How do I switch from EmailOctopus to SendFox?

Export each EmailOctopus list's subscribed contacts as a CSV, then upload the file in Audience → Contacts → Import contacts and rebuild your forms. On every plan.

What comes across from EmailOctopus?

SendFox has no direct EmailOctopus connection, so you move your lists with CSV files: export them from EmailOctopus, then upload them to SendFox. EmailOctopus's export has the email address, first and last name, tags and your custom fields. SendFox matches the email and name columns automatically, and reads any other column you map to a custom field you've created in SendFox.

SendFox adds every row of the file as a subscribed contact, and imported contacts don't get a confirmation email. That's why the export below uses only subscribed contacts.

Importing works on every plan. The Free plan holds up to 1,000 contacts and sends 3,000 emails a month; for more, see Which SendFox Pro tier should I choose? Moving from another tool as well? See How do I switch to SendFox from another email platform?

How do I export my contacts from EmailOctopus?

1. In EmailOctopus, open the list you want to move and go to its contacts.
2. Check that the status filter is set to subscribed. This leaves out unsubscribed contacts (EmailOctopus unsubscribes hard bounces, repeated soft bounces and spam complaints automatically) and pending contacts who never confirmed.
3. Click Actions → Export. In the pop-up, set Columns to All and click Export.
4. The ZIP file downloads automatically when it's ready. You can download it again from the list's Exports tab for 7 days. Unzip it to get the CSV.
5. Repeat for each list.

Only account admins can export contacts in EmailOctopus.

How do I import the file into SendFox?

1. Go to Audience → Contacts and click Import contacts.
2. Click Upload a file and choose your EmailOctopus CSV.
3. Check the column mapping: Email address, First name and Last name match SendFox's fields. To keep a custom field, create the matching custom field in SendFox first. Columns you don't map aren't imported.
4. Optionally add a tag such as from-emailoctopus under Tag them on import.
5. Under Select a list for your new contacts, choose an existing list or name a new one, then click Continue & import contacts.

Files with fewer than 1,000 rows are added right away. Larger files run in the background, and SendFox emails you when the import is done.

How do I bring my EmailOctopus tags across?

Your export has all of a contact's tags in one Tags column, which SendFox doesn't read. Export one tag at a time instead:

1. In EmailOctopus, keep the status filter on subscribed and pick one tag in the Tags filter. Export the filtered contacts.
2. Import the file into SendFox and type the same tag name under Tag them on import. SendFox creates the tag if it doesn't exist yet.
3. Repeat for each tag.

Contacts already in SendFox aren't duplicated; they just get the new tag. See How do contact tags work?

What do I rebuild after importing?

Only contacts come across. Your past EmailOctopus campaigns stay in EmailOctopus, and the rest is rebuilt in SendFox:

• Signup forms: create a SendFox form and replace the EmailOctopus form code on your site.
• Automations: recreate your EmailOctopus automations as SendFox automations, one email and delay at a time.
• Signup pages: rebuild them as Smart Pages and update your links.
• Personalization: use SendFox's personalization tags, such as {{contact.first_name}}.
• Sending domain: validate your domain so your emails come from your own address.
• Paid subscribers: paid subscriptions can't be transferred, so paying readers subscribe again through a SendFox paid newsletter (Pro). See How do I move paid subscribers to SendFox?

Troubleshooting

My import was blocked

• A CSV file can have up to 100,000 rows. Split a larger file and import it in parts.
• An import can't take you over your plan's contact limit. SendFox tells you before it starts, and only email addresses that are new to your account count toward the limit. On the Free plan, click Upgrade! in the top nav to see your options.

Fewer contacts arrived than I have in EmailOctopus

• Unsubscribed and pending contacts were left out on purpose. If you tick contacts before exporting, use Select all, not Select visible, which takes only the current page.
• SendFox keeps one contact per email address and skips rows without a valid email address.

Names or special characters look wrong

• Save the file as a UTF-8 CSV and check the column headers. See How do I format a CSV file to import contacts into SendFox?

Still stuck? Browse the SendFox Help Center or email support@sendfox.com with the number of rows in your file and the name of the list you imported into.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my EmailOctopus contacts get a confirmation email?

No. SendFox doesn't send a confirmation email to imported contacts, so import only people who subscribed to you.

Will my subscribers notice the switch?

Only in small ways: until you validate your domain, your emails send from a SendFox address, and on Free and Lifetime they carry a small SendFox badge in the footer (Pro removes it). Once you validate your domain, your emails come from your own address.

How do SendFox and EmailOctopus compare?

See SendFox vs EmailOctopus for a side-by-side comparison.