HubSpot is the most common destination for businesses that have outgrown Mailchimp and need a real CRM alongside their email marketing. Where Mailchimp is an email tool with basic contact management, HubSpot connects marketing, sales, and CRM data in a single platform. The migration is more involved than most because HubSpot's data model is more complex, but the result is a significantly more capable setup.
This guide covers everything you need to migrate from Mailchimp to HubSpot without losing subscribers or breaking your automations. Estimated time: 3-6 hours.
What transfers and what does not
| Item | Transfers? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts and email addresses | Yes | Via CSV or HubSpot's Mailchimp integration |
| Contact properties | Partial | Standard fields map directly; custom fields need manual mapping |
| Tags and groups | Partial | Export as properties, remap as HubSpot lists or contact properties |
| Unsubscribe history | Yes | Import as suppressed contacts |
| Email templates | No | Must be rebuilt in HubSpot's drag-and-drop editor |
| Automation workflows | No | Must be rebuilt using HubSpot's Workflows tool |
| Campaign history | No | Historical stats stay in Mailchimp |
| Forms and landing pages | No | Must be rebuilt in HubSpot |
Keep your Mailchimp account active throughout the migration. Do not cancel it until HubSpot is fully set up and tested. Cancelling early means losing access to your historical data and any active automations still running.
Step-by-step migration guide
Create your HubSpot account and complete the initial portal setup. Connect your domain, set your email sending settings, and complete the DKIM authentication. HubSpot's onboarding wizard will guide you through the basics. Keep your Mailchimp account active throughout the migration.
HubSpot offers a native Mailchimp integration that can sync your contacts and lists directly. Go to Settings, Integrations, and connect your Mailchimp account. This is the cleanest way to import your contacts and list membership without a CSV. Review the sync settings carefully before activating.
If you prefer a manual import or the integration does not cover your needs, export your contacts from Mailchimp as a CSV including all merge fields, tags, and groups. In HubSpot, go to Contacts, Import, and upload the file. Map each column to the correct HubSpot property. Create new custom properties first if needed.
Export your unsubscribed and cleaned contacts from Mailchimp separately. Import them into HubSpot with their marketing status set to unsubscribed. This is essential for email compliance. Do not skip this step.
HubSpot has a drag-and-drop email editor and a template library. Rebuild your key email designs in HubSpot. You can also use the AI-assisted template tools to speed this up. Test each template by sending to yourself before using it in a live campaign.
Document your active Mailchimp automations before you start. In HubSpot, go to Automation, Workflows, and rebuild each one. HubSpot's workflow builder is more powerful than Mailchimp's, so you may be able to improve on your existing flows. Start with your most critical sequences: welcome series, lead nurture, and any active triggered emails.
Create your signup forms and landing pages in HubSpot. Replace Mailchimp embed codes on your website with HubSpot form embeds. Update any pop-up or inline forms. Test each form to confirm contacts are created correctly in HubSpot and trigger the right workflows.
Send test emails, trigger your workflows manually, and verify that new form submissions create contacts correctly. Check that your unsubscribe links work. Once you are satisfied everything is working, turn off your Mailchimp automations and redirect your sends to HubSpot. Cancel Mailchimp on your next billing date.
The bottom line
Migrating from Mailchimp to HubSpot is one of the more involved email migrations because HubSpot's platform is significantly more capable. The rebuild work is real, but the result is a proper CRM-connected marketing setup rather than a standalone email tool. Plan for half a day to a full day for a complete migration.
Not sure HubSpot is the right destination? Take the Marketing Automation Buyer's Guide quiz for a personalized recommendation.