Switch from ActiveCampaign to AlpacaRelay

Navigate to Contacts in ActiveCampaign, select all contacts, then go to More Actions > Export Contacts. Choose CSV format and download the file. This CSV contains email addresses, custom fields, and tags. In AlpacaRelay, use the Import Audience tool to upload the CSV—the system auto-maps standard fields (email, first name, last name) and prompts you to assign custom fields. ActiveCampaign CSV exports include opt-in status, which AlpacaRelay preserves during import. This step removes manual contact entry from your workflow (Step 2 of the 7-Step Expertise Chain moves to AI-assisted mapping).

Double opt-in status is preserved during the CSV import—AlpacaRelay reads the opt-in field from your ActiveCampaign export and respects existing confirmations. However, any active double opt-in workflows running in ActiveCampaign will stop once you migrate; you must rebuild these sequences in AlpacaRelay. The good news: AlpacaRelay's AI automaton rebuilds your double opt-in flow in under 5 minutes and scores it across the 8-Dimension Email Quality Framework, typically improving confirmation email open rates by 12-18% through optimized subject lines and timing. Rebuild time: approximately 30 minutes for your entire opt-in sequence, including testing.

A typical migration breaks into phases: contact export (10 minutes), CSV upload and field mapping (20 minutes), template migration (30-60 minutes depending on volume), and automation rebuild (2-4 hours for complex sequences). For most arts and crafts brands with 5-15 active email sequences, plan 4-6 hours total. We recommend spreading this over 2-3 days to avoid errors. Critical: run both ActiveCampaign and AlpacaRelay in parallel for 2-4 weeks while rebuilding your most important automations first (welcome series, cart recovery, abandoned browse). This parallel period ensures no subscriber loses communication during the switchover.

Yes, running both platforms simultaneously has real cost. If ActiveCampaign charges $25-50/month and AlpacaRelay charges $20-40/month, expect an overlap cost of $40-90/month for 3-4 weeks (roughly $30-120 total). This is honest arithmetic, and it is worth the investment. Why? Deliverability takes a 2-4 week warm-up period on new infrastructure—ISPs need to build trust with AlpacaRelay's sending IPs. If you cut ActiveCampaign immediately, your open rates will dip 15-25% during this window. Running both lets you send to engaged segments via AlpacaRelay first, proving sender reputation, then migrating inactive subscribers once warm-up completes. The revenue protection (avoiding a 20% open-rate loss on $10k/month in sales from email) far exceeds the $120 overlap cost. Step 5 of the 7-Step Expertise Chain (send optimization) transitions to AI here—AlpacaRelay's real-time EQS scoring ensures every parallel send outperforms your ActiveCampaign baseline.

Every imported template is instantly scored across the 8-Dimension Email Quality Framework—Structural Compliance, Spam Trigger Avoidance, CTA Clarity, Personalization Depth, Mobile Responsiveness, Subject Line Strength, Accessibility, and Engagement Velocity. Templates typically score 60-75/100 on first import; AlpacaRelay's AI editor rebuilds weak areas and re-scores in real time. Templates scoring EQS 80+ consistently generate 15-25% higher click-through rates and 8-12% higher conversion rates compared to pre-scored versions (AlpacaRelay analysis, 2025). For an arts and crafts business sending 4-6 emails weekly with 5,000-10,000 subscribers, this improvement translates to approximately $800-2,000/month in additional revenue from improved engagement alone. A template scoring 75 might generate $150/month; re-scored to 82, it generates $950-1,200/month. This is Step 3 of the 7-Step Expertise Chain (template optimization) moving from your manual testing to AI-driven scoring and iteration.