Flodesk → MailerLite

Plan mapping at the entry paid tier

The lowest non-free, non-custom tier on each side. Use this for the "if I'm on $X with Flodesk, what's the equivalent on MailerLite?" gut check.

Step-by-step migration

1. 01

   Export your list from Flodesk

   Pull a fresh CSV of every active subscriber. Capture the fields you actually use downstream: email is required, name is standard, signup date and tier (free/paid) are useful when Flodesk provides them.

2. 02

   Provision MailerLite

   Sign up, set sender identity, and verify your sending domain (DKIM, SPF, DMARC). Do this before importing the list; sending from an unverified domain is the single fastest way to land in spam at the moment of cutover.

3. 03

   Import the list and map fields

   Upload the CSV. Map email + name + any custom fields. Decide whether to import as one list or split into segments/tags. Flodesk-style organization rarely maps 1:1, so plan the split before the upload, not after.

4. 04

   Rebuild automations and templates

   MailerLite's automation builder is structurally similar but won't import Flodesk's flows directly. Rebuild only what you actively use; the move is a chance to delete the unused ones rather than lift-and-shift dead infrastructure.

5. 05

   Send a test broadcast

   Pick a small segment and send a real broadcast (not just a preview). Verify deliverability, link clicks, and unsubscribe flow. If anything's off, you find it before the announcement, not after.

6. 06

   Announce the move and cut over

   Send your last broadcast from Flodesk announcing the new sender domain and what to expect. Cut over DNS and sending from MailerLite on the same day, not staggered. A dual-send week creates more confusion than it prevents.

Flodesk-to-MailerLite specific gotchas

Universal steps cover most of the work. These are the failure modes unique to this exact pair.

• #1

  Subscriber export: Flodesk exports CSV with subscriber + segment data. MailerLite imports into a single contact list with optional groups (or tags on Advanced). Audit your Flodesk segments and decide which become MailerLite groups vs which become tags. Plan the taxonomy before importing; rebuilding segmentation post-import is painful.

• #2

  Custom-fields rebuild: Flodesk's custom field types don't all 1:1 map to MailerLite's (text / number / dropdown / datetime / image / boolean). Image fields in particular don't transfer. Audit which custom fields drive automation logic; rebuild only the load-bearing ones.

• #3

  Workflow rebuild: Flodesk Pro's workflows are sequence-shaped with simple time-delay + tag triggers. MailerLite Advanced's automation builder has more trigger types (custom events, behavioral, e-commerce) but the structural shape is similar. Plan to rebuild workflows from scratch with the equivalent MailerLite triggers; don't expect import. The migration is a reasonable opportunity to audit which workflows are actually load-bearing vs sitting dormant.

• #4

  Email-template re-author: Flodesk's templates use Flodesk-specific HTML structures and design tokens that don't paste cleanly into MailerLite's editor. Pick the 3-5 templates you actually use and re-author them in MailerLite using its drag-drop editor. Don't try to port the full Flodesk template library; most templates won't render correctly anyway.

• #5

  Landing-page / sales-page migration: Flodesk-hosted landing pages and (on Everything) sales pages don't transfer. If you've built Flodesk landing pages or sales pages, decide BEFORE migrating: re-author in MailerLite's landing-page builder (no sales-page equivalent), use MailerLite's website builder for content pages, or move to a separate landing-page tool (Leadpages, Unbounce). Don't deactivate Flodesk until the alternate hosting is live.

• #6

  Checkout / Subscriptions migration (Everything tier only): Flodesk's integrated checkouts and subscription billing have no MailerLite equivalent. Pick a separate commerce vendor (Stripe payment links, Lemon Squeezy, Gumroad) and migrate the product catalog + customer Stripe relationship before deactivating Flodesk Checkouts. Communicate the change to existing paid subscribers in a final Flodesk broadcast.

Common questions

Is MailerLite cheaper than Flodesk?

Both start at the same headline price (Free). The reason to migrate is the pricing model and feature scope, not the entry-tier number.

Will I lose subscribers in the move?

Email lists transfer as raw addresses; subscriber relationships transfer with you because the addresses haven't changed. What you can lose: re-engagement (some readers won't notice the new sender domain immediately), paid subscriptions if Flodesk handles billing differently from MailerLite (the gotchas above call out the specific cases), and any "engagement" or warmth signals that Flodesk's deliverability inferred from your sending history. Plan a clear announcement and a deliverability warm-up week.

How long does the migration take?

For a list under 10,000 subscribers, a clean migration is one focused week: domain setup and verification, list import, automation rebuild, test broadcast, announcement, cutover. Larger lists or complex automations can stretch to 2 or 3 weeks. The constraint is rarely the import itself; it's the deliverability warm-up and the time to rebuild flows you actually depend on.

Are Flodesk and MailerLite direct competitors?

Yes. Both are primarily email marketing tools, which is why this is a defensible head-to-head migration rather than a cross-category consolidation.

Where can I see Flodesk vs MailerLite side-by-side?

The /compare/flodesk-vs-mailerlite page on TierGauge shows side-by-side plans, headline pricing, included features, and limit comparison at the entry paid tier. This migration guide is the long-form decision narrative; the compare page is the data-only dashboard.