Curated vs Kit Comparison 2026
Curated exists for one format: a weekly roundup of links with a line of commentary under each, and every feature including sending is free to 1,500 subscribers. Kit is built around automation, sequences and tags that branch depending on what a subscriber does, with a free plan that reaches 10,000 subscribers but only one basic automation. One is a list of links. The other is a sequence that reacts to the reader.
A link newsletter that stays free to 1,500 readers
Email marketing built around automation
At a glance
- Kit starts cheaper, at $29.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
- Curated takes no share of what you earn. Kit takes 3.5%.
Side by side
Curated | Kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $39 | From $29 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | 14 days |
| API | Not stated |
Curated
A link newsletter that stays free to 1,500 readers
Curated is built for the link-roundup newsletter specifically, so collecting items through the week, writing a line under each and having the issue assemble itself is the main path rather than a workaround. Every feature including sending is on the free tier, which runs to 1,500 subscribers. Pricing then moves in published subscriber bands rather than on a quote. Anybody writing long-form essays rather than curating links will find the whole editor shaped around a job they are not doing.
Our note
Take this over a general newsletter tool only if your format really is curation, because the collection workflow is the product and everything else here is ordinary. The band table is worth reading before you grow: the jump from free to $39 arrives at 1,501 subscribers, which is sooner than most people plan for.
Only on this side
- Covers email marketing & automation
Kit
Email marketing built around automation
Kit is the one to pick when the sequences matter more than the newsletter. Visual automations, tagging and conditional content are genuinely good, and the creator network sends real signups. The editor is plainer than its competitors.
Why people weigh these two
- Kit instead of Curated
- Kit is email marketing built around automation, with a free tier and paid from $29; what you give up is an issue that assembles itself from collected links.
- Curated instead of Kit
- Curated stays free until a list passes 1,500 readers, a specific line Kit's free plan does not draw, for a link-roundup newsletter that never needs branching automation.
Which one should you pick
Pick Kit if what happens after somebody subscribes matters as much as the newsletter itself: a welcome sequence that branches, tags that decide who gets what, a product sold to one slice of the list. Its free plan alone reaches 10,000 subscribers, well past Curated's 1,500, though only with one basic automation included.
Pick Curated if the format really is a roundup of links, since the whole editor is built to collect items through the week and assemble the issue for you, with sponsorship slots built into that format. Its free tier tops out far earlier, at 1,500 subscribers before a $39 a month band begins, but includes sending and every other feature from the start.
Common questions
- Which free plan allows more subscribers, Curated or Kit?
- Kit, by a wide margin: its free Newsletter plan runs to 10,000 subscribers against Curated's 1,500. The trade is depth, since Kit's free tier includes only one basic automation, while Curated's free tier carries every feature it has, including sending.
- Does Curated have the branching automations Kit is known for?
- No, Curated is built around the collection and assembly of a link roundup rather than automation. Kit is the one with visual automations, tags and sequences that branch depending on what a subscriber clicks or buys.
- Is Kit cheaper than Curated?
- It depends on list size more than sticker price. Kit's paid tier starts at $29 a month on a slider tied to subscriber count, while Curated stays free to 1,500 subscribers and then charges $39 a month at the next band, so the two are not priced against the same list size.
- Can I sell a product through either newsletter tool?
- Kit takes payment directly, charging 3.5 percent plus 30 cents on top of the plan for digital products or paid newsletters sold through it. Curated is built around sponsorship slots instead, the way most link newsletters actually monetise, rather than a built-in checkout.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.