Will my deliverability suffer after switching from Mailchimp?

Not if you warm up properly. You're sending from a new setup, so ramp volume gradually and get SPF, DKIM, and DMARC right first. Many senders see better placement afterward because they're on a dedicated reputation rather than shared infrastructure.

Migration guide

How to migrate from Mailchimp to self-hosted email

Q: How long does migrating from Mailchimp take?

The technical move (export, deploy, import) is often an afternoon. Rebuilding templates and automations depends on how many you keep. Plan a week of running both in parallel for a safe, zero-downtime cutover.

Switching off Mailchimp is mostly about moving your list cleanly and rebuilding a handful of automations. This guide walks through the whole path to self-hosted Broadcast—export, import, templates, automations, warm-up, and your first send—with no downtime.

Buy Broadcast — $250 Calculate your savings

Why people leave Mailchimp: the bill grows with your contact count whether or not those contacts earn anything, your subscriber data and sending reputation live on Mailchimp’s servers, and you pay every month forever. Broadcast is self-hosted software you buy once—your server, your data, unlimited subscribers. See the full case in our self-hosted Mailchimp alternative breakdown.

What transfers—and what you rebuild

Setting expectations up front so there are no surprises.

Moves cleanly

• Subscribers (via CSV)
• Tags and groups
• Custom/merge fields
• Subscribe/unsubscribe status

Rebuild (usually quick)

• Email templates (paste HTML or rebuild)
• Automations / customer journeys
• Signup forms (point them at Broadcast)

Rebuilding automations is often a feature, not a chore—most lists accumulate journeys no one maintains. Migration is a good moment to keep only what works.

The migration, step by step

1

Export your subscribers from Mailchimp

In Mailchimp, go to Audience → All contacts → Export Audience. You’ll get a CSV containing email addresses, status, tags, and merge fields. Export each audience you want to move.
2

Set up Broadcast

Buy a license, deploy on your server, and connect your email provider. The installation guide walks through it, and the SES vs Postmark vs Mailgun guide helps you pick a relay.
3

Import your list

Upload the CSV in Broadcast and map columns to fields and tags. Unsubscribed contacts stay unsubscribed. See managing subscribers for the import flow and column mapping.
4

Recreate your templates

Paste your existing HTML into Broadcast’s editor, or rebuild in the block editor. Most senders use this as a chance to simplify a template that’s grown messy over the years.
5

Rebuild key automations

Recreate your welcome series and any sequences you actually rely on using Broadcast’s drip automations with conditional logic. Skip the ones that never earned their keep.
6

Warm up and test

You’re sending from a new setup, so ramp volume gradually and verify authentication first. Follow the deliverability guide and domain warm-up steps, and run a spam check before the first big send.
7

Send your first broadcast

Point your signup forms at Broadcast, send a first campaign to an engaged segment, and you’re off Mailchimp—owning your list for good.

Zero-downtime tip

Keep Mailchimp active until your first Broadcast sends land well. Run both in parallel for a week, move new signups to Broadcast first, then cancel Mailchimp once you’re confident. No gap in sending, no risk.

What it costs after you switch

Instead of a monthly Mailchimp bill that climbs with your contact count, you pay a one-time $250 license, low hosting (~$5–20/mo), and your email provider’s per-send rate (Amazon SES is about $0.10 per 1,000 emails). For most lists, the switch pays for itself within a couple of months.

Calculate your exact savings →

Frequently Asked Questions

No. You export your full audience as CSV and import it into Broadcast, including tags, fields, and subscribe status. Nobody is dropped—you’re moving the same list to infrastructure you control.

Tags and merge fields come across in the CSV and map to Broadcast’s tags and custom fields during import. You then rebuild segments from those tags and fields—usually a few minutes of work.

Not if you warm up properly. You’re sending from a new setup, so ramp volume gradually and get SPF, DKIM, and DMARC right first. Our deliverability guide covers the whole process. Many senders see better placement afterward because they’re on a dedicated reputation rather than shared infrastructure.

The technical move—export, deploy, import—is often an afternoon. Rebuilding templates and automations depends on how many you keep. Plan a week of running both in parallel for a safe, zero-downtime cutover.

None if you keep Mailchimp running until Broadcast is sending well. Move new signups over first, verify deliverability, then cancel Mailchimp. You never have a gap in your ability to email.