Brevo to MailerLite: contacts, attributes and automations

Who this move suits

MailerLite fits a sender who wants a simpler editor, websites and landing pages in the same account, and group-based automations. Its pricing page lists Free for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month with 3 active automations, Comfort from $12 a month and Power from $25 a month. [8]

Be more cautious if Brevo also sends your password resets, receipts or order emails. MailerLite's pricing page sends transactional email to MailerSend, a separate product, so that part of your setup is a second migration with its own testing. [8]

Step 1: export from Brevo with the right attributes

MailerLite's Brevo guide says to export your list as a CSV, using Brevo's own instructions, and to bring only subscribers who opted in. [1] Brevo's export API shows what an export can select: all contacts, subscribed, unsubscribed, or unsubscribed per list, plus a choice of which attributes to include, with EMAIL, ADDED_TIME and MODIFIED_TIME as mandatory fields. Brevo describes the unsubscribed option as contacts blacklisted via any means. [3]

Export subscribed and unsubscribed contacts as separate files. Choose attributes deliberately: Brevo has normal, transactional, category, calculated and global attribute categories, and Brevo creates calculated and global attributes from a value rather than a data type, so check what each one holds before deciding to export it. [4] Brevo also keeps a separate list of blocked transactional contacts, with reasons such as hardBounce, adminBlocked, contactFlaggedAsSpam and unsubscribed via email, API or marketing automation. [5]

Step 2: map attributes to MailerLite fields

MailerLite fields are text, number or date. [9] Create fields before import, then match columns on MailerLite's Import settings page, where you can also create fields. Save the file as UTF-8, keep everything on one sheet, and remove leading and trailing spaces. [2]

Step 3: blocklisted and unsubscribed contacts

MailerLite's Brevo guide says to leave behind people who unsubscribed, marked your emails as spam or are inactive. [1] MailerLite's import also refuses addresses already unsubscribed, bounced, unconfirmed or marked as spam complaint in your account, plus banned addresses such as role-based ones like admin@ and support@. [2]

If you want MailerLite to hold a suppression record of your Brevo unsubscribes, MailerLite describes importing a file into a group and then moving those people to Unsubscribed. They count toward your plan's subscriber limit until the billing period resets, and you cannot reactivate unsubscribed people in bulk. [6] Many senders simply keep the Brevo unsubscribed export in their own records and never upload it, which is simpler and cannot email anyone by mistake.

Step 4: import and get approved

Import into a group. In Additional settings, choose whether new subscribers should be triggered in any automation workflow associated with the group, and choose whether to update fields with empty data. For a migration, leave automation triggering off. You will see how many subscribers were added and how many failed. [2]

MailerLite's import help does not describe a separate import review; the approval that matters is the account. Its terms say a new account completes two validation steps, is approved by email if it complies, may receive a disapproval email if something looks suspicious, and can have its subscriber list and past campaign performance reviewed at any time. Purchased or rented lists are not allowed, and an address must be removed after three hard bounces. [7] Authenticate your sending domain early: MailerLite requires it for custom-domain sending after the 14-day trial and uses DKIM, SPF and a verification record. [10]

Step 5: rebuild automations, then transactional flows

Rebuild marketing automations in MailerLite's Automation tab, from a template or from scratch. [1] MailerLite's triggers include joins a group, completes a form, clicks a link, updated field, event anniversary, exact date and joins a segment, plus e-commerce triggers that need a store integration or the e-commerce API. [11] Build each one inactive, test with your own address, and activate it only after the bulk import is complete.

Move transactional email last. Keep Brevo sending receipts and password resets until the replacement, MailerSend or another provider, has its domain authenticated and every template has been sent from staging. Then switch your app's credentials, watch delivery for a few days, and only then close Brevo.

Cutover checklist

• Export subscribed and unsubscribed Brevo contacts as separate files, with only the attributes you use.
• Create MailerLite text, number and date fields to match, and clean the CSV to UTF-8 on one sheet.
• Import each Brevo list into a MailerLite group with automation triggering off.
• Decide whether to keep unsubscribes as a MailerLite suppression record or offline only.
• Complete account validation and authenticate your sending domain before the first campaign.
• Rebuild automations inactive, test, then activate.
• Move transactional email last, and close Brevo only after both sides are quiet.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. MailerLite Help: How to migrate from Brevo to MailerLite Accessed 30 Oct 2026
2. MailerLite Help: How to import subscribers Accessed 30 Oct 2026
3. Brevo API reference: Export contacts Accessed 30 Oct 2026
4. Brevo API reference: Create contact attribute Accessed 30 Oct 2026
5. Brevo API reference: Get the list of blocked or unsubscribed transactional contacts Accessed 30 Oct 2026
6. MailerLite Help: Everything about unsubscribed recipients Accessed 30 Oct 2026
7. MailerLite Terms of Use Accessed 30 Oct 2026
8. MailerLite pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
9. MailerLite API documentation: Fields Accessed 30 Oct 2026
10. MailerLite Help: How to verify and authenticate your domain Accessed 30 Oct 2026
11. MailerLite Help: How to set up automation triggers Accessed 30 Oct 2026