Migrating from ActiveCampaign to AccessAlly Managed

Complete Guide: Migrating from ActiveCampaign to AccessAlly Managed Contacts

Why Migrate from ActiveCampaign to AccessAlly Managed?

Common reasons for migrating from ActiveCampaign to AccessAlly Managed Contacts:

• Cost Savings: Eliminate monthly ActiveCampaign subscription ($29-$299+/month depending on list size)
• Simplification: Manage everything in one system (WordPress + AccessAlly)
• Feature Overlap: Not using ActiveCampaign’s advanced e-commerce or marketing automation features
• Easier Management: Want member data stored directly in WordPress user meta
• Integration Issues: Tired of managing ActiveCampaign API connection issues
• List Size Growth: ActiveCampaign pricing scales with contact count, becoming expensive

What You’ll Need Before Starting

✅ Required Access & Accounts

• WordPress admin access to your AccessAlly site
• ActiveCampaign account access with admin/export permissions
• AccessAlly license (Pro or higher for Managed Contacts)
• Access to your payment gateway (Stripe or PayPal)
• Access to your domain’s DNS settings (for SPF/DKIM configuration)
• SMTP service account (recommended: Postmark, SendGrid, or Amazon SES)

📋 Complete the Pre-Migration Checklist

Before proceeding, work through the complete Pre-Migration Checklist. Key items include:

• Full backup of WordPress site and database
• Export of all ActiveCampaign contact data (contacts, tags, custom fields)
• Export of ActiveCampaign automations (take screenshots for reference)
• Audit of your current member count and active automations
• Data mapping spreadsheet (contacts, tags, custom fields)
• Staging site setup for testing (CRITICAL for this migration)
• Downtime plan and member communication

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Setup (3-4 hours)

Step 1: Document Your ActiveCampaign Automations

ActiveCampaign automations CANNOT be automatically migrated. You must rebuild them in AccessAlly.

1. Go to ActiveCampaign → Automations
2. For EACH active automation:
   • Take screenshots of the entire workflow
   • Document the trigger (tag added, form submitted, etc.)
   • List all actions (send email, add tag, wait, etc.)
   • Note timing/delays between actions
   • Export any email templates used
3. Create a spreadsheet mapping each automation to its AccessAlly equivalent

ActiveCampaign Automation → AccessAlly Equivalent:

Step 2: Enable AccessAlly Managed Contacts

1. Go to AccessAlly → Settings → General
2. Under “CRM Integration,” select “Managed Contacts (no CRM)”
3. Click Save Changes
4. AccessAlly will reload with Managed Contacts features enabled

Step 3: Set Up Email Deliverability (MOST CRITICAL STEP)

AccessAlly Managed sends emails directly from your WordPress site. This is the #1 area where migrations fail if not set up correctly.

Why email deliverability matters:

• Without proper setup, 50-80% of your emails will land in spam folders
• Your domain reputation can be permanently damaged by poor email practices
• Members won’t receive access credentials, password resets, or course content
• Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo have strict sender authentication requirements

Step 3a: Choose and Configure an SMTP Service

Recommended SMTP providers:

Install and configure SMTP plugin:

1. Install WP Mail SMTP plugin (recommended) or Post SMTP
2. Go to WP Mail SMTP → Settings
3. Choose your SMTP provider from the list
4. Enter your SMTP credentials (API key or SMTP username/password)
5. Set “From Email” to match your domain (e.g., [email protected])
6. Set “From Name” to your business name
7. Click Save Settings

Step 3b: Configure SPF and DKIM Records

SPF and DKIM are email authentication protocols that prove you’re authorized to send email from your domain.

What you need to add to your DNS:

• SPF Record: A TXT record that lists authorized email servers for your domain
• DKIM Record: A cryptographic signature that proves email authenticity

How to add SPF/DKIM records:

1. Log into your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.)
2. Find DNS settings or DNS management
3. Add the SPF and DKIM records provided by your SMTP service
4. Wait 15-60 minutes for DNS propagation
5. Verify records using MXToolbox.com or your SMTP provider’s verification tool

Example SPF record for Postmark:

Type: TXT
Name: @
Value: v=spf1 include:spf.mtasv.net ~all

Example DKIM record for Postmark:

Type: TXT
Name: pm._domainkey
Value: [long cryptographic key provided by Postmark]

Step 3c: Test Email Deliverability

1. Go to WP Mail SMTP → Email Test
2. Send test emails to:
   • Gmail address
   • Outlook/Hotmail address
   • Yahoo address
   • Your own business email
3. Check that emails arrive in inbox (not spam)
4. Use Mail-Tester.com to check your spam score (aim for 8/10 or higher)
5. Fix any issues before proceeding

Step 4: Export Your Data from ActiveCampaign

1. Log into your ActiveCampaign account
2. Go to Contacts → Export Contacts
3. Select export options:
   • ✅ All contacts (or select specific segments if needed)
   • ✅ Include all fields
   • ✅ Include tags
   • ✅ Include custom fields
   • ✅ Include subscription status
4. Choose CSV format
5. Click Export
6. ActiveCampaign will email you a download link (may take 10-30 minutes for large lists)
7. Download and open the CSV file

What’s included in the ActiveCampaign export:

• Email addresses
• First and last names
• Phone numbers (if collected)
• Custom fields (all field types)
• Tags (comma-separated)
• Lists (if using ActiveCampaign lists)
• Subscription status (active/unsubscribed/bounced)
• Opt-in timestamps

What’s NOT included:

• Automation workflows (must be rebuilt manually)
• Email campaign history
• Email templates (export separately if needed)
• Form designs
• Deals or CRM data
• Site tracking data

Step 5: Map Your ActiveCampaign Data to AccessAlly

Create a data mapping spreadsheet. Use the Data Mapping Reference Guide for details.

Step 6: Recreate Your Tags in AccessAlly

1. Review all tags in your ActiveCampaign export
2. Create a master list of tags you want to keep
3. Go to AccessAlly → Tags
4. Create each tag in AccessAlly
5. Use the EXACT same tag names (case-sensitive) for easier mapping

Tag organization best practices:

• Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., “Product: Course Name” vs “CourseNameProduct”)
• Group tags by purpose (access, segmentation, behavior)
• Delete tags with fewer than 5 contacts
• Merge duplicate or similar tags

Step 7: Create Custom Fields in AccessAlly

If you’re using ActiveCampaign custom fields, recreate them in AccessAlly.

1. Go to AccessAlly → Custom Fields
2. Click Add New Field
3. For each ActiveCampaign custom field:
   • Enter field name (e.g., “Company”, “Phone”, “Industry”)
   • Choose field type (text, number, date, dropdown, etc.)
   • Note the field slug AccessAlly generates (e.g., “company”)
   • Save the field
4. Update your data mapping spreadsheet with the field slugs

ActiveCampaign field types → AccessAlly equivalents:

Step 8: Prepare Your CSV for Import

The AccessAlly Migration Wizard expects a specific CSV format. You’ll need to transform your ActiveCampaign export.

Required columns for AccessAlly import:

• user_email – Email address (required)
• first_name – First name
• last_name – Last name
• user_pass – Leave blank (AccessAlly will generate passwords)
• accessally_add_tags – Comma-separated list of tags
• accessally_add_memberships – Membership levels (if applicable)
• Custom field slugs as additional columns (e.g., company, phone)

How to transform your ActiveCampaign CSV:

1. Open your ActiveCampaign export in Excel or Google Sheets
2. Rename columns to match AccessAlly format:
   • ActiveCampaign “Email” → user_email
   • ActiveCampaign “First Name” → first_name
   • ActiveCampaign “Last Name” → last_name
   • ActiveCampaign “Tags” → accessally_add_tags
   • Custom fields → Use AccessAlly field slugs (e.g., “Company” → company)
3. Add a user_pass column (leave blank for all rows)
4. If contacts have multiple tags, ensure they’re comma-separated in one cell (e.g., “Member, Active, Course 1”)
5. Handle ActiveCampaign lists:
   • If using lists, convert list names to tags
   • Add list names to the accessally_add_tags column
6. Filter or tag unsubscribed contacts:
   • Option 1: Remove unsubscribed contacts from CSV
   • Option 2: Add “Unsubscribed” tag to their accessally_add_tags column
7. Save as a new CSV file (e.g., “activecampaign-to-accessally-import.csv”)

Phase 2: Migration Execution (2-3 hours)

Step 9: Download and Activate the Migration Wizard Plugin

1. Go to AccessAlly → Utilities
2. Find “Migration Wizard Plugin”
3. Click Download to get the plugin ZIP file
4. Go to WordPress → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
5. Upload the Migration Wizard ZIP file
6. Click Activate Plugin

Full instructions: Using the AccessAlly Migration Wizard Plugin

Step 10: Import Your Contacts

1. Go to AccessAlly → Migration Wizard
2. Click “Upload CSV File”
3. Select your prepared CSV file
4. Map the CSV columns to AccessAlly fields (should auto-detect if named correctly)
5. Choose import options:
   • Update existing users: Check this if some contacts may already exist as WordPress users
   • Send welcome email: UNCHECK this (you’ll email members separately after testing)
   • Generate passwords: Check this
6. Click “Start Import”

Monitor the import progress:

• The Migration Wizard shows a progress bar
• Check for error messages (common: duplicate emails, invalid email formats, special characters in names)
• Save the import log for troubleshooting
• Don’t close your browser window during import

Step 11: Link Payment Gateway Subscriptions

If you have paid members with active subscriptions, you need to link their Stripe/PayPal subscriptions to their WordPress accounts.

1. Export your active subscriptions from Stripe or PayPal
2. Match subscription IDs to member email addresses
3. Use the Migration Wizard’s “Link Subscriptions” feature
4. Or manually update each member’s subscription ID in AccessAlly user profile

Detailed guide: How to Migrate Subscription Payments

Step 12: Rebuild Your Automations in AccessAlly

Use the automation documentation you created in Step 1 to rebuild your ActiveCampaign workflows.

Common automation types to rebuild:

1. Welcome Email Sequences (ActiveCampaign Automations → AccessAlly Email Wizards)

1. Go to AccessAlly → Email Wizards
2. Click Add New Email Wizard
3. Set the trigger (e.g., “Tag Added: New Member”)
4. Add email steps with appropriate delays
5. Recreate email content from ActiveCampaign templates
6. Test the sequence with a test account

2. Tag-Based Automations (ActiveCampaign Automations → AccessAlly Automation Triggers)

1. Go to AccessAlly → Automation Triggers
2. Click Add New Trigger
3. Choose trigger type (tag added/removed)
4. Define actions (add/remove tags, send email, grant access)
5. Save and test

3. Post-Purchase Automations (ActiveCampaign Automations → AccessAlly Order Form Actions)

1. Go to AccessAlly → Order Forms
2. Edit each product’s order form
3. Configure “After Purchase” actions:
   • Add tags
   • Grant membership access
   • Send confirmation email
   • Trigger email wizard
4. Test purchase flow in Stripe test mode

4. Course Completion Automations (ActiveCampaign Goals → AccessAlly Module Triggers)

1. Go to AccessAlly → Modules
2. Edit each module
3. Set “Module Completion” triggers:
   • Add “Completed Module X” tag
   • Unlock next module
   • Send congratulations email
4. Test module completion workflow

Step 13: Migrate Your Forms

ActiveCampaign forms need to be recreated as AccessAlly opt-in forms or order forms.

For opt-in forms (email capture):

1. Go to AccessAlly → Opt-in Forms
2. Create a new form
3. Add fields (email, first name, last name, etc.)
4. Set up tag assignments for form submissions
5. Style the form to match your site design
6. Get the form shortcode
7. Replace ActiveCampaign form embeds with AccessAlly form shortcodes on your site

For purchase forms (product checkout):

1. Go to AccessAlly → Order Forms
2. Create order forms for each product
3. Connect to Stripe or PayPal
4. Set up product links (memberships, tags)
5. Configure post-purchase automations
6. Test purchase flow end-to-end
7. Replace ActiveCampaign checkout links with AccessAlly order form URLs

Phase 3: Post-Migration Verification (2-3 hours)

Step 14: Complete Post-Migration Checks

Work through the complete Post-Migration Verification Checklist. Key items for ActiveCampaign → AA Managed:

✅ Contact Data Integrity

• Verify total contact count matches ActiveCampaign export
• Check 20 random contacts for complete data (names, tags, custom fields)
• Search for duplicate accounts (WordPress → Users, search by email)
• Verify unsubscribed contacts have correct status/tag
• Spot-check custom field data (phone numbers, company names, etc.)

✅ Access & Permissions

• Test login as a member (use an incognito window)
• Verify access to protected content works correctly
• Check each membership level displays correct content
• Test content unlocking based on tags
• Verify drip content releases on correct schedule

✅ Tags & Custom Fields

• Verify tags migrated correctly (sample 20 contacts with different tag combinations)
• Check custom fields populated correctly
• Test tag-based access rules
• Verify tag additions/removals work

✅ Email Deliverability (CRITICAL)

• Send test emails to Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and Apple Mail
• Check inbox placement (not spam)
• Verify unsubscribe links work
• Test email wizard sequences
• Check email formatting on mobile devices
• Test password reset emails
• Verify transactional emails (purchase confirmations) work

✅ Forms & Automations

• Test each opt-in form submission
• Verify form data reaches WordPress user profile
• Test order form purchases (use Stripe test mode)
• Confirm post-purchase automations fire (tags added, access granted)
• Test auto-login after purchase (if enabled)
• Verify email wizards trigger correctly
• Test automation trigger conditions (tag added, module completed, etc.)

✅ Subscriptions & Payments

• Verify active subscriptions linked correctly to member accounts
• Test new purchase flow end-to-end
• Test subscription cancellation (does access revoke?)
• Verify payment failure handling (does access revoke after grace period?)
• Check that member access aligns with payment status
• Test refund handling (if applicable)

Step 15: Monitor for 7-14 Days

Don’t cancel your ActiveCampaign account immediately. Monitor for issues during the first 1-2 weeks:

• Day 1-2: Watch for immediate issues (login problems, access errors, email deliverability)
• Day 3-5: Monitor email deliverability and engagement rates closely
• Day 6-10: Check for subscription/payment issues, automation errors
• Day 11-14: Final validation, compare member engagement to pre-migration baseline

What to monitor:

• Member support tickets (any migration-related confusion?)
• Email bounce rates (deliverability issues?)
• Email open/click rates (compare to ActiveCampaign baseline)
• Login errors or access issues
• Payment failures or subscription problems
• Form submission success rates
• WordPress error logs (check for PHP errors or API issues)

Step 16: Warm Up Your Email Sending Reputation

Even with perfect SMTP/SPF/DKIM setup, you need to gradually increase email sending volume to build sender reputation.

Email warm-up schedule:

Why warm-up matters:

• Suddenly sending 10,000 emails from a new IP/domain triggers spam filters
• Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo monitor new sender behavior closely
• High bounce/complaint rates in first week can permanently damage sender reputation
• Gradual ramp-up shows email providers you’re a legitimate sender

Step 17: Deactivate Migration Wizard Plugin

Once migration is complete and verified:

1. Go to WordPress → Plugins
2. Find “AccessAlly Migration Wizard”
3. Click Deactivate
4. Click Delete to remove the plugin

Why? The Migration Wizard is only needed during migration. Removing it reduces your plugin footprint and potential security surface area.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: Contacts Imported But Missing Tags

Symptoms: Contacts exist in WordPress, but don’t have any AccessAlly tags

Causes:

• Tags weren’t created in AccessAlly before import
• Tag names in CSV don’t exactly match AccessAlly tag names (case-sensitive)
• accessally_add_tags column formatted incorrectly (e.g., semicolons instead of commas)
• Special characters in tag names causing import issues

Solution:

1. Verify all tags exist in AccessAlly → Tags
2. Check tag name spelling and capitalization (must match exactly)
3. Verify accessally_add_tags column uses comma separators
4. Re-export a small CSV sample with just emails and tags
5. Re-import using “Update existing users” option

Issue 2: Emails Going to Spam

Symptoms: Members report not receiving emails, or emails land in spam folder

Causes:

• SPF/DKIM not configured correctly
• Sending domain has poor reputation (new domain, no email history)
• No SMTP plugin configured (using default WordPress mail function)
• WordPress sending from wrong email address (e.g., [email protected])
• Sending too many emails too fast (no warm-up period)
• Email content triggers spam filters (too many links, spammy words)

Solution:

1. Install and configure WP Mail SMTP or Postmark plugin
2. Verify SPF and DKIM records are correct (use MXToolbox.com)
3. Test email deliverability with Mail-Tester.com (aim for 8/10+)
4. Warm up your sending domain (start with small email batches)
5. Ensure “From” email matches your domain
6. Add sender to recipient address books (ask members to whitelist your email)
7. Review email content for spam triggers
8. Check SMTP service’s reputation dashboard for delivery issues

Issue 3: Members Can’t Log In

Symptoms: Members getting “Invalid username or password” errors

Causes:

• Passwords weren’t migrated (ActiveCampaign doesn’t store WordPress passwords)
• Members trying to use their ActiveCampaign passwords (which don’t exist)
• Email addresses imported incorrectly (extra spaces, wrong case)
• Usernames generated incorrectly during import

Solution:

1. Send password reset emails to all members after migration
2. Use AccessAlly’s “Generate New Passwords” feature
3. Create a migration announcement email explaining password reset process
4. Set up a help page with password reset instructions
5. Consider enabling social login (Google/Facebook) for easier access

Recommended announcement template:

Subject: Important: We’ve upgraded our member portal – Action Required

Hi [First Name],

Great news! We’ve migrated to a new, more reliable member management system. Your account has been transferred, and all your content access remains the same.

You need to set a new password to access your account:

1. Go to [your login page URL]
2. Click “Forgot Password”
3. Enter your email address: [their email]
4. Check your email for the password reset link (check spam if not in inbox)
5. Create a new secure password
6. Log in and confirm you can access your content

Nothing else has changed:

• ✅ All your course access is preserved
• ✅ Your subscription continues as normal
• ✅ Your progress and bookmarks are saved
• ✅ Your payment information is secure

Need help? Reply to this email or visit [support URL].

Thank you for your patience during this upgrade!

Issue 4: Subscription Payments Not Linked to Members

Symptoms: Active subscribers showing as “no subscription” in AccessAlly, or payment failures not revoking access

Causes:

• Subscription IDs not linked during migration
• Email address mismatch between Stripe customer and WordPress user
• Wrong subscription ID format (missing “sub_” prefix)
• Webhooks not configured correctly

Solution:

1. Export active subscriptions from Stripe Dashboard
2. Match subscription IDs to WordPress user emails
3. Manually link subscriptions in AccessAlly user profiles (Edit User → Subscriptions)
4. Verify Stripe webhooks are configured correctly
5. Test failed payment handling for each subscription tier
6. Check webhook logs in Stripe for errors

Detailed guide: Migrating Subscription Payments

Issue 5: Custom Fields Not Imported

Symptoms: Custom field data missing from member profiles

Causes:

• Custom fields not created in AccessAlly before import
• CSV column names don’t match custom field slugs
• Custom field data in wrong format (e.g., date format mismatch)
• Special characters in field names causing issues

Solution:

1. Go to AccessAlly → Custom Fields
2. Create each custom field (exact same name as ActiveCampaign)
3. Note the field slug AccessAlly generates (lowercase, underscores)
4. Update your CSV column headers to match field slugs exactly
5. Verify data format matches field type (dates as YYYY-MM-DD, numbers without commas, etc.)
6. Re-import with “Update existing users” checked

Issue 6: Members Getting Duplicate Emails

Symptoms: Members receiving the same email multiple times

Causes:

• Duplicate contact records in WordPress (same email imported twice)
• Multiple email wizards triggering for same action
• Migration Wizard ran multiple times on same data
• Both ActiveCampaign and AccessAlly sending emails (forgot to pause AC automations)

Solution:

1. Search for duplicate email addresses in WordPress → Users
2. Merge or delete duplicate accounts
3. Check AccessAlly → Email Wizards for duplicate sequences with same trigger
4. Verify automation triggers aren’t firing multiple times
5. PAUSE all ActiveCampaign automations immediately
6. Check import logs to see if contacts were imported multiple times

Issue 7: ActiveCampaign Lists Not Converting to Tags

Symptoms: Members missing expected tags, access rules not working

Causes:

• ActiveCampaign export includes list names in separate column
• Lists weren’t manually converted to tags in CSV transformation

Solution:

1. Review your ActiveCampaign export – check for “List” column
2. Create tags in AccessAlly for each ActiveCampaign list name
3. In your CSV, combine List column values with Tags column (comma-separated)
4. Re-import with “Update existing users” option

Post-Migration: Clean Up & Optimization

Week 1: Monitor & Fix Issues

• Watch for support tickets related to access, login, or email delivery issues
• Monitor email deliverability metrics (bounce rate, spam complaints)
• Check payment processing and subscription continuity daily
• Fix any data issues discovered during verification
• Continue email warm-up schedule (don’t send full volume yet)

Week 2-4: Optimize

• Review email engagement rates (open/click rates compared to ActiveCampaign baseline)
• If engagement is lower, check deliverability and email content
• Optimize email sending reputation (gradually increase volume per warm-up schedule)
• Clean up unused tags and custom fields
• Streamline automation workflows (remove unnecessary steps)
• Update member documentation with new login process
• Consider adding email preference center for members

Month 2: Cancel ActiveCampaign

• Once stable for 30+ days with no major issues, cancel ActiveCampaign subscription
• Download final backup of ActiveCampaign data (campaign history, analytics, reports)
• Export any email templates you might want to reference later
• Update any external integrations that were pointing to ActiveCampaign webhooks
• Remove ActiveCampaign forms from your website (replace with AccessAlly forms)
• Document your cost savings and member experience improvements
• Celebrate eliminating a monthly expense!

Migration Timeline & Downtime

Total Time Estimate: 5-8 hours (plus 2-3 hours of testing)

Recommended Downtime Window: 2-4 hours on a weekend or low-traffic period

Cost-Benefit Analysis: Is This Migration Worth It?

ActiveCampaign Monthly Costs (as of 2026):

AccessAlly Managed Contacts: $0/month (included with AccessAlly license)

Break-even analysis:

• Migration time investment: ~8 hours at $50/hour = $400 value
• If you’re paying $99/mo for ActiveCampaign: Break even in 4 months
• If you’re paying $299/mo for ActiveCampaign: Break even in 1.3 months
• Year 1 savings (at $99/mo AC plan): $1,188 – $400 = $788
• Year 2 savings: $1,188 (pure savings)

Additional costs to consider:

• SMTP service: $15-35/month (still saves money vs ActiveCampaign)
• Time to rebuild automations: 2-3 hours
• Learning curve: AccessAlly email features work differently than ActiveCampaign

This migration makes financial sense if:

• You’re paying $70+/month for ActiveCampaign
• You’re not heavily using ActiveCampaign’s advanced automation features
• Your email sending volume fits within AccessAlly Managed limits
• You prefer managing everything in WordPress

Need Help?

Migration Support:

• Review the Migration Support Policy to understand what support is available
• For complex migrations or paid professional help: Contact AccessAlly support
• Join the AccessAlly Community Facebook group for peer support

Related Guides:

• Pre-Migration Checklist
• Post-Migration Verification
• Data Mapping Reference
• Migrating to AccessAlly Managed Contacts Guide
• How to Migrate Subscription Payments
• Email Deliverability Best Practices