SendyvsConvertKit

Sendy vs ConvertKit

Maximum savings vs creator economy

TL;DR

Sendy is a $69 one-time purchase that sends via Amazon SES for ~$0.10 per 1,000 emails. ConvertKit is a creator-focused platform starting at $29/month for 1,000 subscribers. If you can self-host and want to minimize costs, Sendy wins. If you're a creator wanting monetization tools and polished experience, ConvertKit wins.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Cost Structure
Sendy wins

At 10,000 subscribers, Sendy costs $1-5/month (SES fees only). ConvertKit costs $119/month. That's $1,300+ per year in savings. But ConvertKit includes monetization features that can generate revenue Sendy cannot.

Creator Monetization
ConvertKit wins

ConvertKit has built-in paid newsletters, digital product sales, and tip jars. Creators can monetize directly without additional tools. Sendy is email-only with no commerce features.

Technical Requirements
ConvertKit wins

Sendy requires server administration, Amazon SES setup, and ongoing maintenance. ConvertKit is sign-up-and-start. For non-technical creators, this difference is decisive.

Audience Building
ConvertKit wins

ConvertKit has landing pages, beautiful forms, and the Creator Network for cross-promotion. Sendy has basic forms and no discovery features. For audience growth, ConvertKit is far superior.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 subscribers

Sendy
~$1-5/month

One-time $69 license + Amazon SES costs. No per-subscriber fees.

Visit Sendy
ConvertKit
$119/month

Creator Pro plan for 10k subscribers with full features.

Visit ConvertKit
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, native Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Sendy
ConvertKit
Sequenzy
Pricing & Costs
Upfront Cost
$69 one-time
$0
$0
Monthly Cost (10k subs)
~$1-5 (SES only)
$119
$49
Free Tier
No (one-time purchase)
Up to 10k subs (limited)
14-day trial
Hosting Required
Yes, self-host
Creator Features
Paid Newsletters
Built-in (Creator Network)
Digital Product Sales
Built-in Commerce
Tip Jar
Built-in
Landing Pages
Unlimited
Signup Forms
Basic
Beautiful, customizable
Good
Email Features
Email Campaigns
Basic
Good
Good
Visual Automation
Visual builder
Visual builder
Tagging System
Basic lists
Advanced tags
Tags + events
Template Design
Basic, dated
Minimal, clean
Modern
Technical & Support
Setup Difficulty
Requires server admin
Sign up and go
Sign up and go
Updates
Manual
Automatic
Automatic
Support
Community/forums
Email, chat, community
Founder support
Creator Community
Active creator network

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Sendy if you...
  • Technical users sending newsletters at scale
  • Those prioritizing cost savings over features
  • Basic newsletter needs without monetization
  • Developers comfortable with self-hosting
Choose ConvertKit if you...
  • Content creators and bloggers
  • Writers wanting paid newsletters
  • Coaches selling digital products
  • Creators building audience-based businesses
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies with Stripe billing
  • Startups wanting modern automation
  • Businesses needing payment-triggered emails
  • Teams wanting transactional + marketing unified

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS Not Creator Focus

If you're building a SaaS rather than a creator business, neither Sendy nor ConvertKit is ideal. Sequenzy offers event-based automation and Stripe integration designed for software companies.

Native Stripe Integration

ConvertKit has its own commerce. Sendy has none. Sequenzy integrates directly with your existing Stripe for payment-triggered automation and revenue attribution.

Modern Without Self-Hosting

Sequenzy offers advanced automation like ConvertKit without the creator-specific features. If you need power without managing servers, Sequenzy is the middle ground.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Sendy and ConvertKit serve completely different markets. Sendy is for technical users who want to minimize costs through self-hosting. ConvertKit is for creators who want a polished platform with monetization built in. The choice often comes down to who you are.

Different Users, Different Needs

Sendy targets technical senders who prioritize cost savings. ConvertKit targets creators who want to build audience-based businesses. A developer sending newsletters chooses differently than a blogger building a paid community.

Sendy's Cost Advantage

At 10,000 subscribers, Sendy costs $1-5/month (just Amazon SES fees). ConvertKit costs $119/month. Over a year, that's $1,300+ in savings. At larger list sizes, savings grow proportionally. If pure cost matters most, Sendy wins.

ConvertKit's Creator Features

ConvertKit has paid newsletters, digital product sales, tip jars, beautiful landing pages, and the Creator Network for cross-promotion. These features can generate revenue that exceeds the platform cost. Sendy has none of this.

Technical Reality

Sendy requires server administration. You need PHP/MySQL hosting, Amazon SES setup, and ongoing maintenance. ConvertKit is sign-up-and-start. For non-technical creators, Sendy isn't really an option.

Email Design Philosophy

ConvertKit intentionally uses minimal, text-focused email design. The theory is that personal-looking emails perform better for creators. Sendy has dated templates. Neither is ideal for visual marketing, but they're different kinds of not-ideal.

For SaaS Companies

Neither platform is built for SaaS. Sendy lacks modern automation. ConvertKit lacks Stripe integration for subscription businesses. For SaaS companies wanting payment-triggered emails, consider Sequenzy.

Making the Choice

Choose Sendy if you're technical, sending basic newsletters, and want to minimize costs. Choose ConvertKit if you're a creator wanting monetization tools and audience growth features. For SaaS companies, consider Sequenzy.

Frequently Asked Questions

At 10,000 subscribers, Sendy costs $1-5/month (SES fees) vs ConvertKit's $119/month. That's $1,300+ per year in savings. At 50,000 subscribers, savings exceed $5,000/year.

No. Sendy is email-only with no commerce features. ConvertKit has built-in paid subscriptions, digital product sales, and tip jars. For monetization, you'd need to add separate tools to Sendy.

For most creators, yes. The monetization features, landing pages, and audience growth tools often generate more revenue than the cost difference. If you're serious about creator business, ConvertKit pays for itself.

ConvertKit's free plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers but lacks automation and some features. For basic newsletters, it's a good alternative to Sendy without self-hosting. But paid plans get expensive.

ConvertKit intentionally uses minimal, text-focused design (like personal emails). Sendy has dated templates. Neither is great for visual marketing emails, but ConvertKit's simplicity is intentional for creators.

No. Sendy has basic signup forms only. ConvertKit has unlimited landing pages with customizable templates. For audience building, this is a significant gap.

Your emails stop until you fix it. You're responsible for uptime and recovery. With ConvertKit, infrastructure is handled for you with guaranteed uptime.

Export subscribers from Sendy as CSV. Import into ConvertKit with tag mapping. Set up landing pages and forms. Build automations in ConvertKit's visual builder. Decommission Sendy server. ConvertKit has migration guides for common platforms.

Export subscribers with tags from ConvertKit. Set up Sendy server with PHP/MySQL and Amazon SES. Import subscribers into Sendy lists (tags become lists). Recreate templates manually. Note that automations, landing pages, and commerce won't transfer.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com