If you’re researching a Kit review, or want to explore a solid Kit alternative, you’re in the right place.
Kit is a favorite among creators, bloggers, and digital entrepreneurs—thanks to its simple interface and strong automation capabilities. But it’s not for everyone.
Icegram Express, a lesser-known yet powerful WordPress-native email marketing plugin, offers a different approach. It’s free, flexible, and offers full control inside your WordPress dashboard.
This blog breaks down the strengths, weaknesses, and best use cases of Kit vs Icegram Express, so you can make an informed decision for your business.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
Platform type
Kit is a fully hosted SaaS platform. You don’t need to install anything or maintain software, it all lives in the cloud. Ideal for creators who want a “set it and forget it” email marketing tool.
In contrast, Icegram Express is a native WordPress plugin. It integrates directly with your site, giving you full control over subscribers, data, and customization—all without leaving your WP dashboard.
User interface/Ease of use
Kit’s interface is clean and minimal—perfect for creators who prefer simplicity. Automations, forms, and emails are all accessible in a streamlined workflow.
Icegram Express follows WordPress conventions. If you’re comfortable with WP, you’ll love how native it feels. It may have more features packed in, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming for WP users.
Subscriber limits (Free Plan)
Kit’s free plan lets you add up to 1,000 subscribers—but emails include branding and some features like automation are restricted.
Icegram Express, on the other hand, offers unlimited subscribers on all plans, even the free one, with no branding added.
Email sending limit
Kit allows unlimited emails even on the free plan, but those emails carry Kit branding unless you upgrade.
Icegram Express allows up to 10,000 emails/month for free—and all emails are clean and unbranded.
Email editor
Kit’s block editor is basic and clean. It’s great for sending minimal, no-nonsense emails, but design flexibility is limited.
Icegram Express lets you design emails using your WordPress theme styles. You can also use shortcodes or custom HTML for more control, which is perfect if you want emails that match your site branding.
Forms & opt-ins
Kit has embedded forms and basic pop-ups, but targeting is limited.
Icegram Express offers advanced opt-in types such as slide-ins, pop-ups, inline forms, notification bars, and behavior targeting like scroll triggers, exit intent, and device targeting. Even the free plan includes this.
Landing pages
Kit includes a drag-and-drop landing page builder with pre-designed templates. You can build and host landing pages even without a website.
Icegram Express doesn’t include a native landing page builder, but integrates well with WordPress page builders like Elementor, Gutenberg, and Beaver Builder.
Automation
Kit shines here—it has a beautiful visual automation builder with powerful features like branching, delays, tagging, and behavior flows.
Icegram Express offers automation features too, even on the free plan. While not as visual, it allows triggers based on user behavior like clicks, visits, or form submissions.
Autoresponders
Kit allows time-based sequences, great for onboarding or nurturing campaigns.
Icegram Express takes this further with action-based triggers, giving you more flexibility to respond to real-time behavior.
Segmentation
Both platforms use tags to segment users. Kit does a great job of letting you assign tags based on actions.
Icegram Express supports both list and tag-based segmentation and also ties segmentation into WordPress behavior.
Deliverability
Kit has built-in sending infrastructure with a strong sender reputation—great for hassle-free deliverability.
Icegram Express allows you to choose your SMTP service (like Amazon SES, Mailgun, SendGrid), giving you control and lower costs.
Analytics & reporting
Kit includes visual reporting, great for automation tracking and performance insights.
Icegram Express gives you open/click/bounce/unsubscribe stats and lets you export data – Indeed a perfect tool for marketers who want raw numbers.
Digital product sales
Kit supports direct selling of products, subscriptions, or donations via Stripe. No external eCommerce plugin needed.
Icegram Express doesn’t support digital selling natively—you’ll need to integrate WooCommerce or EDD.
Integrations
Kit integrates with Zapier, Shopify, Teachable, and other SaaS tools.
Icegram Express integrates deeply with WordPress tools—LMS, membership plugins, WooCommerce, etc.
GDPR tools
Both platforms are GDPR-compliant. They offer features like double opt-in, consent checkboxes, and subscriber data management.
Customer support
Kit offers email support on free plans and live chat on paid plans.
Icegram Express offers email support on both free and paid tiers, with detailed documentation and tutorials.
Pricing
Kit’s free plan caps at 1,000 subs, with limited features. Paid plans start at $29/month and increase with list size. Check out Kit pricing here.
Icegram Express is free forever for unlimited subscribers. Premium versions offer more features with flat pricing, regardless of subscriber count.
Kit vs. Icegram Express: Who wins?
| Feature | Kit Summary | Icegram Express Summary | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform type | Fully hosted SaaS platform, no maintenance needed. | Native WordPress plugin, full control inside WP dashboard. | Tie |
| UI/Ease of use | Minimalist, beginner-friendly interface. | Follows WordPress UI conventions; familiar to WP users. | Tie |
| Subscriber limit | Free plan up to 1,000 subscribers with branding. | Unlimited subscribers on all plans, including free. | Icegram Express |
| Email limit | Unlimited emails with branding on free plan. | 10,000 unbranded emails/month free plan. | Icegram Express |
| Email editor | Simple block-based editor with limited styling. | Uses WP theme styles with shortcode/HTML customization. | Tie |
| Opt-ins | Embedded forms and pop-ups with limited targeting. | Slide-ins, pop-ups, inline forms with advanced triggers. | Icegram Express |
| Landing pages | Built-in landing page builder with templates. | No native builder; integrates with WP page builders. | Kit |
| Automation | Visual, advanced automation with tagging and branching. | Behavior and time-based automation, less visual but robust. | Kit |
| Autoresponders | Time-based sequences for drip campaigns. | Time and action-triggered autoresponders. | Icegram Express |
| Segmentation | Tag-based segmentation based on user behavior. | Lists, tags, and behavior segmentation inside WP. | Tie |
| Deliverability | Managed sending with strong reputation. | User-controlled SMTP for flexibility and cost savings. | Tie |
| Analytics | Visual stats and automation performance insights. | Detailed stats with export options. | Kit |
| Digital sales | Built-in product sales via Stripe. | Requires WooCommerce or other plugins for sales. | Kit |
| Integrations | Integrates with many SaaS platforms via Zapier etc. | Deep WordPress plugin integrations (LMS, WooCommerce, etc). | Tie |
| GDPR tools | Double opt-in, consent, and cookie notices included. | Full GDPR features with privacy notices and consent boxes. | Tie |
| Support | Email support on free, live chat on paid plans. | Email support on all plans with rich documentation. | Icegram Express |
| Pricing | Starts free, paid plans increase with subscriber count. | Flat pricing, unlimited subscribers, free plan available. | Icegram Express |
Verdict: What the real users prefer?
| Aspect | Kit User Preference | Icegram Express User Preference |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Simplified SaaS experience for creators | Native WP users who want control in the dashboard |
| Pricing | Good for small to mid lists, pricier as you scale | Best value for large lists with no subscriber limit |
| Automation | Highly praised visual automation builder | Effective automation, but less visual |
| Design flexibility | Basic email editor | More customizable via WP themes and HTML |
| Customer support | Responsive, especially on paid plans | Strong support across all tiers |
| Feature completeness | Built-in commerce and SaaS integrations | Deep WordPress plugin ecosystem integrations |
Final verdict: Which email marketing tool should you use?
Both platforms are excellent—but they serve different audiences.
Choose Kit if you
- You are a creator or educator
- Want a fully hosted platform
- Need advanced visual automations
- Plan to sell digital products directly
Choose Icegram Express if you
- Use WordPress and want a native experience
- Prefer unlimited subscribers without price hikes
- Want powerful opt-ins and automation for free
- Need flexibility with your SMTP provider
Our recommendation
Kit is an excellent choice for creators, coaches, and digital product sellers who want a clean, hosted experience with powerful visual automations. It’s built for those who don’t want to deal with plugins, updates, or integrations beyond a hosted platform.
But if you’re a WordPress user, prefer owning your audience and data, and want more control without recurring costs, then Icegram Express is clearly the better long-term solution.
- 100% WordPress-native
- Unlimited subscribers
- Powerful opt-ins, automation & email design built-in
- No branding, no locked features, no surprises
In short:
- Choose Kit if you’re a SaaS-first creator focused on digital products.
- Choose Icegram Express if you live in WordPress and want powerful, privacy-respecting email marketing, without the price tag.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap!
I‘ve got a lot covered, but not enough for you not to give it a try.
I am sure that with a profound tool like Kit, there is a lot more waiting to be explored!
Test it out and let us know your experiences, opinions, suggestions, and other alternatives(if any).
Whether you were searching for a Kit review, looking for a Kit alternative, or deciding between Kit vs Icegram Express, I hope this guide helped you make a clear, informed choice.
Looking forward to speaking with you in the comments below!
P.S.: While you are on the lookout for a tool that can work for your email marketing operations, check out another prominent one in the market that is making waves in recent times.
Check out Icegram Express!
FAQ
Can I import subscribers from another email marketing tool?
Yes.
Does Kit support transactional emails like order confirmations or password resets?
No, Kit is focused on marketing emails, not transactional ones. For those, you’ll need a separate transactional email service..
Are there email scheduling options across different time zones?
Yes. You can schedule broadcasts to send at a specific time based on your own time zone. However, Kit currently doesn’t support per-subscriber time zone optimization..
Does Kit have a mobile app?
No, Kit does not offer a fully functional mobile app. Some third-party tools offer partial functionality, but most campaign creation and analytics are best handled on a desktop.
Can you add multiple users or team members to a Kit account?
Team access is available, but only on Creator Pro plans. You can assign user roles (Admin or Viewer), but there’s no granular permissions system.
How easy is it to cancel Kit or switch to another platform?
Canceling is straightforward and can be done through your account settings. Exporting your subscribers, sequences, and reports is possible, though you’ll need to manually recreate automations and forms on the new platform.