Noah Kagan

Founder of AppSumo, which makes SendFox

Steps checked October 15, 2026

How to migrate from Mailchimp to SendFox

About 20 minutes, plus up to 24 hours for DNS. SendFox can import from Mailchimp directly.

What comes across, and what doesn't

Why people switch: at 5,000 contacts, Mailchimp Standard is $100 a month (mailchimp.com/pricing, checked October 14, 2026). SendFox Lifetime covers 5,000 contacts for $29, paid once. See SendFox vs Mailchimp.

Step 1: Export your audience from Mailchimp (or skip this and connect)

If you only need subscribed emails and names in one list, skip the export: in step 4, choose Import contacts from MailChimp instead. Export when you want tags or custom fields as well.

1. Click Audience. If you have more than one, pick it from the Audience drop-down.
2. Click Export audience, then Export CSV.
3. Mailchimp emails you when it is ready. You can also download it from Audience > More options > Export history for 30 days.

• You get a ZIP with a separate CSV for each status: subscribed, non-subscribed, unsubscribed and cleaned. Upload only the subscribed file.
• Tags come out in a TAGS column. Only owners and admins can export.
• Open the file as UTF-8 if names with accents look wrong in Excel.

Step 2: Clean the file

Then tidy the columns. SendFox matches these headers on its own, and you can map anything else by hand:

• One file per tag. SendFox tags are added to everyone in an import, not read from a column. To keep a tag or group, filter your list by it and save it as its own file.
• Up to 100,000 rows a file. Split anything bigger. Saving from Excel or Google Sheets? Use File > Download > CSV.

Step 3: Create your SendFox account

Sign up free. The Free plan holds 1,000 contacts and 3,000 sends a month, with 3 lists, so bring groups across as tags rather than lists. Lifetime is $29 once for 5,000 contacts and 300,000 sends in total, and Pro starts at $19 a month (all plans).

Bringing custom fields? Create them first: Contacts > Import contacts > Manage contact fields. Fields can be text, number or date. The import can fill a field, but it cannot create one.

Step 4: Import your contacts

Direct from Mailchimp: go to Contacts > Import contacts and choose Import contacts from MailChimp. Log in to Mailchimp, pick the audience, name the SendFox list and confirm. Only subscribed members come over, with first and last names. You can still add SendFox tags in Tag them on import.

From your CSV:

1. Go to Contacts and click Import contacts, then Upload a file.
2. Check the column mapping. Email is required. Anything left unmapped is not imported.
3. Under Select a list for your new contacts, name a new list or pick an existing one.
4. Open Tag them on import and add the tag for this file.
5. Click Continue & import contacts. Files of 1,000 rows or more run in the background and SendFox emails you when they finish.

Contacts already in SendFox are updated, not duplicated, and anyone who already unsubscribed from you in SendFox stays unsubscribed. If an import would take you over your plan's contact limit, SendFox tells you how many new contacts it would add and stops before importing.

Step 5: Set up sending

1. Confirm your email address. New accounts confirm before their first send.
2. Add your mailing address. The law (CAN-SPAM) requires one in every email footer, and SendFox asks for it before you can schedule.
3. Verify your domain. Go to Settings > Email domains > Add domain, add the three CNAME records SendFox shows at your DNS provider, then click Verify. DNS can take up to 24 hours.

Your old tool had you add similar records for its own servers. Leave those in place until you have stopped sending from it. Without a verified domain, SendFox sends from [email protected] and puts your address in reply-to, which works but looks less like you.

Step 6: Send your first email

Send yourself a test, then send or schedule. SendFox checks new senders before larger sends go out:

• Most of the time your first emails go out on schedule and the rest follow after a quick check, usually under 30 minutes. Sometimes the whole send waits in review, usually a few hours.
• In your first month, sends from an address on an unverified domain are paced: 500 recipients on day one, then 1,500 and 3,500 in total over the next days, up to 5,000. A bigger send waits for review.
• Verify your domain and both of those stop applying. Content checks still run on every send.

Make the first email a short note that you have moved. Readers whose mail app knew your old sending address are the ones most likely to miss it, so ask them to reply or add you to their contacts.

Step 7: Move your signup forms

Under Grow, create a form, choose the list new subscribers join, then Get embed code and paste it where the old form was. Want a page instead? Your SendFox Smart Page has a signup form and an archive of the emails you publish to it. Add a welcome email with an automation so new people hear from you right away.

Step 8: Turn off Mailchimp

Wait until your first SendFox send has gone out and new signups are landing in SendFox. Then:

• Back up past campaigns before you delete anything. Mailchimp's help says deleting the account removes your campaign archive.
• To stop paying, change your plan under Account > Billing. Mailchimp says you can go from paid back to Free only once in the life of an account, so do it when you are sure.

FAQ

Can SendFox import directly from Mailchimp?

Yes. Choose Import contacts from MailChimp, log in and pick an audience. Only subscribed contacts come over, with first and last names. Tags and custom fields need the CSV route.

Will my Mailchimp unsubscribes come over?

Not with the direct import, which only fetches subscribed contacts. With a CSV, upload only the subscribed file from the export ZIP.

Will SendFox email my contacts to confirm again?

No. Imported contacts are added as subscribed without a confirmation email. Only import people who signed up to hear from you.

How many contacts can I import for free?

The Free plan holds up to 1,000 contacts. An import that would go over shows how many new contacts it would add and stops, so nothing is half-imported. Lifetime covers 5,000 contacts for $29 once.

Why is my first send in review?

SendFox checks new senders before large sends go out, usually within a few hours, and most go out after a quick check of under 30 minutes. Verify your domain and the new-sender limits stop applying.

How we checked

The SendFox steps follow the product as it works on October 15, 2026. The Mailchimp steps follow Mailchimp's own help center, read the same day. Menus move, so if a step no longer matches, the article it came from is here:

• Mailchimp: View or export contacts
• Mailchimp: Export and back up account data

More migration guides: Kit · beehiiv · Substack · MailerLite · AWeber · Flodesk · EmailOctopus · GetResponse · ActiveCampaign · Ghost

All trademarks belong to their owners. SendFox is not affiliated with Mailchimp.