Curated vs Kit (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kit grades higher than Curated: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Curated grades higher on value for money. Kit grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Curated
Newsletter platform for link-based, editorial issues
Which one is for you
Pick Curated if
- Fits if your newsletter is a weekly set of links with notes
- Works for publishers with under 1,500 subscribers who want every feature free
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a card-free start, as a card is added before the first send
- Pricey if you grow, with $189 at 15,000 and $399 at 50,000 subscribers
- Too light for automation or ordinary marketing email, since it's built for editorial issues
- Watch out: above 50,000 subscribers there is no published price, and invoices need a $1,000 minimum
Pick Kit if
- Fits if you're a writer, podcaster or musician building a list and not ready to pay yet
- Works for big lists that only ever get broadcasts, or for selling an ebook or paid newsletter to subscribers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a welcome series on the free plan, as automations start at $33 a month
- Pricey if you sell a lot, since every sale costs 3.5% plus 30 cents
- Tight if two of you share the free account, which allows 1 user and keeps Kit branding
- Watch out: earnings from Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% Kit fee
- Watch out: Pro's $50 first-year offer ends November 30, 2026, then it renews at $790 a year for 1,000 subscribers
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACuratedFair | 2.6GPAKitGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$39 a month for 2,500 subscribers, $69 for 5,000 and $129 for 10,000. Ordinary at first, and in the dearer quarter from 5,000. | DCreator is $33 a month for 1,000 subscribers on yearly billing, or $39 monthly, about two and a half times the middle of this category, and it's the plan you need for automations and sequences. Pro is $66, or $50 for the first year if you sign up by November 30, 2026. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree up to 1,500 subscribers with every feature, sending included, though a card is added before the first issue. | AUp to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, and sales of digital products and paid newsletters, all free. That's more subscribers than any other free plan here. What's missing is automations and sequences, and it's 1 user with Kit branding. |
| Features | CLink collection, issue assembly, archive, sponsorships, paid subscriptions and analytics. It does that one job fully, which is a smaller job than general email. | BVisual automations, sequences, landing pages, a newsletter site, tags, segments, paid newsletters, products and a recommendation network. It covers a creator's whole email job. Each sale costs 3.5% plus 30 cents, and Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% fee. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A web app where you build issues yourself. | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a web app where you build the forms, pages and automations yourself, so expect some setting up before it runs on its own. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb with Stripe for payments. No other integrations are listed. | BWeb only, with Shopify, Wix, Fourthwall, Facebook and SparkLoop, 100+ apps on Creator, and an API. No desktop or phone app is listed. |
| Best for | link-based editorial newsletters | creators building a list before they pay |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Curated and Kit. How we grade
Price against what you get
Curated starts at $39 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Kit starts at $33 a month and scores 2.7.
Kit scores higher and starts $6 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 47 score higher than Curated for less, and 3 score higher than Kit for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Curated also covers reports.
- Kit also covers marketing automation and forms.
At a glance
| Curated | Kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $39 per month for up to 2,500 subscribers, billed monthly | $33 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly) |
| Free plan | Free up to 1,500 subscribers with every feature included, including sending. A card is added before the first issue is sent. | Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, tagging and segments, and sales of digital products. No automations. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of Creator or Pro, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Curated | Kit |
| Price read from | curated.co | kit.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Curated
- Price is set by subscriber count across all publications, and the page lists a $399 a month tier at up to 50,000 subscribers.
- Above 50,000 subscribers there is no published price; you contact the vendor.
- Monthly email quota is 31 times the plan's subscriber limit.
- Paying by invoice requires a minimum commitment of $1,000.
Kit
- The Free plan has no automations or email sequences, allows 1 user and keeps Kit branding.
- Product and subscription sales cost 3.5% plus 30 cents each on every plan, card processing included.
- Earnings from Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% Kit fee.
- The Pro first-year discount ends November 30, 2026; the plan then renews at $790 a year for 1,000 subscribers.
Key features
Curated
- Link collection
- Save links with a bookmarklet or by emailing them to a private address, with team members able to contribute.
- Issue assembly
- Import saved links into the next scheduled issue and add an intro, summaries and commentary.
- Web archive
- An optional publication site with searchable back issues, usable on your own domain at no extra fee.
- Sponsorships
- Handles sponsorship inquiries and a bookings calendar for the publication.
- Paid subscriptions
- Paid newsletters through a connected Stripe account; Curated says it takes 0% commission.
- Analytics
- Subscriber-level stats and per-issue reports on who read what and which links were clicked.
Kit
- Visual automations and sequences
- Creator and Pro include unlimited visual automations and email sequences for welcome series, launches and nurture campaigns. The Free plan has neither.
- Landing pages, forms and newsletter site
- Unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms, a newsletter feed and website, and automatic delivery of opt-in freebies on every plan.
- Commerce
- Sell digital products, paid newsletters, recurring subscriptions and tips on any plan, for 3.5% plus 30 cents per sale including card processing.
- Recommendations and sponsorships
- Free creator-to-creator recommendations on every plan. Paid recommendations (Kit keeps 23.5%) and newsletter sponsorships start at Creator.
- Tags, segments and conditional content
- Tag subscribers by entry point or interest, group tags into segments, and use Liquid to show different content to different subscribers.
- Pro audience analytics
- Pro adds engagement scoring, Subscriber Signals audience research, deliverability reporting, an insights dashboard and a SparkLoop referral program.
Plans
Curated
Free$0
per month for up to 1,500 subscribers
All features included. You add a card before sending your first issue but are not charged while at or under 1,500 subscribers.
Up to 2,500 subscribers$39
per month for up to 2,500 subscribers, billed monthly
Price rises with the list: $69 up to 5,000, $129 up to 10,000 subscribers, and $189 up to 15,000.
Up to 25,000 subscribers$299
per month for up to 25,000 subscribers, billed monthly
Steps continue at $399 for 25,001 to 50,000 subscribers; above 50,000 the vendor asks you to get in touch.
Kit
Free$0
Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts. No automations or sequences; Kit branding stays.
Creator$33
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly)
2 users, unlimited visual automations and sequences, no Kit branding, SMS, RSS campaigns and 100+ apps. $1,390 a year at 10,000 subscribers.
Pro$66
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($79 monthly)
Unlimited users, engagement scoring, Subscriber Signals, deliverability reports. First year $50 a month under an offer ending Nov 30, 2026. $1,890 a year at 10,000.
Ways to pay less
Curated
No public discounts listed.
Kit
- Annual discount
Save 17% with yearly billing
Yearly billing costs the same as 10 months: Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $390 a year instead of $468 paid monthly, and Pro is $790 instead of $948.
- Other savings
25% off the first year of annual Pro
Annual Pro is 25% off its first year for lists up to 75,000 ($593 at 1,000 subscribers) and 10% off up to 500,000. Ends November 30, 2026; renews at the standard rate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Curated or Kit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kit is cheaper to start with: $33 a month, against $39 a month for Curated. Curated starts at $39 per month for up to 2,500 subscribers, billed monthly, and Kit starts at $33 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly).
Which has a free plan, Curated or Kit?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Curated and Kit have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.