ConvertKit’s visual automation builder is a standout feature. You can create complex email sequences triggered by subscriber actions — signing up for a specific form, clicking a link, purchasing a product, or hitting a tag. The visual editor makes these flows easy to understand at a glance.
The commerce feature lets creators sell digital products and subscriptions directly through ConvertKit without needing a separate platform. Landing pages and sign-up forms are included, with decent customization options.
In 2024, the company briefly rebranded to “Kit” before realizing the name change caused confusion. The team is fully remote with around 80 employees, and they’ve been transparent about their revenue (over $30 million ARR).
The free tier supports up to 10,000 subscribers with limited automation. The Creator plan starts at $25/month for up to 1,000 subscribers. ConvertKit has become the default email tool for many online creators thanks to its focus and Nathan Barry’s prominent advocacy.
