How Circle and Kit compare
Circle is where serious community hosts go when the community is the business. Spaces for discussion and chat, courses and events in the same place, paid memberships with branded checkout, gamification, workflows, Circle AI, and on Circle Plus your own branded iOS and Android apps. It has grown into an all-in-one for membership businesses, and the Website Builder and Email Hub mean many hosts no longer need a second tool for the front door. If your members log in every week to talk to each other, Circle is built for exactly that.
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is email marketing made for creators. Forms and landing pages, tags and segments, visual automations, sequences, a Creator Network for recommendations, paid newsletters, and Kit Commerce for digital products give a creator everything the list needs, with a free plan to start. It is thoughtful and built by people who know creators.
Where they are different
Circle
- Circle's pages are the front door to a members-only space.
- Circle's Email Hub is an add-on priced per contact on top of the plan.
- Circle's DMs live between members inside the community.
- Circle has courses, live streams, paid tiers for users, and gamification.
Kit
- Kit's landing pages are lead capture.
- Kit sends from its infrastructure.
- Kit Commerce sells digital products.
Choose Circle when a paid, private community with courses and events is the product, and you want members in a branded app.
Choose Kit when the list is the business and you want the deepest creator-focused email tooling.
Compare features
What's on Circle and Kit
A check means that capability is available. Circle and Kit are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Site and brand
- Workspace siteCircle: IncludedKit: Included
- Custom domainCircle: IncludedKit: Included
- Theme and fontsCircle: IncludedKit: Included
Public content
- Reader engagementCircle: IncludedKit: Not included
- Showcase pagesCircle: IncludedKit: Not included
Reach and quality
- SEOCircle: IncludedKit: Included
Audience and email
- AudienceCircle: IncludedKit: Included
- Email templates and From addressesCircle: IncludedKit: Included
- Marketing emailsCircle: IncludedKit: Included
- Campaign workflowsCircle: IncludedKit: Included
Messaging
- Built-in chatCircle: IncludedKit: Not included
Commerce
- Shop paymentsCircle: IncludedKit: Included
Team
- Admin usersCircle: IncludedKit: Included
- AI AssistantCircle: IncludedKit: Included
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Circle or Kit, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Circle or Kit may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Circle vs Kit pricing
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Circle
Current plans and prices
See what Circle charges on their pricing page.
Kit
Current plans and prices
See what Kit charges on their pricing page.
Cardel: An alternative to
Circle and Kit
You don't pay until you publish.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own.
Common questions
Is Cardel an alternative to Circle or Kit?
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Circle or Kit when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Circle and Kit are marked.
Can I use Cardel with Circle or Kit?
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Circle or Kit for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
How much does Cardel cost compared with Circle and Kit?
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Circle and Kit set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.
How do I switch from Circle or Kit to Cardel?
Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.