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Short answer: Kit's Free plan lets you manage up to 10,000 subscribers and send unlimited broadcasts for $0 [K2]. The limit that matters most is automation: visual automations, email sequences, Rules and RSS campaigns all need the paid Creator or Creator Pro plan [K2]. If you need a welcome email that sends itself, you'll pay (or use a different free tool).
This is a deep dive on the limits. For a general overview of what Kit Free includes, see Kit Free Plan: What You Actually Get.
The Kit free plan limits at a glance
| Feature | Kit Free | Creator (paid) |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | Up to 10,000 [K2] | Priced by list size [K1] |
| Forms and landing pages | Unlimited [K2] | Unlimited [K1] |
| Email broadcasts | Unlimited [K2] | Unlimited [K1] |
| Tagging and segmentation | Included [K2] | Included [K1] |
| A/B testing | On broadcasts [K2] | Subject lines [K1] |
| Visual automations | Not included [K2] | Unlimited [K1] |
| Email sequences | Not included [K2] | Unlimited [K1] |
| Rules and RSS campaigns | Not included [K2] | Included [K1][K2] |
| Kit App Store | Free apps only [K2] | Apps and integrations [K1] |
| Remove Kit branding | No [K1] | Yes [K1] |
| Support | Answered in order within 24 hours [K2] | 24/7 email and chat [K1] |
Subscriber limit: what 10,000 really means
Kit's Free plan is $0 "for as long as you stay under 10,000 subscribers" [K2]. Kit's pricing page explains that subscribers "are only counted if they are unique and active" [K1]. So the same person on two of your lists counts once.
When you pass 10,000, Kit says you'll need a paid plan "to keep sending." Everything you built stays in your account [K2]. You can also import an existing list, as long as the total stays under 10,000 [K2].
For most new creators, the subscriber cap is not the limit you'll hit first. The automation limit is.
Does the Kit free plan include automation?
No, as of Oct 12, 2026. Kit's help article "The Kit Free plan" lists these as paid-plan features: visual automations and the automation template library, email sequences, Rules and RSS campaigns, AI Connectors, and paid App Store apps [K2]. You can still open the automation and sequence pages to look around. When you try to create one, Kit shows your upgrade options [K2].
Watch for older guides. Kit's earlier "Newsletter plan" help article (the free plan's former name) describes "1 basic visual automation with 1 email sequence" [K3]. Many blog posts still repeat that. The newer Free plan article says automations and sequences need a paid plan [K2]. Our reading: if you sign up today, plan on having no automation on Free. We couldn't confirm from Kit's own pages whether older free accounts keep their single automation, so check your own account if you joined earlier.
What Free still covers
Forms, landing pages, broadcasts, tagging and selling digital products are all included on Free [K2]. We cover those in our Kit Free plan overview, so this guide sticks to the limits.
Workarounds if you need a welcome email
Without sequences, a new subscriber gets nothing until your next broadcast. Three honest options:
- Send a weekly "welcome" broadcast by hand to everyone tagged as new that week. It's free but manual.
- Try Creator first. Creator lists a 14-day free trial with no credit card required [K1]. Note that trial features end as soon as you switch to Free, and automations stop running on Free [K2].
- Use a free plan that includes some automation. Systeme.io's free plan includes 2,000 contacts, unlimited email sends and 1 automation rule [S1]. That's a smaller list than Kit, but enough for one automatic welcome email.
Selling on Shopify or another store? To pass new buyers into your email list without copy-pasting, Make.com can connect the apps. Its free plan includes 1,000 credits a month [M2].
When to upgrade to Creator
Creator is listed at $33/mo billed yearly ($390/yr) for 1,000 subscribers [K1]. The price rises with list size, so check the slider on Kit's pricing page for your number. Creator adds unlimited visual automations and sequences, subject-line A/B tests, SMS marketing, apps and integrations, RSS campaigns and removal of Kit branding [K1].
Upgrade when an automated welcome or sales sequence is worth more to you than the monthly price. Only you can weigh that against your own budget and plans.
FAQ
Is Kit free forever? Kit says the Free plan is $0 "for as long as you stay under 10,000 subscribers" [K2].
What happens to my automations if I downgrade? They stay in your account but stop running until you upgrade again [K2].
Our take
This is based on Kit's published plan pages as of Oct 12, 2026, not long-term use. Kit Free is one of the largest free lists available, but it is now a manual-sending plan. Pick it if you'll write broadcasts by hand. If an automatic welcome email matters more than list size, start with a tool whose free plan includes automation, and revisit Kit when you're ready to pay. Compare plans on Kit's pricing page before you decide.
Sources
- Kit pricing page, last checked 2026-10-12
- Kit Help Center: The Kit Free plan, last checked 2026-10-10
- Kit Help Center: The Kit Newsletter Plan (older article), last checked 2026-10-12 (page loads; content read 2026-10-10)
- Systeme.io pricing page, last checked 2026-10-12
- Make pricing (make.com/pricing), last checked 2026-10-12
- Make pricing page (credit rules), last checked 2026-10-10