In real teams, switching tools usually happens for practical reasons, not drama. Costs creep up, deliverability needs change, or a different workflow simply fits better.
Mailchimp vs ConvertKit often gets framed as features and pricing, yet the important question today is simpler: which one lets you exit cleanly, preserve data, and stand up your new stack without headaches.
Practical details below focus on cancellation, billing, data portability, and migration steps that matter when time is tight. The rest of this guide centers on cancellation flows, refunds, exports, and domain cleanup, then closes with a clear take on which platform is easier to leave.
What Counts As Easy To Cancel Or Switch
Teams call a switch “easy” when five things align: clear self-serve cancellation, predictable refunds or proration, complete exports including tags and suppression, clean domain de-auth, and practical migration helpers.
Support availability can tip the balance when edge cases appear, like needing unsubscribes preserved as a do-not-contact list or moving complex automations that guard revenue. Expectations set here will save time later.
Cancellation and Refunds Snapshot
A short comparison helps set expectations. Details reflect current public documentation and recent product pages.
Use it to plan the exact end-of-billing timing, what happens to data on deletion, and whether a refund window exists. Confirm the renewal date inside the billing screen before you cancel.
Cancellation And Refunds At A Glance:
| Topic | Mailchimp | Kit (formerly ConvertKit) |
| Self-serve cancellation | Available in Account & Billing; deletion is immediate after the flow completes | Available in Settings → Account & Billing; deletion request processed within roughly 24–48 hours |
| Refunds | Generally no refunds once charges occur | 30-day refund window for payments made in the prior 30 days |
| Plan pause / timing | Cancellation ends service at period end or immediately based on selection; confirm renewal date first | Cancellation or deletion ends service, refunds possible within policy; confirm renewal date first |
| Support access during cancel | Help Center plus chat or email on paid plans | 24/7 support channel access noted in support entry points |
| Free migration offers | None native | Free migration for eligible accounts, typically 5,000+ subscribers |
Data Export, Suppression, and Portability
Switch readiness depends on exporting complete lists and the right metadata. That includes tags, segments, custom fields, unsubscribes, and cleaned addresses for suppression.
In practice, importing unsubscribed contacts into the new platform’s suppression list prevents accidental re-mailing and keeps compliance clean.
Portability Features Compared:
| Export Area | Mailchimp | Kit (formerly ConvertKit) |
| Contacts export format | CSV export of entire audience, segments, groups, or tags; statuses split into separate files | CSV export of subscribers, including tags and custom fields |
| Unsubscribed and cleaned | Exportable for use as a suppression list in the destination tool | Exportable via subscriber management and CSV for similar suppression handling |
| Campaign and template content | Account-level export includes campaigns and templates; reports downloadable | Broadcast content can be copied, and templates re-created; focus is on subscriber data export |
| API or bulk export paths | Account Exports endpoint and UI bulk export available | Subscriber export available; migrations handled for eligible accounts by Kit’s team |
| Billing tie-ins | Unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts can still count toward billing until archived | Subscriber status does not bill once removed or deleted; no charge for unsubscribes in list exports |
Billing Pitfalls To Fix Before Cancelling
Small billing choices can quietly extend costs a full month. Archive or delete stale contacts first, especially unsubscribes and non-subscribes in Mailchimp, since those can count toward audience size until archived.
Check monthly send caps or blocks if a final campaign is scheduled because overages can land after the final invoice. Confirm whether any add-ons renew on a separate cadence. Set a calendar reminder three days ahead of renewal to avoid last-minute scrambles.
Domain Authentication and Cleanup
Email authentication uses DNS records for DKIM and DMARC, plus verified sending domains inside each platform. Removing a verified domain inside Mailchimp is straightforward through Domains, and the platform outlines how to verify or remove entries.
Kit documents DMARC guidance and recommends avoiding unnecessary removal of verified sending domains purely for cleanup, since live records in DNS still govern future deliverability elsewhere.
During a switch, update DNS to match the destination’s requirements first, rotate keys if needed, then remove old authenticated domains inside the prior tool to keep ownership lists tidy.
Migration Experience and Free Help
Kit’s free migration program for larger lists makes a meaningful difference when moving complex tagging or sequences.
That help typically covers subscriber import, tag mapping, and basic automation equivalents, which reduces manual errors during the switchover window.
Mailchimp does not offer a native white-glove migration into other providers, which is understandable, yet it means the team doing the switch must manage mapping, suppression, and asset reconstruction themselves or hire a specialist.
WordPress Forms Rebuild Using Gravity Forms
A smooth switch also means forms keep collecting leads during the move. Gravity Forms’ official add-ons make that process direct for both platforms.
Practical Rebuild Steps:
- Create a parallel form feed in Gravity Forms that points to the destination service while keeping the current feed active until DNS and authentication finish.
- Map email, name, and any custom fields identically, then replicate tags in the destination to preserve segmentation logic.
- Enable double opt-in on the transition window if your compliance policy requires confirmation for new contacts gathered mid-switch.
- Apply conditional logic so only explicit opt-ins move to the destination, then remove the old feed once warm-up and verification complete.
- Export a snapshot CSV from the originating platform, import to the destination, and add unsubscribes to the new suppression list immediately.
Automations, Templates, and Tag Mapping After The Move
Automations rarely translate one-to-one. Expect to recreate core sequences and triggers inside the destination tool, even when visual builders look similar.
Map tags to saved segments or audiences carefully, then rebuild filters for “exclude new subscribers in welcome sequence” to prevent double sends.
Template rebuilds in Mailchimp are exportable, which helps when preserving layout, while Kit’s focus on text-forward newsletters keeps template recreation relatively quick. Send a small internal seed campaign for validation before any broad announcement.
Real-World Ease: Canceling, Switching, and Getting On With Work
Several concrete differences tilt the experience. The presence of a 30-day refund window makes it easier to correct timing mistakes on Kit’s paid plans, which matters when renewals inadvertently hit during the switchover.
Mailchimp’s clean account export and verified domain removal steps are well documented, so data portability is strong, yet unsubscribed and non-subscribed contacts counting toward billing until archived can surprise teams that do not prune first.
Kit’s free migration Vs. Mailchimp
In practical scenarios, creators moving to a simpler, text-centric setup find Kit’s free migration and newsletter-friendly defaults genuinely lower friction.
Larger organizations leaving Mailchimp can still exit cleanly, provided suppression and archiving steps happen in the right order, and account exports complete before deletion.
Support access during cancellation exists on both sides, though Kit’s refund policy and migration help are safety nets that reduce switching risk.
Verdict: Which Is Easier To Cancel Or Switch From
For most creator-led newsletters and small teams, Kit (formerly ConvertKit) proves easier to switch from due to the refund window, straightforward deletion request, and the availability of a managed migration when moving into Kit or out of Kit later.
For mixed-channel marketing teams with heavier reliance on HTML templates and historical reports, Mailchimp remains workable to exit so long as administrators archive non-sending contacts first, export suppression files, and remove authenticated domains after DNS changes propagate.
In short, a careful plan makes either platform manageable, yet the presence of refunds and migration assistance gives Kit a modest edge for clean exits. Process matters more than preference here: export everything, protect suppression, verify DNS, and time the billing cutover precisely.
