ConvertKit → SendFox: the founder's playbook

Before exporting anything, map out what you actually use in ConvertKit. Log into ConvertKit and document: (1) all Forms (name, embed type — inline, modal, slide-in — and where each is embedded on your site); (2) all Sequences (name, number of emails, trigger); (3) all Broadcasts sent in the last 6 months (subject lines, segments sent to); (4) all Tags (name and how each is applied — manually, by form, by sequence completion); (5) all Segments (filter logic). This audit takes 20–30 minutes and is the difference between a smooth migration and discovering a broken form three weeks later.

The SendFox lifetime deal ($49) is available through GrabLTD. After purchase, activate your account at sendfox.com. In Account Settings, add your sending from name and from email address. SendFox sends from your own email domain — connect it by verifying your domain (Settings → Domains → Add Domain). SendFox will give you a CNAME or TXT record to add in your DNS for domain verification. Also add a DKIM record if you want your emails to arrive authenticated (Settings → Email Authentication). These DNS records are the same ones you would set up for any email tool — if you have them set for ConvertKit, check if you need to add SendFox's specific records.

In ConvertKit, go to Subscribers → All Subscribers → Export as CSV. This downloads a CSV with columns for email address, first name, tags, and any custom fields you have added. If you have multiple segments you want to keep separate, also export each segment individually (Subscribers → Segments → select segment → Export). Pay attention to unsubscribed contacts: ConvertKit marks them with status 'Cancelled'. Import these as unsubscribed in SendFox to honour the opt-out — sending to unsubscribed contacts is both illegal and damages your sender reputation.

SendFox organises contacts into Lists (similar to ConvertKit's Tags). Before importing, create a List for each major ConvertKit Tag or Segment you want to preserve. In SendFox, go to People → Lists → Create List. Then go to People → Import → Upload CSV. Map the CSV columns to SendFox fields: Email, First Name (SendFox uses First Name for personalisation as {{first_name}}). Assign the imported contacts to the appropriate List during import. For contacts with multiple ConvertKit tags, you will need to import the CSV multiple times (once per list), or export a single unified list and manually re-tag in SendFox's bulk-action UI.

ConvertKit forms are either inline (embedded in a page), modal (popup), or slide-in. In SendFox, go to Forms → Create Form. SendFox forms are simpler — single-field (email only) or dual-field (first name + email) embedded forms with a customisable CTA. For each ConvertKit form: create the equivalent in SendFox, copy the embed code, and replace the ConvertKit embed code on your site. SendFox also has a built-in landing page builder (Pages) — for any ConvertKit landing pages (hosted at pages.convertkit.com/...), recreate them in SendFox's Pages feature and update any links pointing to the old ConvertKit URL.

ConvertKit Sequences map directly to SendFox Automations. In SendFox, go to Automations → Create Automation → Select: 'When someone subscribes to a list, send this series of emails.' Add each email from your ConvertKit sequence with the same delay (Day 0, Day 3, Day 7, etc.). Copy the email content across — remembering to replace ConvertKit's merge tag syntax ({{ subscriber.first_name }}) with SendFox's syntax ({{first_name}}). For ConvertKit's more complex automations (if/else branching based on link clicks or tag changes), SendFox does not have an equivalent visual automation builder — simplify these to linear sequences or use a simple webhook + Pabbly Connect to handle conditional logic.

Send a test campaign to yourself and a few test addresses across Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail. Check: (1) arrives in inbox (not spam); (2) from name and email display correctly; (3) images load; (4) personalisation tags render correctly (first name shows actual name, not {{first_name}} placeholder); (5) unsubscribe link works and removes contact from the list; (6) click tracking works (if enabled). Use mail-tester.com to score your email setup — aim for 9+/10. If you land in spam, check your DKIM record in SendFox settings and verify your domain ownership is confirmed.

Go through every place you have a ConvertKit form or link: your website (contact page, blog posts, resource pages, popup/modal scripts), your email signature, your social media bio, any guest posts or external sites where you embedded a ConvertKit form. Replace each with the SendFox equivalent. For embeddable forms, paste the new SendFox embed code. For ConvertKit hosted landing pages (pages.convertkit.com/...), these become inaccessible when you cancel — ensure all external links to them are updated to your new SendFox page URLs. After completing the link audit, cancel ConvertKit from Settings → Billing → Cancel Plan.