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Switching from Mailchimp: keep your unsubscribes and set up your sending domain
Updated Oct 15, 2026
Export your Mailchimp audience: it can come as separate CSV files for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts. Run an account backup for emails and templates. Monthly plans get no refund, and annual plans have a 60-day money-back guarantee. Kit has a Mailchimp importer and moves paid users under 10K subscribers free in 2-5 business days. AWeber migrates free, and GetResponse imports the CSV as single opt-in. Authenticate your domain at the new provider.
The steps
- Step 1 · not stated on its pages · not stated on its pages
Export your audience
Export the whole audience, a segment, a tag or a group. The export may include a zip with separate CSV files for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts.
source - Step 2 · One account export per 24 hours · not stated on its pages
Back up the rest of the account
An account export covers audiences, templates, marketing emails and SMS data. Ads, landing pages and website content can't be exported.
source - Step 3 · 2-5 business days for Kit's Essentials migration · Free on any paid Kit plan
Import into Kit
Subscribers > Add Subscribers > Other provider opens the Mailchimp importer; or let Kit's team do it on a paid plan.
source - Step 4 · not stated on its pages · Free migration service
Or move to AWeber
Use AWeber's free migration, or import the CSV yourself (CSV, XLS, XLSX, TSV or TXT).
source - Step 5 · not stated on its pages · not stated on its pages
Or import into GetResponse
Import the CSV via single opt-in; the guide says no re-confirmation is required.
source - Step 6 · not stated on its pages · not stated on its pages
Import unsubscribes as suppressions
Keep the unsubscribed and cleaned files so those contacts aren't emailed again at the new provider.
source - Step 7 · not stated on its pages · not stated on its pages
Authenticate your sending domain
Add the new provider's DKIM and DMARC records at your DNS host before the first send.
source - Step 8 · Billing is monthly or annual from your sign-up date; any part of a month is paid in full · No refund on monthly plans; 60-day money-back on annual
Downgrade, pause or delete Mailchimp
A downgrade takes effect next billing cycle; deleting is permanent. Annual plans close through sales.
source
Carries over
- Contacts export with their status: subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned.
- Emails, templates and audiences export in an account backup.
- Kit's Mailchimp importer brings all merge fields across and builds tags from your Mailchimp setup.
- Free migration teams at Kit (paid plans) and AWeber.
What you lose
- Landing pages, website and ad content can't be exported.
- No refund on monthly plans; annual refunds only within 60 days.
- Deleting the account removes audiences, campaign archives and reports for good.
- Your sending domain has to be authenticated again at the new provider.
Where to switch to
| Destination | Price from | Visit |
|---|---|---|
| Kit No affiliate relationship | $0 per month | Visit KitOn kit.com |
| AWeber No affiliate relationship | $0 per month | Visit AWeberOn aweber.com |
| GetResponse No affiliate relationship | $0 per month | Visit GetResponseOn getresponse.com |
Mailchimp's exports are generous, and its billing isn't. You can take your contacts out with their subscription status intact, but monthly fees aren't refunded. Facts below are from each company's own pages, read Sep 30, 2026.
Leaving Mailchimp
Contacts, with consent status. An audience export can cover the whole audience, a segment, a tag or a group. It may come as a zip with separate CSV files for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts. Keep all four. The unsubscribed and cleaned files tell your new provider who must not be emailed.
Everything else. An account backup covers audiences, templates, marketing emails and SMS data, and you can run one every 24 hours. Mailchimp says ads, landing pages and website content can't be exported, and deleted audiences are gone.
Cancelling. You can pause, downgrade or delete the account. A pause lasts 3 or 6 months and keeps your data. A downgrade takes effect at the next billing cycle, and you can drop to Free only once per account. Deleting is permanent and removes audiences, campaign archives and reports.
Refunds. Mailchimp's terms give no refund on monthly plans. Annual plans have a 60-day money-back guarantee. To close an annual plan mid-cycle you contact sales, and there's no refund after 60 days. No early termination fee is named.
Where to go
Kit has a named Mailchimp importer. All your Mailchimp merge fields come across, and Kit builds tags from your Mailchimp setup. On any paid plan, Kit's team does the move for free. It takes 2-5 business days for accounts under 10K subscribers. Kit says your emails and forms keep working during the move.
AWeber has a Mailchimp switching guide and a free migration service. Its team moves lists, tags, subscribers, up to 3 templates, signup forms, automations and landing pages. If you import yourself, it takes CSV, XLS, XLSX, TSV or TXT, and a manual review should take no longer than one business day.
GetResponse has a Mailchimp guide: export the CSV and import it as single opt-in, with no re-confirmation. Its importer takes CSV, TXT, VCF, XLSX and ODS files up to 50 MB. Dedicated migration help is offered with GetResponse MAX.
Set up sending before you send
Your new provider needs its own records on your domain. Kit sets up SPF, DKIM and DMARC through a verified sending domain. AWeber and GetResponse both set up DKIM and DMARC. GetResponse notes that Gmail and Yahoo now require a custom DKIM-authenticated domain. Add the records before your first send.
Who should move
Creators who want the move done for them fit Kit (on a paid plan) or AWeber. Both migrate for free. If you pay monthly, time the switch near your billing date, since the rest of the month isn't refunded. Compare the options on our email marketing ranking and our methodology.