Neither tool imports the other’s automations automatically. Export contacts as CSV and rebuild your email sequences in Mailchimp’s builder.
Not as they are: nothing transfers automatically, and Mailchimp Essentials caps automation at 4 steps against ActiveCampaign's 15 goals and 5 actions per automation.
You save $2/mo and gain 2 included seats, but you also lose the standard CRM, and contacts come across only as a CSV imported into a new audience. So map before you export: write each automation out as its steps, and anything longer than 4 either gets simplified, split, or dropped, which is a business decision, not a technical one. Then deal with segments. A segment is a saved rule, not data, so it won't survive a CSV; export each segment's membership as a tag column so you can rebuild the groups in Mailchimp instead of guessing. If your best-performing sequence doesn't fit in 4 steps, that's your answer on whether to go.
My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 23, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill
Most buyers only budget for the new subscription. This estimates the hidden labor, data-cleanup, and retraining cost of actually making the switch.
Estimate assumes: 1 hour of data-mapping/cleaning labor per 2,000 records, a blended $75/hr ops rate, tiered migration & cleaning tooling fees, and 4 hours of retraining per seat at a $45/hr fully-loaded rate.
$13/mo against $15/mo.
3 against ActiveCampaign Starter’s 1.
250 contacts, permanent.
You lose ActiveCampaign’s standard CRM and its deeper automation (15 goals, 5 actions/automation).
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| 1Export your contact list | Export contacts, tags and segments as CSV from the old tool. |
| 2Create your Mailchimp account | Create your Mailchimp account and import your contact list as a new audience. |
| 3Rebuild campaigns and automations | Recreate your email templates and automation journeys using Mailchimp’s builder. |
| 4Rebuild automations | Recreate email sequences, triggers and automation rules by hand — these do not transfer automatically. |
| 5Reconnect integrations | Reconnect your website forms, e-commerce store or CRM sync to the new tool. |
| 6Run a real send before cancelling | Send one real campaign through the new tool and confirm deliverability before cancelling the old plan. |
What this path doesn’t do for you:
ActiveCampaign’s CRM and multi-step automation depth have no Mailchimp Essentials equivalent — Mailchimp’s automation is capped at 4 steps at this tier.
| Plan | ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Per contact tier, account-wide | Per contact tier, account-wide |
| Entry price | Starter $15/mo (1,000 contacts) | Essentials $13/mo (500 contacts) |
| CRM | Standard CRM included | Basic contact records |
| Free plan | None, 14-day trial | 250 contacts |
Standard list prices checked on each vendor’s pricing page on September 23, 2026. HubSpot price is the $20/seat standing rate, not its current new-customer promo.
| Capability | ActiveCampaign | Mailchimp |
|---|---|---|
| CRM | Included | Basic contact records |
| Automation | 15 goals, 5 actions/automation | 4 steps max (Essentials) |
| Price | $15/mo | $13/mo |
| Seats included | 1 | 3 |
Going the other direction, or want the full comparison first?
Read the ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp comparison Switching from Mailchimp to ActiveCampaign instead?Security, offline and access rules that differ between ActiveCampaign and Mailchimp. Rows where both tools are the same (2) are left out; the full side-by-side is on each tool’s page: ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp.
| What changes | ActiveCampaign (today) | Mailchimp (after) |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 report | SOC 2 Type IIsource | SOC 2 reportType not stated by vendorsource |
| ISO/IEC 27001 | Not published | Certifiedsource |
| HIPAA (BAA) | BAA availableEnterprisesource | Not published |
| Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC) | YesEnterprisesource | Not published |
| Two-factor authentication | YesEnforcement: Startersource | YesEnforcement: Any multi-user plan (automatic once an Owner or Admin enables 2FA)source |
| Data residency choices | US, EU, APACsource | US onlysource |
| Encryption | Not published | TLS 1.2+ in transit; at-rest encryption not statedsource |
| Offline mode | PartialThe Forms for iPad app can collect form sign-ups offline and adds them to the account once back online; the main ActiveCampaign mobile app needs an internet connection.source | Not documented |
| Device & session controls | YesIdle-session timeout with customizable session length; MFA required to use the mobile app.source | Not published |
No dedicated importer; export contacts as CSV and import as a new Mailchimp audience.
Slightly, $2/mo, plus 2 more included seats.
Yes — Mailchimp Essentials caps automation at 4 steps and has no full CRM, against ActiveCampaign’s 15 automation goals and standard CRM.
No. Automation logic, workflows and segmentation rules are specific to each platform’s builder and are rebuilt by hand in the new tool; only contact data moves via export/import.
Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.
Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.
Every figure is also in our open dataset (JSON and CSV, CC BY 4.0), with its source page and verification date. See how we research pricing.
Cite this page: HelpCompare, “Switching from ActiveCampaign to Mailchimp”, helpcompare.com/activecampaign-to-mailchimp-migration/ (updated ).
Source links on this site are checked every month; last check . How sources are checked.
Plain-language guides: the steps, what to check before you buy, common mistakes, and every tool it takes with verified prices.
Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.
Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.