# Best waitlist software, compared

> LaunchList and 7 other tools people compare for a waitlist, feature by feature, with prices billed monthly. Every other tool's facts were read on its own website (pricing page, feature pages and help docs), last checked on October 14, 2026. LaunchList makes this page, and its own column comes from the product and its live price list. Prices and plans change, so check each tool's pricing page before you buy. Web page: https://getlaunchlist.com/compare

LaunchList is pre-launch waitlist software for founders. Every LaunchList plan at every list size: https://getlaunchlist.com/pricing.md

**How to read a cell:** Yes, No or Partly (partly, or only through another tool), then any plan or detail in brackets. A price is the monthly price billed monthly.

## Price

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lowest paid plan | $9/mo (Collect plan, 500 contacts) | $49/mo (Lite, 1,000 users) | $15/mo (Basic, unlimited signups) | $19/mo (Launch, unlimited subscribers) | $19/mo (Hobby, 500 leads a month) | $49/mo (Start-up, 1,000 participants) | $39/mo (Creator, 1,000 subscribers) | $8.76/mo (Essentials, 500 contacts) |
| Free plan | Yes (100 contacts) | No (14-day trial) | No (Closed to new accounts) | Yes (100, no referrals or email) | Yes (100 visitors a month) | No (14-day trial) | Yes (Up to 10,000 subscribers) | Yes (250 contacts) |
| Price for 10,000 signups | $19/mo (Collect plan) | $94/mo (Lite with extra users) | $15/mo (Basic) | $19/mo (Launch) | $145/mo (Business, 10,000 leads a month) | $229/mo (Growing) | $139/mo (Creator) | $66.12/mo (Essentials) |
| What the price is based on | Size of your list (Monthly, or yearly with 2 months free) | Users included per plan (Then $5 a month per 1,000 more) | Features (Unlimited signups on every plan) | Features (Unlimited subscribers when paid) | New leads a month (Plus features by plan) | Participants (Everyone with a referral link) | Subscribers (Free, Creator or Pro) | Contacts (Plus plan and send limits) |

## Your waitlist page

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hosted page, no website needed | Yes | Partly (A plain page with the form) | Partly (The widget and your logo) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Landing pages) |
| Free web address for the page | Yes (yourname.launchlist.page) | Partly (A Prefinery link) | Partly (A getwaitlist.com link) | Partly (A waitlister.me/p link) | Yes (A kickoffpages.com address) | Yes (pages.viral-loops.com) | Yes (yourname.kit.com) | Partly (A mailchi.mp link) |
| Page on your own domain | Yes (From the Collect plan, $9/mo) | No (Not for the hosted page) | No | Yes (From Pro, $29/mo) | Yes (Every paid plan) | Yes (From Plus) | Yes (Free plan too) | Partly (Through Mailchimp Websites) |
| Own domains included | 1, 3 or unlimited (Collect, Launch, Grow) | None | None | 1, 3 or unlimited (Pro, Growth, Business) | 1, 1, 3 or 5 (Hobby to Enterprise) | From Plus (Count not stated) | Count not stated | Not stated in its docs |
| HTTPS set up for you | Yes | No (No own domain for the page) | No (No own domain for the page) | Yes | Yes | Partly (Ask support, from Growing) | Not stated in its docs | Not stated in its docs |
| Ready-made page designs | Yes | No ("No templates" by design) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes (Campaign templates) | Yes | Yes |
| AI writes the page | Yes (From one sentence) | No | No | Yes (With monthly credits) | Yes (Drafts from a brief) | Partly (AI picks a template) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Personal page after signup | Yes (Place in line, referral link) | Yes (Referral page you can edit) | Partly (A success screen) | Yes (Thank-you page) | Yes (Thank-you page) | Yes (Sharing screen) | Partly (Thank-you page, no referral place) | Partly (Thank-you page, no queue place) |

## Signup forms

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Form for your own website | Yes | Yes | Yes (Full, mini or docked) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Popup form | Yes | Yes | No | No (Not in its docs) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Modal, slide-in or bar) | Yes |
| Keep your own form or code | Yes (React, headless or your form) | Yes (HTML form, JS or REST API) | Yes (Signup API with no key) | Yes (Form endpoint or API) | Yes (AnyForm or REST API) | Yes (Your form, SDK or API) | Yes (Through its API) | Yes (Your form or its API) |
| Sign up with no email address | Yes (Phone, username or none) | No (Email required) | Partly (Email can be optional) | No (Email required) | Partly (Email or phone) | No (Email required) | No (Email required) | Partly (Email or SMS number) |
| Extra questions on the form | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Custom fields) | Yes (Custom form fields) |
| Form in other languages | 17 languages | Partly (You write each language) | No (None in its docs) | 30 languages (From Growth, $49/mo) | No (Only its own text) | Partly (One language per campaign) | No (Not a Kit feature) | Partly (Forms, not landing pages) |

## Referrals

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Personal referral link | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (From Launch) | Yes | Yes | Partly (Pro, through SparkLoop) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Referral leaderboard | Yes | Yes (Top 10 widget) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Store loyalty only) |
| Rewards for referring | Yes (From the Collect plan) | Yes | Partly (Moving up the line only) | Partly (Points, rewards by webhook) | Yes | Yes (Milestones from Plus) | Partly (Pro, through SparkLoop) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Start the line at a higher number | Yes | No (Positions cannot be set) | Yes (Through the API) | Yes (From Launch) | Yes (Jump start) | Partly (Edit counts by API) | No (No queue places) | No (No queue places) |
| Referral counts after the friend confirms | Yes (On by default) | Yes (With double opt-in) | Partly (In its analytics) | Yes (With double opt-in) | Yes (Optional setting) | Partly (Double opt-in, rule not stated) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Checks for fake referrals | Yes (Device, IP and speed checks) | Yes (IP limits, cheater flags) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Yes (Four strictness levels) | Yes (IP limits, bots, flags) | Yes (Risk checks, flags) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |

## Email

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Confirm email (double opt-in) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (From Launch) | Yes | Yes (From Growing) | Yes (On by default) | Yes (Per audience) |
| Welcome email | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (From Launch) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Email sequences, paid plans) | Yes (Paid plans) |
| Emails in your signups' language | 17 languages | Partly (You write each language) | No (None in its docs) | Partly (Confirmation email only) | No (Emails are not translated) | Partly (You edit the text) | No (Not a Kit feature) | Partly (Signup emails only) |
| Send an email to your list | Yes (From the Collect plan) | No (Only automatic emails) | Yes (Every paid plan) | Yes (From Launch) | Partly (Listed, but limited in docs) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Yes (Free plan too) | Yes (Every plan) |
| Automatic email series | Yes (From the Launch plan) | Partly (Triggered emails, no series) | No (Four fixed emails) | No (Welcome email only) | No (Reply and reward emails) | Partly (Reminder emails) | Yes (Creator and Pro) | Yes (Paid plans) |
| Emails included each month | Grows with your list (Collect: 1× your contacts, up to 5,000. Launch and Grow: 2× your contacts) | Unlimited (Every plan) | No limit stated | 2,500 to 50,000 (By plan) | No limit stated | No limit stated | No limit stated | 10x contacts (Essentials; Free 500) |
| Buy more emails without changing plan | $3 per 1,000 (You approve before paying) | No (Not needed: unlimited) | No (No limit stated) | No (Move up a plan) | No (Extra leads only) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (No monthly limit to top up) | Partly (Overage billing) |
| Send from your own domain | Yes (From the Launch plan) | Yes (Every plan) | Yes (Pro, $250/mo) | Yes (From Growth, $49/mo) | Yes (Business plan) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Skips bad addresses when sending | Yes | Partly (Stops after a hard bounce) | No (Not in its email docs) | Yes | Partly (Flags after a bounce) | No (Not in its docs) | Yes (Hard bounces unsubscribed) | Yes (Hard bounces cleaned) |

## Real signups

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bot and spam protection | Yes | Yes (reCAPTCHA, IP blocking) | Yes (CAPTCHA on its own pages) | Yes (Turnstile on its pages) | Yes (Invisible captcha, IP limits) | Yes (reCAPTCHA from Plus) | Yes (CAPTCHA and honeypot) | Yes (reCAPTCHA) |
| Trust score on every signup | Yes (Verified, valid, risky or fake) | Partly (A "suspected cheater" flag) | Partly (CAPTCHA passed or not) | Partly (Deliverability labels) | Partly (A fraud flag) | Yes (Low, medium or high risk) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Blocks throwaway email addresses | Yes | Yes | Partly (Blocks personal domains) | Yes | Yes | Partly (Detects, may not block) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Check if an email address is real | Yes (One credit per check) | No (Only bounces after sending) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Yes (Validate emails button) | No (Only bounces after sending) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Bounces handled after sending) | Partly (Reviews imported lists) |

## Letting people in

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Invite people from the list | Yes (Personal invite codes) | Yes (Invitation codes and emails) | Partly (A removal email) | No (Not in its docs) | No (Approve leads only) | Partly (Flag early access by API) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| One invite code for many people | Yes (From the Launch plan) | Yes (Codes with use limits) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Track people from waitlist to customer | Yes | Partly (Fixed statuses) | No (Waiting or removed) | No (Not in its docs) | No (Tags only) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Partly (Tags and segments) | No (Tags and segments) |
| Launch-day tools | Yes (From the Launch plan) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Partly (A countdown) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Partly (Countdown timers in emails) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Product updates page | Yes | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not a Kit feature) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |

## Analytics

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Signup analytics | Yes | Yes (Full from Essentials) | Yes (Full analytics on Pro) | Yes (Advanced from Pro) | Yes (Advanced on Business) | Yes | Yes (List growth reports) | Yes (Audience reports) |
| Where signups come from | Yes (From the Grow plan) | Yes (UTM and channel) | Yes (UTM per signup) | Yes (Referring sites) | Yes | Yes (Channel and source) | Yes (Source and UTM) | Partly (Through a hidden field) |
| A/B testing | No | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Yes (From Premium) | No (Not on its pricing page) | Partly (Emails only) | Yes (Emails) |

## Connections

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| API | Yes (Every plan) | Yes (From Essentials) | Yes (Small documented set) | Yes (Full from Growth) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| API keys with limited access | Yes (Read-only or full access) | Yes (Per-key permissions) | No (Keys have no scopes) | No (Account keys only) | No (One key per campaign) | Partly (Public and secret keys) | No (Not in its API docs) | Partly (OAuth or a full-access key) |
| OpenAPI file for the API | Yes | No (None in its API docs) | No (None published) | Partly (Named in its docs) | No (None in its API docs) | Yes | No (Not in its API docs) | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes (Signed, with retries) | Yes (From Essentials) | Yes (Signup and removal) | Yes (From Growth) | Yes (From Premium) | Yes (Signed) | Yes | Yes (Standard and up) |
| Works with AI assistants (MCP) | Yes | No | No | No (Not in its docs) | No (Not in its docs) | Partly (Listed, admin coming) | Yes (Creator and Pro) | Partly (Its docs only) |
| Zapier app | Partly (Through a webhook) | Yes (From Essentials) | Yes (Advanced plan) | Partly (Through a webhook) | Yes (From Premium) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Slack app | Partly (Through a webhook) | Partly (Through a webhook or Zapier) | Yes | Partly (Through a webhook) | Partly (A Slack webhook) | Yes (From Plus) | No (No Slack app) | Yes |

## Your data and team

| Feature | LaunchList | Prefinery | Getwaitlist | Waitlister | KickoffLabs | Viral Loops | ConvertKit (Kit) | Mailchimp |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Import a CSV file | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (From Growth) | Partly (Paste emails, no file) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Import from other waitlist tools | Yes (All five tools here) | Partly (A Viral Loops guide) | Partly (Mailchimp and Prefinery CSV) | Partly (Rename the email column) | No (Not in its docs) | No (Mailchimp, HubSpot only) | Partly (Migration guides, free migrations) | No (Not a Mailchimp feature) |
| Export to CSV | Yes (Every plan) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Erase a person's data (GDPR) | Yes (Plus automatic deletion) | Partly (Delete users by hand) | Partly (Delete a signup by hand) | Partly (Delete by hand or API) | Yes | Yes | Partly (Remove a subscriber) | Yes |
| Team members with roles | Yes (From the Collect plan) | Yes (From Essentials) | Yes (Pro plan) | Partly (5 members, Business only) | Yes (From Business) | Partly (Invites on Power, no roles) | Yes (Admin and Editor) | Yes (More roles on bigger plans) |
| More than one waitlist | Yes (1 project on Free) | Yes (1, 3 or 10 campaigns) | Yes (Unlimited waitlists) | Yes (1, 3, 10 or unlimited) | Yes (Unlimited campaigns) | Yes (Unlimited campaigns) | No (One list per account) | Partly (Audiences: 1 on Free, 3 on Essentials) |
| Remove all branding | Yes (From the Launch plan) | Yes (From Essentials) | Partly (Widget only, Advanced) | Yes (From Launch) | Yes (Business plan) | Partly (Needs own domain and email) | Partly (Badge off on paid plans) | Partly (Badge off on paid plans) |

## Sources

- **Prefinery**: https://www.prefinery.com, pricing https://www.prefinery.com/pricing, checked October 14, 2026
- **Getwaitlist**: https://www.getwaitlist.com, pricing https://www.getwaitlist.com/pricing, checked October 14, 2026
- **Waitlister**: https://waitlister.me, pricing https://waitlister.me/pricing, checked October 14, 2026
- **KickoffLabs**: https://kickofflabs.com, pricing https://kickofflabs.com/pricing, checked October 14, 2026
- **Viral Loops**: https://viral-loops.com, pricing https://viral-loops.com/pricing, checked October 14, 2026
- **ConvertKit (Kit)**: https://kit.com, pricing https://kit.com/pricing, checked October 14, 2026
- **Mailchimp**: https://mailchimp.com, pricing https://mailchimp.com/pricing/marketing/, checked October 14, 2026

## More comparisons

- Prefinery alternative: https://getlaunchlist.com/alternative/prefinery.md
- Viral Loops alternative: https://getlaunchlist.com/alternative/viral-loops.md
- KickoffLabs alternative: https://getlaunchlist.com/alternative/kickofflabs.md
- Getwaitlist alternative: https://getlaunchlist.com/alternative/getwaitlist.md
- Waitlister alternative: https://getlaunchlist.com/alternative/waitlister.md