--- title: "How to Migrate to beehiiv in 2026: Substack, Mailchimp & Kit (Step by Step)" canonical: https://emailsequenceai.com/blog/migrate-to-beehiiv-2026 date: Oct 25, 2026 lastUpdated: Oct 25, 2026 category: "Guides" publisher: EmailSequenceAI --- # How to Migrate to beehiiv in 2026: Substack, Mailchimp & Kit (Step by Step) > **Quick answer**: Migrating to beehiiv takes four steps: (1) export subscribers and posts from your current platform, (2) import into beehiiv — beehiiv offers free concierge migration from Substack, (3) connect your custom domain and set redirects so old links keep working, (4) move paid subscriptions — Substack readers need to re-confirm billing, so plan a transition campaign. Total time: a few hours for most newsletters. # How to Migrate to beehiiv in 2026 (Step by Step) Every week, newsletters leave Substack's 10% fee or Mailchimp's clunky editor for beehiiv's growth stack. The actual migration is easier than the decision — here's the order of operations that avoids the common pitfalls. > **Disclosure:** This article may contain affiliate links. If you sign up through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. ## Before You Move Three things to settle first: - **List hygiene** — migrations are the perfect excuse to purge dead emails. Export your full list, remove hard bounces and 12-month non-openers, import a clean list. - **Paid sub plan** — billing can't transfer between platforms. Decide your transition offer *before* you move (discount, bonus content, grandfathered pricing). - **Domain strategy** — if you're on a platform subdomain (you.substack.com), you'll need redirects or a new custom domain. Own the domain if you can. **[Create your beehiiv account first — free up to 2,500 subs →](/go/beehiiv)** ## Step 1: Export Everything **From Substack:** Dashboard → Settings → Exports → download subscriber CSV + post archive. Takes minutes. **From Mailchimp:** Audience → Export audience (CSV). For content, you'll need to copy campaigns manually or via the API. **From Kit (ConvertKit):** Subscribers → Export. Sequences and automations don't export — document them before cancelling. **From Ghost:** Settings → Labs → Export members + content JSON. ## Step 2: Import to beehiiv - **Substack:** use beehiiv's built-in Substack importer (Settings → Import) — it pulls posts and free subscribers directly. beehiiv's concierge migration does this free for you on paid plans. - **Other platforms:** Audience → Import → upload your CSV. Map fields (email, name, tags, custom fields) and tag imports with the source so you can track engagement of migrated vs new subs. - **Content:** republish your archive as backdated posts — every post becomes an SEO-indexable page on your beehiiv site. ## Step 3: Domain & Redirects 1. Add your custom domain in beehiiv (Settings → Domains) — Scale plan and up. 2. Point DNS records at beehiiv (instructions provided in-app; usually a CNAME). 3. If your old newsletter lived on a platform subdomain, enable Substack→beehiiv redirects or leave a pinned "we moved" post. SEO equity on platform subdomains can't transfer — another reason custom domains matter. 4. Update newsletter links in your email signature, social bios, and any published content. ## Step 4: Move Paid Subscriptions This is the only genuinely delicate step — Stripe billing is tied to the old platform. 1. **Announce early:** email paid subs 2 weeks before switching — explain what changes (nothing, or better features) and what they need to do (one click to re-subscribe). 2. **Sweeten it:** offer a transition incentive — a free month, exclusive post, or locked-in lower rate. 3. **Overlap billing:** keep the old platform live through at least one billing cycle so nobody gets double-charged or cut off. 4. **Follow up:** a 3-email sequence (announce → remind → last call) typically recovers 80–95% of paid subs. ## Platform-Specific Notes - **Substack:** the cleanest migration — importer + concierge exist specifically for it. The 10% fee you'll stop paying makes the math easy. - **Mailchimp:** subscribers export fine; campaign content doesn't migrate. Most people republish only their best issues. - **Kit:** subscribers + tags move cleanly. Rebuild automations in beehiiv (welcome journeys are quick to recreate). - **Ghost:** members and posts export as CSV/JSON; expect a bit more manual work. ## Launch Checklist - [ ] Subscribers imported, tags mapped, source tagged - [ ] Archive republished (at least top 10 posts) - [ ] Custom domain live, SSL green - [ ] Welcome automation rebuilt - [ ] Referral program configured (this is why you switched — turn it on) - [ ] First send: "we moved" announcement with re-subscribe links for paid - [ ] Old platform kept live for 1 billing cycle - [ ] Social/bio links updated **Bottom line:** the technical migration is an afternoon. The paid-sub transition is a 2-week email sequence. Everything else is checklists — and the moment you're done, the referral program and ad network start working for you. **[Start your beehiiv migration — free up to 2,500 subs →](/go/beehiiv)** --- *Last updated: October 2026. Migration tooling changes — check beehiiv's import docs for the latest importer support.* --- Source: https://emailsequenceai.com/blog/migrate-to-beehiiv-2026 — © 2026 EmailSequenceAI