- © 2026 Mailsoftly Inc. The name "Mailsoftly" and the Mailsoftly logo are registered trademarks of Mailsoftly Inc.
Rising costs at scale and slow support push many Benchmark Email teams to look for an easier, human-backed platform with free migration help.
by Isabella Torres · Last updated: 2026-06-07Switching from Benchmark Email to Mailsoftly takes a few hours, not days. You export your contacts, segments, and templates from Benchmark Email as CSV files, then import them into Mailsoftly, where a migration specialist handles the heavy lifting for free. Your lists, history, and core automations move over with no downtime.
If you have been weighing a move for a while, this guide walks through the full process: what triggers the switch, what data you can carry across, the exact export and import steps, and a side by side comparison so you can budget confidently before you commit.
Comparing options? See our full roundup of the best email marketing services for the complete picture.
Quick context: Mailsoftly offers transparent pricing, free hands-on migration, and human support. 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month, no credit card.
Start free with Mailsoftly →
Key Takeaways
Teams leave Benchmark Email for three recurring reasons: cost that climbs as the contact list grows, a builder that feels heavier than the campaigns most senders actually run, and support that can lag when a deadline is on the line. None of these are dealbreakers on day one, but they compound as your program matures.
Cost is usually the trigger. As your audience grows past a few thousand contacts, contact-tiered pricing steps up quickly, and the bill rarely matches how often you actually send. You can review Benchmark Email’s current rates on their official pricing page to confirm where your tier lands before you renew.
Complexity is the second driver. Many senders use a fraction of the available features, yet still navigate around the ones they do not need. Since email remains one of the highest-return marketing channels, with reported returns documented in HubSpot’s marketing statistics, a tool that slows down your weekly send is a real cost, not just an annoyance. The third driver is support: when a campaign breaks an hour before launch, a fast human reply matters more than a knowledge base article.
Read enough? Try Mailsoftly free with 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month, no credit card.Start free with Mailsoftly →
You can bring almost everything that matters: contacts, custom fields, segments, subscription status, email templates, and the logic behind your automations. The only things that never transfer cleanly between any two platforms are proprietary internal IDs and platform-specific tracking links, which are rebuilt automatically on the new side.
One thing worth protecting during any move is rendering quality across inboxes. Before you retire your old templates, it is worth confirming they still display correctly, and resources like Litmus guidance on email rendering and styled alt text are a useful checklist when you rebuild key templates in their new home.
Migrating is a four-step process: export your data from Benchmark Email, import it into Mailsoftly, verify deliverability, and rebuild your automations. With Mailsoftly’s free hands-on migration, a specialist does most of steps two through four for you, so your team only handles the export and a final review.
In Benchmark Email, open Contacts, select the lists you want to move, and export them as CSV. Include every custom field and the subscription status column. Doing a Benchmark Email export of contacts this way preserves the data you need to keep segments and personalization intact. Save one file per list so the structure stays clean on import.
Upload your CSV files in Mailsoftly and map each column to the matching field. The importer keeps unsubscribes and bounces flagged so you never email someone who already opted out. If you prefer, hand the files to the migration team and they will import, deduplicate, and organize everything for you at no cost.
Authenticate your sending domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records inside Mailsoftly before you send anything. This protects your sender reputation during the transition and keeps your messages in the inbox. The team walks you through the DNS records if you have not set them up before, and confirms each one is verified.
Recreate your welcome flow, drip sequences, and triggers in the automation builder, then import or rebuild your core templates. Send a test campaign to a small internal list, check the rendering, confirm links work, and only then point your signup forms and integrations at Mailsoftly. At that point the switch is complete with zero downtime.
Mailsoftly competes on flat contact-based pricing, a lighter editor, and human support, while Benchmark Email offers a broad feature set with contact-tiered plans. The table below compares the essentials so you can decide quickly. Mailsoftly figures are verified (as of 2026-04-15); always confirm a competitor’s live rates on their own site before budgeting.
| Platform | Pricing (entry paid) | Free plan | Support | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mailsoftly | $39/mo annual (Basic, 5,000 contacts) | Yes: 500 contacts, 2,000 emails/mo | Human support plus free hands-on migration | growing businesses wanting simple sends and real help |
| Benchmark Email | Contact-tiered (see their pricing page) | Yes, limited sends | Email and chat support | Teams wanting a broad feature catalog |
For full context, Mailsoftly’s published tiers run from a free plan to Basic at $39 per month annual (5,000 contacts, 40,000 emails per month), Business at $79 per month annual (15,000 contacts), and Premium at $159 per month annual (30,000 contacts), with custom Enterprise pricing above that. You can see every tier and what is included on the Mailsoftly pricing page before you migrate.
The practical difference is predictability. Mailsoftly bills by contacts on flat tiers, so you know your cost at each list size, and the free migration means switching does not carry a hidden services fee. That combination is why cost-conscious teams find the move pays for itself within the first billing cycle.
In your first week, focus on three things: confirm deliverability is healthy, warm up your sending gradually, and watch engagement closely. The migration moves your data, but the first few sends establish your reputation on the new platform, so a measured start protects your inbox placement.
Keep your old Benchmark Email account active but paused for at least one full billing cycle. That gives you a safety net to reference historical reports or re-export anything you missed, and lets you cancel with confidence once you have confirmed everything runs cleanly in Mailsoftly.
For the broader landscape, see our full comparison of best email marketing services covering every major platform.
Most migrations finish in a few hours. The export from Benchmark Email takes minutes, and the import, segment rebuild, and domain verification are handled by Mailsoftly’s free migration team. Larger lists with complex automations may take a day, but your old account keeps sending until you switch over, so there is no downtime.
No. Contacts, custom fields, segments, and subscription status all transfer through a clean CSV export and import. Automations are rebuilt step by step in Mailsoftly’s builder so your welcome series and drip sequences keep working. Unsubscribes and bounces stay flagged, so you never email someone who already opted out.
The migration itself is free. Mailsoftly’s team imports your data, rebuilds segments and automations, and verifies deliverability at no charge. You can start on the free plan with 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month, then move to a paid tier starting at $39 per month annual only when you are ready.
No technical skills are required. The hands-on migration team handles the CSV imports, column mapping, and DNS authentication records for you, and walks you through each verification step. If you prefer to self-serve, the importer and automation builder are designed to be used without code or developer help.
Start your free Benchmark Email migration, we do the heavy liftingStart free with Mailsoftly →
500 contacts, 2,000 emails per month. Free hands-on migration. No credit card.
Looking for an alternative?
Mailsoftly offers the features you need at a price that makes sense.
Switch to MailsoftlyMigrate in minutes