Creators leaving Mailchimp for beehiiv are usually leaving a marketing tool for a publishing platform, and it's worth being clear-eyed about that difference before you start. Mailchimp was built to send campaigns to a list. beehiiv was built to run a newsletter as a media property, with every issue living on a public, indexable web page, subscriber tiers built into the core product, and growth tools designed specifically for creators trying to build an audience rather than sell a product.
That shift changes what you're actually migrating. It isn't just an address book move, it's a decision to give your back catalogue a permanent home on the web, to potentially charge for premium content, and to plug into a network of other newsletters that can send you readers. None of that exists in Mailchimp, and none of it transfers automatically, but the setup is meant to be quick precisely because beehiiv assumes you want to be publishing again within the hour.
What you give up is real too. beehiiv doesn't attempt to be an ecommerce automation platform or a transactional email sender, and if you have been using Mailchimp for either of those alongside your newsletter, you will need to keep or replace that piece separately. This guide covers the subscriber move, the publishing setup, and the growth features worth switching on from day one.
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 Mailchimp to beehiiv?
Switch if…
- You want your past newsletter issues to exist as indexable, shareable web pages rather than disappearing into inboxes.
- You want to charge for premium content through paid subscription tiers without bolting on a separate tool.
- You want access to beehiiv’s recommendations network, where other newsletters in your niche can send you subscribers.
- You want a built-in referral programme that rewards readers for sharing your newsletter, without custom development.
- You think of what you’re running as a publication rather than a marketing list, and want tools built around that framing.
Stay put if…
- You rely on Mailchimp for ecommerce automation tied to a store, which beehiiv does not attempt to replicate.
- You send transactional email such as receipts or account notifications through Mailchimp — beehiiv is not built for that traffic.
- Your list is small and purely a marketing tool for a business rather than a content publication, in which case beehiiv’s publishing features add little.
Mailchimp vs beehiiv: the key differences
| What changes | Mailchimp | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Core purpose | General marketing and campaign sending | Newsletter publishing with a public web presence |
| Web archive | No native public archive of past sends | Every issue gets an indexable web page automatically |
| Paid subscriptions | No native support, needs a third-party tool | Built-in paid tiers and subscription billing |
| Growth tools | None specific to newsletter growth | Recommendations network and referral programme included |
| Ecommerce automation | Reasonably deep, store-integrated | Minimal to none |
| Transactional email | Available as an add-on | Not supported |
| Segmentation | Tags and audience-based groups | Segments built around subscription tier and engagement |
| Monetisation | Not a core feature | Ads marketplace and paid tiers built into the platform |
Before you switch, have this ready
- Admin access to your Mailchimp account.
- A beehiiv account created with your publication name and branding set up.
- A decision on whether you plan to offer paid subscription tiers, and what they will include.
- A written list of every form, landing page, and integration currently feeding Mailchimp.
- Your unsubscribed and cleaned contact exports from Mailchimp, not just active subscribers.
- A couple of hours free, ideally ahead of your next scheduled issue rather than the day of.
Step-by-step: Mailchimp to beehiiv
Step 1: Export your subscriber list from Mailchimp
In Mailchimp, go to Audience → All contacts, select your audience, and choose Export Audience. You get separate files for subscribed, unsubscribed, cleaned, and non-subscribed contacts.
Keep all four files. The subscribed list becomes your active beehiiv subscribers; the unsubscribed and cleaned lists become a suppression list so you never re-email someone who already opted out.
Check the subscribed CSV includes tags if you use them for segmentation — you will map these to beehiiv segments or custom fields on import.
Screenshot
Mailchimp Audience → Export Audience screen
Step 2: Set up your publication and web archive
In beehiiv, go to your publication settings and set your name, logo, and description. This information appears on your public web archive, which beehiiv generates automatically for every issue you publish going forward.
Connect a custom domain if you have one, so your newsletter’s web pages live under your own URL rather than a beehiiv subdomain. This matters for the SEO value of your back catalogue over time.
Decide whether to import past issues manually as web pages. beehiiv will not automatically pull your historical Mailchimp campaigns, so if you want old issues discoverable, you will need to republish key ones yourself.
Screenshot
beehiiv publication settings with branding and custom domain fields
Step 3: Import subscribers into beehiiv
In beehiiv, go to Subscribers → Import and upload your subscribed CSV. Map any custom fields and tags to beehiiv’s subscriber properties as you go, since the two platforms label fields differently.
If you plan to offer paid tiers, decide now whether imported subscribers land as free subscribers by default — they should, since nobody has paid you through beehiiv yet regardless of what they paid on another platform.
Import your unsubscribed and cleaned CSVs separately and mark them as unsubscribed within beehiiv so they are excluded from every future send.
Screenshot
beehiiv subscriber import screen with field mapping
Step 4: Configure paid subscription tiers
If you’re introducing paid subscriptions for the first time, go to Monetize → Subscriptions in beehiiv and set up your tier structure. Decide what content is free, what is gated, and whether you offer monthly and annual options.
If you already charge for content through a separate tool such as a membership platform, you will need to decide whether to migrate that billing relationship into beehiiv or keep it running externally and use beehiiv purely for free-tier delivery.
Write the paywall messaging for your free subscribers so the value of upgrading is clear from the first gated issue they encounter.
Screenshot
beehiiv subscription tier setup screen
Step 5: Turn on the recommendations network and referral programme
In Grow → Recommendations, opt into beehiiv’s recommendations network, which lets other newsletters in similar categories recommend you to their subscribers and vice versa. This is one of the more genuinely useful growth channels unique to the platform.
Set up a referral programme under Grow → Referral Program, defining rewards for readers who bring in new subscribers. Even simple milestone rewards can meaningfully increase organic sharing compared to having no referral mechanism at all.
Add both the recommendations widget and a referral link to your welcome email and website so new subscribers see them immediately rather than after several issues.
Screenshot
beehiiv Grow dashboard with recommendations and referral settings
Step 6: Repoint signup forms and integrations
Replace embedded Mailchimp signup forms with beehiiv forms, since the two use different posting endpoints and field structures entirely.
If you use a website builder or CMS with a native Mailchimp plugin, check whether beehiiv has an equivalent integration or whether you need a generic embed or API connection instead.
Leave Mailchimp’s forms and account active for a couple of weeks and watch for new signups still landing there — a sure sign something was missed.
Screenshot
beehiiv signup form embed code screen
Step 7: Send your first issue and decommission Mailchimp
Send your first beehiiv issue to your most engaged subscribers first and check open rates against your Mailchimp baseline, along with how the issue renders on its public web page.
Once delivery and formatting look right, open sending up to your full list and confirm the web archive page for the issue is indexing correctly if that matters to your SEO strategy.
After two clean weeks with no new signups appearing in Mailchimp, export a final backup and cancel the Mailchimp subscription.
Screenshot
beehiiv published issue with its public web archive page
Integrations you need to update
Every one of these is a place contacts or data currently flow into Mailchimp. 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 Mailchimp embeds with beehiiv forms and test a live submission. |
| Custom domain | Point your domain or a subdomain at beehiiv so issues and archive pages carry your own branding. |
| Zapier / Make | Rebuild automations using the beehiiv connector, since Mailchimp-based Zaps will not remap automatically. |
| Social platforms | Update newsletter signup links in bios and posts to point at your beehiiv subscribe page. |
| Payment processing | Connect Stripe within beehiiv if you’re enabling paid subscription tiers for the first time. |
| Ads marketplace | Opt into beehiiv’s ad network if you want to monetise through sponsorships alongside subscriptions. |
| Analytics tools | Reconnect any tracking pixels or analytics scripts to your new beehiiv-hosted pages. |
| Podcast or content platforms | Cross-link your beehiiv web archive from other content platforms to build backlinks and SEO value. |
Troubleshooting: common post-migration problems
Past newsletter issues are not showing up in the web archive
beehiiv does not automatically import historical Mailchimp campaigns as web pages. Republish key past issues manually inside beehiiv if you want them indexed and discoverable.
Subscribers imported without their tags
Re-export from Mailchimp’s Tags view rather than the general audience export, and map tags to beehiiv segments deliberately during import.
Previously unsubscribed contacts received the first beehiiv issue
The unsubscribed and cleaned CSVs were never imported and suppressed. Add them now and pause sending until confirmed.
Paid subscribers from another platform are not reflected in beehiiv
Billing relationships do not transfer between platforms. You need to either manually grant tier access during a transition window or ask subscribers to resubscribe through beehiiv’s checkout.
Recommendations network is not sending meaningful traffic
Growth from the network builds gradually and depends on your category and engagement metrics. Ensure your publication description and category tags accurately reflect your content so it matches with relevant newsletters.
New signups are still appearing in Mailchimp
A form or embed was never repointed. Check the signup source on the new Mailchimp contact to identify which one.
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 Mailchimp 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.