Kit built its reputation on creator-friendly automation — tagging, sequences, and forms aimed at people selling a course or a lead magnet. beehiiv is built around the newsletter as a publication: a web archive, a referral programme that turns readers into growth, and an ad network you can plug into without leaving the platform. If your business has shifted from selling a single product to running a publication, that difference matters more than any feature checklist.
The practical friction is that Kit and beehiiv model subscribers differently. Kit thinks in tags and sequences; beehiiv thinks in segments and subscription tiers, with premium content gating built in natively rather than bolted on. Moving between the two means translating your list logic, not just exporting a CSV.
This guide covers the full move: exporting subscribers with their tags intact, rebuilding your sequences as automations, handling paid subscribers and Stripe so nobody gets double-billed, bringing your post archive across, and cleaning up the Kit forms and pages you leave behind.
How long this takes
2–4 hours
Most of that time goes into rebuilding automations and repointing forms, not the import itself.
Why switch from Kit (ConvertKit) to beehiiv?
Switch if…
- You want a public web archive that helps new readers discover old posts, which Kit does not really offer.
- You want beehiiv’s built-in referral programme to turn subscribers into a growth channel.
- You want access to beehiiv’s ad network to monetise a free list without chasing sponsors yourself.
- You are running or planning paid subscriptions and want tiers and gating built into the publishing tool itself.
- You want cleaner publication-style analytics — opens, referrals, and growth by source — rather than funnel-style reporting.
Stay put if…
- You rely heavily on Kit’s visual automation builder for complex, branching sequences tied to a digital product funnel.
- You sell primarily through Kit Commerce and don’t want to rebuild checkout and delivery elsewhere.
- Your team already knows Kit’s tagging system inside out and the publication features of beehiiv add little for your use case.
Kit (ConvertKit) vs beehiiv: the key differences
| What changes | Kit (ConvertKit) | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | Tags and sequences for creators | Publication with a public web archive |
| Segmentation | Tags and segments | Segments and subscription tiers |
| Automation | Visual sequence builder | Simpler automations tied to subscribe/tier events |
| Monetisation | Kit Commerce, digital products | Paid subscriptions, ad network, boosts/referrals |
| Growth tools | Landing pages, forms | Referral programme, recommendations network |
| Archive | No public post archive by default | Public web archive with SEO-friendly posts |
| Design control | More template flexibility | Cleaner but more opinionated design |
Before you switch, have this ready
- Admin access to both Kit and beehiiv accounts.
- A full subscriber export from Kit, including tags and custom fields.
- A list of every active Kit sequence and what triggers it.
- Stripe access if you run paid subscriptions, so you can confirm billing IDs before switching.
- A list of your best-performing posts to migrate into beehiiv’s archive.
- A record of every Kit landing page and form URL currently in use anywhere.
Step-by-step: Kit (ConvertKit) to beehiiv
Step 1: Export subscribers and tags from Kit
In Kit, go to Subscribers and export the full list as CSV. Make sure tags are included as a column — this is the data you will use to rebuild segmentation in beehiiv, and it is far easier to map now than to reconstruct later from memory.
If you use custom fields for things like signup source or product ownership, confirm they appear in the export. These often carry information beehiiv needs to route people into the right segment or tier.
Export unsubscribed and bounced contacts separately so you can suppress them in beehiiv rather than accidentally re-emailing people who opted out.
Screenshot
Kit Subscribers export screen with tag columns visible
Step 2: Set up segments and tiers in beehiiv
In beehiiv, go to Audience → Segments and create a segment for each meaningful Kit tag — buyers, lead magnet downloads, engaged readers, and so on. Decide up front which tags are worth keeping; not every Kit tag deserves to survive the move.
If you have or plan paid content, set up your subscription tiers under Monetize → Subscriptions, matching whatever pricing structure you currently run through Kit Commerce or a separate tool.
Confirm your custom field structure in beehiiv before importing, so subscriber data lands in the right place rather than a generic notes field.
Screenshot
beehiiv Segments dashboard with tier setup panel
Step 3: Import your subscriber CSV
Go to Audience → Import and upload the subscribed CSV, mapping each Kit tag column to the beehiiv segment you created for it. Take your time on this screen — a rushed mapping is the single biggest source of clean-up work afterwards.
Import your unsubscribed and bounced file separately and mark those addresses as inactive or suppressed so beehiiv never sends to them.
Spot-check a sample of imported subscribers against the original Kit list to confirm names, tags, and email addresses came across correctly before you send anything.
Screenshot
beehiiv subscriber import mapping screen
Step 4: Rebuild your Kit sequences as automations
Open each active Kit sequence and note the trigger, delays, and content of every email. beehiiv automations are simpler than Kit’s visual builder, so complex branching logic may need to be flattened into a linear sequence or split across segments.
In beehiiv, go to Automations and build the welcome sequence first since it carries the most weight for new subscriber experience. Set the trigger to new subscription or segment entry, matching your Kit logic as closely as beehiiv’s options allow.
Copy email content across manually rather than pasting Kit HTML directly — beehiiv’s editor renders differently and pasted markup often breaks on mobile.
Send yourself a test subscription through each automation before turning it on for real subscribers.
Screenshot
beehiiv Automations builder showing a welcome sequence
Step 5: Migrate paid subscribers and Stripe
If you run Kit Commerce subscriptions, contact beehiiv support about a Stripe migration path — moving existing subscriptions across preserves billing history and avoids forcing every paying subscriber to re-enter card details.
Time the cutover to a billing cycle boundary where possible. Cancelling a Kit subscription and starting a fresh beehiiv one mid-cycle is the most common way subscribers end up charged twice.
Email your paid subscribers ahead of the switch explaining what to expect, and confirm a handful of test accounts have correctly retained tier access before opening it up to everyone.
Screenshot
beehiiv Stripe connection screen under Monetize settings
Step 6: Bring your post archive across
beehiiv’s public web archive is one of the main reasons to switch, so treat this as more than a formality. Pick your best-performing or evergreen Kit broadcasts and republish them as beehiiv posts rather than dumping the entire back catalogue in unedited.
Set publish dates to match the original send dates where beehiiv allows it, so the archive reads as a continuous history rather than starting abruptly on migration day.
Add internal links between older posts once they are live — this is what makes the archive useful for both readers and search rather than just an inbox mirror.
Screenshot
beehiiv public web archive view of a publication
Step 7: Redirect Kit pages and finish the cutover
Rebuild your signup forms and landing pages in beehiiv, then update every place a Kit link appears — your website, social bios, email signatures, and any embedded forms.
If you own the domain, set up 301 redirects from old Kit landing page URLs to their beehiiv replacements so existing links and bookmarks keep working.
Keep the Kit account active for a couple of weeks after cutover. Any new signup still landing there tells you exactly which form or link you missed.
Screenshot
beehiiv custom domain and page settings screen
Integrations you need to update
Every one of these is a place contacts or data currently flow into Kit (ConvertKit). 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 signup forms | Replace embedded Kit forms with beehiiv forms and test a live submission. |
| Stripe | Migrate paid subscriptions directly where supported to avoid re-billing subscribers. |
| Zapier / Make | Rebuild automations using the beehiiv connector — Kit zaps do not carry over. |
| WordPress | Swap the Kit signup plugin for a beehiiv embed or API-based form. |
| Shopify | Reconnect purchase-triggered tagging using beehiiv’s available integrations or Zapier. |
| Custom domain | Point your domain at beehiiv and set up redirects from old Kit page paths. |
| Social bios and link-in-bio tools | Update every outbound link pointing at a Kit landing page. |
| Ad network partners | If sponsors sent creative to a Kit-hosted send, redirect them to your new beehiiv workflow. |
Troubleshooting: common post-migration problems
Tags did not map cleanly to segments
Re-export from Kit with the tag column confirmed, then re-import — reimporting on matching email addresses updates rather than duplicates subscribers in beehiiv.
Paid subscribers were charged twice
This happens when a Kit subscription is cancelled after a new beehiiv one has already billed. Refund the duplicate charge in Stripe and align future cutovers to the billing cycle boundary.
Welcome automation did not fire for new signups
Check the automation trigger is set to the correct segment or subscription event — a common mistake is leaving it tied to the default list instead of the imported segment.
Old Kit newsletters look broken when republished
Kit HTML rarely pastes cleanly into beehiiv’s editor. Rebuild the post rather than patching imported markup, especially for image-heavy sends.
Search traffic dropped after the move
Missing redirects from old Kit landing pages are the usual cause. Set up 301s from every indexed Kit URL to its beehiiv equivalent.
Referral programme shows no signups after launch
Confirm the referral widget is actually embedded in your published posts and welcome email — it does nothing sitting unused in settings.
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, beehiiv 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 Kit (ConvertKit) review covers what you would be giving up, and our beehiiv 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.