How to Migrate from ActiveCampaign to Brevo (Sendinblue)
Businesses switch from ActiveCampaign to Brevo to consolidate email marketing, transactional email, SMS, and WhatsApp into a single platform at lower cost. ActiveCampaign requires separate tools for transactional email and SMS. Brevo bundles these channels together with a pricing model based on email volume rather than contacts — a significant advantage for businesses with large contact databases and moderate send frequency.
What Transfers?
Method: CSV export/import
Export ActiveCampaign contacts, import into Brevo with attribute mapping.
Rebuild templates in Brevo's editor.
Recreate in Brevo's automation workflow builder. Brevo supports similar trigger types but with less branching depth.
Create new forms in Brevo.
Historical data stays in ActiveCampaign.
Method: CSV column mapping to attributes
ActiveCampaign tags can be stored as Brevo contact attributes or used to create Brevo lists.
Step-by-Step Migration Guide
- 1
Export contacts from ActiveCampaign
Export all contacts with tags, custom fields, list assignments, and subscription status as CSV.
- 2
Set up Brevo contact attributes
Create contact attributes in Brevo that match your ActiveCampaign custom fields. Configure list structure before importing.
- 3
Import contacts into Brevo
Upload the CSV to Brevo Contacts. Map fields to attributes. Assign contacts to appropriate lists.
- 4
Configure transactional email
If using ActiveCampaign for transactional messages, set up Brevo's SMTP relay or API. Brevo includes transactional email on all plans.
- 5
Recreate automations
Build Brevo automation workflows to replace ActiveCampaign automations. Brevo supports triggers based on contact activity, website events, and transactional events.
- 6
Rebuild templates and campaigns
Design your email templates in Brevo's editor. Copy content from ActiveCampaign and adapt to Brevo's template system.
- 7
Authenticate domain and test
Set up DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records for Brevo. Run test sends to verify deliverability and formatting.
Watch Out For
ActiveCampaign's CRM and deal pipeline features have no direct equivalent in Brevo. Brevo has a basic CRM (Sales Platform) but it's less mature than ActiveCampaign's.
Brevo's automation builder is visual but lacks ActiveCampaign's depth — no goals, no split actions with percentage-based routing, and fewer trigger types.
Brevo counts emails sent, not contacts. Recalculate your costs based on send volume, not list size.
Ready to switch to Brevo (Sendinblue)?
Start with Brevo (Sendinblue)'s free plan and import your contacts.
What You Get with Brevo (Sendinblue)
Pros
- +Unique pricing model based on emails sent, not contacts
- +Free plan allows unlimited contacts
- +Built-in SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat
- +Transactional email support
- +Strong API for developers
Cons
- −Free plan limited to 300 emails per day
- −Fewer email templates than competitors
- −Interface can feel cluttered
- −Automation is less intuitive than specialized tools
- −Some features feel underdeveloped