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Outgrowing MailPoet’s WordPress plugin limits or stuck waiting on support? Here is exactly how to move your lists, templates, and automations to Mailsoftly without losing data.

Alkan Balkayaby Alkan Balkaya · Last updated: 2026-06-11

Switching from MailPoet to Mailsoftly: The Complete Migration Guide

Switching from MailPoet to Mailsoftly takes a few hours, not days. You export your contacts and segments from MailPoet as a CSV, import them into Mailsoftly, verify your sending domain, then rebuild templates and automations. Mailsoftly’s team handles the import for free, so most accounts go live the same day with no downtime.

If you started with MailPoet because it lived inside WordPress, you are not alone. It is a convenient on-ramp. The trouble usually starts when your list grows, your automation needs mature, or you need a human to answer a deliverability question quickly. This guide walks through the full move, step by step, with the data you keep and the few things you rebuild.

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

  • Most MailPoet migrations finish in a few hours, and Mailsoftly’s team does the import for you at no cost.
  • You keep your contacts, custom fields, and segments. Templates and automations are rebuilt quickly using equivalents.
  • There is no fee to switch. Mailsoftly’s free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month.
  • The biggest reasons teams leave MailPoet are cost at scale, plugin complexity as lists grow, and slow support.

Why Are Teams Leaving MailPoet?

Most teams leave MailPoet for three reasons: cost rises sharply as the subscriber list grows, the plugin adds complexity once you need real automation, and support can feel slow when something urgent breaks. MailPoet is a solid entry point inside WordPress, but those friction points compound as email becomes a serious revenue channel.

Cost climbs as your list grows

MailPoet bills by subscriber count, so a list that doubles can quietly push you into a much higher bracket. When you compare what you pay against features you actually use, the value often slips, especially for senders who do not need WordPress-tied tooling. You can confirm current tiers on their own pricing page before you decide, since the structure changes over time and is best read at the MailPoet pricing page.

Complexity grows with your needs

A WordPress plugin is great until your email program outgrows it. Heavier sends, conditional automations, and granular segmentation can strain a plugin that shares resources with your site. Many teams want their email engine decoupled from their CMS so a plugin update never threatens a campaign. Email remains one of the highest-return marketing channels, which is exactly why the tooling needs to keep up, a point HubSpot reinforces in its published marketing statistics.

Support gaps at the worst moments

When a send stalls or deliverability dips, waiting in a queue is painful. Teams switching to Mailsoftly consistently cite responsive, human support as the deciding factor. Getting a real person who understands your account, not a deflecting bot, changes how confidently you run campaigns.

Read enough? Try Mailsoftly free with 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month, no credit card.Start free with Mailsoftly →

What Can You Bring From MailPoet to Mailsoftly?

You bring almost everything that matters: your full contact list, custom fields, subscription status, and segment logic. Templates and automations do not transfer as files between platforms, but they rebuild quickly in Mailsoftly using direct equivalents. Nothing about your audience is lost in the move.

The one thing to plan for
Visual templates and automation workflows are platform specific, so they are recreated rather than copied. This sounds like work, but it is the perfect moment to retire stale flows and tighten messaging. Most teams finish their core template and welcome automation the same day.

How Do You Migrate From MailPoet to Mailsoftly?

Migration follows four steps: export your contacts from MailPoet, import them into Mailsoftly, verify your sending domain and deliverability, then rebuild your templates and automations. If you would rather not touch a CSV at all, Mailsoftly’s free hands-on migration means our team runs every step for you.

Step 1: Export contacts from MailPoet

In your WordPress admin, open MailPoet, go to Subscribers, and use the Export option. Choose CSV, include all custom fields, and export each list or segment you want to keep. Save the file somewhere easy to find. This export is your clean snapshot of the audience, including subscription status, which keeps you compliant on the other side.

Step 2: Import contacts into Mailsoftly

Create your Mailsoftly account, open Contacts, and upload the CSV. The importer maps columns to fields automatically, and you confirm matches like first name, company, or any custom property. Unsubscribed and bounced contacts keep their status so you never email someone who opted out. If anything looks off, our team reviews the mapping with you before the first send.

Step 3: Verify your sending domain and deliverability

Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records so inbox providers trust your mail. Mailsoftly gives you the exact records to add at your DNS host and confirms each one is valid. Authentication is the single biggest lever on whether you reach the inbox, a fundamental covered well in the Litmus guidance on email deliverability best practices. Warming gradually after a switch protects the reputation you already built.

Step 4: Rebuild templates and automations

Recreate your main email template in the drag-and-drop editor, then rebuild your welcome series and any triggered flows in the automation builder. Because the logic transfers cleanly, this is mostly reassembly, not reinvention. Send yourself test emails, check rendering across clients, and confirm links and merge tags resolve before going live.

Free hands-on migration
Prefer to skip the manual work? Send us your MailPoet export and we handle the import, field mapping, domain authentication, and your first template rebuild. Most accounts go live the same day with zero downtime, and there is no charge for the help.

MailPoet vs Mailsoftly: How Do They Compare?

Mailsoftly is a standalone email platform with transparent flat-rate pricing, a permanent free plan, and human support, while MailPoet is a WordPress plugin priced by subscriber count. For teams sending serious volume or wanting their email engine independent from their CMS, Mailsoftly removes the plugin ceiling. Mailsoftly pricing below is verified (as of 2026-04-15).

PlatformPricingFree planSupportBest for
MailsoftlyFree, then $39/mo annual (Basic), $79/mo (Business), $159/mo (Premium)Yes: 500 contacts, 2,000 emails/moHuman support, free hands-on migrationTeams wanting easy, standalone email with real support
MailPoetTiered by subscriber count (see their pricing page)Limited free tierPlugin support queueSmall WordPress sites sending from within WordPress

The Mailsoftly tiers scale with your audience: the Free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month, Basic moves you to 5,000 contacts and 40,000 emails, Business to 15,000 contacts and 150,000 emails, and Premium to 30,000 contacts and 300,000 emails. For unlimited contacts and volume, Enterprise is custom. You can see every tier side by side on the Mailsoftly pricing page.

Support model

This is where the two diverge most. Mailsoftly leads with responsive human support and a migration team that does the heavy lifting at no cost. Instead of opening a ticket and waiting, you get help mapping fields, authenticating your domain, and getting your first campaign out the door.

Ease of use

Both aim for simplicity, but a dedicated platform avoids the constraints of running inside WordPress. You build, send, and automate from one clean dashboard without worrying about plugin conflicts, theme updates, or hosting limits affecting your sends. That separation gives campaigns more predictable performance.

What Should You Do the First Week After Switching?

In your first week, focus on protecting deliverability and confirming everything works before scaling sends. Warm up gradually, send a small re-introduction campaign, watch your metrics, and keep MailPoet active just long enough to confirm nothing was missed. A measured start protects the sender reputation you carried over.

  1. Send a small batch first. Email your most engaged segment before your full list to confirm rendering and deliverability.
  2. Monitor open, click, and bounce rates. Compare against your MailPoet baseline so you can spot any anomaly early.
  3. Confirm automations fire correctly. Trigger your welcome series with a test signup and verify timing and content.
  4. Keep MailPoet paused, not deleted. Leave it dormant for a week or two as a safety net before fully removing it.
  5. Lean on your migration contact. If a metric looks wrong, reach out. That is exactly what the support team is there for.

Treat the first week as validation, not a sprint. Once your numbers match or beat your old baseline and your automations behave, you can confidently retire MailPoet and run your full program from Mailsoftly.

For the broader landscape, see our full comparison of best email marketing services covering every major platform.

Switching from MailPoet to Mailsoftly: The Complete Migration Guide visual 1

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does migrating from MailPoet take?

Most migrations finish in a few hours. Exporting and importing contacts takes minutes, domain verification depends on your DNS host (usually under an hour to propagate), and rebuilding your core template and welcome automation takes the most time. With Mailsoftly’s free hands-on migration, the team runs these steps for you and most accounts go live the same day.

Will I lose my contacts or automations?

No, you will not lose your contacts. Your full list, custom fields, and subscription status transfer through a CSV export and import. Automations are not copied as files between platforms, so they are rebuilt in Mailsoftly’s automation builder using the same logic. Nothing about your audience or compliance status is lost in the move.

Is there a cost to switch?

There is no cost to switch. Mailsoftly’s migration help is free, and the free plan covers 500 contacts and 2,000 emails per month with no credit card required. You only pay if and when you upgrade to a higher tier, starting at $39 per month annually for the Basic plan.

Will switching hurt my deliverability?

Not if you authenticate and warm up properly. Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain, then ramp send volume gradually over the first week rather than blasting your full list at once. This protects the sender reputation you already built. Mailsoftly provides the exact DNS records and guides the warm-up so your inbox placement stays strong.

Ready to switch?Start free with Mailsoftly →
500 contacts, 2,000 emails per month. Free hands-on migration. No credit card.

Alkan Balkaya
Alkan Balkaya
Founder & CEO at Mailsoftly
Alkan is the founder and CEO of Mailsoftly, building email marketing tools for businesses of all sizes. He writes about email marketing strategy, deliverability, and the future of marketing automation.