Noah Kagan

Founder of AppSumo, which makes SendFox

Steps checked October 15, 2026

How to migrate from Substack to SendFox

About 25 minutes, plus up to 24 hours for DNS. You export a CSV from Substack and upload it.

What comes across, and what doesn't

Why people switch: Substack is free to send but keeps 10% of paid subscriptions. SendFox is free up to 1,000 contacts and 5,000 contacts is $29 once. See SendFox vs Substack.

Step 1: Export your subscribers from Substack

1. Open the Subscribers page and scroll to All subscribers.
2. Click the three dots above the list, then Export.
3. Choose All columns and download the file.

• Substack says it cannot export subscriber names, so your SendFox contacts start with email only.
• The file shows each person's subscription type (free, paid, comp). Use it to split free and paid readers into two imports with different tags.
• For a backup of everything, go to Settings > Exports > Create new export. Substack emails you a ZIP with posts, subscribers and stats.

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

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.

Prefer the API? Paid plans can add up to 1,000 contacts per call with POST /contacts/batch (API docs).

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.

Before you turn anything off: paid subscribers

Step 8: Turn off Substack

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

• Substack has no subscription fee to cancel. Keep the publication online for your archive, or delete it under Settings > Danger Zone once paid subscriptions are off and Stripe is disconnected.

FAQ

Does the Substack export include names?

No. Substack says it cannot export names, so you import email addresses. Add first names later with a SendFox form or by asking readers.

Will my paid Substack subscribers move?

No. SendFox does not take payments for newsletters. Contact Substack support before you disconnect Stripe, because disconnecting refunds and cancels every paid subscription.

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 Substack steps follow Substack's own help center, read the same day. Menus move, so if a step no longer matches, the article it came from is here:

• Substack: How do I export my email list?
• Substack: Exporting your posts
• Substack: Turning off paid subscriptions

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

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