Export Data from ActiveCampaign for Bento

This guide will help you export all the lists, tags, segments, and custom fields you need from ActiveCampaign so you can import them into Bento.

Exporting your data is safe and does not affect your live ActiveCampaign account. You can continue sending emails while you prepare your migration.

Prerequisites

Access to your ActiveCampaign account
Admin permissions to export data
A place to save your exported CSV files
Optional: Spreadsheet software to review and clean up CSVs

What You'll Export

Contacts (Lists/People)
Tags
Segments (Saved Searches/Lists)
Custom Fields
Automations (for mapping later)

Step-by-Step Export Process

Go to ActiveCampaign and log in with your credentials.

click ... and export button

Export Active Contacts

Navigate to Contacts in the main menu.
Click the ... button then on Export (top‑right).
Choose a CSV name like active and ensure all possible check boxes are checked. Click the Export button when you are ready to begin the exporting process..

export options

Export Unsubscribed & Bounced Contacts

In Contacts, change the search option Status and pick Unsubscribed.
The filter takes affect after you select the option. Repeat the export process and name the CSV file unsubscribed.

Keep these files separate for now—you'll import them seperately later so Bento suppresses these your unsubscribed addresses.

(repeat again for Bounced if there are contacts when you change the status)

Search Filter options

Docuement Tags

Tags are included in your contacts export CSV if they are in use. So be aware if you have tags that are not assigned to any contacts they will not be inlucded in the export.

Tags that are not assigned to any contact will not be included in the export. Its worth making a note of these so they can be manually created in Bento if they are nessesary.

If you use a lot of tags, consider cleaning up or renaming them in ActiveCampaign before export for easier migration.

Because Bento uses tags to segment subscribers, its important to make sure they are named correctly. We also recommend using name spaced tags for better organization. They are especially useful for tracking state or history of subscribers. Contact us in Discord if you have questions on how best to utilize tags to organize your data.

Tag usage

Export Segments (Saved Searches/Lists)

In Contacts, use the Advanced Search to filter and export segments.
For each saved segment, export the contacts using the export option.

Export each segment separately if you want to preserve them in Bento.

Optional — the contacts CSV captures segment membership. Exporting here gives you a snapshot; rebuild the rule in Bento later.

Load the segment before exporting

Export Custom Fields

Custom fields are included in your contacts export CSV. Review the CSV columns to make sure all custom fields are included. If you are missing make sure its visible in your contact list before exporting. It may bave been filtered or hidden.

Export Forms (Optional)

If you want to reference your forms, go to Site → Forms.
Take screenshots or export any data you want to keep for rebuilding in Bento.

Take screenshots of your forms for reference.

Export Automations (Optional)

For automations, go to Automations.
You can only export an image not the automation directly, but you can screenshot or document the steps and options for reference when rebuilding in Bento Flows.

Export an image of your automations for reference.

Merge & Clean

Open each of the exported CSV in your spreadsheet tool.
Rename columns to Bento‑friendly names (email, first_name, tags, etc.), ensure they match in each csv file.
Comma‑separate multiple tags (e.g. vip,customer).
Delete any blank or irrelevant columns — Bento ignores missing headers but a tidy sheet is easier to debug.
Save each CSV as a separate file.

Column Map Example

Email	Tags	Remove Tags	First Name	Last Name
[email protected]	customer, mql	lead	Jesse	Hanley

After Exporting

Double-check your CSV files for all required data (contacts, tags, segments, custom fields).
Organize your files and screenshots for easy access during the Bento import process.
If you need to clean up or rename tags/fields, do so in the CSV before importing to Bento.

Troubleshooting

Missing Data?

Make sure you exported from the correct section (Contacts, Segments).
Check your downloads folder for the CSV file.
Open CSVs in a spreadsheet app to review all columns.
Lists over 100k contacts? ActiveCampaign splits exports into multiple CSVs—download every part and combine before merging statuses.

Export Button Not Visible?

You may need admin permissions to export data.
Try a different browser or clear your cache.
Contact ActiveCampaign support if you still can't export.

Critical Terminology: ActiveCampaign → Bento

Before we dive in, let’s align on key concepts. This table is your Rosetta Stone for migrating mental models from ActiveCampaign to Bento.

ActiveCampaign Term	Bento Term	What It Actually Means
`Contact`	`Person`	A human with an email address
`List`	(none)	Bento has a single `People` table — use tags + segments instead of siloed lists
`Tag`	`Tag`	Labels for categorization — in Bento, tags are first-class and support advanced logic
`Segment`	`Segment`	Dynamic groupings based on field values, tag presence, events, and more
`Custom Field`	`Field`	Custom data attached to a `Person`, like `first_name`, `plan`, or `last_seen_at`
`Campaign`	`Broadcast`	A one-time email sent to a specific group or segment
`Automation`	`Flow`	If-this-then-that workflows — Bento Flows support triggers, delays, branching, and more
`Goal`	`Event + Flow logic`	Logic conditions inside a Flow that advance a user based on behavior
`Site/Event Tracking`	`Event`	Track pageviews, clicks, custom behavior — all events are first-class in Bento
`Personalization Tags`	`Liquid`	Dynamic content via Liquid templating

Bento tracks all clicks and visits automatically — no manual link triggers or extra setup needed.

The Mental Model Shift

ActiveCampaign: "Here's a list of Contacts with Tags."

Bento: "Here's a person who visited 5 pages, clicked 3 emails, has an LTV of $497, and is currently browsing your pricing page."

Final Thoughts

This migration will take you 2-4 hours of actual work.

Remember:

Take screenshots before changing anything
Test with your own email first
Keep ActiveCampaign running during transition
Document everything for your future self

If something just doesn't go right, you can always re-import from ActiveCampaign and try again.
That's why we keep it running until we're sure.

Quick Reference

During Migration:

Check Bento's Dashboard
Monitor deliverability score
Test forms and integrations
Send one test email after changes

Before Canceling ActiveCampaign:

All Contacts are imported
All automations rebuilt
List is warmed up on Bento
Forms all working
Deliverability metrics stable

Emergency Contacts:

Bento Support: Discord | [email protected]
Status Page: status.bentonow.com
API Docs: docs.bentonow.com

You've got this. And if you don't? That's what support is for. Ship it.