MailerLite is one of the most popular places to land after leaving Mailchimp. It is cheaper at every tier, has a more generous free plan, and is considerably easier to use. If your main frustration with Mailchimp has been price increases or a cluttered interface, MailerLite will feel like a relief.
The migration is straightforward. Your contacts move over via CSV with no complications. The only real work is rebuilding your automations, and if you are on Mailchimp you likely have fairly simple ones - MailerLite covers welcome sequences, drip campaigns, and basic behavioral triggers without any issues.
This guide walks you through the full process step by step.
What transfers and what does not
| Data | Transfers? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts and email addresses | Yes | Via CSV export and import |
| Custom fields | Yes | Map during import |
| Tags | Partial | Export as a column and remap as MailerLite groups or fields |
| Segments | No | Recreate using MailerLite's segment builder |
| Unsubscribe history | Yes | Import as suppressed contacts |
| Email templates | Partial | Export HTML and rebuild in MailerLite's editor |
| Automation workflows | No | Must be rebuilt manually |
| Campaign history and analytics | No | Download from Mailchimp before cancelling |
| Forms | No | Recreate in MailerLite's form builder |
Before you start
MailerLite's free plan covers up to 1,000 subscribers with no time limit - you can set up and test your entire account before spending anything. Create your account at mailerlite.com and keep Mailchimp running until you have confirmed everything works.
Step-by-step migration guide
Go to Audience in Mailchimp and export your full audience as a CSV. Include all merge fields and tags. Export your unsubscribe and bounce lists separately - you will need these to set up your suppression list in MailerLite.
Screenshot or write down every active automation in Mailchimp - the trigger, any conditions, each email in the sequence, and the timing between steps. MailerLite's automation builder is intuitive, but you need the details in front of you when rebuilding. Do this before you cancel Mailchimp.
Save the HTML of any templates you want to keep. MailerLite has a strong drag-and-drop editor and a good template library, so you may find it faster to rebuild templates from scratch than to import old ones. Either approach works.
Export your historical performance data from Mailchimp before you cancel. Open rates, click rates, and subscriber growth history will not carry over to MailerLite.
Complete your account setup in MailerLite, including domain authentication. Add your SPF and DKIM records to your domain's DNS settings. This is essential for deliverability. MailerLite walks you through this in the setup flow and it takes about 15 minutes once you have access to your DNS settings.
In MailerLite, go to Subscribers and import your CSV. Map each column to the correct field. MailerLite uses groups rather than tags as its primary organizational structure, so decide how you want to map your Mailchimp tags before importing. Import your unsubscribe and bounce lists as suppressed contacts.
Use MailerLite's automation builder to recreate your workflows. The interface is one of the cleanest in the industry and is faster to work with than Mailchimp's Customer Journeys. Start with your welcome series, then work through any other active sequences. Test each one with a test subscriber before activating.
Replace your Mailchimp forms with MailerLite forms on your website. MailerLite has a built-in form builder with popup, embedded, and landing page options. Update any integrations, popups, or third-party tools that were connected to Mailchimp.
Send test emails to yourself. Trigger each automation with a test subscriber and confirm the sequence fires correctly. Check all links, verify unsubscribe works, and confirm domain authentication is passing. Do not cancel Mailchimp until this is done.
Once MailerLite is fully set up and tested, cancel Mailchimp. Check your billing date first. In Mailchimp, go to Account, then Settings, then Pause or Delete Account.
Export your contact list, suppression list, campaign history, and any templates you want to keep. Update all connected integrations to point to MailerLite. Once your Mailchimp account is closed, this data is gone.
How long does it take?
Most people can complete the full migration from Mailchimp to MailerLite in two to three hours. MailerLite is genuinely fast to set up. The contact import is quick, the automation builder is intuitive, and the form builder is straightforward. If you have a simple email program, you can be fully live the same afternoon you start.
Why people switch from Mailchimp to MailerLite
Price is usually the first reason. MailerLite is cheaper at every tier, and the free plan covers 1,000 subscribers compared to Mailchimp's 500. The second reason is simplicity - MailerLite's interface is cleaner and faster to navigate than Mailchimp's, which has become increasingly cluttered as Mailchimp has added features over the years.
For a full breakdown, read the Mailchimp vs MailerLite comparison.
The bottom line
Migrating from Mailchimp to MailerLite is one of the easiest platform switches you can make. The contacts move over cleanly, the interface is faster to learn than what you are leaving, and you will likely pay less from day one.
Still weighing your options? Take the Marketing Automation Buyer's Guide quiz and get a recommendation based on your specific situation.