According to a recent study, over 80% of businesses and 82% of marketers worldwide rely on email marketing, which makes it crucial for any business.  

Content Marketing Institute says that after social media, email marketing is the go-to channel for organic B2B marketing, with an impressive 87% usage rate.

Choosing the right email marketing platform is essential for running effective campaigns. But if you’re like many others, you might find yourself confused between multiple tools.

In this article, we’ll compare Flodesk vs ConvertKit- two prominent email marketing platforms. We will run some live tests to find out which one is the best. 

Keep reading!

A Quick Peek into Flodesk and Covertkit

Before focusing on the differences between Flodesk and ConvertKit, it’s essential to understand a quick overview of these tools. You’ll learn more about them (features, functionalities, and suitability) in the later parts of this post.

A) Flodesk

Flodesk offers an all-in-one solution for email marketing and digital sales. With easy-to-use tools, you can design captivating emails, sales pages, and link-in-bio designs. The platform enables seamless automation and provides insightful analytics.

B) Convertkit

ConvertKit is a marketing hub designed for creators. It offers tools for growing your audience, sending beautiful emails, automating marketing tasks, and earning income. With a free 14-day trial and no credit card required, it’s easy to get started and see the benefits firsthand.

Flodesk vs Convertkit: Key Differences Through Live Tests

We’ll explore various features of these platforms and we will conduct side-by-side analyses in order to gain insights into their functionalities, strengths, and weaknesses.

These tests will provide you with valuable insights for making an informed decision for your email marketing needs.

1) Testing Phase One: Setting Up Accounts

Setting up accounts on both Flodesk and ConvertKit is a hassle-free process. Both platforms offer the convenience of signing up without requiring credit card information. They provide trial periods for users to explore their features.

In ConvertKit, you’re taken directly to the landing page creation page upon opening an account. You can then explore step by step by clicking buttons.

On the other hand, Flodesk shows you some templates after opening the account. Both systems are user-friendly. Depending on your preferences, you may like either of them.

Preference: Both platforms performed satisfactorily. They demonstrated user-friendly account setup processes. Additionally, their friendly interfaces facilitated efficient navigation during the initial setup stages.

2) Testing Phase Two: Ease of Use

When it comes to choosing between ConvertKit and Flodesk for your email marketing needs, it ultimately boils down to your preferences and priorities.

Flodesk is very good at visual appeal, with tons of stunning templates at your fingertips. It creates a polished and professional-looking email to run your campaigns. Its user-friendly interface guides beginners through a four-step workflow, making the process straightforward and accessible.

If you know email marketing and have experience with it, Flodesk might feel a bit too clicky with all its options. But if you care a lot about making your emails look great and love dragging and dropping, then Flodesk is awesome.

But ConvertKit is all about keeping it simple yet meaningful. Its email editor is straightforward, though it doesn’t have as many fancy options as Flodesk.

ConvertKit goes for a minimalist vibe, and it offers basic templates that feel like you’re getting a friendly note rather than a sales pitch. This plain approach is great for creators who want to connect with their audience on a personal level.

However, if your brand needs flashy emails or you’re selling visually appealing products, ConvertKit might feel a bit limited.

ConvertKit is for tech-savvy creators who want simple and authentic emails. Flodesk suits beginners who like drag-and-drop designs. Flodesk guides newbies step-by-step, but pros might find it too much.

Ultimately, the choice between the two platforms hinges on your specific needs, whether it’s prioritizing ease of use, visual aesthetics, or a balance of both.

Preference: Flodesk stands out for its beginner-friendly interface. Complete with helpful hints and prompts that gently guide users through the process.

On the other hand, ConvertKit opts for a more consolidated approach. Users can handle all editing tasks conveniently on one page. Given the unique advantages of each platform, this testing round ends in a tie.

3) Design and Flexibility

When it comes to designing emails that represent your brand, both Flodesk and ConvertKit offer flexibility. Flodesk stands out with its diverse selection of visually appealing templates that you can customize effortlessly using drag-and-drop features. Its’ interface is sleek and intuitive, and it enhances the overall user experience.

On the other hand, ConvertKit’s design may seem a bit cluttered initially, but it provides all the necessary tools on a single page, which can be convenient once you’re familiar with it. Despite this, ConvertKit has a more limited template library compared to Flodesk, and it gives you fewer customization options.

Preferences: Flodesk emerges as the clear winner for design and flexibility- thanks to its extensive template selection and user-friendly interface.

4) Testing Phase Four: Email Builder

Flodesk’s email designer is top-notch. It makes it easy to create professional emails in under 5 minutes with its simple 4-step process. Besides, their templates are stunning, elegant, and polished.

However, Flodesk falls short in advanced features such as automated newsletters, A/B testing for subject lines, and the ability to add custom HTML or CSS to emails. These limitations might not be a big deal initially but can pose significant challenges as your business expands.

ConvertKit’s email builder is user-friendly and offers more features than Flodesk. You can select from pre-built templates or create your own, including plain text options. Personalization and email previews are available before sending.

A standout feature of ConvertKit is the ability to edit links in sent emails. This means if you make a mistake in a sent email, like sending the wrong purchase link during a sale, you can update it without sending another email. It’s a handy feature that feels like magic!

Preferences: ConvertKit wins this round for its advanced features, like link editing in sent emails. It adds convenience and efficiency to Flodesk’s impressive design capabilities.

5) Testing Phase Five: Email List Management

Segmenting your subscribers based on their interests and needs is crucial for sending relevant information. In ConvertKit, you can manage your list in two ways: through Segments and Tags.

Segments group subscribers with similar interests or who signed up for the same event. Tags are assigned based on actions, like purchasing a product or clicking a link.

You can manually assign Segments and Tags or automate the process using visual automation and rules. ConvertKit allows for intricate segmentation, such as tagging subscribers interested in specific products or topics.

Flodesk offers segmentation capabilities. It allows you to create segments and automatically add subscribers through automation.

However, it lacks the additional layer of tags found in ConvertKit, which can help you target your emails more precisely.

Preferences: ConvertKit wins for its comprehensive segmentation options. It includes Segments and Tags, which offer more precise targeting than Flodesk’s segmentation capabilities.

6) Testing Phase Six: Workflows and Automation

With Flodesk, you can create simple workflows to automate your email setup. This includes setting up triggers, actions, and specific conditions.

For instance, you can use Flodesk’s workflows to create an automated subscriber onboarding email sequence.

ConvertKit provides an advanced workflow builder with numerous pre-made templates. It enables you to set up time-saving workflows.

In addition to basic workflows like those offered by Flodesk, ConvertKit allows for advanced options. You can create workflows to automatically remove subscribers from your email list if they haven’t engaged with your emails for a set period of time.

In my opinion, ConvertKit’s automation builder is more visually appealing than Flodesk’s. What’s more, ConvertKit lets you edit emails directly from the builder. It saves you from switching back and forth between screens.

Additionally, it offers automation rules akin to Zapier, where you can set up actions based on triggers. For example, you can automatically add a user to a product upsell email sequence when they make a purchase.

Preferences: ConvertKit wins for its advanced workflow builder, pre-made templates, and automation options. It offers a seamless user experience.

7) Testing Phase Seven: Monetization

Flodesk provides a feature called Checkouts. It enables you to monetize your content effortlessly in three simple steps: creating a sales page, setting up a visually appealing checkout experience, and instantly delivering purchased items.

One notable aspect of Flodesk’s product is that they don’t charge any additional fees on product sales, aside from Stripe’s 3% transaction fee. So you can retain all proceeds from your sales.

ConvertKit Commerce is a powerful tool for creators looking to sell digital products. With its user-friendly interface, creators can easily set up their online stores and start selling in no time. From books and courses to subscriptions and services, ConvertKit Commerce offers flexibility in the types of products you can sell.

Additionally, it provides various payment options, including one-time fees, pay-what-you-want, and installment plans, catering to different customer preferences.

Moreover, ConvertKit Commerce allows for customization of the product delivery experience. It ensures a seamless and personalized experience for customers.

Preferences: Flodesk wins with its fee-free Checkouts feature for effortless content monetization. On the other hand, ConvertKit Commerce offers flexibility and customization when selling digital products.

8) Testing Phase Eight: Reporting and Analytics

It’s essential to consider the messaging conveyed by each email provider’s interface. When logging into ConvertKit, users are greeted with a dashboard displaying key metrics like new subscriber counts, top-performing forms, and a list of recent subscribers.

Source: Emailtooltester

Flodesk recently introduced additional reporting features to align with ConvertKit’s offerings. In addition to displaying open rates, click rates, unsubscribe rates, and click counts for each link, Flodesk now provides insights into subscribers who marked an email as spam, device usage data, and email open times.

However, Flodesk lacks subscriber data comparable to ConvertKit. While you can gather extensive information about your emails, you have limited insights into the individuals reading them.

Preferences: ConvertKit’s dashboard provides key metrics. Flodesk adds reporting features, but it lacks detailed subscriber data compared to ConvertKit.

9) Testing Phase Nine: Integration

ConvertKit stands out for its extensive native integrations with apps like Teachable, Monday.com, Typeform, and Acuity. Additionally, it integrates with Zapier, unlocking thousands more integration possibilities.

Flodesk only integrates with Zapier, limiting its connectivity options.

Preference: Clearly, Flodesk is a clear winner in this section with many integrations!

10) Testing Phase Ten: eCommerce Features

Flodesk offers Checkouts. It is a basic commerce option allowing users to create checkouts, accept payments, and automatically deliver digital items.

The sales page integrates with Stripe, with a 3% transaction fee, while the rest of the earnings go to the user.

ConvertKit offers a more advanced eCommerce solution, which is designed for creators looking to sell digital products effortlessly.

With ConvertKit Commerce, users can sell various items such as books, courses, subscriptions, services, and paid newsletters, providing a versatile platform for monetization.

Preferences: With a slightly better eCommerce feature, Convertkit is a winner in this section.

Let’s see a quick summary about what we have tested and what we have learned from the tests.

Testing Phase	Convertkit	Flodesk
Setting Up Accounts	Direct landing page creation; user-friendly buttons	Shows templates upon account opening; user-friendly
Ease of Use	Minimalist design which is simple yet meaningful	Visually appealing; beginner-friendly drag-and-drop
Design and Flexibility	Limited template library; cluttered design	Extensive template selection; sleek and intuitive
Email Builder	Advanced features like link editing in sent emails	Stunning templates but lack advanced features
Email List Management	Comprehensive segmentation options with Segments and Tags	Segmentation capabilities, but lacks Tags
Workflows and Automation	Advanced workflow builder with pre-made templates	Simple workflows; lacks advanced automation options
Monetization	Offers ConvertKit Commerce for selling digital products	Provides checkout feature for effortless monetization
Reporting and Analytics	Detailed dashboard metrics; extensive insights	Checkout feature for basic e-commerce functionality
Integration	Extensive native integrations and Zapier compatibility	Limited Integrations
E-Commerce Features	ConvertKit Commerce for versatile product selling	Checkouts feature for basic e-commerce functionality

Overall Verdict

ConvertKit emerges as the winner due to its robust features. It includes advanced automation and comprehensive segmentation.

Additionally, ConvertKit offers an advanced eCommerce solution. It enables easy monetization for users. While Flodesk impresses with design and simplicity, ConvertKit’s versatility and functionalities give it the edge.

Make Sure Your Campaign Lands in User’s Inboxes

Achieving successful email campaigns depends on ensuring that your emails reach recipients’ inboxes reliably. For WordPress users, InboxWP offers an ideal solution to enhance deliverability.

With its specialized features and optimizations tailored for WordPress platforms, InboxWP helps maximize the chances of your emails being successfully delivered to recipients’ inboxes.

Since we have explored both tools, we can say ConvertKit and Flodesk offer distinct advantages. ConvertKit excels in advanced features and automation, while Flodesk impresses with visual appeal and ease of use.

The choice depends on individual needs and preferences. Regardless of the platform chosen, both provide powerful tools to enhance email marketing efforts and connect with audiences effectively.