TOOL
The migration checklist: inventory first, cut over last
A safe migration is an inventory problem, not an export button. List what exists (subscribers, unsubscribes, groups, consent records, automations), map each item to its equivalent on the target platform, import into a sandbox list, test with real scenarios, and only then point your forms and sequences at the new platform.
1 · Inventory what you own
Before touching the target platform, export and count these from your current one. The counts are your acceptance criteria after import.
- Active subscribers, with subscription date and source when available.
- Unsubscribed and bounced addresses. Importing these as suppressions is what protects your domain reputation on the new platform.
- Groups, tags or segments, and which ones automations depend on.
- Consent records: where and when each contact opted in, and the form wording if you keep it.
- Active automations: triggers, delays, branches, and which ones have contacts currently inside them.
- Templates, signup forms and integrations that post contacts into the list.
2 · Map before you import
Every platform names things differently: one platform's groups are another's tags. Write the mapping down before the import, item by item, and mark what has no equivalent. A field that silently disappears during import is how consent records get lost.
3 · Test the import, not just the export
An inventory prepared is not an import tested. Run the import into a test group first and verify against your inventory counts: subscriber totals, suppression list applied, groups populated, custom fields intact. Then send a real campaign to a seed list and walk one automation end to end before any contact from your real list enters it.
4 · Cut over in one direction
Switch your signup forms and integrations to the new platform first, pause new entries into old automations, let in-flight sequences finish where they started, and keep the old account read-only for a full billing cycle as your rollback and audit copy.
Platform-specific guides: migrations by pair. To compare what the move costs at your size, price your list on both platforms first.