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Mailchimp to beehiiv migration: steps, warm-up segment and cost before/after
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 20 Oct 2026
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beehiiv's Mailchimp migration has two parts: subscribers come over as a CSV, and past campaigns come over through a direct Mailchimp connection. Automations, forms and templates you rebuild. The steps below follow beehiiv's help article (updated November 21, 2025) and Mailchimp's export docs, checked 2026-10-20.
Cost: Mailchimp vs beehiiv
| Subscribers | Mailchimp | beehiiv | Mailchimp + automations | beehiiv + automations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 (Essentials) | $0 (Free) | $13 (Essentials) limited | $59 (Lite) limited |
| 1,000 | $26.50 (Essentials) | $0 (Free) | $26.50 (Essentials) limited | $59 (Lite) limited |
| 2,500 | $45 (Essentials) | $0 (Free) | $45 (Essentials) limited | $79 (Lite) limited |
| 5,000 | $75 (Essentials) | $109 (Lite) | $75 (Essentials) limited | $109 (Lite) limited |
| 10,000 | $110 (Essentials) | $139 (Lite) | $110 (Essentials) limited | $139 (Lite) limited |
| 25,000 | $270 (Essentials) | $199 (Lite) | $270 (Essentials) limited | $199 (Lite) limited |
Per month, monthly billing, cheapest plan that covers the list. Sources: Mailchimp pricing, beehiiv pricing (checked 2026-10-20). "limited" plans cap automations; see each platform's page.
Calculate your exact Mailchimp → beehiiv switching cost → · beehiiv vs Mailchimp compared · what beehiiv Free includes
beehiiv Free covers 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends but no automations or custom domain; those start on Lite.
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Step 1: export your audience from Mailchimp
- Export from Mailchimp. Only Owners and Admins can export an audience. Go to Audience → Export audience → Export CSV, then download it from the Audience exports page. The export can be a ZIP with separate CSV files for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts, and it stays available for 30 days. The file includes
MEMBER_RATING, the contact's member activity rating (Mailchimp help).
Step 2: import subscribers into beehiiv
- In beehiiv: Settings → Subscribers Import → New Subscribers Import → Upload a CSV file, choose the Mailchimp CSV (the subscribed contacts file) and click Next.
- Optionally tag everyone in the file under Advanced Configuration, then Confirm subscribers import and confirm that every contact opted in.
- Map the columns to beehiiv fields. Create custom fields for anything new, including the member rating, and map Mailchimp tags with the Subscriber Tags option. Then Import.
- Check the result screen for rejected rows. Signup dates default to the import date; beehiiv support can add the original dates after the import.
Step 3: warm up with your engaged subscribers
beehiiv recommends creating a segment of contacts with a Mailchimp member rating of 1 or 2 and excluding it from your sends for the first 2–4 weeks (Audience page of the post builder → Excluded segments), and ideally removing those contacts during the migration. A new sending platform plus a cold list is how deliverability problems start.
Step 4: import past campaigns
- Create a default template first and tick "Set as default post style"; after import, styling changes are post by post.
- Settings → Content Import → Start Import → Mailchimp → Connect, log in to Mailchimp and approve.
- Import all campaigns, or only selected campaign folders. Imports typically take 5–15 minutes.
Limitation: only campaigns built with Mailchimp's New Email Builder (2022) import. Legacy Email Builder campaigns have to be recreated by hand.
After the move
- Add your sending domain in beehiiv (beehiiv uses Entri for the DNS setup, so no manual DNS changes). Custom domains need Lite or higher.
- Recreate subscribe forms and replace the Mailchimp embeds on your website.
- Rebuild welcome and nurture sequences as beehiiv automations (Lite: up to 10 live; Pro: unlimited).
Sources: beehiiv: How to migrate from Mailchimp to beehiiv, Mailchimp: View or export contacts, beehiiv pricing, Mailchimp pricing.
FAQ
Can beehiiv import my Mailchimp campaigns?
Yes, with beehiiv's Content Import (Settings → Content Import → Mailchimp → Connect). It imports campaigns built with Mailchimp's New Email Builder; campaigns made with the Legacy Email Builder are not imported.
How do I move subscribers from Mailchimp to beehiiv?
Export the audience as a CSV in Mailchimp, then in beehiiv go to Settings → Subscribers Import → New Subscribers Import → Upload a CSV file, confirm the contacts opted in, and map fields and tags.
Should I import inactive Mailchimp contacts?
beehiiv recommends excluding subscribers with a Mailchimp member rating of 1 or 2 from your first 2–4 weeks of sends, and ideally removing them during the migration, to protect deliverability.
Do automations migrate from Mailchimp to beehiiv?
No. beehiiv's guide covers subscribers and content only. Rebuild automations in beehiiv; they need the Lite plan or higher.
Is beehiiv cheaper than Mailchimp?
For a plain newsletter up to 2,500 subscribers beehiiv Free costs $0. Above that, compare the table: beehiiv has unlimited sends and no automation cap on Pro, Mailchimp caps sends at a multiple of your contacts.
Related: beehiiv price increase 2026 · Moving from beehiiv to Kit · Moving from beehiiv to MailerLite · Substack vs beehiiv vs Ghost · Is beehiiv worth it in 2026? Break-even vs Substack, Kit and MailerLite · Substack to beehiiv migration · beehiiv Free plan (2026) · AWeber Free plan (2026) · Substack fees (2026) · Mailchimp to MailerLite migration · How much does Mailchimp cost? Per month, per year and per contact (2026)
Comparisons: beehiiv vs Mailchimp · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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