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Mailchimp to Substack migration: steps, what moves and cost before/after
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 30 Oct 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.
Substack has a documented Mailchimp route: upload your audience CSV, then import posts with your Mailchimp campaign archive URL plus the campaigns zip. Everyone arrives as a free subscriber, and Mailchimp tags, templates, forms and automations stay behind. On cost, a free newsletter with 5,000 contacts costs $75/mo on Mailchimp (Essentials) and $0 on Substack, which instead keeps 10% of paid subscriptions if you start charging.
Prices from Mailchimp and Substack (checked 2026-10-27), monthly billing. Steps from Substack's Mailchimp moving guide (updated Oct 28, 2026) and Mailchimp's export help (checked 2026-10-30). Neither company has an affiliate deal with us.
Cost before and after
Free newsletter
| Contacts | Mailchimp, cheapest plan | Substack | Mailchimp cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 | $13 (Essentials) | $0 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $156 |
| 1,000 | $26.50 (Essentials) | $0 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $318 |
| 2,500 | $45 (Essentials) | $0 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $540 |
| 5,000 | $75 (Essentials) | $0 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $900 |
| 10,000 | $110 (Essentials) | $0 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $1,320 |
| 25,000 | $270 (Essentials) | $0 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) | $3,240 |
Per month, monthly billing, cheapest plan that covers the list at 4 emails per contact a month. Mailchimp Free covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, so it doesn't fit these sizes at 4 emails a month; Mailchimp counts stored contacts, except archived and cleaned ones. The last column is 12 months of the Mailchimp price on monthly billing, which is what a free Substack newsletter saves. Substack's optional custom domain is a one-time $50.
If you start charging on Substack
| Subscribers (5% pay $8) | Substack |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | $69.40 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) |
| 2,500 | $173.50 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) |
| 5,000 | $347 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) |
| 10,000 | $694 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) |
| 25,000 | $1,735 (Free + 10% of paid revenue) |
Per month, monthly billing. Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, AWeber and Flodesk); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees.
5% of subscribers paying $8/month. Substack keeps 10% of paid revenue; card processing is included in the total. Our pricing data has no verified paid-newsletter feature for Mailchimp, so there is no Mailchimp column. Thinking about charging? See Substack fees explained and Substack's minimum prices.
Calculate your exact Mailchimp → Substack switching cost → · Substack vs Mailchimp compared · every Mailchimp tier
Step 1: export from Mailchimp
- Audience: Audience → "All contacts" → Export Audience. When it appears under Audience Exports, choose Export as CSV; a .zip file downloads. Mailchimp's export can contain separate CSV files for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts, and exports stay in your account for 30 days (Mailchimp help).
- Campaign archive URL: Forms → View on a form → in the Form builder, pick "Campaign archive page" from the drop-down and copy the "Campaign archive page URL" (it looks like
https://us…campaign-archive.com/home/…). - Campaigns: profile icon → Account & billing → Settings → Manage my data, tick "Emails". A .zip of your campaigns downloads. Don't unzip it.
Step 2: import subscribers into Substack
- Create your Substack publication (brand-new users can start at
substack.com/signup/import), then open Dashboard → Subscribers → Add subscribers → Add subscribers by upload. - Unzip the audience download and upload the subscribed CSV (CSV, XLSX or ODS). Substack asks you to confirm these people opted in, so leave the unsubscribed and cleaned files out.
- Substack recommends not sending a welcome email to an imported list until your publication is ready.
- Refresh to see how many were added and skipped. Duplicates and invalid addresses (for example a typo like gnail.com) are skipped. Everyone arrives as a free subscriber; if your publication has sections, you can import into one section.
Step 3: import your campaigns as posts
- Settings → Import/Export → Import posts.
- Enter the campaign archive URL and upload the campaigns zip as it is. If payments are on, you can import them as paid posts (paywalled to free subscribers).
- Check the count: Substack warns that Mailchimp's campaign archive may include only up to 20 emails. Older issues that didn't come across can be copy-pasted into the Substack editor, then given their original date in the post settings.
- Imported posts may carry Mailchimp's footer and banner. Remove them from the Posts page (three dots → edit). Imported posts can be emailed to subscribers and the Substack app, so check the audience and delivery choice before you continue.
What doesn't come across
- Tags, groups and segments: the upload brings email addresses as subscribers; Mailchimp's tags don't become Substack segments.
- Automations: Substack has no automation builder. Customer journeys, abandoned-cart and drip series end with Mailchimp; rewrite what matters as Substack welcome emails.
- Templates and sign-up forms: Substack uses its own post editor and subscribe page. Replace every Mailchimp form or embed on your website, or new sign-ups keep landing in Mailchimp.
- Paid subscribers: Mailchimp doesn't sell newsletter subscriptions itself. If you charged readers through another tool, follow Substack's general moving guide: stop billing there, connect Stripe on Substack and comp those readers until their renewal date.
- Gained on Substack: Recommendations, Notes, Chat and the Substack app, plus paid subscriptions if you want them.
Sunsetting Mailchimp
- Keep the audience and campaign exports somewhere safe.
- Remove Mailchimp forms from your site and watch the Mailchimp audience for a few days: new sign-ups there mean a form was missed.
- Pause any Mailchimp automations so nobody gets emails from both.
- Downgrade to Mailchimp Free (if your list is within 250 contacts) or close the account around your billing date.
Related: Substack vs Mailchimp · Is Substack worth it? · Substack fees · how much Mailchimp costs · Mailchimp to beehiiv instead · Mailchimp to MailerLite · Mailchimp to Brevo · all Mailchimp alternatives
Sources
- Substack help: How do I move from Mailchimp to Substack? (updated Oct 28, 2026; checked 2026-10-30)
- Substack help: Import a mailing list from another platform and Import posts from another platform (checked 2026-10-30)
- Substack help: How do I move from my current platform to Substack? (checked 2026-10-30)
- Mailchimp help: View or export contacts (checked 2026-10-30)
- Mailchimp pricing and Substack: How much does Substack cost? (checked 2026-10-27)
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 I move my Mailchimp list to Substack?
Yes. Export the audience in Mailchimp (Audience → All contacts → Export Audience → Export as CSV), unzip the download and upload the CSV in Substack (Dashboard → Subscribers → Add subscribers → Add subscribers by upload). Substack asks you to confirm the people opted in, skips duplicates and invalid addresses, and imports everyone as free subscribers.
Can I import my Mailchimp campaigns into Substack?
Yes. In Substack Settings → Import/Export → Import posts, enter your Mailchimp campaign archive page URL and upload the campaigns export from Mailchimp (Account & billing → Manage my data → Emails). Substack says not to unzip that file, and that Mailchimp's campaign archive may include only up to 20 emails.
Which Mailchimp contacts should I upload to Substack?
Mailchimp's audience export can be a zip with separate CSV files for subscribed, unsubscribed, non-subscribed and cleaned contacts. Substack asks you to confirm everyone you upload opted in to your emails, so upload the subscribed file only. Unsubscribed and cleaned contacts shouldn't be emailed.
Is Substack cheaper than Mailchimp?
For a free newsletter, yes: Substack costs $0 at any list size, while Mailchimp Free stops at 250 contacts and the cheapest paid plan is $26.50/mo at 1,000 contacts and $75/mo at 5,000 (monthly billing). If you charge readers, Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue plus Stripe fees. We have no verified paid-newsletter pricing for Mailchimp, so it isn't compared there.
What do I lose moving from Mailchimp to Substack?
Substack has no automation builder (beyond welcome emails), no drag-and-drop email templates from Mailchimp, no tags or segments from your Mailchimp audience, and no Mailchimp sign-up forms. Plan to replace Mailchimp forms with Substack's subscribe page or embed, and rebuild only the welcome message you need.
Do I have to cancel Mailchimp?
Substack does not do it for you. After the import, check the subscriber count on Substack, remove the Mailchimp forms from your site, then downgrade to Mailchimp Free or close the account around your billing date so you don't pay for both. Keep your exports first: Mailchimp keeps contact exports in your account for 30 days.
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: Substack vs Mailchimp · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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