News & Media · head to head
ConvertKit vs FastSpring

ConvertKit
News & Media
The creator platform for digital professionals
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -

FastSpring
E-commerce
Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ConvertKit the free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying; FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
- They diverge on capability: ConvertKit covers Email marketing, FastSpring covers Global online payments.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ConvertKit and FastSpring actually diverge.
| Attribute | ConvertKit | FastSpring |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | transaction |
| Platforms | Web | web, api |
| Category | News & Media | E-commerce |
| Founded | 2013 | 2006 |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ConvertKit
- Email marketing
- Landing pages
- Subscriber tagging
- Automation workflows
- Digital product sales
- Broadcast emails
- Subscriber segments
- Email templates
Only in FastSpring
- Global online payments
- Subscription billing
- Branded checkout
- Tax compliance
- Fraud prevention
- Digital invoicing and quotes
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ConvertKit
- Sending newsletters and email sequences to an audiencenot FastSpring
- Selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing listnot FastSpring
FastSpring
- Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot ConvertKit
- B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot ConvertKit
- Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot ConvertKit
- Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot ConvertKit
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ConvertKit
- The free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying
- The free plan is a single user, and the Creator plan at $33 a month allows two
- Subscriber signals, engagement analytics and paid recommendations are Pro only, at $66 a month
- A/B testing is capped at 2 subject lines below Pro, which allows 5
- Paid pricing is banded by subscriber count, so the published figures apply only at the smallest band
FastSpring
- Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
- As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
- Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
- Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.
Pricing, plan by plan
ConvertKit
On request- Creator$29/month
- Up to 10K subscribers
- Email campaigns
- Landing pages
- Creator Pro$79/month
- Unlimited subscribers
- Advanced automation
- Digital products
FastSpring
On request- Custom$undefined/mo
- All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
- No subscription fees or per-feature charges
- Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers
Which should you pick?
Choose FastSpring if
- You need global online payments.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want subscription billing.
Questions people ask
- Is ConvertKit or FastSpring better?
- Neither clearly leads. ConvertKit starts at On request and FastSpring at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ConvertKit or FastSpring?
- ConvertKit starts at On request and FastSpring at On request.
- Does ConvertKit or FastSpring run on more platforms?
- ConvertKit runs on Web. FastSpring runs on web, api.
- What is ConvertKit best used for?
- ConvertKit is most often used for sending newsletters and email sequences to an audience, selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing list. Of those, sending newsletters and email sequences to an audience and selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing list are not what FastSpring is typically brought in for.
- What can ConvertKit do that FastSpring cannot?
- ConvertKit covers Email marketing, Landing pages, Subscriber tagging, Automation workflows. FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?
FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.
SourceFastSpring: Is there a free plan?
FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.
SourceFastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?
FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.
SourceRelated pages
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- FastSpring vs Buttondown
- FastSpring vs FullStory
- FastSpring vs Hotjar
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- FastSpring vs Contentful
- FastSpring vs Algolia
- FastSpring vs Authorize.net
- FastSpring vs Bluepark
- FastSpring vs Braintree
- FastSpring vs Checkout.com
- FastSpring vs CJ Dropshipping
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- FastSpring vs Razorpay
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- FastSpring vs SamCart
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