Moosend punches above its price point. You get a solid automation builder, a clean email editor, and good deliverability for a fraction of what some competitors charge. Setup is straightforward. This guide covers everything you need to get up and running.

Total setup time: 1-2 hours. Difficulty: Easy. You do not need any technical background to follow this guide.

Moosend at a glance

DetailValue
Starting price$9/mo (Pro, up to 500 subscribers)
Free planNo
Free trial30-day free trial
Setup time1-2 hours
DifficultyEasy
Best forSmall businesses wanting strong automation at a low price
Start your 30-day free trial and follow along as you set up.
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How to set up Moosend in 6 steps

STEP 1 Create your account 5-10 min

Go to moosend.com and start your 30-day free trial. No credit card required. Enter your name, email, and company details. Moosend will activate your account immediately without a manual review step, which makes getting started fast.

STEP 2 Authenticate your sending domain 15-20 min

Go to Settings > Sending Domains and add your domain. Moosend provides DKIM records to add to your DNS as TXT records. Log in to your domain registrar, add the records, then click Verify in Moosend. DNS propagation usually completes within an hour. Once verified, your domain email address is cleared for sending.

STEP 3 Import your subscribers 10-20 min

Go to Audience > Mailing Lists > Create New. Name your list, then click Import to upload your CSV. Map the columns to Moosend fields (email is required; name and custom fields are optional). Moosend will process the import and show a summary with the number of valid and invalid addresses.

STEP 4 Create a signup form 15-20 min

Go to Growth Tools > Subscription Forms > New Form. Moosend offers subscription forms and landing pages. The form editor lets you customize fields, design, and behavior. Connect the form to your mailing list and set up the confirmation email for double opt-in. Once published, copy the embed code or share the hosted URL.

STEP 5 Build a welcome automation 20-40 min

Go to Automation > New Automation. Give it a name and choose 'When a user subscribes to a list' as the trigger. Add a Send Email action for your welcome email, then a Wait For action (e.g., 1 day), then a second email. Moosend's automation builder is visual and drag-and-drop. You can add filter and condition blocks to create branching paths.

STEP 6 Send your first campaign 15-30 min

Go to Campaigns > New Campaign. Choose a drag-and-drop campaign type. Select a template or start with a blank layout. Customize your content using the editor, set your subject line and preview text, choose your mailing list, and send a test email. When ready, schedule or send immediately. The campaign summary will show opens, clicks, and bounces.

Tips before you start

  • Moosend's automation library has pre-built templates for common use cases -- start there before building from scratch.
  • The weather-based automation trigger is unique to Moosend -- worth exploring for e-commerce and local businesses.
  • Moosend includes a landing page builder and subscription forms on all plans, so you do not need a separate tool.

Next steps

Once your account is set up, focus on building your first automation before sending any broadcast campaigns. A working welcome sequence ensures every new subscriber gets a consistent first experience. After that, review your migration guide if you are moving contacts from another platform, and use the recommendations quiz to confirm Moosend is the right long-term fit.