How to migrate from Klaviyo to Omnisend in 5 easy steps

The potential for downtime and data loss is a worry when switching your email service provider (ESP), but migrating from Klaviyo to Omnisend is straightforward.

Omnisend has a built-in tool that migrates contacts, opt-in status, tags, and segments. Your Klaviyo account stays live and sending during the switch.

Switching to Omnisend offers up to 35%* cost savings on Standard email plans at comparable contact tiers, plus you can request a free Klaviyo migration service if you have more than 250 contacts. You also get 24/7 live chat support.

Learn the five steps to switch from Klaviyo to Omnisend below.

Step 1: How to prepare for Klaviyo to Omnisend migration

First, connect your store to Omnisend using a native app for Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or whichever platform you’re on. Connecting to Omnisend syncs your store-held data and lets you build forms and workflows.

You can find the Omnisend app in your ecommerce app marketplace or by clicking Apps in the Omnisend top menu and navigating the App Market:

Keep your Klaviyo account active during the switch. An active account is needed to generate a private API key that connects to Omnisend’s Klaviyo Data Import Tool and to re-sync and catch new data during the migration.

Log in to Klaviyo and export your historical reports, such as for campaigns. Reports don’t sync to Omnisend, and they aren’t recoverable once you close your Klaviyo account.

What must be rebuilt when you migrate from Klaviyo to Omnisend?

The Klaviyo Data Import Tool transfers contact and most segment data over. But the elements you built in Klaviyo, such as workflows, need rebuilding in Omnisend. The table below scopes what does and doesn’t transfer automatically when you switch:

Prefer a hands-off migration? How Omnisend’s free migration service works

Omnisend provides a free migration service for customers with more than 250 contacts.

The Klaviyo migration service includes moving all the assets you select, including contacts, segments, sign-up forms, automation workflows, and email templates.

Switching from Klaviyo using Omnisend’s migration service takes around five business days. Your Klaviyo account will remain active during the migration, so there won’t be any interruption to your marketing activities.

Self-serve migration tools are always available regardless of your Omnisend plan, so if that’s your preferred route to migrate from Klaviyo to Omnisend, continue to step two in our guide.

Step 2: How to import contacts and map properties

You can import contacts and properties into Omnisend using the Klaviyo Data Import Tool, which connects to Klaviyo via a private API key. It syncs contacts in batches of 500 every five seconds; a list of 10,000 finishes in around two minutes.

Get your private API key first:

1. Log in to Klaviyo
2. Click your account name in the bottom menu item and select Settings
3. Click API keys on the General settings page
4. Click Create Private API Key
5. Name your Private API Key and select Full Access Key

6. Click Create
7. Copy your Private API Key and save it somewhere safe; Klaviyo only shows the complete key once after generation

Next, connect to Omnisend’s Klaviyo Data Import Tool:

1. Log in to Omnisend and click Apps in the top-right corner
2. Search for Klaviyo Data Import Tool and select the dropdown result
3. Click Connect now

4. Add the Private API Key that you generated in your Klaviyo account

5. Click Connect
6. Click Sync contacts & segments

Your contacts will now move over to Omnisend, with all imported contacts getting a klaviyo_import_app tag, useful for filtering your migrated contacts.

Email and first name are standard fields that carry over directly. Custom properties have the klaviyo_ prefix to prevent them from clashing with your Omnisend fields. Subscription statuses also arrive with opt-in dates and status.

The sync captures data at that moment and doesn’t auto-sync, so a re-sync is necessary if you’re still sending in Klaviyo while switching.

Step 3: How to migrate and recreate segments

Omnisend’s Klaviyo Data Import Tool moves approximately 70% of your segments with an [OS] prefix in the name. Segments migrate successfully when Omnisend has filters and conditions that are compatible with Klaviyo’s. The other 30% need recreating.

You can see which segments did and didn’t arrive in the Klaviyo Data Import Tool’s Segments Migration table. They have a Migrated or Failed status.

Recreating failed segments is possible by importing contacts into Omnisend and having it build new segments from that imported data.

Here’s how to recreate your segments when you migrate from Klaviyo to Omnisend:

1. Log in to Klaviyo and open the segment
2. Select Export to CSV and complete the download
3. Log in to Omnisend and go to Audience > Imports > Add or update contacts
4. Select Import contacts from a file
5. Upload your CSV
6. Continue to Organize
7. Select the Create a segment checkbox

8. Select the name type: Import date and time, or Custom name
9. Complete the steps until the Review page, then click Finish import

Omnisend will generate a segment using the imported data. You can then head to Audience > Segments and manage your segments further.

Step 4: How to rebuild templates, workflows, and forms

Email templates, workflows, and forms don’t transfer over to Omnisend using the Klaviyo Data Import Tool, so you must rebuild them.

Rebuilding workflows

Omnisend has 30 pre-built workflows for email-only and email + SMS automations. The Automation library lets you filter by goal, such as reactivating customers, and type, such as welcome, to narrow down the templates you need.

Alternatively, you can create workflows from scratch. Omnisend’s workflow builder has a trigger element to get you started and uses a drag-and-drop interface.

It’s helpful to open Omnisend’s workflow builder in a new tab alongside the Klaviyo flow builder to recreate the workflow as precisely as possible.

Follow these steps to start rebuilding workflows:

1. Select Automation in the menu
2. Click + Create workflow
3. Select a pre-built template or click Create from scratch
4. Edit the workflow in Omnisend’s builder to match your Klaviyo flow

5. Click Save & close or Start workflow, depending on what you want to do with it

Rebuilding email templates

Omnisend has 250+ pre-built email templates with a drag-and-drop editor. The HTML Code item in Omnisend lets you import HTML from your Klaviyo template, supporting the body content only, rather than full-document tags.

You must clean your code before adding it to the HTML Code item for it to render properly. The table below details our removal recommendations: