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ConvertKit vs The Old Reader

ConvertKit logo

ConvertKit

News

The creator platform for digital professionals

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
The Old Reader logo

The Old Reader

News

A classic RSS reader for the modern web

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: ConvertKit covers Email marketing, The Old Reader covers RSS reading.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ConvertKit and The Old Reader actually diverge.

Attributes where ConvertKit and The Old Reader differ
AttributeConvertKitThe Old Reader
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20132012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (News).

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 The Old Reader

  • RSS reading
  • Social sharing
  • Following friends
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • OPML import/export
  • Third-party apps
  • Browser bookmarklet
  • Ios support

Both cover

  • Web support

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 The Old Reader
  • Selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing listnot The Old Reader

The Old Reader

  • RSS readingnot ConvertKit
  • News aggregationnot ConvertKit
  • Social readingnot 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

The Old Reader

Nothing recorded yet. See the The Old Reader review.

Pricing, plan by plan

ConvertKit

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 10,000 subscribers
    • Unlimited landing pages and forms
    • Unlimited email broadcasts
  • Creator$33/month
    • Up to 1,000 subscribers
    • Unlimited visual automations
    • Email sequences
  • Pro$66/month
    • Up to 1,000 subscribers
    • Everything in Creator plan
    • Subscriber engagement scoring

The Old Reader

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 subscriptions
    • Social features
    • Web access
  • Premium$3/month
    • 500 subscriptions
    • Search history
    • Priority refresh
  • Supporter$5/month
    • Unlimited subscriptions
    • All premium features
    • Support development

Which should you pick?

Choose ConvertKit if

  • You need email marketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want landing pages.
ConvertKit review

Choose The Old Reader if

  • You need rss reading.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want social sharing.
The Old Reader review

Questions people ask

Is ConvertKit or The Old Reader better?
Neither clearly leads. ConvertKit starts at Free and The Old Reader at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ConvertKit or The Old Reader?
ConvertKit starts at Free and The Old Reader at Free.
Does ConvertKit or The Old Reader run on more platforms?
ConvertKit runs on Web. The Old Reader runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use ConvertKit for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 The Old Reader is typically brought in for.
What can ConvertKit do that The Old Reader cannot?
ConvertKit covers Email marketing, Landing pages, Subscriber tagging, Automation workflows. The Old Reader covers RSS reading, Social sharing, Following friends, Keyboard shortcuts. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ConvertKit: How much does ConvertKit cost?

ConvertKit offers a free tier and two paid plans: Creator at $33/month (annual $390/year saving $78) and Pro at $66/month (annual $790/year saving $158). All plans include unlimited landing pages, email broadcasts, and audience management features.

Source
ConvertKit: What does the free ConvertKit plan include?

The free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited landing pages, forms, email broadcasts, audience tagging, and digital product sales. No credit card required to start.

Source
ConvertKit: What are the subscriber limits on ConvertKit plans?

The free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers. Both Creator and Pro paid tiers support up to 1,000 subscribers. This creates a subscriber limit decrease when upgrading from free to paid plans.

Source
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