Go from Mailchimp to Kit (ConvertKit)
The job: Email marketing (Email campaigns, Audience/contact management, Automations). Pick where you are today and where you want to land; the move below follows your pick.
Every way to do this job · pick one
Switch app
Open source
Agent skill
The money
$13/mo today , then $0/mo
Mailchimp Essentials
Modeled from public list prices, with your time at $50 an hour. Show the math
Does it do the job? 2 of 3 covered
- Covered: Email campaigns
- Covered: Audience/contact management
- Not covered: Automations
The work
- Setup
- About 1 h
- Upkeep
- None
- Watch out
- Doesn't cover: Automations
Make the move in four steps
Export from Mailchimp
Emails (a CSV of regular emails with their HTML and TXT content), audiences (subscribed, unsubscribed, cleaned and transactional contacts), reports, email templates, content studio files, plus SMS…
Export stepsSet up Kit (ConvertKit)
Kit's free plan: up to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, tagging and segmentation…
DetailsSwitch links and integrations
Point links, embeds and integrations at Kit (ConvertKit), then send a test through every one.
Cancel Mailchimp
Turn off renewal before your renewal date, once the new setup works. Access runs until: Downgrade: the paid plan runs until the next billing cycle begins….
How to cancel Mailchimp
The whole recipe: 5 ways out, best first
What you use
- Email campaigns
- Audience/contact management
- Automations
Not covered
- Signup forms and landing pages
- Templates
- A/B testing
- Reporting
Check before switching
- You only rely on: Email campaigns, Audience/contact management, Automations
- Export your data from Mailchimp before canceling
Agents: get_recipe("replace-mailchimp") on the Stackcut MCP server.
5 ways out, best first
How we got this
| You pay now: Mailchimp Essentials | flat price | $13/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: Kit (ConvertKit) (free tier) | free plan | $0/mo |
| Difference each month | $13 − $0 | +$13/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$13 × 12 | +$156 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$156 − $50 | +$106 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $156 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Mailchimp Essentials | flat price | $13/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: beehiiv (free tier) | free plan | $0/mo |
| Difference each month | $13 − $0 | +$13/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$13 × 12 | +$156 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$156 − $50 | +$106 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $156 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Mailchimp Essentials | flat price | $13/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: MailerLite | Comfort plan | $12/mo |
| Difference each month | $13 − $12 | +$1/mo |
| Over 12 months | +$1 × 12 | +$12 |
| Setup, once | 1 h × $50/h | −$50 |
| Year one | +$12 − $50 | −$38 |
- Not counting your time (1 h in year one): saves $12 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
How we got this
| You pay now: Mailchimp Essentials | flat price | $13/mo |
|---|---|---|
| New cost: listmonk | a small server (modeled) | $5/mo |
| Your upkeep time | 2 h/mo × $50/h | $100/mo |
| Difference each month | $13 − $5 − $100 | −$92/mo |
| Over 12 months | −$92 × 12 | −$1,104 |
| Setup, once | 4 h × $50/h | −$200 |
| Year one | −$1,104 − $200 | −$1,304 |
- Not counting your time (28 h in year one): saves $96 in year one.
Year one = 12 × (what you pay now − the new cost − upkeep) − setup, with your time at $50/hour. Prices are public list prices; hours are Stackcut’s planning estimates. Price it for your team
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.
Compare before you switch
Read the checked comparisons and workload guides for the tools this recipe replaces.
- Mailchimp vs beehiiv Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Mailchimp vs Kit (ConvertKit) Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Mailchimp vs listmonk Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Mailchimp vs MailerLite Checked comparison evidence, migration details, public switching accounts.
- Mailchimp alternatives in 2026: what to use instead, and what it really costs Compare the wider set of alternatives and their tradeoffs.
- A newsletter for your first 10,000 subscribers: what it costs at each size Choose for a new project, using its workload and volume.
More Email marketing recipes
- beehiiv: Creator newsletter $576
- Kit (ConvertKit): Creator newsletter $456
- : Simple newsletter management
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