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Email marketing · Migration guide

Moving from Mailchimp to Kit (ConvertKit)

Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·

Why teams switch

The honest reasons

What's wrong with Mailchimp

  • Double-charges duplicates
  • Deliverability has slipped

What Kit (ConvertKit) does better

  • Generous 10k free tier — best in the category
  • Tag-and-segment model fits content businesses better than lists
  • Built-in landing pages, paid newsletters, and tip jars

Switching cost

What it actually takes

Contact export to CSV is clean. The work is rebuilding segments, journeys, and signup forms — budget a half-day for a typical SMB list, 2–3 days if you've leaned on Customer Journeys or Mailchimp's Surveys. Templates do not export; plan a refresh anyway, most are dated. Brevo, MailerLite, Kit, and GetResponse all offer free white-glove migration if your list is over ~10k subscribers — ask before you start.

Step by step

A safe cutover plan

  1. 1

    Audit

    Inventory every workspace, project, or asset in Mailchimp you actually use. Most teams discover 30-40% is dormant.

  2. 2

    Export

    Run Mailchimp's official export. Note exactly which fields, relations, or attachments lose fidelity — those are your manual rebuild.

  3. 3

    Rebuild structure in Kit (ConvertKit)

    Set up Kit (ConvertKit) skeleton (workspaces, teams, permissions) before importing. Importing into an empty workspace creates a mess.

  4. 4

    Import cleanest layer first

    Bring in the data that maps 1:1. Defer custom fields, automations, and integrations.

  5. 5

    Parallel run for 1-2 weeks

    Keep Mailchimp read-only. Anything you find missing in Kit (ConvertKit), fix during this window.

  6. 6

    Cut over integrations

    Switch every webhook, Zap, link, and bookmark. This is the longest part — budget for it.

  7. 7

    Archive, don't delete

    Keep Mailchimp archived for 90 days. You will need it.

Compare directly

Mailchimp vs Kit (ConvertKit) Reverse: Kit (ConvertKit) → Mailchimp Try Kit (ConvertKit)

Other moves people make

Related migrations

Mailchimp → BrevoguideBrevo → MailchimpguideMailchimp → MailerLiteguideMailerLite → MailchimpguideMailchimp → GetResponseguideGetResponse → Mailchimpguide