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Migrating from Drip to ActiveCampaign

ARTICLE CONTENT:

Complete Guide: Migrating from Drip to ActiveCampaign (Same AccessAlly Site)

📊 Migration Complexity: MEDIUM
⏱️ Estimated Time: 5-7 hours (plus testing)
🛠️ Technical Level: Intermediate
💰 Cost Impact: ActiveCampaign typically costs more than Drip ($29-$149/mo vs $39-$99/mo for similar list sizes)
✅ Advantage: Both use flat tag structures (no categories) – easier than Keap migrations

Why Migrate from Drip to ActiveCampaign?

Common reasons for migrating from Drip to ActiveCampaign while keeping your AccessAlly site:

  • Broader Marketing Automation: ActiveCampaign offers more comprehensive marketing automation beyond e-commerce
  • Better Email Deliverability: ActiveCampaign has a stronger reputation for inbox placement
  • Advanced CRM Features: ActiveCampaign includes built-in CRM, deals, and sales pipelines
  • More Integrations: ActiveCampaign integrates with 870+ platforms vs. Drip’s 100+
  • Site Tracking: More robust website tracking and behavioral automation
  • Easier Automation Builder: Visual automation builder is more intuitive than Drip workflows
⚠️ Important Considerations:

  • Cost: ActiveCampaign can be more expensive for larger lists
  • E-commerce Focus: Drip specializes in e-commerce; ensure ActiveCampaign’s e-commerce features meet your needs
  • Learning Curve: Budget time to learn ActiveCampaign’s interface and features

What You’ll Need Before Starting

✅ Required Access & Accounts

  • WordPress admin access to your AccessAlly site
  • Drip admin access (for data export)
  • ActiveCampaign account (must be set up and configured first)
  • AccessAlly license that supports CRM switching
  • Access to your payment gateway (Stripe or PayPal)
  • Staging site for testing (recommended for all CRM switches)

📋 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 Drip contact data
  • Audit of your current member count, tags, and custom fields
  • Data mapping spreadsheet (contacts, tags, custom fields, workflows)
  • Staging site setup for testing (CRITICAL for CRM switches)
  • Request 2-site exception from AccessAlly support
  • Downtime plan and member communication
🚨 CRITICAL: Request 2-Site Exception
AccessAlly licenses are typically limited to one live site. You MUST request a temporary 2-site exception from AccessAlly support before setting up ActiveCampaign on your staging site. This lets you test the migration without breaking your live site.

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Setup (2-3 hours)

Step 1: Set Up Your ActiveCampaign Account

If you haven’t already set up ActiveCampaign:

  1. Sign up for ActiveCampaign (choose appropriate tier for your contact count and email volume)
  2. Complete basic account setup (company info, timezone, sender email address)
  3. Configure email deliverability settings (SPF, DKIM, domain authentication)
  4. Test email sending (send yourself a test campaign to verify deliverability)
  5. Create your first test form and automation
  6. Familiarize yourself with the automation builder interface
💡 Pro Tip: Don’t import ANY contacts into ActiveCampaign yet. Complete all setup and configuration first, then import via AccessAlly Migration Wizard to ensure proper Contact ID linking.

Step 2: Export Your Data from Drip

  1. Log into your Drip account
  2. Go to Settings → Account
  3. Click “Export All Subscribers”
  4. Drip will email you a CSV file (may take 15-30 minutes for large lists)
  5. Download and open the CSV file to review contents
  6. Note the column structure for data mapping

What’s included in the Drip export:

  • Email addresses
  • First and last names
  • Custom fields (all stored as text in Drip)
  • Tags (flat structure, no categories)
  • Subscription status (active/unsubscribed)
  • Opt-in timestamps
  • Custom event data (if applicable)

What’s NOT included:

  • Workflow automations (must be rebuilt in ActiveCampaign)
  • Email campaign history
  • Email templates
  • Form designs
  • Visual workflow designs

Step 3: Map Your Drip Data to ActiveCampaign

Create a comprehensive data mapping spreadsheet. Use the Data Mapping Reference Guide for complete field mappings.

Drip Field ActiveCampaign Field Notes
Email email Required field
First Name first_name Standard field
Last Name last_name Standard field
Phone phone Standard field
Tags Tags Both use flat tag structure (easy mapping!)
Custom Fields (text) Custom Fields (typed) CRITICAL: AC validates field types
Status (active/unsubscribed) Subscription status Preserve unsubscribe status
🚨 CRITICAL: Custom Field Type Validation
Drip stores ALL custom fields as text with no type validation. ActiveCampaign has typed fields (text, date, number, etc.) with validation. This means:

  • A Drip field with “2024-01-15” as text must become a DATE field in ActiveCampaign
  • A Drip field with “1500” as text must become a NUMBER field in ActiveCampaign
  • Invalid data (text in a number field) will cause import errors
  • You must clean your data BEFORE importing to ActiveCampaign

Step 4: Create Custom Fields in ActiveCampaign

  1. List all custom fields from your Drip export
  2. For each field, determine the correct field type:
    • Text → Text or Textarea
    • Dates (YYYY-MM-DD) → Date
    • Numbers (prices, counts) → Number
    • Yes/No values → Checkbox or Dropdown
  3. Go to ActiveCampaign → Lists → Manage Fields
  4. Click “Add Field” for each custom field
  5. Select the correct field type and create the field
  6. Note the field name for CSV mapping

Drip → ActiveCampaign field type conversion guide:

Drip Data Type Example Value ActiveCampaign Field Type Validation Required
Text (all) “Premium Member” Text None
Text (date format) “2024-01-15” Date Must be valid date format
Text (number format) “1500” or “$1,500” Number Remove currency symbols and commas
Text (yes/no) “Yes” or “true” Checkbox Convert to true/false
Text (options) “Basic”, “Pro”, “Enterprise” Dropdown Must match dropdown options

Step 5: Recreate Your Tags in ActiveCampaign

  1. Make a list of all tags from your Drip export
  2. Go to ActiveCampaign → Lists → Tags
  3. Create each tag in ActiveCampaign
  4. Use the exact same tag names for easier mapping (case-sensitive!)
  5. Clean up unused tags during this process
💡 Migration Advantage: Flat Tag Structures
Both Drip and ActiveCampaign use flat tag structures (no categories). This makes tag migration straightforward compared to Keap → ActiveCampaign, which requires extensive tag remapping due to category prepending.

  • Drip: “Gold Member” tag
  • ActiveCampaign: “Gold Member” tag (exact same!)
  • No category prefixes to deal with

Step 6: Clean Your CSV Data for ActiveCampaign

Transform your Drip export to ensure data type compatibility with ActiveCampaign:

  1. Open your Drip export in Excel or Google Sheets
  2. For each custom field column:
    • Date fields: Ensure format is YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., “2024-01-15”)
    • Number fields: Remove currency symbols ($), commas, and text (e.g., “$1,500.00” → “1500”)
    • Checkbox fields: Convert to “1” (checked) or “0” (unchecked)
    • Dropdown fields: Ensure values exactly match ActiveCampaign dropdown options
  3. Rename column headers to match ActiveCampaign field names
  4. Ensure tags are comma-separated in one column
  5. Remove unsubscribed contacts OR preserve them with proper status
  6. Save as new CSV: “drip-to-activecampaign-import.csv”
⚠️ Common Data Cleaning Issues:

  • Dates: “Jan 15, 2024” won’t import as a date. Convert to “2024-01-15”
  • Prices: “$1,500.00” won’t import as a number. Convert to “1500”
  • Phone numbers: Remove formatting for consistency (e.g., “(555) 123-4567” → “5551234567”)
  • Empty values: Blank cells are okay, but “N/A” or “null” text will cause errors

Step 7: Connect ActiveCampaign to AccessAlly (Staging Site First)

🚨 DO THIS ON STAGING FIRST: Never switch CRMs on your live site without testing on staging. Request a 2-site exception from AccessAlly support to enable ActiveCampaign on your staging site.
  1. On your STAGING site, go to AccessAlly → Settings → General
  2. Under “CRM Integration,” change from Drip to ActiveCampaign
  3. Enter your ActiveCampaign API credentials:
    • API URL (found in ActiveCampaign → Settings → Developer)
    • API Key (found in same location)
  4. Click Save and Test Connection
  5. Verify the connection is successful before proceeding

Phase 2: Migration Execution (2-3 hours)

Step 8: Import Contacts via Migration Wizard

  1. On your STAGING site, go to AccessAlly → Migration Wizard
  2. If you don’t see Migration Wizard, download and activate the plugin (instructions)
  3. Click “Import from CSV”
  4. Upload your cleaned CSV file
  5. Map CSV columns to ActiveCampaign fields
  6. Choose import options:
    • Update existing users: Check if members may already exist in WordPress
    • Create users in CRM: Check (this creates contacts in ActiveCampaign)
    • Add tags: Check (applies tags from CSV)
    • Send welcome email: UNCHECK (you’ll email members separately after migration)
  7. Click “Start Import”

What happens during import:

  • WordPress user accounts created (if they don’t exist)
  • Contacts created in ActiveCampaign
  • Tags applied in ActiveCampaign
  • Custom fields populated (with type validation)
  • Contact ID from ActiveCampaign stored in WordPress user meta
  • This Contact ID linking is CRITICAL for access control
⏱️ Time Estimate: Import processes ~100-200 contacts per minute. A 5,000-contact list takes about 25-50 minutes. Monitor for errors and save the import log.

Step 9: Verify Contact ID Linking

🚨 MOST CRITICAL STEP FOR CRM SWITCHES
Contact ID linking is the #1 cause of access issues in CRM migrations. If Contact IDs don’t link correctly, members lose access even if they have correct tags.

How to verify Contact ID linking:

  1. Pick 5-10 random members from your import
  2. In WordPress, go to Users and edit each user
  3. Scroll to AccessAlly user meta section
  4. Look for “activecampaign_contact_id” or “contact_id” field
  5. Copy the Contact ID value
  6. Go to ActiveCampaign → Contacts
  7. Search for that Contact ID
  8. Verify it matches the correct contact (same email address)
  9. Check that the contact has correct tags in ActiveCampaign
  10. Test that member can access protected content

If Contact IDs are missing or wrong:

  • Re-run the Migration Wizard with “Update existing users” checked
  • Verify ActiveCampaign API connection is active
  • Check Migration Wizard logs for errors during import
  • Contact AccessAlly support if issues persist

Step 10: Update AccessAlly Tags and Access Rules

AccessAlly stores tag names from your old CRM. After switching to ActiveCampaign, verify these still match:

  1. Go through each AccessAlly Module
  2. Check “Who Can Access” settings
  3. Verify tag names exactly match ActiveCampaign tags (case-sensitive!)
  4. Update any tag-based access rules if tag names changed
  5. Update membership levels to link to correct ActiveCampaign tags

Critical areas to check:

  • Module access rules
  • Page protection settings
  • Order form tag assignments
  • Email wizard tag triggers
  • Automation trigger rules
  • Membership level definitions
💡 Tag Naming Advantage: Since both Drip and ActiveCampaign use flat tag structures, tag names should match exactly. Unlike Keap → ActiveCampaign migrations (which prepend category names), you shouldn’t need to update tag references unless you intentionally renamed tags during migration.

If you have paid members with active subscriptions, ensure their Stripe/PayPal subscriptions are properly linked:

  1. Export active subscriptions from Stripe or PayPal
  2. Match subscription IDs to member email addresses
  3. In AccessAlly, go to each member’s profile
  4. Verify the subscription ID is stored correctly in user meta
  5. Test that failed payments will cancel access

Detailed guide: Preserving Subscriptions During Migration

🚨 SECURITY ISSUE: If subscription links aren’t correct, failed payments won’t cancel member access. This is a revenue leak and security issue. Test thoroughly in staging.

Step 12: Rebuild Your Automations in ActiveCampaign

Drip workflows cannot be automatically migrated. You must rebuild them in ActiveCampaign.

Common Drip workflows to rebuild:

  • Welcome sequences: Use ActiveCampaign automations
  • Tag-based workflows: Use ActiveCampaign automation triggers
  • Purchase follow-ups: Set up post-purchase automations
  • Re-engagement campaigns: Use ActiveCampaign automations with conditional content
  • Abandoned cart sequences: Rebuild using ActiveCampaign’s e-commerce automation

Drip → ActiveCampaign automation element mapping:

Drip Element ActiveCampaign Equivalent
Workflow Automation
Trigger (tag applied) Starts: Tag is added
Delay Wait
Send email Send email
Decision (if/then) If/Else
Apply tag Add tag
Remove tag Remove tag
Custom field update Update contact field
Unsubscribe Unsubscribe from list
Event trigger Starts: Site tracking event
💡 Planning Tip: Document your Drip workflows BEFORE migrating. Take screenshots of each workflow and list all triggers and actions. ActiveCampaign’s automation builder is more visual and intuitive than Drip’s, making rebuilds faster once you understand the interface.

Step 13: Update Forms and Opt-ins

Drip forms need to be replaced with ActiveCampaign forms OR AccessAlly forms that submit to ActiveCampaign.

Option 1: Use ActiveCampaign Native Forms

  1. Create forms in ActiveCampaign → Forms
  2. Embed ActiveCampaign form code on your WordPress pages
  3. Style forms to match your site design
  4. Set up tag assignments and automation triggers
  5. Enable double opt-in if required for compliance

Option 2: Use AccessAlly Forms (Recommended)

  1. Create forms in AccessAlly → Opt-in Forms
  2. Configure to submit to ActiveCampaign
  3. Better integration with WordPress/AccessAlly features
  4. More control over styling and behavior
  5. Easier to maintain within WordPress admin

Phase 3: Go-Live and Verification (2-3 hours)

Step 14: Test Everything on Staging

Before touching your live site, thoroughly test on staging:

  • ✅ Member login works for multiple member types
  • ✅ Content access rules work correctly
  • ✅ Tags control access properly (test each membership level)
  • ✅ Contact ID linking verified for sample members
  • ✅ Forms submit to ActiveCampaign successfully
  • ✅ Purchase flow works end-to-end (use test mode)
  • ✅ Subscription linking works correctly
  • ✅ Failed payment handling tested
  • ✅ Automations trigger correctly
  • ✅ Email sending works (test deliverability)
  • ✅ Custom fields populate correctly with proper types
💡 Pro Tip: Have a team member (not you) test the member experience. Fresh eyes catch issues you’ll miss. Create a test plan checklist and have them work through every member scenario.

Step 15: Switch Live Site to ActiveCampaign

When staging tests pass completely, switch your live site:

  1. Schedule downtime (2-4 hour window recommended)
  2. Announce downtime to members 48 hours in advance
  3. Put site in maintenance mode
  4. Create fresh WordPress backup (full database and files)
  5. Export final Drip data (capture any new contacts since staging setup)
  6. Switch AccessAlly to ActiveCampaign (same steps as staging)
  7. Import any new contacts from final Drip export
  8. Verify access rules and tags
  9. Test login for 3-5 members (different membership levels)
  10. Verify Contact ID linking for test members
  11. Take site out of maintenance mode
  12. Monitor closely for 1-2 hours

Step 16: Complete Post-Migration Checks

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

✅ Contact Data Integrity
  • Verify total contact count matches Drip export
  • Check 10 random contacts in ActiveCampaign for complete data
  • Verify Contact IDs properly stored in WordPress user meta
  • Check for duplicate contacts
  • Verify unsubscribed contacts have correct status
✅ Access & Permissions
  • Test login as multiple member types
  • Verify access to protected content for each membership level
  • Check tag-based access rules work correctly
  • Test content unlocking based on tags
  • Verify drip content (progressive release) works
✅ Tags & Custom Fields
  • Verify tags migrated correctly (sample 10 contacts)
  • Check custom fields populated in ActiveCampaign with correct types
  • Test tag-based access rules
  • Verify tag assignment via forms works
  • Check that date fields display correctly (not as text)
  • Verify number fields calculate correctly (not as text)
✅ Forms & Automations
  • Test each opt-in form submission
  • Verify form data reaches ActiveCampaign
  • Test order form purchases (Stripe test mode)
  • Confirm post-purchase automations fire in ActiveCampaign
  • Test auto-login after purchase (if enabled)
  • Verify automation triggers fire correctly
✅ Subscriptions & Payments
  • Verify active subscriptions linked correctly
  • Test new purchase flow end-to-end
  • Test subscription cancellation
  • 🚨 CRITICAL: Test failed payment handling
  • Verify member access aligns with payment status
🚨 CRITICAL TEST: Failed Payment Handling
Test that failed payments correctly cancel member access. This is a security issue if not working.

  1. Create a test member with a test subscription (Stripe test mode)
  2. Simulate a failed payment in Stripe
  3. Verify AccessAlly removes member access
  4. Check that the subscription cancellation webhook fired correctly
  5. Ensure the member receives appropriate notification

Step 17: Monitor for 7 Days

Don’t cancel your Drip account immediately. Monitor for issues during the first week:

  • Day 1-2: Watch for immediate issues (login problems, access errors)
  • Day 3-5: Monitor form submissions and automation triggers
  • Day 6-7: Check for subscription/payment issues

What to monitor:

  • Member support tickets (any migration-related confusion?)
  • Login errors or access issues
  • Payment failures or subscription problems
  • Form submission success rates
  • Automation trigger verification (are welcome sequences firing?)
  • Email deliverability (check spam rates)
💡 Keep Your Options Open: Keep your Drip account active (downgrade to smallest plan if needed) for 30 days as a safety net. If critical issues arise, you can temporarily revert.

Step 18: Clean Up

Once migration is stable (7+ days):

  1. Disconnect Drip from AccessAlly (remove API keys)
  2. Deactivate Migration Wizard plugin
  3. Export final Drip data for records
  4. Downgrade or cancel Drip (keep 30 days as safety net)
  5. Remove staging site’s 2-site exception (contact AccessAlly support)
  6. Update member documentation if needed
  7. Archive migration planning documents for future reference

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: Contact IDs Not Linking (CRITICAL)

Symptoms: Members have correct tags in ActiveCampaign but can’t access content

Causes:

  • Contact ID not stored in WordPress user meta during import
  • Contact ID stored under wrong meta key
  • WordPress user exists but ActiveCampaign contact doesn’t
  • ActiveCampaign API connection broken during import

Solution:

  1. Check WordPress user meta for “activecampaign_contact_id” or “contact_id”
  2. If missing, verify ActiveCampaign connection is active
  3. Re-import the user via Migration Wizard with “Update existing users” checked
  4. Verify the Contact ID in ActiveCampaign matches the stored ID
  5. Test access after fixing Contact ID

Issue 2: Custom Field Data Didn’t Import

Symptoms: Custom field data missing or showing as blank in ActiveCampaign

Causes:

  • Custom fields not created in ActiveCampaign before import
  • Field type mismatch (tried to import text into a number field)
  • Invalid data format (e.g., “Jan 15” instead of “2024-01-15” for date field)
  • CSV column names don’t match ActiveCampaign field names

Solution:

  1. Verify custom fields exist in ActiveCampaign with correct types
  2. Check CSV data format matches field type requirements
  3. Clean data in CSV (remove invalid characters, format dates correctly)
  4. Update CSV column headers to exactly match ActiveCampaign field names
  5. Re-import with “Update existing users” checked
  6. Check a few contacts to verify data populated correctly

Issue 3: Forms Not Submitting to ActiveCampaign

Symptoms: Form submissions not creating/updating contacts in ActiveCampaign

Causes:

  • AccessAlly not properly connected to ActiveCampaign
  • Form configured for old Drip connection
  • ActiveCampaign API rate limit reached
  • Form fields don’t match ActiveCampaign field names
  • Required fields in ActiveCampaign not provided by form

Solution:

  1. Verify AccessAlly → ActiveCampaign connection still active
  2. Edit form settings in AccessAlly
  3. Ensure form is set to submit to ActiveCampaign (not Drip)
  4. Check field mappings match ActiveCampaign field names
  5. Test form submission and check ActiveCampaign for new contact
  6. Review ActiveCampaign API logs for error messages

Issue 4: Tags Work But Custom Field Access Doesn’t

Symptoms: Tag-based access works, but custom field-based access rules don’t

Causes:

  • Custom field type changed from text (Drip) to typed field (ActiveCampaign)
  • AccessAlly access rules comparing wrong data types
  • Custom field values formatted differently in ActiveCampaign

Solution:

  1. Check custom field type in ActiveCampaign
  2. Verify AccessAlly access rule is comparing correct data type
  3. For date fields, ensure rule uses date comparison (not text)
  4. For number fields, ensure rule uses numeric comparison
  5. Update access rules to match new field types

Issue 5: Automation Triggers Not Firing

Symptoms: ActiveCampaign automations don’t trigger when tags are applied

Causes:

  • Automation trigger set for wrong tag name
  • Automation is inactive or paused
  • Contact already went through automation (check “run once” vs “run multiple times”)
  • Tag applied but automation trigger condition not met

Solution:

  1. Go to ActiveCampaign → Automations
  2. Check automation is active (not paused)
  3. Verify trigger conditions (exact tag name, case-sensitive)
  4. Check automation settings for “run once” vs “run multiple times”
  5. Test with a fresh test contact
  6. Review automation logs in ActiveCampaign

Issue 6: Members Getting Duplicate Emails

Symptoms: Members receiving the same email multiple times from ActiveCampaign

Causes:

  • Duplicate contact records in ActiveCampaign
  • Multiple automations triggering for same action
  • Contact subscribed to multiple lists with same automation
  • Migration Wizard ran multiple times

Solution:

  1. Search for duplicate email addresses in ActiveCampaign
  2. Merge or delete duplicate contacts
  3. Check ActiveCampaign → Automations for duplicate sequences
  4. Verify automation triggers aren’t firing multiple times
  5. Check contact’s automation history for clues

Migration Timeline & Downtime

Total Time Estimate: 5-7 hours (plus 2-3 hours testing)

Phase Tasks Time
Pre-Migration Setup ActiveCampaign account setup, data export, field mapping, CSV cleaning 2-3 hours
Data Preparation Create custom fields, clean data types, prepare CSV for import 1-2 hours
Staging Import Switch CRM on staging, import contacts, verify Contact ID linking 1-2 hours
Automation Rebuild Rebuild Drip workflows in ActiveCampaign automations 2-3 hours
Form Migration Replace Drip forms with ActiveCampaign or AccessAlly forms 1 hour
Staging Testing Test all access rules, forms, automations, payment handling 2-3 hours
Live Site Switch Switch live site to ActiveCampaign, import final contacts, verify 1-2 hours

Recommended Downtime Window: 2-4 hours on a weekend or low-traffic period for the live site switch

💡 Minimize Downtime: You can minimize downtime by doing all prep work in advance (Steps 1-7), then only putting your site in maintenance mode for the actual CRM switch and import (Steps 8-9). Total downtime: 1-2 hours.

Need Help?

Consider professional migration assistance if:

  • You have 1,000+ active members
  • You have complex custom field types that need careful migration
  • You have complex tag-based access rules across many modules
  • You can’t afford downtime or access issues
  • You’re not comfortable cleaning data types for ActiveCampaign validation
  • You have extensive Drip workflows that need rebuilding

Migration Support:

Related Guides:

🎯 Migration Success Checklist:

  • ✅ All contacts imported to ActiveCampaign with correct data
  • ✅ Contact IDs properly linked in WordPress
  • ✅ Custom fields migrated with correct types (not all as text)
  • ✅ Tags preserved (flat structure advantage!)
  • ✅ Member login working
  • ✅ Content access rules working correctly
  • ✅ Tag-based access tested and verified
  • ✅ Subscriptions linked and tested
  • ✅ Failed payment handling verified
  • ✅ Forms submitting to ActiveCampaign
  • ✅ Core automations rebuilt and tested
  • ✅ Email deliverability tested (inbox, not spam)
  • ✅ No critical support tickets after 7 days
Updated on January 15, 2026
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