ActiveCampaign vs Kit
Both are on our shortlist for course creators. They part company on several things that matter more than the monthly price.
ActiveCampaign 
Kit Which one, for whom
- A list already in the thousands Kit Kit stays free to 10,000 subscribers against ActiveCampaign's nothing.
- Worried about being locked in Kit ActiveCampaign's terms cut off access to your contact data when you cancel. Kit does not do that.
- Selling the course from the same tool Kit Kit can take the payment itself, so you do not need a separate checkout.
Side by side
| ActiveCampaign | Kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | None | 10,000 subscribers |
| Free sends | 14-day trial only | Unlimited broadcasts |
| Welcome sequence on free | No | No |
| Paid from | A$23/mo | $33/mo |
| The catch | Starter caps you at 5 actions per automation, which a real welcome sequence will hit. | Digital product sales carry a 3.5% + 30c fee on every plan. |
Figures read off each vendor's own pricing page on 5 September 2026. Where a row says not published, that vendor does not state a price at that list size and we will not invent one.
Getting your list back out
ActiveCampaign
Read this before you sign up. Their terms say that on cancellation "you will not have access to or be able to restore any Contact Data". Export your list before you cancel, not after.
Kit
Deleting the account is self-serve and takes 24 to 48 hours. Export first: their help page says all data is permanently deleted, with no recovery window documented.
Try either one
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ActiveCampaign Deepest automation, once the list pays for itself
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See ActiveCampaign pricing Read the full ActiveCampaign breakdown Kit Biggest free list, sells products out of the box
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Start free on Kit Read the full Kit breakdownActiveCampaign vs Kit, answered
- Is ActiveCampaign or Kit better for an online course?
- Neither is better outright, and anyone who says so is guessing on your behalf. Kit if you are a list already in the thousands. Kit if you are worried about being locked in. Kit if you are selling the course from the same tool.
- Which of ActiveCampaign and Kit has the better free plan?
- Kit allows more free subscribers (10,000 against none). A bigger allowance is not automatically the better plan: check the welcome sequence row above, because that is where the two usually part company.
- Can I move from ActiveCampaign to Kit later?
- Yes, and you should assume you will. Export your list before you cancel anything, and keep the tag that says who bought from you. We wrote the order of operations up separately.
Moving between them? Read the switching guide first, or answer four questions to check neither of these is the wrong shortlist.