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Quick answer: how to move from Mailchimp to MailerLite

  1. Create a MailerLite account and complete the approval steps.
  2. Import your audience with MailerLite’s Mailchimp importer, or from a CSV export.
  3. Keep unsubscribed and cleaned contacts out of your active list.
  4. Authenticate your sending domain (DKIM and SPF).
  5. Rebuild forms, landing pages, templates and automations, which don’t come across.
  6. Test, sync late sign-ups, then switch your website forms over.

Is MailerLite cheaper than Mailchimp?

For a small to mid-size list, yes. Here’s Mailchimp’s entry paid plan, Essentials, next to MailerLite Comfort at the same list sizes, on monthly billing in USD.

ContactsMailchimp Essentials, monthlyMailerLite Comfort, monthlyComfort, billed yearly (per month)Monthly difference (by our arithmetic)
500$13$12$10.80$1 less on Comfort
1,000$26.50$19$17.10$7.50 less
2,500$45$33$29.70$12 less
5,000$75$49$44.10$26 less

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Mailchimp: “starts at” prices from the calculator on its pricing page, read in a browser on October 7, 2026, for the 0–500, 501–1,500, 1,501–2,500 and 2,501–5,000 contact bands. MailerLite: price data on its pricing page and pricing.md, checked October 9, 2026. Taxes may apply.

By our arithmetic, at 5,000 contacts that’s $312 a year less on monthly billing, or $370.80 less if you pay MailerLite yearly ($529.20 vs $900). Mailchimp’s pricing page also lists a free plan for under 250 contacts (checked October 7, 2026). Features differ between the two, so check MailerLite vs Mailchimp before you decide. Every MailerLite tier is in our MailerLite pricing guide.

Before you switch: a checklist

Step 1: Create your account and get approved

Per MailerLite’s account setup article, you sign up, answer a few questions about how you’ll use MailerLite, and verify your email address. The 14-day trial starts at registration. MailerLite’s Terms of Use (updated September 22, 2026) add the review side:

So describe your list and where it came from accurately, and import only people who opted in.

Step 2: Import your subscribers

Option A: MailerLite’s Mailchimp importer

From MailerLite’s switching guide:

  1. Go to Subscribers → Add subscribers → Import from Mailchimp and connect with your Mailchimp login or an API key.
  2. Pick the lists, then map fields automatically or by hand.
  3. Groups: create a group for each Mailchimp list and tag, or put everyone in one group. A subscriber in several groups counts once toward your plan.
  4. Segments: only segments built on static fields come across.
  5. Extra statuses: optionally bring Unsubscribed and Unconfirmed contacts. They stay separate and can’t be sent newsletters.
  6. Duplicates: update missing info only, or overwrite all fields (empty import fields then erase existing data). Click Let’s import.

You get a summary of subscribers added, updated and not added, and MailerLite’s Mailchimp integration page says you can undo an import. Later Mailchimp changes don’t update on their own; click Sync again under Import from Mailchimp.

Option B: export a CSV from Mailchimp

Per Mailchimp’s export article: Audience → Export audience → Export CSV, and Mailchimp emails you when it’s ready. You may get a ZIP with separate files for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts. Exports stay available for 30 days and don’t include report data such as opens and clicks.

Then, per MailerLite’s import article: Subscribers → Add subscribers → Import from a CSV or TXT file, upload the subscribed file, choose a group, match columns to fields, decide whether the import triggers that group’s automations, and click Finish import. Addresses fail to import if they’re invalid, banned (role-based ones like admin@), or already unsubscribed, bounced, unconfirmed or marked as spam complaints in your account.

Step 3: Handle unsubscribed and cleaned contacts

In Mailchimp’s terms (contacts article), cleaned contacts are addresses that hard bounced or repeatedly soft bounced, unsubscribed contacts opted out, and non-subscribed contacts interacted with you but never opted in.

Step 4: Authenticate your domain (DKIM and SPF)

Per MailerLite’s domain authentication article, sending from a custom domain requires authentication; new accounts can skip it only during the 14-day trial. Its switching guide says to do this before you finish the move.

  1. Account settings → Domains → Add domain, enter your sender address, then click Authenticate.
  2. If your DNS host is detected, automatic setup adds the records once you log in to the host.
  3. Otherwise add them by hand: DKIM as a CNAME, SPF as a TXT and a domain verification TXT record.
  4. Click Check DNS. It usually takes minutes, and up to 24 hours.

Sending from Gmail or Yahoo? MailerLite’s free domain article says it rewrites the sender to a MailerLite subdomain, recommends your own domain, and doesn’t offer the rewrite above 50,000 subscribers.

Step 5: Rebuild forms, landing pages, templates and automations

Mind the plan limits: Free allows 3 active automations of up to 5 steps, 3 forms, 1 landing page and 1 website; Comfort allows 50 automations of up to 100 steps and 10 forms; Power allows unlimited automations (still up to 100 steps each) and forms, and adds multiple automation triggers. Drafts don’t count. If you’ve built a welcome sequence, existing readers may not need it, so check the import’s automation setting.

Step 6: Test, sync and switch over

MailerLite’s switching guide ends with a test pass: preview forms and landing pages, send test emails to yourself, and trigger your automations to check they behave as expected. Then click Sync again (or re-export) to catch anyone who joined your Mailchimp list during the move, and point your website at the new forms.

Create your MailerLite accountAffiliate link: if you buy a paid MailerLite plan through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

How MailerLite bills you after the move

From MailerLite’s plan and billing article and pricing FAQ:

The Free plan and the 14-day trial

Free covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with live chat support for the first 14 days, then community support. Over 250 subscribers, sending and adding subscribers pause until you upgrade or trim the list. Details: MailerLite free plan explained.

The trial starts at registration with no payment method. Per MailerLite’s trial article, you can add up to 250 subscribers and send up to 2,500 emails during it (test emails don’t count). The article says not all paid features are available during the trial; its feature list doesn’t include custom domains, logo removal or a dedicated IP, so check in your account if you need those. Buying Comfort or Power ends the trial and starts the paid plan. So with a list over 250, plan on a paid plan at your tier for the full import.

What doesn’t transfer

FAQ

Can MailerLite import directly from Mailchimp?

Yes. Its importer connects with a Mailchimp login or API key and brings subscribers, custom fields, tags (as groups) and static-field segments (checked October 9, 2026).

Do unsubscribed contacts count toward MailerLite billing?

No. Unsubscribed and bounced contacts don’t count, though someone active earlier in the current billing period counts until it resets.

How long does the switch take?

MailerLite’s migration page doesn’t give a time; it depends on how many automations and forms you recreate. For a large list, its pricing FAQ points to the migration page and success team.

Should you switch at all?

Compare the options in Mailchimp alternatives. If MailerLite is the pick, our MailerLite guide for creators covers plans and setup.

Related

Sources (checked October 9, 2026 unless noted)

MailerLite and Mailchimp are trademarks of their owners. We run Creator Mail Stack independently, and neither company endorses it. We’re in MailerLite’s affiliate program, as described in the disclosure. Found something out of date? Tell us.

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