The short answer
- Moving from Mailchimp Essentials to beehiiv (free tier) saves $106 in the first year, after setup and upkeep time (Stackcut's model: modeled, not measured).
- beehiiv's official migration guide moves 1 kind of data in full and 3 partly; 4 things stay behind. What moves
- 1 public account of making this switch: 1 switched. Read them
- 2 comparison pages checked, each labeled with who wrote it. What they claim
- Switching help: Free self-serve tools import Mailchimp subscribers (CSV) and past newsletter content (OAuth Content Import) into beehiiv; no migration credit or discount found beyond this. beehiiv.com
What Mailchimp and beehiiv cost
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, as stored in the Stackcut catalog. Each price links its source.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp Essentials | $13/mo | not shown | 500-contact tier; sends 10x contacts; 3 seats; up to 50,000 contacts |
| Mailchimp Standard | $20/mo | not shown | 500-contact tier; sends 12x contacts; 5 seats; automation flows; up to 100,000 contacts |
| Mailchimp Premium | $350/mo | not shown | 10,000-contact tier; sends 15x contacts; unlimited seats |
| Mailchimp Essentials (50,000 contacts) | $385/mo | not shown | Top Essentials tier: up to 50,000 contacts, sends 10x contacts |
| beehiiv Lite | $49/mo | $49/mo | 1,000-subscriber tier: $49/mo billed yearly; plan up to 100,000 subscribers; 2 team seats; paid subscriptions with a 0% take rate |
| beehiiv Pro | $95/mo | $95/mo | 1,000-subscriber tier: $95/mo billed yearly; plan up to 250,000 subscribers; 10 team seats; removes beehiiv branding; ad monetization |
- Mailchimp free plan: Up to 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (250/day), 1 seat, 1 audience mailchimp.com
- beehiiv free plan: Free: up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 team seat, unlimited email sends beehiiv.com
What comparison pages say
Each claim as the page makes it, and who it favors. Vendor pages are labeled; weigh them accordingly.
2 pages compared, 1 of them written by one of the two vendors. Claims are the pages' own, paraphrased; prices in them may be older than the catalog prices above.
| About | The page says | Favors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | beehiiv's free plan supports 2,500 subscribers versus Mailchimp's 250, and beehiiv scales cheaper as Mailchimp jumps to $350/month at its Premium tier. | beehiiv | EmailToolTester affiliate page |
| Other | beehiiv's layout is straightforward and modern, while Mailchimp's workspace is comprehensive but clunky. | beehiiv | EmailToolTester affiliate page |
| Ecosystem | Mailchimp offers 250+ prebuilt integrations across 19 categories versus beehiiv's more limited native integrations plus Zapier. | Mailchimp | EmailToolTester affiliate page |
| Other | Mailchimp's analytics are more granular and adaptable than beehiiv's simpler dashboard snapshots. | Mailchimp | EmailToolTester affiliate page |
| Price | beehiiv's free plan allows 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends; Mailchimp's free plan caps at 250 contacts and 500 emails a month. | beehiiv | beehiiv vendor page |
| Features | beehiiv bundles monetization tools (ad network, 0%-fee paid subscriptions, sponsorships) that Mailchimp does not offer natively. | beehiiv | beehiiv vendor page |
| Other | Mailchimp is built for e-commerce with cart-abandonment workflows and sales campaigns, which beehiiv lacks. | Mailchimp | beehiiv vendor page |
| Features | Both platforms offer deliverability optimization, A/B testing, custom fields, dynamic content and advanced segmentation. | Even | beehiiv vendor page |
Moving from Mailchimp to beehiiv
What beehiiv's importer carries over, what it leaves behind, and any help it offers switchers.
To beehiiv
Official guide beehiiv.com · Tools: beehiiv Subscribers Import, beehiiv Content Import (Mailchimp connector), Entri (custom domain DNS)
Moves: Subscribers/contacts (full); Custom fields and tags (partial); Past newsletter content (New Email Builder campaigns) (partial); Mailchimp contact/member engagement rating (partial). beehiiv.com
Doesn't move: Original subscription/opt-in dates (reset to the import date; needs manual support correction); Campaigns built with Mailchimp's Legacy Email Builder; Existing Mailchimp automations; Custom domain configuration. beehiiv.com
Watch out for:
- Campaigns made with Mailchimp's Legacy Email Builder will not import beehiiv.com
- Subscription dates reset to the import date rather than the original signup date beehiiv.com
- Complete fidelity isn't guaranteed given platform differences beehiiv.com
Switching help: Free self-serve tools import Mailchimp subscribers (CSV) and past newsletter content (OAuth Content Import) into beehiiv; no migration credit or discount found beyond this. beehiiv.com
From each destination's own migration docs and switching pages, plus community write-ups where no official guide exists, each checked against its page. Confirm terms on the linked page before you rely on an offer.
People who moved from Mailchimp to beehiiv
1 public accounts of leaving Mailchimp: 1 switched. Summaries are ours; each links the original, and each was checked against its page before it appeared here.
The Texas Tribune migrated 12+ newsletters off Mailchimp onto beehiiv, built 20+ automations, and reports saving up to 60 minutes per send on editorial formatting with a 6.04% recent click-through rate. beehiiv
How to leave Mailchimp
Export first, then cancel. Every step links the vendor's own help page, checked on the date shown.
How to leave Mailchimp
Export first
- Account data: emails, audiences, reports, templates and more: Profile icon → Account → Settings → Manage my data → Export Data (ZIP of CSV and HTML files). Large exports can take up to 24 hours, and you get 1 export per 24-hour period. mailchimp.com
What you lose
- Audiences, campaign archives and reports, if you delete rather than pause
Cancel
- Export your account data first (see export).
- To stop billing but keep your data: profile icon → Account & billing → Settings → Manage my plan → Pause my plan, for 3 or 6 months.
- To leave for good: Manage my plan → Delete my account → type DELETE → confirm.
- After you cancel
- Deleting removes all data tied to audiences, campaign archives and reports. Pausing is limited to 2 pauses in 12 months.
FAQ
Is beehiiv cheaper than Mailchimp?
Modeled, not measured: moving from Mailchimp Essentials to beehiiv (free tier) saves $106 in the first year, after setup and upkeep time at $50/hour. It depends on your plan, seats and usage. the math
Can I move my Mailchimp data to beehiiv?
beehiiv's official guide moves: Subscribers/contacts; Custom fields and tags; Past newsletter content (New Email Builder campaigns); Mailchimp contact/member engagement rating. It doesn't move: Original subscription/opt-in dates (reset to the import date; needs manual support correction); Campaigns built with Mailchimp's Legacy Email Builder; Existing Mailchimp automations; Custom domain configuration. beehiiv.com
What do I lose when I leave Mailchimp?
Per Mailchimp's own pages, leaving or downgrading loses: Audiences, campaign archives and reports, if you delete rather than pause. mailchimp.com
Does beehiiv help people switch from Mailchimp?
Free self-serve tools import Mailchimp subscribers (CSV) and past newsletter content (OAuth Content Import) into beehiiv; no migration credit or discount found beyond this. beehiiv.com
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find_alternatives({"vendor": "Mailchimp"})