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Mailchimp to Flodesk migration: CSV export, who to leave behind, cost before/after
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 5 Nov 2026
Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.
Flodesk has no Mailchimp importer — the move is a Mailchimp CSV export uploaded into Flodesk segments. Upload only the subscribed contacts: Flodesk asks you to leave unsubscribes, hard bounces and spam complainers behind, and can refuse lists without opt-in records. Forms, templates and automations you recreate. On cost, 5,000 subscribers run $75/mo on Mailchimp (Essentials) and $52/mo on Flodesk (Lite, unlimited sends).
Prices from Mailchimp and Flodesk (checked 2026-11-03), monthly billing. Steps from Flodesk's migration article and Mailchimp's export help (checked 2026-11-05). Neither company has an affiliate deal with us — plain links, no “paid link” labels.
Cost before and after
| Subscribers | Mailchimp, cheapest plan | Flodesk, cheapest plan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 (Essentials) | $25 (Lite) | +$12 |
| 1,000 | $26.50 (Essentials) | $25 (Lite) | −$1.50 |
| 2,500 | $45 (Essentials) | $32 (Lite) | −$13 |
| 5,000 | $75 (Essentials) | $52 (Lite) | −$23 |
| 10,000 | $110 (Essentials) | $72 (Lite) | −$38 |
| 25,000 | $270 (Essentials) | $162 (Lite) | −$108 |
Per month, monthly billing, sending weekly (4 emails a month), cheapest plan that covers the list. Flodesk Lite (up to 25,000 subscribers) includes unlimited sends but 1 seat and 1 workflow, and the Flodesk footer stays; Pro adds unlimited workflows and footer removal; paid subscriptions need Everything (Flodesk Checkout help). Flodesk's Free plan cannot send email, so it never appears here. Mailchimp's send limit is 10× contacts on Essentials and 12× on Standard. More: Flodesk plans · Mailchimp plans.
How often you send changes the Mailchimp bill, not the Flodesk one
| 5,000 subscribers, sending | Emails / month | Mailchimp | Flodesk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | 5,000 | $75 (Essentials) | $52 (Lite) |
| Weekly | 20,000 | $75 (Essentials) | $52 (Lite) |
| Twice a week | 40,000 | $75 (Essentials) | $52 (Lite) |
| 3 times a week | 60,000 | $100 (Standard) | $52 (Lite) |
| Daily | 150,000 | $180 (Essentials) | $52 (Lite) |
Cheapest plan (or higher contact tier) whose monthly send allowance covers the volume, per our calculator. Mailchimp overage block prices aren't published, so we pick the plan or tier that fits instead of adding overage.
Unsubscribes: billed on Mailchimp, not on Flodesk
Mailchimp bills every stored contact except archived and cleaned ones, so unsubscribed contacts count. Flodesk bills active subscribers (Active and Soft Bounced count; unsubscribed, bounced and unconfirmed don't — Flodesk help). Example: 5,000 subscribed plus 1,000 unsubscribed contacts in Mailchimp are billed as 6,000: $110/mo on Mailchimp vs $52/mo for the 5,000 you move to Flodesk.
Calculate your exact Mailchimp → Flodesk switching cost → · every Flodesk tier · Mailchimp pricing · Flodesk vs Mailchimp
Before you start: who to bring
- Bring: people who opened or clicked in the last 90 days, recent buyers and downloaders who opted in, addresses that never bounced, and anyone who explicitly opted in (Flodesk migration checklist).
- Think twice: subscribers inactive for 6+ months and role addresses like info@ or sales@ with low engagement. If unsure, Flodesk suggests a re-engagement email from Mailchimp, before you move, then moving only those who confirm.
- Leave behind: unsubscribed contacts (re-importing them breaks compliance rules), hard bounces, already-tried unengaged contacts, purchased lists.
- Customers who never opted in to marketing (for example Shopify buyers) can't be uploaded for sending; Flodesk's route is a full-page form you send them so they opt in (Flodesk help).
- List review: Flodesk reviews imported lists and can block or remove lists without verifiable opt-in records (date, time, IP address and method). Purchased, scraped, giveaway, joint opt-in and implied-consent lists can't be serviced (Flodesk: Why can't my imported list be serviced?). If an account goes under review, new CSV uploads don't process until it's resolved (Flodesk: Account review).
Step 1: export from Mailchimp
- Whole audience: Audience → (pick the audience) → Export audience → Export CSV. Mailchimp emails you when it's ready; only Owners and Admins can export, and exports stay available for 30 days under More options → Export history (Mailchimp: View or export contacts).
- Per tag or segment (to keep your structure, as Flodesk recommends): Segments drop-down → pick a segment → Export segment → Export CSV; for a tag, Tags drop-down → pick the tag → Save as segment → Export CSV. If you built an engaged-contacts segment for the move, export that.
- Unzip. The download can be a ZIP with separate CSVs for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts. Flodesk needs a plain .csv (not Zip or Excel), so upload the subscribed file only and keep the rest as a local record.
- Check the opt-in columns. Mailchimp includes OPTIN_TIME, OPTIN_IP, CONFIRM_TIME and CONFIRM_IP (plus marketing permissions on GDPR-enabled audiences) — the record Flodesk asks for. Mailchimp does not export the email signup source or open/click history, so note the opt-in method yourself.
Step 2: prepare the CSV
- Keep email, first and last name, opt-in time and IP, confirmation time and IP, and consent status (Flodesk help).
- Delete empty rows and columns and any title rows without an email address.
- Files over 10 MB must be split — Flodesk can't process larger files.
Step 3: create segments and upload in Flodesk
- Audience → Segments → + New segment; name it (for example “Mailchimp import” or one per old tag) and pick a colour. Repeat for each file.
- Open the segment → Add subscriber → Upload CSV, choose the file and map each column to a Flodesk data field (type a new name and choose +Create for fields that don't exist yet), then Continue → Finish.
- Flodesk removes duplicates and invalid addresses automatically and emails you when the upload is processed. Refresh and check counts and mapped fields such as first names.
Step 4: authenticate and warm up before the first big send
- Send from a custom-domain address and authenticate it (Account settings → Domain setup → Authenticate now; SPF, DKIM, DMARC) (Flodesk: warm up a sending domain).
- Warm up: start with your most engaged subscribers in small batches and grow volume over 2–4 weeks; don't send only to one mailbox provider (Flodesk: warm-up; Flodesk: emails going to spam after moving).
- Ask readers to add your From address to their contacts or mark you “Not spam” in the first few emails. Early spam placement after a switch is common and usually improves within a few weeks, Flodesk says.
What moves and what doesn't
- Moves: subscribed email addresses with the columns you map (names, opt-in time/IP, custom fields), organised into Flodesk segments.
- Recreate: signup forms, email templates and automations (Flodesk's own “do this next” list), plus Flodesk Checkout offers if you sell (Flodesk help).
- Doesn't move: unsubscribes as a suppression list (leave them out), open/click history and signup source (not in Mailchimp's export), campaign reports.
Closing Mailchimp
- Confirm Flodesk counts and a test send, and point every signup form and integration at Flodesk.
- Stop billing but keep data: pause the Marketing plan for 3 or 6 months (Account & billing → Settings → Manage my plan → Pause my plan); 2 pauses per 12 months; it auto-unpauses and resumes billing (Mailchimp: Pause or cancel your account).
- Downgrade instead: a downgrade takes effect at the next billing cycle; a paid → Free downgrade is allowed only once over the life of the account (Mailchimp: Change or pause your plan).
- Delete for good: Manage my plan → Delete my account → Continue to delete → password + DELETE → Permanently delete. It removes audiences, campaign archives and reports and can't be undone; pay any outstanding balance first and back up exports before.
Related: Flodesk plans · Is Flodesk worth it? · Is Flodesk free? · Flodesk pricing · Mailchimp pricing · Mailchimp plans · How much does Mailchimp cost? · Flodesk vs Mailchimp · Flodesk to Substack · Mailchimp to MailerLite · Mailchimp to Substack · Mailchimp alternatives
Sources
- Flodesk help: How to move your subscriber list from your old platform to Flodesk (links Mailchimp's export help; checked 2026-11-05)
- Flodesk help: What to do before importing your subscribers (checked 2026-11-05)
- Flodesk help: Why can't my imported list be serviced? and Account Review Overview (checked 2026-11-05)
- Flodesk help: After moving to Flodesk my emails started to go to spam and How to warm up a sending domain (checked 2026-11-05)
- Flodesk help: subscriber-based pricing and Checkout subscriptions (checked 2026-11-03)
- Mailchimp help: View or export your contacts (checked 2026-11-05)
- Mailchimp help: Change or pause your Marketing plan and Pause or cancel your account (checked 2026-11-05)
- Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-11-03) and Flodesk pricing (checked 2026-11-03)
Tip: before you import, leave out unsubscribed and bounced contacts. Most platforms bill by list size, so a cleaner list can keep you on a lower tier. How to clean your list before switching
FAQ
Can Flodesk import directly from Mailchimp?
No dedicated importer is documented. Flodesk's migration article sends you to Mailchimp's own "View or export contacts" help for the export, then you upload the CSV into a Flodesk segment (Audience → Segments → open the segment → Add subscriber → Upload CSV) and map the columns.
Which Mailchimp contacts should I move to Flodesk?
Only subscribed contacts who opted in. Flodesk says not to import unsubscribed contacts, hard bounces or people who marked you as spam, and suggests bringing people who opened or clicked in the last 90 days and thinking twice about anyone inactive for 6+ months. Mailchimp's export ZIP keeps subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts in separate CSV files, so upload the subscribed file only.
Does Mailchimp's export include the opt-in records Flodesk asks for?
Partly. Flodesk wants the date, time, IP address and method of opt-in for each subscriber and can refuse lists without verifiable records. Mailchimp's export includes OPTIN_TIME, OPTIN_IP, CONFIRM_TIME and CONFIRM_IP (and marketing permissions on GDPR-enabled audiences), but Mailchimp lists "email signup source" as not included, so keep your own note of how people signed up (which form, which site).
How do I keep my Mailchimp tags in Flodesk?
Export each tag or segment as its own CSV (in Mailchimp: Audience → Tags drop-down → pick the tag → Save as segment → Export CSV), create one Flodesk segment per file, and upload each CSV into its segment. A subscriber can sit in several Flodesk segments. The full-audience export also has a TAGS column if you prefer to split the file yourself.
Is Flodesk cheaper than Mailchimp?
At 5,000 subscribers sending weekly, Flodesk costs $52/mo (Lite) and Mailchimp $75/mo (Essentials), monthly billing, so less on Flodesk. At 1,000 it is $25 vs $26.50, and at 25,000 $162 vs $270. Flodesk has no free sending plan, while Mailchimp Free covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. Flodesk paid plans have unlimited sends; Mailchimp caps sends per tier.
Will my emails go to spam after moving to Flodesk?
Some spam placement early on is common after any platform switch, Flodesk says, because inbox providers see new sending infrastructure. Its fixes: send from an authenticated custom-domain address, warm up by starting with your most engaged subscribers and growing volume over 2–4 weeks, import only engaged subscribers, and avoid link shorteners.
Should I delete my Mailchimp account after moving?
Only once you no longer need the data. Deleting is permanent and removes audiences, campaign archives and reports; you must pay any outstanding balance first. Mailchimp also lets you pause a Marketing plan for 3 or 6 months (2 pauses per 12 months) to stop billing while keeping data, and you can downgrade from a paid plan to Free only once over the life of the account.
Related guides: Mailchimp to MailerLite migration · Mailchimp to beehiiv migration · How much does Mailchimp cost? Per month, per year and per contact (2026) · Mailchimp Free plan limits (2026) · Nonprofit Email Marketing Discounts (2026) · Mailchimp price increase 2026 · Clean your email list before switching platforms (and pay less) · Mailchimp to Brevo migration · all guides
Comparisons: Flodesk vs Mailchimp · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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