Which email platform is better? Flodesk vs. ConvertKit
“Which email platform is better Flodesk or ConvertKit?” This is a question I’ve been asked 100s of times as a OBM Tech Specialist.
Choosing any tech for your business can be stressful and overwhelming, there are so many options to choose from and the last thing you want to do is sign up for something and find out that it doesn’t work for your business.
But don’t worry I’m here to make this decision less confusing for you!
(pst, don’t miss this blog post about the biggest questions to ask when choosing the right platforms for your business)
Flodesk and ConvertKit are 2 of the biggest email service providers out there for online business owners.
I’ve worked on both of them for various clients (and I personally use Flodesk) and now I’m going to tell you why I love each of these platforms and where they fall short.
By the end of this post, you’ll feel confident in your decision and ready to crush your email marketing!
💰 Price Comparison.
ConvertKit - free up to 1000 subscribers, no automated sequences included, limited analytics. Creator account starting at $9/month for up 300 subscribers and then will increase from there.
Flodesk - $35/month, no matter your email list size
✨ Which is easier to use?
Both of these platforms are easy to use IMO.
The interface of Flodesk is more visually appealing and has straightforward steps when setting up a single email or an email sequence.
ConvertKit is user-friendly as well, it’s just not as pretty.
💌 Email & Landing Page Templates
This is where Flodesk shines! Flodesk is loaded with pre-made templates that you can customize, although I wish you could customize a little more but overall the templates are beautiful and can be used for several types of campaigns.
Once you find or create designs you love, you can save the email as a favorite and use it as a template.
ConvertKit does have pre-made templates and ones that you can create from scratch. IMO they just aren’t as pretty BUT new designs are being added all the time, you will have to do some searching around to find the templates: Send -> Email templates -> Template Library
🎨 Design Features
Custom Fonts
Available in Flodesk
Brand Colors
Both platforms allow you to save your brand colors
Layout Options
Both platforms offer layout blocks (image + text | columns | text + button blocks, etc) but IMO Flodesk is way better!
⭐️ Extra Bonuses
Countdown: Flodesk & ConvertKit
Giphy: available within Flodesk. For ConvertKit, you’ll have to download a GIF and then upload it into your email as a photo.
Instagram Feed Preview: available on Flodesk
🔁 Email Sequences & Automation
Creating email funnels (or sequences) can be…a lot… so it’s so important that the building of the funnel doesn’t send you sobbing towards a bottle of Pinot or a pint of ice cream.
Both platforms are pretty easy when it comes to building funnels that walk you through the process, loading emails and then setting when to send them.
But when it comes to funnels, segmenting and tagging could be crucial step and there’s a clear front-runner on who has this feature.
🏷️ Segmenting & Tagging
As much as I love Flodesk, this is where I typically tell people that this could be the KEY difference between the two - segmenting & tagging - because ConvertKit is the winner of this category. (at least at the time of this post, March 2024)
Segments = categories for your subscribers
Tags = another way to categorize your subscribers within a segment
With ConvertKit, you’re able to tag a subscriber when they click on a button or an action is made.
Other examples, of why you may want to tag people:
Identify who clicked on a link but didn’t buy (so that you can send a follow-up email)
Remove people from a segment who already purchased so they don’t continue to get promo emails during a launch period
Send super specific emails to a niche within a segment, etc.
For some business owners, you may not need this feature BUT when working with clients on Flodesk when they’re launching, I wish that we had this available because we end up relying on outside platforms like Zapier. Which is fine but I always find, the less tech the better.
Flodesk has said that it’s on their “roadmap” to make this feature available.
📈 Analytics - See what’s working with your email marketing
Last year, this would have been another trophy for ConvertKit but Flodesk added an amazing analytics section in 2023. Now both platforms allow you to dive deep into your subscribers' behavior and email performance.
To get full analytics on ConvertKit, you will have to have a Creator account - which is a bummer.
🛍️ Checkout features to sell your digital products
As the digital product boom continues, email service providers are making sure that they can tap into the market by providing checkout options.
What makes this a great option is that you are able to send confirmation emails and funnels directly through Flodesk or ConvertKit without needing a zap (outside automation tool).
If aesthetics are important to you - then I would choose Flodesk over ConvertKit because there isn’t much customization to ConvertKit’s checkout page.
So how do you choose between Flodesk and ConvertKit?
Here are 3 key questions to consider.
How important is design to you?
If you like aesthetics and designs without having to create something outside of the platform, then choose Flodesk.
How important is tagging?
If you’re planning on doing several email funnels, events, launches, etc. and want control over who receives the emails based on behaviors, then I would suggest ConvertKit.
There are ways to work around this using Flodesk + Zapier until Flodesk rolls out their tagging feature.
How large is your email list?
If you have a large email list, I would go with Flodesk. Personally, I don’t think you should have to pay more as your list continues to grow.
TL:DR
If you like pretty, simple to use emails ➡️ Flodesk
Need more “advanced” tagging and behavior-driven funnels ➡️ ConvertKit
Which tech platforms should I review next? Send me a message and let me know!
Hi, I’m Krystle. Techie & Content Marketing Specialist
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