ConvertKit vs Mailchimp: Creator Focus vs General Marketing

Overview

ConvertKit is built specifically for creators. Mailchimp is a general-purpose marketing platform. The choice depends on your startup type and workflow preferences.

The quick answer: creator startups and course businesses should choose ConvertKit. General marketing needs might favor Mailchimp, though Mailerlite offers better value.

Key Differences

Target Audience

ConvertKit is purpose-built for creators. The features, templates, and community all cater to bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and course sellers. If this is your world, ConvertKit speaks your language.

Mailchimp serves everyone, which means it excels at nothing specific. The generalist approach works for basic needs but lacks creator-specific features.

Commerce Features

ConvertKit has ConvertKit Commerce for selling digital products directly. Create and sell courses, ebooks, and other digital products without a separate platform.

Mailchimp has limited e-commerce features. You would typically need a separate platform for selling digital products.

Community and Support

ConvertKit has a strong creator community. Lots of templates, tutorials, and best practices shared by other creators. The ecosystem understands your workflow.

Mailchimp has general resources but nothing specifically tailored to creators.

Pros and Cons

Who Should Choose What

Choose ConvertKit if:

• You are a creator, blogger, or podcaster
• You sell courses or digital products
• You want creator-specific features
• Community and templates matter
• You value focused tools

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You need specific integrations
• Your needs are general marketing
• Brand recognition matters
• You want one tool for everything

Consider Sequenzy for SaaS

If you are building a SaaS product (not a creator business), neither ConvertKit nor Mailchimp is ideal. Sequenzy has native billing integrations with Stripe, Polar, Creem, and Dodo that both lack. For SaaS startups, Sequenzy is the better choice.

The Bottom Line

For creators, ConvertKit is clearly better. The platform understands your workflow, the community supports your growth, and ConvertKit Commerce enables direct sales.

For general marketing, Mailchimp works but Mailerlite offers better value. For SaaS, skip both and use Sequenzy.