GetResponse is a capable all-rounder — webinars, funnels, email — but it was not built around a store. Klaviyo was. If your revenue comes from Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce, the difference shows up in the two places that matter: what you can segment on, and whether you can see the revenue each flow produced.
That changes the shape of this migration. You are not just moving contacts; you are moving from time-based autoresponders to event-triggered flows built on store data. Copying your GetResponse sequences step-for-step wastes the reason you switched.
One rule dominates the whole process: never run the same automation on both platforms at once. Every store that skips a staged cutover sends duplicate abandoned-cart emails to real customers, and it is the migration mistake customers actually notice.
How long this takes
3–4 hours
Most of that time goes into rebuilding automations and repointing forms, not the import itself.
Why switch from GetResponse to Klaviyo?
Switch if…
- You need browse, cart, and purchase events as native triggers.
- You want revenue attributed per flow so you can prove what email earns.
- Your segmentation needs order count, average order value, and predicted next order.
- You want SMS in the same flows as email.
- GetResponse’s store integration is not giving you the data you need.
Stay put if…
- You rely on GetResponse webinars or funnels, which Klaviyo does not replace.
- Your list is large and low-revenue — Klaviyo gets expensive as profiles grow.
- You are not running an online store, in which case Klaviyo’s advantage disappears.
GetResponse vs Klaviyo: the key differences
| What changes | GetResponse | Klaviyo |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | General marketing, webinars, funnels | Ecommerce lifecycle messaging |
| Automation model | Time-based autoresponders and workflows | Event-triggered flows on store data |
| Segmentation | Tags, fields, basic behaviour | Order history, AOV, predicted next order |
| Revenue reporting | Limited attribution | Revenue per flow and per message |
| SMS | Add-on | Native, inside the same flows |
| Webinars and funnels | Included | Not available |
| Pricing basis | Contacts and plan tier | Active profiles and send volume |
Before you switch, have this ready
- Admin access to your store platform as well as both email tools.
- A GetResponse export of contacts with tags, custom fields, and consent dates.
- A written inventory of every active GetResponse autoresponder and workflow.
- DNS access for Klaviyo sending domain authentication.
- A test product and a way to place a real low-value order end to end.
- A decision on which dormant contacts you are not bringing across.
Step-by-step: GetResponse to Klaviyo
Step 1: Connect your store to Klaviyo first
Install the Klaviyo app for Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce and let the historical sync finish. Klaviyo pulls back order history, which is what makes segmentation on lifetime value and order count possible on day one.
Add the Klaviyo onsite tracking snippet so browse and viewed-product events start collecting immediately. These events power browse abandonment, and you cannot backfill them — every day without the snippet is data you never get.
Wait for the sync to complete before importing anything. Profiles created by the store sync are richer than profiles created by CSV import, and letting the store go first avoids thin duplicates.
Screenshot
Klaviyo store integration showing completed historical sync
Step 2: Export contacts from GetResponse
Export each GetResponse list, keeping custom fields, tags, and the subscription date. Consent records matter more in ecommerce than most senders realise — keep the date and source with each contact.
Export unsubscribes and bounces separately. They become suppressions in Klaviyo, not subscribers.
Decide now what not to bring. Klaviyo bills on active profiles, so contacts with no opens and no orders in 12+ months should either be left behind or imported as suppressed.
Screenshot
GetResponse contact export with custom fields selected
Step 3: Import contacts and set consent correctly
Import your subscribed CSV into a Klaviyo list, setting email consent explicitly and including the original consent date. Klaviyo treats consent as a first-class field, and getting it right at import protects you later.
Upload unsubscribes and bounced addresses to the suppression list before any send. Contacts already created by the store sync will be matched and enriched by email rather than duplicated.
Spot-check ten profiles afterwards: does each show order history from the store sync alongside the imported fields? If not, stop and fix the mapping before building flows on top of bad data.
Screenshot
Klaviyo profile showing merged order history and imported attributes
Step 4: Rebuild autoresponders as event-triggered flows
Build in revenue order: welcome, abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase, and win-back. Those five produce the large majority of email revenue for most stores, and everything else can wait.
Resist copying the GetResponse timing model. A time-based sequence sends on day three regardless; a Klaviyo flow triggers on checkout started and can exit the moment someone buys. Add flow filters so purchasers stop receiving cart reminders.
Use Klaviyo’s starter flows as scaffolding, then swap in your own copy. Rebuilding from a blank canvas is slower and usually worse.
Keep each flow off until you have tested it. A live cart flow with a bad condition emails real customers within minutes.
Screenshot
Klaviyo flow builder with an abandoned cart flow and filters
Step 5: Verify tracking, then cut over one flow at a time
Authenticate your sending domain in Klaviyo, then place a genuine low-value test order. Confirm the order event lands on the profile, the post-purchase flow triggers, and revenue is attributed in the flow report.
Now cut over one flow at a time: switch on the Klaviyo version and immediately disable the GetResponse equivalent. Never leave both live — duplicate abandoned-cart emails are the failure customers complain about.
Watch the first week of flow reports closely. Compare revenue per recipient against your GetResponse baseline so you can prove the migration paid for itself.
Screenshot
Klaviyo flow report showing attributed revenue after cutover
Step 6: Replace what Klaviyo does not do
Klaviyo has no webinar tool and no funnel builder. If you used them, line up replacements before cancelling GetResponse — this is the step people discover a week too late.
Landing pages exist in Klaviyo but are lighter than GetResponse’s. Audit your live pages and rebuild or rehost each one, updating ad and social links as you go.
Keep GetResponse active for two weeks after the final flow moves across, then export an archive and cancel.
Screenshot
Inventory of live GetResponse landing pages and funnels to rehome
Integrations you need to update
Every one of these is a place contacts or data currently flow into GetResponse. Work through the list before you stop watching the old account — a missed form is invisible until someone complains they never got your email.
| Integration | What to do |
|---|---|
| Shopify / WooCommerce / BigCommerce | Install the Klaviyo integration and complete the historical sync first. |
| Onsite tracking snippet | Install immediately — browse data cannot be backfilled. |
| Reviews app | Reconnect so review requests and ratings feed Klaviyo segments. |
| Loyalty or subscription app | Repoint so tier and renewal data lands on the Klaviyo profile. |
| Helpdesk | Reconnect so support can see email and order history in one place. |
| Zapier / Make | Rebuild scenarios on the Klaviyo connector and test each live. |
| Ad platforms | Reconnect Meta and Google audience syncs to Klaviyo segments. |
| Webinars and funnels | Klaviyo has no equivalent — choose replacement tools before cancelling GetResponse. |
Troubleshooting: common post-migration problems
Customers received two abandoned cart emails
Both platforms ran the flow. Disable the GetResponse autoresponder the moment its Klaviyo counterpart goes live, and cut over one flow at a time.
Profiles have no order history
Contacts were imported before the store sync finished. Let the sync complete, then re-import; Klaviyo matches on email and enriches rather than duplicating.
Browse abandonment is not triggering
The onsite tracking snippet is missing or blocked. Confirm it fires on product pages and check for a consent banner suppressing it.
Revenue is not attributed to flows
The store integration is not passing order value, or your test order was placed before the connection completed. Place another test order and check the placed-order event payload.
The Klaviyo bill is higher than expected
You imported dormant contacts as active profiles. Suppress anyone with no engagement or orders in 12+ months — they cost money and depress deliverability.
Deliverability dipped after cutover
Authenticate the sending domain, then ramp: engaged buyers first, dormant segments last or never.
Should you make the switch?
The migration itself is rarely the hard part — it is the automations you rebuild and the forms you forget. If the reasons in the "switch if" list above describe your situation, Klaviyo is worth the afternoon. If you are only moving because you are frustrated with an interface, fix the emails first and keep the platform.
Read both reviews before you commit: our GetResponse review covers what you would be giving up, and our Klaviyo review covers what you are buying, including current pricing and where it falls short.