How to switch to EmailOctopus from Mailchimp

Switching email platforms doesn't have to be complicated. Whether you're moving to EmailOctopus for more affordable pricing, a cleaner interface, or just a fresh start, this guide walks you through the full migration process – from exporting your Mailchimp data to sending your first campaign. You’ll be ready to send in under an hour, without a disruption to your subscribers.

Step 1: Set up your EmailOctopus account

Sign up for a free EmailOctopus account if you haven't already – it only takes a couple of minutes. Once you fill in your details, we will set up your branding automatically based on the website you provide, so that you can easily design your templates.

Domain verification

You can skip this step if you don’t own a domain. Read why it’s worth verifying it in this article.

Once you're in, the first thing to do before importing any contacts is to verify your sending domain, if you own one.

Domain verification tells inbox providers like Gmail and Outlook that the emails you send are legitimate. It's one of the most effective things you can do to for best deliverability from day one, and it takes just a few minutes to set up.

Here's a step-by-step guide how to verify your domain in EmailOctopus.

Two-factor authentication (2FA)

While you're in your account settings, it's also a good idea to enable two-factor authentication to keep your account and contact list secure. You can follow this guide to set that up.

Step 2: Clean your list before migrating

This is an optional step, but one that can make a very meaningful difference to your results after switching.

If your Mailchimp list of subscribed contacts includes ones who haven't opened an email in six months or more, it's worth deciding what to do with them before you switch to EmailOctopus. Inbox providers use engagement as a signal of trust – a list with a large proportion of inactive contacts can affect how your emails are treated, regardless of which platform you're sending from.

You can run a re-engagement campaign for your whole list or just inactive contacts through Mailchimp before you move – after giving your contacts some time to interact with it, you can suppress anyone who doesn't interact with the email.

If you segment your list on Mailchimp based on engagement, you can also suppress inactive contacts right away.

Step 3: Export your Mailchimp data

Before making the switch, it helps to gather a few things from your Mailchimp account.

Contacts

You'll need a CSV export of your subscribed contacts and a separate export of your unsubscribed contacts, along with a note of any tags or audience segments you want to carry across.

As a permission-based platform, we require that your contacts have all given you permission to be on your mailing list. Keep this in mind as you move your contacts over.

1. Export your subscribed contacts first. In the Mailchimp dashboard, head to the ‘Audience’ tab in the sidebar on the left. If you have more than one audience, click the ’Audience’ drop-down and choose the one you want to view.

2. Click ‘Export audience’.

3. Confirm the export, and wait for it to process.

4. Download your export from the Export history or check your email inbox for the file.

5. Make sure you run a second export filtered to unsubscribed or cleaned contacts – you'll use both files when migrating.

Engagement data

If you have any reports you don’t want to lose, we’d recommend exporting them as well – this data might be useful when segmenting your audience in EmailOctopus for future sends.

Step 4: Import your unsubscribed contacts first

Before bringing across your active list, import your unsubscribed contacts and mark them as unsubscribed during the import process.

It might seem counterintuitive, but doing this first means EmailOctopus will already know not to email those addresses – even if they appear in a future import. It protects you from accidentally contacting people who've opted out and helps keep your sender reputation in good shape from the start.

If you decide to import cleaned contacts from Mailchimp into your EmailOctopus list, remember not to import them as subscribed – cleaned contacts are invalid email addresses which have bounced in the past. Since sending them emails could damage your sender reputation, we recommend exporting them and importing them as unsubscribed.

1. Go to the Contacts tab, and choose ‘Add contacts’ from the dropdown.

2. After adding your file, make sure to mark them as unsubscribed and click Next.

Map the fields in your file to the fields in EmailOctopus, or create new ones, and finish the import. You can also follow this guide as you go.

Step 5: Import your active contacts to EmailOctopus

With your unsubscribed contacts already in place, you're ready to bring your main list across – the process is very similar. Check out our guide on importing contacts for step-by-step instructions.

1. Go to the Contacts tab in EmailOctopus, and choose ‘Add contacts’ from the dropdown.
2. Add a file with your subscribed contacts, and make sure to choose the ‘Subscribed’ status.
3. Map the fields from your Mailchimp export – first name, last name, tags, and any custom fields – to the corresponding fields in EmailOctopus. You can also create new ones if they don’t exist in your EmailOctopus list yet.
4. Finalise the import.

Once the import is complete, your contacts will appear in your EmailOctopus list with all their data intact.

Step 6: Recreate your templates and automations

If you have welcome sequences, nurture flows, or other automation workflows running in Mailchimp, it's worth recreating these in EmailOctopus, so new subscribers don't miss anything while you're getting everything in place.

Using your Mailchimp flows as reference, go to the Automations tab in EmailOctopus and rebuild your sequences. This Knowledge Base article on triggers and actions available in automations can be super helpful when setting them up.

Step 7: Update your sign-up source

If you have Mailchimp sign-up forms embedded on your website or landing pages, you'll want to update these to point to EmailOctopus so new subscribers go into the right place.

If you use landing pages, you can create a new one in the Grow > Landing pages tab. For forms, navigate to the Grow tab > Forms in EmailOctopus to create a new signup form, then replace the embed code on your site with the new one. This guide on adding form code to your website can be helpful when embedding.

If you have a custom form using the Mailchimp API or an integration, check our API documentation and form integrations for more details.

Step 8: Send your first campaign

With everything in place, you're now ready to send! A couple of things are worth bearing in mind as you get started.

It helps to begin with your most engaged subscribers rather than sending to your full list straight away. When you move to a new email platform, inbox providers may take a little time to become familiar with your new sending setup. Starting with contacts who regularly open your emails, and gradually expanding to the rest of your list over the first few weeks, gives you the best possible start.

If you used the Mailchimp editor to create your emails, you wouldn’t be able to move the designs over to EmailOctopus, but you can recreate them with our drag and drop editor in no time. If you're using custom HTML templates, you can import them from Mailchimp; however, it's worth checking that there are no hardcoded Mailchimp merge tags still in the code. Make sure to check our customisation cheatsheet for the required EmailOctopus merge tags.

To create your first campaign, navigate to the Campaigns tab and follow this guide to get started.

Great job, you just switched to EmailOctopus! 🐙

Keeping your sender reputation healthy after the switch

Moving platforms is a good opportunity to build strong email habits that will serve you well long-term. A few things worth focusing on once you're up and running:

1. Sending on a consistent schedule, weekly or monthly – whatever suits your audience – is one of the most effective things you can do for deliverability. Inbox providers respond well to senders who show up regularly, with your readers anticipating your emails.
2. If you send a large volume of emails, verify your domain and warm it up first. This gradually builds your sender reputation with inbox providers and significantly improves your chances of landing in the main inbox. More on how to do that here.
3. Keeping your list clean plays a big role in maintaining a high sender reputation. While EmailOctopus handles hard bounces automatically, regularly suppressing contacts who haven't engaged in 90 days or more helps maintain a healthy sender reputation – remember that email providers check for engagement, too.
4. Monitoring and analysing your metrics – open rates, click rates, bounces, and complaints – means you can catch anything unusual early. The Reports will give you a clear view of how each campaign has performed – make sure to keep track of complaints and monitor bounces, as they can have a negative impact on your sender reputation.
5. Only send to people who've chosen to hear from you. Emailing contacts who haven't opted in is one of the quickest ways to damage your sender reputation – and with deliverability, what can go wrong in a single send can take considerably longer to put right.

For more tips on maintaining a healthy sending reputation, give this article a read.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Will my subscribers know I've switched platforms?

Your subscribers receive emails from your domain or sender email address, not from Mailchimp or EmailOctopus directly – as long as your domain is verified, not much looks any different from their side. If you use our free Starter plan, we require that you add a link back to EmailOctopus, so that would be the only visible difference.

Will I lose my contact data?

As long as you export all your contact data from Mailchimp and map the fields correctly during import, your contact data comes across intact – including names, tags, and any custom fields.

What happens to my Mailchimp segments?

You can easily recreate your segments in EmailOctopus using tags applied during import, fields, and other data. Keep in mind that it’s not possible to import contacts directly into segments – they all have to match specific criteria defined in the segment. More on how that works can be found here.

How long does the migration take?

For most users, the full process takes under an hour. Larger lists may take a little longer to export and import, but the steps themselves are straightforward and easy to follow – you’ll get set up in no time.

Can I import my templates?

Yes and no. If your templates were created using the Mailchimp new email builder, you wouldn’t be able to export and import them into EmailOctopus – in this case, we highly recommend using our drag-and-drop editor to recreate the template. If you use custom HTML, you can simply copy it from Mailchimp and paste it over to our Code-your-own editor.

If you need a hand at any point during your migration, our support team is happy to help. You can also find detailed guides for every step in our Knowledge Base or ask our AI chatbot in the dashboard.

Happy emailing!