Migrate to MailerLite: 5 Steps from Mailchimp

If you’re looking for a more cost-effective, user-friendly, and powerful email marketing platform, migrating to MailerLite from Mailchimp could be the best move for your business.

MailerLite offers intuitive design, automation features, and affordable pricing—making it a favorite among growing brands. But the big question many marketers ask is: how do I migrate to MailerLite without losing my data or disrupting campaigns?

The good news is that moving from Mailchimp to MailerLite is straightforward when you follow the right steps. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a clear 5-step process to make the switch as smooth as possible.

Why Switch from Mailchimp to MailerLite?

For years, Mailchimp was considered the go-to email marketing platform. But in 2025, more businesses, creators, and eCommerce brands are moving away from Mailchimp in favor of MailerLite. The reason? A better balance of cost, features, and usability. While Mailchimp has grown into a complex, often expensive platform, MailerLite has focused on simplicity, affordability, and tools that actually help small to mid-sized businesses scale.

Switching platforms may sound intimidating, but for many companies, it’s a decision that leads to long-term savings and improved campaign performance. Let’s break down why MailerLite is increasingly the preferred choice.

Cost Savings and Flexible Pricing

One of the biggest frustrations with Mailchimp is pricing creep. As subscriber counts increase, Mailchimp quickly becomes one of the most expensive tools in the market. Many businesses with modest lists find themselves paying 2x–3x more compared to MailerLite.

MailerLite, on the other hand, offers:

• A Free Plan for up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 monthly emails.
• Paid plans starting around $10/month, scaling predictably based on subscriber numbers.
• Access to premium features like landing pages, automation, and advanced analytics without hidden fees.

For startups and small businesses, this flexibility means you don’t have to overspend just to access essential tools.

Easier Design and Automation Tools

While Mailchimp has a feature-rich platform, many users complain that its interface has become cluttered and difficult to navigate. MailerLite solves this problem with a clean, drag-and-drop editor that makes designing emails, landing pages, and workflows intuitive.

Key design and automation advantages with MailerLite:

• Email Builder: Drag-and-drop sections for text, images, videos, product blocks, and CTAs.
• Automation Workflows: Create sequences in minutes—welcome series, abandoned cart reminders, or lead nurture campaigns.
• Templates: A wide variety of pre-designed email and landing page templates that save time and look professional.
• User-Friendly Dashboard: Simplified navigation that focuses on what most businesses need—sending campaigns, tracking performance, and automating engagement.

For users who want power without complexity, MailerLite hits the sweet spot.

Better Deliverability and Support

A well-designed campaign is useless if emails don’t land in inboxes. Deliverability is one of MailerLite’s strongest selling points. Independent tests in 2025 consistently show MailerLite maintaining higher deliverability rates than Mailchimp, especially for small businesses that may not have perfect domain authentication.

MailerLite also earns praise for its responsive customer support. Unlike Mailchimp, where live support is limited to higher-tier plans, MailerLite provides access to help guides, chat, and email support even for lower-tier users. This makes a huge difference for businesses that need quick solutions without paying premium prices.

Step 1: Export Your Mailchimp Data

Before moving to MailerLite, the first and most important step is to securely export your data from Mailchimp. This ensures you bring over your subscribers, campaigns, and automations without losing valuable history. Luckily, Mailchimp provides tools to help you download your information in just a few clicks.

Contacts and Lists

Your subscriber list is the heart of your email marketing. When exporting from Mailchimp, you can download all contacts, including active, unsubscribed, and cleaned addresses. However, for migration purposes, it’s best to focus only on active subscribers to avoid cluttering your new MailerLite account with inactive emails.

Steps to export contacts from Mailchimp:

• Log into your Mailchimp account and go to Audience.
• Select All contacts and choose the list you want to export.
• Click Export Audience to download your subscriber data as a CSV file.
• Save the file securely—you’ll need it for your MailerLite import.

This file will contain important fields like names, email addresses, tags, and engagement data.

Campaign History

Your campaign history includes past newsletters, promotions, and other email campaigns you’ve sent in Mailchimp. Exporting this data allows you to:

• Track past performance in MailerLite.
• Reuse designs and copy for future campaigns.
• Ensure you don’t lose valuable marketing insights.

To export campaign history:

• Navigate to the Campaigns section.
• Open the campaign you want to save.
• Download reports (like opens, clicks, and bounces) for reference.
• Save email designs as HTML or templates if you plan to reuse them in MailerLite.

While you can’t directly import old campaign reports into MailerLite, keeping them ensures you always have a benchmark for future performance.

Automation Workflows

If you have automations running in Mailchimp—such as welcome series, abandoned cart reminders, or nurture sequences—you’ll need to document them before migration. Mailchimp doesn’t allow direct automation export, but you can:

• Take screenshots of your workflows.
• Note the triggers, conditions, and email sequences.
• Save any template emails used in the automations.

This documentation will make it much easier to rebuild your workflows in MailerLite during the next steps.

"Switching from Mailchimp to MailerLite doesn’t have to be stressful—just follow these five simple steps for a smooth migration."

Step 2: Prepare Your Data for Import

Once you’ve exported your contacts, campaign history, and automation details from Mailchimp, the next step is to clean and organize your data before uploading it into MailerLite. This step is critical for making sure your new account starts strong, without clutter or compliance issues.

Clean Up Inactive Subscribers

Carrying inactive or unengaged contacts into MailerLite only hurts your performance. High numbers of dormant subscribers can:

• Lower your open and click-through rates.
• Negatively impact deliverability.
• Increase costs unnecessarily.

Before importing, review your CSV file and remove:

• Contacts who haven’t opened emails in 6–12 months.
• Invalid or “cleaned” email addresses flagged by Mailchimp.
• Duplicate records that may have appeared in multiple lists.

By starting with a clean, engaged list, you’ll give MailerLite the best chance of maintaining strong deliverability rates.

Segment Contacts for Better Targeting

Mailchimp users often rely on tags, groups, or segments to organize subscribers. When moving to MailerLite, it’s smart to keep or even improve this segmentation. For example:

• By engagement level: Active, occasional, inactive.
• By customer type: Leads, paying customers, VIP buyers.
• By interest or behavior: Product categories, webinar signups, content preferences.

Segmenting before you import allows you to personalize campaigns right away in MailerLite, rather than sending one-size-fits-all emails.

Ensure GDPR and Compliance Readiness

If your subscribers are in the EU or regions with strict data protection laws, compliance is non-negotiable. During migration, double-check that your lists include:

• Proof of consent (subscribers opted in properly).
• Unsubscribe data to ensure no one receives unwanted emails.
• Updated privacy settings and consent checkboxes, especially for forms.

MailerLite is GDPR-compliant, but you’ll need to make sure the data you import follows the same rules. Otherwise, you risk penalties or deliverability issues.

Step 3: Import Data into MailerLite

With your Mailchimp data cleaned, segmented, and compliance-ready, it’s time to move everything into MailerLite. The import process is straightforward, but it’s important to follow each step carefully to avoid errors or missing information.

Upload Subscribers

The first task is to bring your subscriber list into MailerLite. Since you already have a cleaned CSV file, the process takes just a few minutes.

Steps to upload subscribers:

• Log in to your MailerLite account.
• Go to Subscribers and select Add Subscribers.
• Choose Import from CSV or TXT file.
• Upload your cleaned file.
• Map your fields (name, email, tags, custom fields) to MailerLite’s system.
• Confirm and save.

MailerLite also runs a quick validation to ensure you’re not importing spam traps or invalid addresses. This helps maintain your deliverability from day one.

Import Campaign Templates

If you saved your Mailchimp campaigns as HTML or templates, you can now recreate them in MailerLite. While you can’t drag-and-drop Mailchimp designs directly into MailerLite, the editor makes it simple to rebuild layouts.

Options for importing campaigns:

• Copy HTML code: If you exported your old campaign as HTML, paste it into a MailerLite custom HTML block.
• Use drag-and-drop editor: Upload images and text to create a refreshed version of your old campaigns with MailerLite’s builder.
• Leverage templates: Choose a pre-built MailerLite template that closely matches your Mailchimp design, then customize it.

This is a great opportunity to improve your email design for 2025 rather than just replicating old layouts.

Double-Check Formatting and Details

Once your data and templates are in MailerLite, carefully review everything. Common mistakes during import include:

• Incorrectly mapped fields (e.g., “First Name” appearing in the wrong column).
• Missing tags or segments.
• Formatting errors in HTML emails.

Before moving on, send yourself a test email from each imported template. Check how it looks on desktop and mobile, and confirm links, buttons, and images are working properly.

Step 4: Recreate Campaigns and Automations

Now that your subscribers and templates are safely in MailerLite, the next step is to rebuild your campaigns and automations. This is where you start turning your data into live marketing again. While Mailchimp doesn’t allow direct export of automation workflows, MailerLite’s intuitive tools make recreating them easier than expected.

Build Email Templates in MailerLite

Your campaigns are the backbone of communication with your audience. In MailerLite, you can use the drag-and-drop editor or the rich-text editor to create engaging templates that align with your brand.

Advantages of MailerLite templates:

• Pre-designed layouts: Professionally crafted options for newsletters, promotions, product launches, and announcements.
• Dynamic content blocks: Add countdown timers, videos, testimonials, and product feeds without coding.
• Brand consistency: Save color palettes, fonts, and logos so all future emails are uniform.

This step ensures your subscribers instantly recognize your brand in their inboxes.

Set Up Automations and Sequences

Rebuilding automations is often the most important—and sometimes most overlooked—part of migration. Whether it’s a welcome email, a birthday message, or a cart abandonment reminder, these automations run behind the scenes and keep your audience engaged.

How to set up automations in MailerLite:

1. Navigate to Automation in your dashboard.
2. Choose a trigger (e.g., when a subscriber joins a group, fills out a form, or clicks a link).
3. Add your workflow steps, such as sending an email, waiting for a delay, or updating a subscriber’s group.
4. Insert your pre-built templates into each automation step.
5. Review conditions (if/else rules) to ensure subscribers get personalized experiences.

MailerLite’s visual workflow builder makes it easy to drag, drop, and connect steps—perfect for users who found Mailchimp’s system overly complex.

Test Workflows Before Going Live

Before launching automations, thorough testing is crucial. Test each workflow by:

• Signing up with a test email to see if the sequence triggers correctly.
• Verifying delays between emails are accurate.
• Checking personalization tags (like first names) display properly.
• Ensuring all links, CTAs, and product feeds work as intended.

Step 5: Test and Optimize Migration

With your subscribers, templates, and automations successfully moved into MailerLite, the final step is to test and optimize. This ensures your campaigns work as expected, your analytics are tracking correctly, and your deliverability stays strong. A smooth launch now prevents headaches later.

Send Test Campaigns

Before sending emails to your full subscriber list, create a small test group of internal emails or trusted contacts. Use this group to:

• Preview campaigns on different devices (desktop, mobile, tablet).
• Verify subject lines, sender names, and preview text display correctly.
• Check that links, images, and buttons function as intended.
• Review email formatting across various inbox providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo.

MailerLite allows you to send test emails with just one click, so you can quickly identify and fix any formatting or design issues.

Verify Analytics and Tracking

Email marketing success depends on accurate data. After sending a test campaign, confirm that MailerLite is correctly tracking:

• Open rates (are subscribers opening your emails?).
• Click-through rates (are people engaging with links?).
• Conversion tracking (if connected to your store or landing page).
• Subscriber activity (who engaged, who unsubscribed, who bounced).

If you use Google Analytics or eCommerce platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, make sure your UTM parameters and integrations are properly connected. This ensures all your traffic and sales are tracked in one place.

Monitor Deliverability Rates

Deliverability can vary when switching platforms, so keep a close eye on your first few campaigns. High bounce rates or low inbox placement can signal:

• Outdated subscriber data (inactive or invalid emails).
• Poor list hygiene (did you clean up enough before importing?).
• Missing authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC records not set up).

MailerLite provides clear reports on bounced and failed emails, helping you troubleshoot early. If deliverability dips, check your domain authentication settings and re-engagement strategies.

Tips for a Smooth Migration

Migrating from Mailchimp to MailerLite doesn’t have to be complicated, but small mistakes can cause big problems if you’re not careful. By planning ahead and following proven practices, you can make the switch with minimal stress and no loss of subscribers.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many businesses rush migration and end up with unnecessary setbacks. Avoid these pitfalls:

• Skipping list cleaning: Importing inactive or invalid contacts can hurt deliverability.
• Forgetting tags or segments: Without segmentation, your campaigns lose personalization and targeting power.
• Not testing workflows: Automations may look correct but fail to trigger if not tested thoroughly.
• Losing old campaign data: Some users forget to save campaign reports or templates before closing Mailchimp.
• Skipping DNS setup: Without SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, your emails may land in spam.

Taking the time to address these areas upfront will save you headaches later.

How to Minimize Downtime

The biggest worry during migration is downtime—missing opportunities to connect with your audience while you switch platforms. You can minimize disruption by:

• Migrating during a quiet business period rather than a peak sales season.
• Keeping Mailchimp active until you’ve fully tested MailerLite.
• Rebuilding your most critical automations first (like welcome emails and cart recovery).
• Informing your team about the migration timeline so everyone’s aligned.

This ensures you don’t miss leads or customer communication while setting up your new system.

Getting Support from MailerLite

One advantage of choosing MailerLite is their migration-friendly support. The platform offers:

• Step-by-step migration guides inside the knowledge base.
• Video tutorials for importing subscribers and setting up automations.
• Live chat and email support to answer questions quickly.
• A community forum where users share migration tips and success stories.

If you’re not confident about handling everything yourself, MailerLite’s support team can help guide you through the process, reducing the risk of mistakes.

The Hidden Cost of Staying with Mailchimp vs. The Real Benefits of Switching to MailerLite

Many businesses hesitate to migrate because they believe switching platforms will be difficult or disruptive. But in reality, staying with the wrong tool often costs more—in time, money, and lost opportunities. Let’s explore a real case, some industry data, and the gap between perception and reality.

Case Study

Situation:

A small eCommerce store with 8,000 subscribers had been using Mailchimp for three years. They relied on newsletters, product announcements, and abandoned cart emails.

Problem:

As their list grew, Mailchimp’s monthly bill jumped to over $130/month, even though they weren’t using advanced features. The team also struggled with Mailchimp’s increasingly complex interface, which slowed down campaign creation.

Steps:

• Exported all contacts and cleaned inactive subscribers.
• Segmented customers by purchase history and engagement.
• Imported the list into MailerLite and rebuilt their core automations.
• Tested deliverability and redesigned templates using MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor.

Results:

Within two months, the brand cut email costs by over 60%, campaigns were launched twice as fast, and open rates improved by 12% due to cleaner segmentation and higher deliverability.

Data

• According to 2025 email marketing platform comparisons, MailerLite’s pricing is on average 40–65% lower than Mailchimp for businesses with 5,000–20,000 subscribers.
• Independent deliverability tests in 2025 show MailerLite with 95–97% inbox placement rates, compared to Mailchimp’s average of 91–93%.
• A survey of small businesses revealed that 67% of MailerLite users cite ease of use as the main reason for switching from Mailchimp.

These numbers highlight not only cost savings but also measurable performance improvements.

Perspective

What people think:

Many assume migration will be too technical, that they’ll lose data, or that Mailchimp is “good enough” despite higher costs.

Reality:

The truth is migration is easier than expected—often completed in less than a day with minimal technical skills required. Businesses actually gain time, save money, and see stronger engagement when they move to MailerLite.

Why:

MailerLite simplifies workflows, includes critical tools in lower-tier plans, and offers better support during migration. This combination reduces friction and improves ROI almost immediately.

FAQs

Before migrating from Mailchimp to MailerLite, many users have common questions about data, templates, costs, and timelines. Here are the most important answers you need to know.

You won’t lose subscribers if you follow the proper process. First, export your contacts from Mailchimp as a CSV file, clean the list to remove inactive or invalid addresses, and then import the file into MailerLite. Make sure you also carry over tags or segments so your targeting remains intact. MailerLite validates imports to prevent errors, ensuring your subscribers stay safe during migration.

You can’t directly drag and drop Mailchimp templates into MailerLite, but there are two solutions:

• Export your old Mailchimp emails as HTML and paste them into MailerLite’s HTML editor.
• Rebuild your campaigns using MailerLite’s drag-and-drop editor or pre-made templates, which are often easier to customize and mobile-optimized.

This migration is a great chance to refresh your email designs.

Your old campaigns remain in your Mailchimp account, but they won’t transfer automatically. You should save them before closing your account by exporting reports (opens, clicks, unsubscribes) and saving designs as HTML or PDF. In MailerLite, you’ll need to rebuild or import them manually, but this is also an opportunity to update and modernize your campaigns.

Yes—significantly. MailerLite’s pricing in 2025 is 40–65% lower than Mailchimp for the same subscriber counts. For example, a business with 10,000 subscribers may pay around $50/month with MailerLite compared to $100+ with Mailchimp. Plus, MailerLite includes features like landing pages and automations in lower-tier plans that Mailchimp often restricts to higher tiers.

Most businesses can complete migration in a few hours to one day. Exporting and cleaning data takes about an hour, importing subscribers is quick, and rebuilding essential automations can be done the same day. Larger businesses with complex workflows may take a few days, but MailerLite’s support team helps ensure the process runs smoothly.

Author’s Review of Migrating to MailerLite

Migrating from Mailchimp to MailerLite may sound like a technical challenge, but in reality, it’s a smooth and rewarding process when done step by step. After testing the migration process in 2025, here’s my full breakdown and star-rated review.

Ease of Migration: ★★★★★

The process is surprisingly straightforward. Exporting from Mailchimp and importing into MailerLite takes less than an hour for most users. The only manual step is recreating automations, but MailerLite’s workflow builder makes this easier than expected. Even beginners with no technical expertise can manage the migration.

Affordability: ★★★★★

This is where MailerLite truly shines. Compared to Mailchimp, the cost savings are substantial—especially as your list grows. MailerLite offers a generous free plan and predictable pricing tiers, while Mailchimp’s costs tend to spike quickly. Businesses switching often cut their email marketing expenses by 40–60%.

Features & Flexibility: ★★★★★

Rebuilding campaigns in MailerLite feels more like an upgrade than a chore. The drag-and-drop editor, modern templates, and automation tools are designed for speed and creativity. Features like dynamic content, countdown timers, and eCommerce integrations are included without the hidden paywalls Mailchimp is known for.

Support & Resources: ★★★★★

MailerLite provides strong migration support through tutorials, knowledge base articles, and responsive live chat. Unlike Mailchimp, which limits support on lower tiers, MailerLite ensures even small businesses have access to help. This makes the switch less stressful and more beginner-friendly.

Overall Performance: ★★★★★

The migration results are clear: lower costs, faster workflows, and improved deliverability. Businesses not only save money but also benefit from a more intuitive platform with stronger long-term ROI. MailerLite is an ideal solution for startups, small businesses, and scaling brands that want simplicity without sacrificing power.

Final Verdict: Migrating from Mailchimp to MailerLite

Migrating from Mailchimp to MailerLite in 2025 is more than just switching platforms—it’s about gaining long-term value. The process is smooth, cost-effective, and future-ready.

3 Main Points:

• Cost savings: MailerLite offers far more affordable pricing compared to Mailchimp, making it ideal for small businesses and growing startups.
• Ease of use: The drag-and-drop builder, automation workflows, and intuitive interface make the migration process and daily use incredibly simple.
• Better results: With improved deliverability, built-in templates, and strong support, MailerLite helps businesses achieve higher ROI from email marketing.

So, are MailerLite landing pages and campaigns worth the switch? Absolutely. If you want to save money, streamline your workflows, and improve conversions, migrating to MailerLite is the right move in 2025.