AWeber has been around long enough that plenty of creators still have it running on autopilot — a legacy follow-up series set up years ago, a handful of lists that no longer map cleanly to how they actually segment subscribers today. Kit was built later and built specifically for people who make a living from an audience: newsletters, courses, digital products, paid subscriptions.
The switch usually isn't about price so much as fit. AWeber's list-based structure and dated broadcast editor start to feel like friction once you're running tag-based segments and want automations that branch on subscriber behaviour rather than just send-on-a-schedule. Kit's single-database model, sequence builder, and creator monetisation tools are aimed squarely at that use case.
This guide walks through the mechanical side: exporting AWeber lists cleanly, deciding how lists become tags in Kit, rebuilding your follow-up series as sequences, and making sure nothing — forms, landing pages, integrations — quietly stops working during the switch.
How long this takes
2–3 hours
Most of that time goes into rebuilding automations and repointing forms, not the import itself.
Why switch from AWeber to Kit?
Switch if…
- You want one subscriber database with tags instead of juggling multiple AWeber lists.
- Your AWeber automations are stuck as linear follow-up series with no real branching.
- You sell digital products, run a paid newsletter, or want tipping built into your email platform.
- AWeber’s template editor feels dated next to Kit’s creator-focused, plain-text-forward design.
- You want landing pages, forms, and email in one tool built around growing and monetising an audience.
Stay put if…
- You rely on AWeber’s longstanding integrations or its phone support, which Kit does not match.
- You want highly designed, image-heavy HTML templates — Kit’s editor is deliberately plainer.
- Your list structure in AWeber is complex enough that converting it to tags will take real planning time.
AWeber vs Kit: the key differences
| What changes | AWeber | Kit |
|---|---|---|
| Subscriber structure | Multiple separate lists | Single database, segmented by tags |
| Automation | Linear follow-up series (campaigns) | Visual automations plus sequences |
| Template style | Drag-and-drop, image-heavy | Plain-text-forward, creator style |
| Landing pages | Basic builder | Purpose-built, conversion-focused |
| Monetisation | Not built in | Digital products, tipping, paid newsletters |
| Pricing basis | Per subscriber, list-based counting | Per subscriber, single-database counting |
| Reporting | Campaign-level stats | Subscriber-level and sequence analytics |
Before you switch, have this ready
- Admin access to both AWeber and Kit.
- A full export of every AWeber list, including tags and custom fields.
- A written map of how your AWeber lists should become Kit tags or segments.
- Screenshots of every active AWeber follow-up series, with timing and content noted.
- A list of every form, landing page, and integration currently pointed at AWeber.
- Two to three hours of uninterrupted time.
Step-by-step: AWeber to Kit
Step 1: Export your AWeber lists
In AWeber, go to Subscribers, select each list, and use the export tool to download a CSV. Do this per list rather than trying to export everything at once — you need to know which subscribers came from which list before you decide how they become tags in Kit.
Check the export includes custom fields and any tags you have applied. AWeber’s tagging is looser than Kit’s, so this is your only record of who was on what before the structure changes.
If you run a legacy follow-up series on a specific list, note which subscribers are mid-series and how many days into it they are — you’ll need this to avoid restarting people at day one in Kit.
Screenshot
AWeber Subscribers → Export list screen
Step 2: Plan your Kit tagging structure
Kit doesn’t use separate lists the way AWeber does — every subscriber sits in one database, and tags plus custom fields do the segmenting. Map each AWeber list to a tag name now, on paper, rather than improvising during import.
If a subscriber was on two AWeber lists, decide whether that becomes two tags on one Kit record or a single combined tag. This decision drives how you’ll build sequences and automations later, so don’t rush it.
Create the tags in Kit ahead of import under Subscribers → Tags, so the import mapping step is a straightforward match rather than a scramble.
Screenshot
Kit Subscribers → Tags management screen
Step 3: Import subscribers into Kit
Go to Grow → Subscribers → Import in Kit and upload each AWeber CSV in turn, applying the corresponding tag as you go. Importing list by list, rather than one giant merged file, keeps your tag assignment accurate.
Map custom fields carefully — Kit fields are shared across all subscribers, so a field called "Company" from one AWeber list needs to line up with the same field name from another, or you’ll end up with duplicates.
Do not import your AWeber unsubscribes as active subscribers. Export them separately and either leave them out entirely or import and immediately mark them unsubscribed in Kit so they never receive a send.
Screenshot
Kit subscriber import mapping screen
Step 4: Rebuild follow-up series as Kit sequences
AWeber’s legacy follow-up series has no export or transfer path — you rebuild it by hand. Open Kit’s Sequences tool and create a new sequence for each series you’re keeping, using the screenshots you took earlier as your reference.
Match the delay between emails as closely as you can, but check each one — Kit calculates delays from the moment a subscriber is tagged into the sequence, and it’s easy to accidentally compress a week-long gap into a day.
For anything that used to be a simple linear series but should really branch on subscriber behaviour, build it as a Kit visual automation instead, using the sequence as one step inside it rather than a standalone campaign.
Test by tagging yourself into the sequence and confirming each email arrives in the right order with the right delay before turning it on for real subscribers.
Screenshot
Kit Sequences builder with a rebuilt welcome series
Step 5: Recreate broadcast templates
Kit’s email editor is deliberately closer to a plain email than a designed newsletter, which is a shift if your AWeber broadcasts were heavy on images and multi-column layouts. Don’t try to paste AWeber HTML across — it rarely survives the transition cleanly.
Rebuild your most-used template from scratch in Kit, keeping the layout simple: a header, body text, and a clear call to action. This style tends to perform better for creator newsletters anyway, since it reads more like a personal email.
Save it as a Kit template so future broadcasts start from a consistent base rather than being rebuilt every time.
Screenshot
Kit broadcast editor showing a plain-text-style template
Step 6: Move forms and landing pages
Kit’s forms and landing pages are built for growth — inline forms, pop-ups, and dedicated landing pages that tag subscribers automatically on sign-up. Recreate each AWeber form in Kit, applying the same tag you assigned to that list during import.
If your forms are embedded on a website, in a link-in-bio tool, or in a course platform, swap the embed code for Kit’s. Test every one with a real sign-up before moving on.
Leave the AWeber forms live but disconnected from active promotion for a couple of weeks, so you can catch anywhere you forgot to update.
Screenshot
Kit landing page builder with a sign-up form
Step 7: Test, then send from Kit
Send your first Kit broadcast to a small tagged segment — your most engaged subscribers — and check it lands correctly across Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail before sending wider.
Compare open rates against your AWeber baseline for the same segment. A noticeable drop usually points to authentication rather than content, so check your domain’s SPF and DKIM records in Kit’s sending settings.
Once a couple of sends look clean, move to sending your full active list from Kit and keep AWeber open but idle for two weeks as a safety net.
Screenshot
Kit broadcast report showing opens by segment
Integrations you need to update
Every one of these is a place contacts or data currently flow into AWeber. Work through the list before you stop watching the old account — a missed form is invisible until someone complains they never got your email.
| Integration | What to do |
|---|---|
| Website sign-up forms | Replace AWeber embed codes with Kit forms and test a live submission. |
| WordPress | Swap the AWeber plugin for Kit’s and reconnect every embedded form. |
| Shopify or WooCommerce | Connect Kit’s native integration and confirm tagging on purchase before disconnecting AWeber. |
| Zapier / Make | Rebuild each automation using the Kit connector — AWeber Zaps do not carry over. |
| Course or membership platforms | Reconnect enrolment triggers so new students get tagged into the right Kit sequence. |
| Link-in-bio tools | Update embedded sign-up forms to point at Kit rather than AWeber. |
| Social platforms | Update any lead magnet links or pinned sign-up URLs to the new Kit landing page. |
Troubleshooting: common post-migration problems
Subscribers were mid-way through an AWeber follow-up series and lost their place
There is no way to preserve exact position on import. Segment those subscribers by original sign-up date and manually tag them further into the new Kit sequence to avoid restarting them at day one.
Duplicate tags appeared for subscribers who were on multiple AWeber lists
Merge the tags in Kit’s tag manager and re-check your automation triggers, since duplicate tags can cause a subscriber to enter the same automation twice.
Open rates dropped after the first Kit broadcast
Check domain authentication in Kit’s sending settings first, then send to a smaller, more engaged segment while your new sending reputation builds.
Custom fields did not map correctly during import
Re-export the AWeber list with the exact field names, create matching custom fields in Kit first, then re-import — Kit updates existing subscribers rather than duplicating them when the email matches.
A rebuilt sequence sent all emails at once
A delay was set to zero during rebuilding. Open the sequence, check each step’s wait time, and remove anyone caught mid-sequence before re-enabling it.
Broadcasts look cluttered compared to AWeber
Kit’s editor is built for simpler, text-first emails. Strip back multi-column layouts and large images rather than trying to force the old design to fit.
Should you make the switch?
The migration itself is rarely the hard part — it is the automations you rebuild and the forms you forget. If the reasons in the "switch if" list above describe your situation, Kit is worth the afternoon. If you are only moving because you are frustrated with an interface, fix the emails first and keep the platform.
Read both sides before you commit: our AWeber review covers what you would be giving up, and our Kit review covers what you are buying, including current pricing and where it falls short. Every switch we document is listed on the migration guides hub.