Maybe you've hit real limitations with Mailchimp. Maybe a teammate sent you this link. Maybe you're trying to figure out if switching is worth the disruption. Wherever you are in that process, this guide is for you.
What this guide is: A practical breakdown of what migration involves - the work, the timeline, the risks, and how to evaluate if you're ready.
What this guide isn't: A pitch for why Klaviyo is better than Mailchimp. That's a different question. This assumes you're already exploring Klaviyo as an option and want to understand what the switch actually requires.
The honest answer: it's less painful than you think, but more work than vendors want you to believe.
Use this to stress-test the idea, build an internal case, or just understand what you'd be signing up for.
- Your contacts transfer, but templates and automations need rebuilding
- Realistic timeline is 4-6 weeks (2-3 if you use migration tools)
- Domain warm-up takes 2-4 weeks and can't be skipped
- Best timing: Q1 or Q3, not during BFCM or product launches
- You can run both platforms in parallel during the transition
What Actually Transfers (And What Doesn't)
This is the first question everyone asks. Here's the reality:
The Bottom Line
Your data transfers. Contacts, subscription status, and recent engagement come over through Klaviyo's native import or third-party tools. You won't lose your list.
Your creative work doesn't. Templates and automations need to be rebuilt in Klaviyo - either manually or with a migration tool like Beena. This is where most of the time goes.
Domain warm-up is unavoidable. Regardless of how you migrate, you'll need to gradually increase sending volume in Klaviyo. This protects your deliverability. No shortcut exists.
The Fears (And What Actually Happens)
These are the concerns we hear most often. Here's the reality check for each:
The fear: You'll flip the switch and emails will stop going out, links will break, or data will get corrupted.
You run both platforms in parallel during migration. Mailchimp stays active until Klaviyo is fully tested and sending. There's no moment where everything switches at once. You control the cutover timing.
"Switching over was easy. It only took about 2 hours, and he saw no site downtime during the switch."
Edward Fisher Jr., Owner, My Community MadeThe fear: Years of campaign history, A/B test results, and customer engagement patterns will disappear.
Recent engagement (90 days) transfers to Klaviyo. Older reporting stays in Mailchimp - export it before you cancel your account. Your Mailchimp account doesn't delete itself; you can keep it read-only for historical reference.
Klaviyo's native Mailchimp integration pulls over all your contact data, including when contacts received, opened, and clicked emails from the last 90 days. Unsubscribed and bounced contacts automatically go to your suppression list.
The fear: You'll be stuck in a learning curve while campaigns pile up and deadlines pass.
If you know Mailchimp, Klaviyo's concepts are familiar - lists, segments, campaigns, automations. The UI is different but the mental model is similar. Most teams are comfortable within 1-2 weeks. The bigger adjustment is learning Klaviyo's more advanced features (which is the whole point of switching).
"I had no experience apart from sending a few Mailchimp emails and now I feel like I can confidently use Klaviyo and understand it, but also analyze the data and learn from it."
Frankie Cooke, Brand Coordinator, GrindThe fear: Switching platforms means starting from scratch with inbox providers. You'll land in spam.
Domain warm-up takes 2-4 weeks but follows a predictable pattern. You start with your most engaged subscribers and gradually expand. If your list hygiene is good in Mailchimp, it will be good in Klaviyo. The platform doesn't determine deliverability - your sending practices do.
"Now we have a good sender reputation. We have a very healthy open rate. We have seen a huge increase in order value."
Alex English, Head of Growth, italist (open rates grew 475% after switching from Mailchimp)Don't take our word for it. Try it.
Copy one template and one automation into Klaviyo for free with Beena. See exactly how your setup translates before committing to a full migration.
Try FreeWhat the Timeline Actually Looks Like
Forget the vendor timelines. Here's what we see in practice:
Connect Klaviyo to Shopify, import contacts from Mailchimp, set up domain authentication. This part is relatively painless - mostly waiting for syncs to complete.
This is where the work is. Rebuilding your email templates in Klaviyo's editor, recreating your automations as flows, testing everything. With Beena, this step takes hours instead of days.
Send test campaigns, verify flows trigger correctly, check links and dynamic content. Run both platforms in parallel for a few days to catch issues.
Gradually ramp sending volume. Start with your most engaged 10-20%, expand weekly. This can't be rushed without risking deliverability.
Disable Mailchimp automations, switch your signup forms, and you're fully live on Klaviyo.
Total realistic timeline: 4-6 weeks for a proper migration. You can rush it to 2-3 weeks if you're willing to accept more risk during warm-up. The biggest variable is Phase 2 - rebuilding templates and flows. With a migration tool, that phase collapses from weeks to hours.
Timing It Right
When you migrate matters almost as much as how.
- Q1 or Q3 (post-holiday, pre-BFCM prep)
- After a slow sales period when email volume is lower
- When you have bandwidth for the learning curve
- Before a major campaign push (gives time to optimize)
- October-December (BFCM/holiday season)
- During a major product launch
- When your email person is leaving or new
- Right before quarterly board meetings
The best time is usually 2-3 months before your next big push. That gives you time to migrate, warm up, and optimize before it really counts.
The Honest Answer: Should You Do This?
Not everyone should switch. Here's how to think about it:
Are you hitting real limitations?
If Mailchimp genuinely works for your current scale and needs, switching is just churn. Don't migrate because you think you should - migrate because you've hit a wall.
The migration itself isn't the hard part. The hard part is being honest about whether you need it.
See for yourself before you decide
Copy one template and one automation into Klaviyo for free. No credit card, no commitment. Just your own data in Klaviyo so you can evaluate with confidence.
Try Free How Beena handles the rebuild