How to Migrate MailerLite Automations: A Rebuild Checklist

Migrating MailerLite automations means rebuilding them, not exporting them: triggers, waits and conditions don't transfer between platforms, so the work is documentation plus a careful rebuild. This checklist walks through inventorying every workflow, mapping custom fields, moving contacts who are mid-sequence, testing with a seed list, and only then switching MailerLite off.

What you'll set up and what you need

Before you touch anything, gather four things:

1. A MailerLite account with live automations. You need access to the Automations area and the subscriber list.
2. A destination account. Any platform you're evaluating, with the sending domain set up.
3. A documentation spreadsheet. One tab for automations, one for emails and delays, one for field mapping. This is the actual migration artifact.
4. A test contact list. Five to ten internal addresses you control, plus a way to trigger signups.

There are two migration paths. You can rebuild manually, following the steps below. Or, on eligible paid plans, Mailerflow provides free migration help covering contacts, suppression lists, templates and core automations — useful when you have several workflows and don't want to hand-build each one.

Worth saying plainly: MailerLite is strong at exactly the thing you're migrating. Its automation builder is visual and approachable, and MailerLite states that every paid plan gets the full feature set, with the Power plan including unlimited automations (verified 2026-10-30 on mailerlite.com/pricing). If your workflows are simple and working, the case for moving is about something else — pricing model, API needs, or where your data lives — not about MailerLite being hard to use.

The checklist below works regardless of which platform you're moving to.

Step-by-step: migrate MailerLite automations

Step 1: Inventory every automation and its trigger

Open Automations in MailerLite and list every workflow, including paused and draft ones. For each, record the name, status, trigger type, entry conditions, and whether it is currently sending.

Triggers are the hardest part to recreate, so capture the exact settings rather than a summary. "Subscriber joins group: Course waitlist" is usable; "signup automation" is not. If a workflow starts from a custom field change or a link click, note the exact field name and URL.

Screenshot each canvas as a backup. The canvas view shows the shape of the workflow faster than any written description.

Verify: your spreadsheet has one row per automation, and the count matches what you see in MailerLite.

Step 2: Document each email, delay, and condition

For every step inside a workflow, record the subject line, preview text, body content or template name, the delay (for example, two days after the previous step), and any conditions or filters.

Conditions deserve extra care. "If contact opened the previous email, send A; otherwise send B" is a branch you must reproduce exactly, because a small change in the condition changes who receives what. Also note webhooks, integrations and custom fields used anywhere in the flow.

Verify: hand your notes to a colleague and ask them to describe the workflow back to you without opening MailerLite. If they can, your documentation is complete.

Step 3: Export contacts and map custom fields

Export your subscriber list as CSV, including groups, custom fields and subscription status. In the destination platform, create the matching custom fields and tags before importing — most importers map to fields that already exist.

Mailerflow's CSV import checks duplicates and validity and lets you map fields and tags during import, which reduces the cleanup afterwards. Whichever platform you use, import suppression lists too: unsubscribes, hard bounces and complaints. Skipping this is the fastest way to damage a sending reputation.

Verify: contact counts match between platforms, and a sample of ten contacts shows identical field values and group membership.

Step 4: Rebuild triggers and conditions in the new platform

Create each automation in the destination, starting with the trigger. Match the trigger type as closely as possible: signup, event, date, inactivity, or website behavior. Then recreate waits and conditions in the same order as your documentation.

If the destination has an AI automation builder, you can describe the workflow in a sentence and get a draft of the trigger, waits, conditions and emails, then review it before activating. That's faster than building from an empty canvas, but treat the draft as a first pass — check every delay and branch against your notes.

Verify: the new canvas matches your documentation step by step, including branch order.

Step 5: Move contacts mid-sequence safely

Contacts currently inside a MailerLite automation are the riskiest group. You have three options:

• Let them finish in MailerLite before switching off. Simplest, but delays the cutover.
• Tag and re-enter. Tag each contact with their current step before export, then use that tag to enter them at the matching step in the new platform.
• Suppress them from the new automation entirely, so they receive nothing twice.

Tagging by step before export is usually the best balance. Do it while the automation is still running, so the tags are accurate at export time.

Verify: pick five mid-sequence contacts and trace them manually. Each should receive the correct next email exactly once.

Step 6: Test with a seed list before switching off

Create a small test segment of internal addresses. Trigger each automation — manually where the platform allows it, or via a real test signup. Check that the right email arrives, the delay is correct, branches split as expected, links work, and unsubscribe works.

Run the test twice. The second run catches duplicate-entry problems, where a contact qualifies for the same automation through two paths.

Verify: a checklist where every automation is marked tested, with a date and the name of the person who tested it.

Step 7: Switch off MailerLite automations and monitor

Only after tests pass, pause MailerLite automations one at a time. Keep the MailerLite account active for at least one billing cycle so you can compare behaviour and recover anything you missed.

For the first week, watch delivery, bounces and complaints in the new platform. Automatic suppression of bounces and complaints, plus reputation monitoring, gives you a safety net while the new sending domain warms up.

Verify: no contact receives the same email from both platforms, and new signups enter the correct workflow.

A worked example: welcome series with a branch

This is an illustrative example, not a real customer story. Imagine an online course with a five-email welcome series triggered by joining the group "Course waitlist."

To rebuild this, create the trigger first, then email 1, then the wait, then the condition node with two branches. Tag contacts at each step (ws-step-1, ws-step-2a, and so on) so you can re-enter anyone mid-flight and so you can see where people drop off later.

The branch is the part most likely to break. If the destination evaluates "opened" differently — say, on a different tracking window — some contacts will land in 2b who would have received 2a. Test the branch with two seed contacts, one who opens and one who doesn't.

How to check it works

Verification is mostly about counts and paths:

• Send a test contact down each path. Every branch should produce exactly one email per step.
• Check the automation activity log. Most platforms show who entered, who's waiting and who completed. Compare the numbers against your MailerLite report for the same period.
• Compare contact counts before and after import, including unsubscribed contacts.
• Confirm suppression lists imported. Send a test campaign to an address you know is suppressed; it should be excluded.
• Check unsubscribe and bounce handling. Unsubscribe from a test email and confirm the contact is removed from active automations.

Mailerflow's automatic suppression of bounces and complaints and its reputation monitoring are useful here as a post-migration safety net, particularly in the first weeks on a new sending domain.

Common mistakes and fixes

1. Rebuilding triggers with slightly different conditions. Fix: copy the trigger settings verbatim from your documentation, then re-read them after building.
2. Forgetting to import suppression lists. Fix: export unsubscribes, bounces and complaints first, before the main list.
3. Re-entering mid-sequence contacts without tagging. Fix: tag by step while MailerLite is still running.
4. Testing only the happy path. Fix: test every branch, including the "did not open" side.
5. Switching MailerLite off too early. Fix: keep it active for at least one billing cycle.
6. Not mapping custom fields before import. Fix: create fields and tags in the destination first, then import.

Next steps

Document, rebuild, test, switch off, monitor — in that order. If you'd rather not hand-build every workflow, Mailerflow offers free migration help on eligible paid plans covering contacts, suppression lists, templates and core automations, and every paid plan includes unlimited emails. You can compare plans on the Mailerflow pricing page, and see what the automation builder covers on the features page.

If you're still weighing destinations, these comparisons may help: MailerLite alternatives for SaaS companies, options for developers and API-first teams, and affordable options that scale with your list.

MailerLite remains a solid choice if your workflows are simple: it states that every paid plan gets the full feature set and that the Power plan includes unlimited automations (verified 2026-10-30 on mailerlite.com/pricing). Check both platforms' official pricing pages for current details before deciding.

FAQ

Can I migrate automations automatically? Usually no. Triggers and conditions are platform-specific and need rebuilding. Some platforms offer migration help for core automations — Mailerflow's free migration help on eligible paid plans covers core automations alongside contacts, suppression lists and templates.

What happens to contacts mid-sequence? Either let them finish in MailerLite, or tag them by step and re-enter them at the matching step in the new platform. Don't import them untagged into a fresh automation.

Do I need to keep MailerLite active? Yes, for at least one billing cycle. It lets you compare behaviour and recover anything you missed.

Will my contacts be duplicated? Only if you import without deduplication. Mailerflow's CSV import checks duplicates and validity, and lets you map fields and tags during import.

How long does a rebuild take? It depends on workflow count and branch complexity, not list size. A single linear welcome series is a short job; a set of branched, event-triggered workflows takes considerably longer. Document first — the rebuild itself is usually the quicker half.