ConvertKit (Kit) vs AWeber: Full Comparison for Creators

Kit (ConvertKit) and AWeber are both established email marketing platforms, but they serve different audiences with different philosophies. This comparison breaks down the key differences to help you choose.

Quick Overview

Feature	Kit (ConvertKit)	AWeber
Founded	2013	1998
Approach	Subscriber-centric (tags)	List-based
Best for	Creators, bloggers	Small businesses
Email templates	9	700+
Automation	Excellent	Good
Free plan	1,000 subscribers	500 subscribers
Starting price	$29/mo	$19/mo

Subscriber Management

This is the fundamental difference between the two platforms.

Kit uses a subscriber-centric model (read our Kit review for a deep dive). Each person exists once in your account, tagged by interests and behavior. You never have duplicate subscribers, and segmentation is based on tags and custom fields.

AWeber uses a traditional list-based model. Subscribers join specific mailing lists, and the same person can exist on multiple lists. This is familiar but can lead to duplicate charges and messy data.

Winner: Kit. The tag-based approach is more flexible and prevents duplicates.

Email Design

AWeber dominates here with 700+ templates covering every industry and occasion (see our AWeber review for more). The Smart Designer feature auto-creates branded templates from your website. If email design matters to you, AWeber delivers.

Kit offers just 9 templates and leans toward plain-text styled emails. The philosophy is that simpler emails feel more personal and get higher engagement — which is true for creators, but limiting for businesses that need branded designs.

Winner: AWeber, by far.

Automation

Kit’s visual automation builder is one of the best in the industry. You can create sophisticated workflows with conditional logic, event triggers, and multi-path sequences. For course launches, welcome funnels, and tag-based content delivery, Kit excels.

AWeber offers automation through campaigns and tag-triggered workflows. It’s capable but not as visual or intuitive as Kit’s builder. For standard email sequences, it works fine; for complex multi-path automations, Kit is better.

Winner: Kit.

Deliverability

Both platforms have strong deliverability reputations, but AWeber’s 25+ year track record gives it a slight edge. AWeber has long-established relationships with ISPs and actively manages sender reputation.

Kit’s deliverability is also good and has improved significantly over the years. Both platforms use authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and provide tools to maintain list hygiene.

Winner: Slight edge to AWeber.

Pricing

Subscribers	Kit (Creator)	AWeber (Plus)
500	Free	$30/mo
1,000	$29/mo	$30/mo
2,500	$49/mo	$50/mo
5,000	$79/mo	$70/mo
10,000	$119/mo	$100/mo
25,000	$199/mo	$150/mo

Kit’s free plan is more generous (1,000 vs 500 subscribers), but AWeber’s paid plans become more affordable at higher subscriber counts.

Winner: Depends on your size. Kit for small lists, AWeber for larger ones.

Unique Strengths

Kit only:

Creator Network for audience growth
Built-in commerce for digital product sales
Subscriber-centric (no duplicates)

AWeber only:

700+ email templates
AMP email support
Phone support
Affiliate marketing friendly
Smart Designer

Who Should Choose Kit?

Bloggers and content creators
Course creators and coaches
Newsletter operators
Anyone selling digital products
Users who value clean automation

Who Should Choose AWeber?

Small businesses needing professional email templates
Affiliate marketers
Users who want phone support
Businesses with larger subscriber lists (better pricing at scale) — AWeber ranks highly in our best email marketing for small business guide
Anyone who values proven deliverability track record

The Verdict

Kit is the better choice for creators who want powerful automation, simple subscriber management, and digital commerce tools. AWeber is better for traditional small businesses that need extensive templates, proven deliverability, and prefer phone support.

Both offer free plans — try each with your actual workflow before deciding. For a broader view, see our best email marketing software roundup. If budget is a top priority, MailerLite is worth considering as a more affordable alternative to both.