The same idea, four names
Small senders rarely get stuck on the hard ideas. They get stuck because a tutorial written for one platform uses words the next platform never shows. The table maps the concepts you will meet in your first month to the label each vendor uses. Use the left column to search another platform's help center.
MailerLite calls groups individual lists you create to organize contacts, and says a subscriber in several groups counts once toward the plan limit. [1] Kit says it works with one subscriber list, every subscriber exists once, and tags plus segments replace separate lists. [2] Moosend's pricing FAQ says it counts unique email addresses, so a contact on several lists or segments is billed once. [3] Form names come from each vendor's form-building article. [23] [21] [22]
| Concept | MailerLite | Kit | beehiiv | Moosend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Static label you add or remove | Group | Tag | Tag (also used for post topics) | List |
| Rule-based, self-updating audience | Segment | Segment | Segment | Segment |
| One-off email to many people | Campaign | Broadcast | Post (email, web or both) | — |
| Timed series after signup | Automation workflow with delay steps | Email sequence (paid plans) | Automation with time delays | Workflow |
| Branching workflow | Automation workflow | Visual automation (paid plans) | Automation with branches | Workflow builder |
| Single if-then step | — | Rule | — | — |
| Extra subscriber data | Field (9 defaults plus custom) | Custom field | Custom field | Custom field |
| Signup widget on your site | Form (embedded, pop-up) | Form (inline, modal, slide in, sticky bar) | Subscribe form | Subscription form |
| Waiting for confirmation | Unconfirmed | — | Pending | — |
| No longer receiving | Unsubscribed | — | Inactive | — |
| Spam complaint status | Junk | — | Suppressed and set to Inactive [4] | — |
Audience and list terms
These are the words you meet when you import contacts or build a signup form. Definitions follow the vendors' own glossaries where they exist.
| Term | What it means | Vendor notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriber | A person on your email list. [5] | Kit charges only for confirmed subscribers in an account. [6] |
| Email list | The addresses you can email, often split into groups or segments. [7] | Moosend bills each unique address once across lists. [3] |
| Group | A label you create to organize subscribers. [1] | MailerLite asks for a target group whenever you create a form, landing page or website, or schedule a campaign. [1] |
| Tag | A label that records what a subscriber did, such as a purchase or a form signup. [2] | beehiiv's glossary also uses tag for labels on posts. [8] |
| Segment | A saved filter that updates as people meet or stop meeting its conditions. [5] | Same word on all four platforms. |
| Custom field | Extra stored data, such as a birthday, used for filtering and personalization. | MailerLite ships nine default fields and offers text, number and date types. [9] |
| Merge tag | A placeholder replaced with subscriber data when the email sends. | MailerLite writes them as {$name} or {$email}. [9] |
| Opt-in | Permission to send marketing email, single or double. [7] | — |
| Single opt-in | The address is added as soon as the form is submitted. [7] | — |
| Double opt-in | The subscriber is added only after confirming the signup, usually through a link in a confirmation email. [7] | Kit turns it on by default for forms. [10] |
| Confirmation email | The first automatic email after signup, carrying the confirm link. [5] | Kit's confirmation email can also deliver a lead magnet. [5] |
| Lead magnet | An offer or incentive people receive when they join your list. [7] | Kit can deliver it through the confirmation email. [5] |
| Import | Bringing existing subscribers in from a CSV or another platform. [5] | — |
| List hygiene | Keeping your list full of active, engaged contacts. [7] | List cleaning is removing unengaged or outdated addresses. [7] |
Sending and content terms
These appear in the editor and on the send screen. Several are required by mailbox providers rather than by the platform.
| Term | What it means | Vendor notes |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | One or more emails sent toward a goal; in MailerLite's app, the newsletter you create and send to chosen subscribers. [7] [11] | beehiiv's glossary says it can mean a single broadcast, an automated series or a sponsored ad placement. [8] |
| Broadcast | A one-time email sent to a group of subscribers at a set time. [5] | Kit's term. |
| Post | A single piece of content, such as a newsletter issue, sent by email, published on the web, or both. [8] | beehiiv's term. |
| Newsletter site | A public site that archives your sent issues. [5] | Kit hosts one; MailerLite builds websites under Sites. [11] |
| Subject line | The headline shown in the inbox. [7] | — |
| Preheader | A text snippet shown in the inbox after the subject line. [7] | — |
| A/B split test | Two versions of an email, sent to see which one subscribers respond to better. [7] | — |
| Auto resend | Sends another email automatically, for example to people who did not open the first. [7] | Opens are unreliable signals; see the metrics glossary. |
| Dynamic content | Parts of an email personalized for specific audiences; other recipients do not see them. [7] | — |
| Plain-text email | An email with text only, no images or HTML. [7] | — |
| Transactional email | Notifications triggered by the recipient, such as order confirmations or password resets. [7] | Moosend sells it as an add-on on some plans. [3] |
| Bulk email | An email sent to a large group of subscribers at the same time. [7] | Google treats senders of more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts as bulk senders. [12] |
| One-click unsubscribe | A header pair that lets Gmail show an unsubscribe button that works in one step. [12] | Required for bulk senders' marketing mail. |
| Landing page | A standalone page built for one conversion, often a signup. [7] | Kit hosts them with their own URL. [5] |
Automation terms
Automation vocabulary differs most between platforms, because each builder was designed separately. The underlying parts are the same: something starts the flow, steps run, and conditions decide the path.
| Term | What it means | Vendor notes |
|---|---|---|
| Automation | Emails and actions that run on their own when a trigger happens. [8] | MailerLite also calls them workflows. [7] |
| Trigger | The event that enrolls someone, such as joining a group or clicking a link. | beehiiv allows up to 3 triggers per automation, combined as OR. [13] |
| Event | Kit's word for a trigger or a step that moves people forward, such as a tag added. [14] | Kit events only move subscribers forward. |
| Action | A step that does something: send email, update a field, add a tag. | beehiiv lists send email, update subscription and send webhook. [13] |
| Delay | A pause before the next step. | beehiiv calls it time delay; it also has wait until. [13] |
| Condition or branch | A split that sends people down different paths. | beehiiv offers true/false, multi-split and random cohort branches. [13] |
| Rule | A one-trigger, one-action automation in Kit. [5] | Lighter than a visual automation. |
| Sequence | A series of emails sent automatically on a schedule. [5] | Kit's term; paid plans only. [15] |
| Recipe or template | A prebuilt automation you copy and edit. | Moosend calls them automation recipes. [16] |
| Webhook | An automatic HTTP message one system sends to another when something happens. | beehiiv workflows can send one as an action. [13] |
| API | An interface used to connect one system with another so they can exchange data. [7] | beehiiv can start an automation when a subscriber is added by API. [13] |
Deliverability terms
Deliverability words decide whether your email arrives at all. Gmail's sender guidelines set the baseline every platform works within. [12]
| Term | What it means | Vendor notes |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverability | How many of your emails reach inboxes. [7] | beehiiv defines it as reaching the primary inbox without bouncing. [8] |
| Hard bounce | A permanent delivery failure, such as an address that does not exist. [7] | MailerLite sets the status to Bounced. [17] |
| Soft bounce | A temporary failure, such as a full mailbox or an offline server. [7] | MailerLite treats three soft bounces in a row as a hard bounce. [17] |
| Deferred | A provider delays the message without rejecting it. | beehiiv retries deferred mail for up to 72 hours. [18] |
| Suppression list | Addresses the platform will not send to again. | beehiiv shows it as a Subscribers tab and drops those addresses at send time. [18] |
| Spam complaint | A recipient marks your email as spam. | MailerLite moves the subscriber to Junk. [17] |
| Feedback loop | A channel through which some mailbox providers report complaints to the sender. | beehiiv notes many providers, including Gmail, do not offer one, so complaint counts can run low. [18] |
| Spam rate | The complaint rate Google reports in Postmaster Tools. | Google says stay below 0.10% and never reach 0.30%. [12] |
| Authentication | Lets mailbox providers properly identify who sent an email. [7] | — |
| SPF | Sender Policy Framework, an email validation system that detects spoofing. [7] | Google requires SPF or DKIM for all senders. [12] |
| DKIM | A cryptographic signature tied to your domain. | Mail to personal Gmail accounts needs a key of 1024 bits or longer. [12] |
| DMARC | A policy record telling providers how to treat mail that fails SPF and DKIM alignment. | Required for bulk senders; the From domain must align with SPF or DKIM. [12] |
| Dedicated IP | A unique IP address specific to you, which gives you more control of sender reputation. [7] | — |
Metric terms in one line each
Metrics get their own glossary with formulas and worked arithmetic. The short versions are below. Watch one trap: MailerLite's glossary uses bounce rate for the website measure of single-page visits, while its campaign reports list hard and soft bounces separately. [7]
| Term | Short definition |
|---|---|
| Open rate | Share of delivered emails that recorded an open, which is an invisible tracking pixel loading. [18] |
| Click rate | Share of people who clicked a link; MailerLite's glossary measures it against people who viewed. [7] |
| Click-to-open rate | Clickers as a share of openers. [8] |
| Unsubscribe rate | Share of recipients who opted out after a send. [7] |
| CPM | What an advertiser pays per thousand impressions. [8] |
| CPC | What an advertiser pays per click on a sponsored link. [8] |
| Engagement | How actively subscribers open, click, reply and share. [8] |
| Conversion rate | Actions taken as a percentage of total clicks. [7] |
How to use this glossary when you switch platforms
Translate before you migrate. The platforms organize subscribers differently, so map the structure before you move anyone. Moving from MailerLite groups to Kit means turning each group into a tag. Moving from Kit to beehiiv means checking which tag-based flows need a segment or a custom field.
- Write down every group, tag or list you use and what each one means in plain words.
- Find the equivalent concept in the table above, then search the new platform's help center for that term.
- Check whether the feature sits on the free plan. Kit keeps sequences and visual automations on paid plans, and beehiiv's free plan has no automations. [15] [19]
- Check status names before importing. A Pending subscriber in beehiiv gets no email until they confirm, including welcome emails. [20]
- Recreate merge tags in the new platform's syntax rather than pasting old templates.
- Keep your old account's suppression and bounce records so you do not re-import addresses that already failed.
Questions before you decide
Is a MailerLite group the same thing as a Kit tag?
They do the same job: a label you add or remove by hand, by form or by automation. MailerLite says subscribers can belong to many groups but count once toward the plan limit. Kit says it works with one subscriber list and uses tags to mark what each subscriber has done.
What does beehiiv call a broadcast or campaign?
A post. beehiiv's glossary says a post is a single piece of content such as a newsletter issue, and its post flow lets you publish to email, to the web, or both. Its glossary says a campaign can mean a single broadcast, an automated series or a sponsored ad placement.
Is an email sequence the same as an automation?
Not quite. Kit defines a sequence as a series of emails sent automatically on a schedule, and a visual automation as a workflow that can branch on conditions. MailerLite and beehiiv build both kinds inside their automation workflows, using delay steps for the timing.
Why does MailerLite define bounce rate as a website metric?
Its glossary entry for bounce rate describes web visits where someone sees only one page. Email bounces appear under the separate hard bounce and soft bounce entries, so check which meaning a report uses before comparing numbers.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- MailerLite Help: How to create and use groups Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: How subscriber organization works in Kit Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Moosend: Pricing and trial FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Understanding your Suppression list Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: Kit glossary, key terms explained Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: Why is my subscriber showing as bounced? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: Glossary of commonly used marketing terms Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: Newsletter glossary Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: How to create and use custom fields Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: How to set up your new Kit account, a complete checklist Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: How to get started with MailerLite Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Google: Email sender guidelines Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Automations overview, triggers, actions and builder features Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: Visual Automations, Events Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Moosend: Automation recipes Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: Subscriber statuses explained Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: The email journey, key delivery events at beehiiv Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Subscriber status types in beehiiv Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: How to create your first Form in Kit Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Creating an embedded subscribe form Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: How to create an embedded form Accessed 30 Oct 2026
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