Agency Migration Guide
Emma to HubSpot Migration
What actually transfers, what quietly does not, and what has to be rebuilt by hand.
We mapped Emma against HubSpot feature by feature: 23 features, 1 synced object, 6 documented traps and 24 items that have to be rebuilt. The whole map is on this page, ungated.
The PDF is the same reference, formatted to send to a client.
Get The Guide And The Calculator
The full Emma to HubSpot reference as a branded PDF you can send straight to a client, plus the Excel calculator we scope these migrations with: every one of the 23 features as a row, enter your counts, get hours.
Three files: the guide as a PDF, the same guide unbranded in Markdown for your AI tool, and the full Excel effort calculator.
Emma to HubSpot is a low to medium migration, typically 2-4 weeks. Of 23 features we mapped, 19 carry across as they are and 4 land with something lost. The work is not moving records: it is the 24 items nothing moves for you.
Migration Scorecard
- Migration complexity
- Low to medium
- Typical timeline
- 2-4 weeks
- Recommended method
- CSV export/import with data sync for parallel operation during transition
- Native sync
- Data sync, two way
- Smart transfer
- Not supported
- HubSpot subscription
- Free HubSpot CRM or higher
Feature parity across 23 capabilities
- Maps directly: 19 (83%)
- Maps partially: 4 (17%)
- No equivalent: 0 (0%)
1
Objects synced natively
6
Limitations and traps
24
Manual rebuild items
3
Source editions covered
Where this comes from: Our own research corpus, verified 2026-07-31, behind every number on this page.
The One Object That Syncs Natively
What the connector moves for you, and which way each one flows.
Members/Subscribers
Two wayBecomes Contacts
Two-way contact/member sync with default field mappings and historical syncing. Custom mappings available with Data Hub Starter+. Emma's Professional Services team handles field mapping and subaccount routing for complex organizational structures.
Six Things the Sync Does Not Tell You
Each one is documented, and each one has ended a migration in a bad week.
Email Campaign Engagement Data Does Not Sync
Opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribe events from Emma email campaigns are not synced to HubSpot contact timelines via the native data sync.
Workaround: Export Emma engagement reports and use them for reference. Consider Zapier for event-level data transfer.
Custom Field Mappings Require Data Hub
Default field mappings are provided. Custom field mappings require HubSpot Data Hub Starter or Professional.
Workaround: Use default mappings or upgrade to Data Hub.
Multi-value and Complex Properties Excluded
Properties with multiple values (multiple emails, phones with home/work labels) cannot sync in custom mappings.
Workaround: Map only the primary value for each field.
Multi-account/subaccount Complexity
Emma supports multi-brand subaccounts under a parent organization. The data sync does not natively map subaccount structures to HubSpot team or brand structures.
Workaround: Emma's Professional Services team can configure field mapping and subaccount routing to match organizational structure. May require custom properties in HubSpot to track brand/subaccount origin.
Automated Campaigns Do Not Sync
Emma's automation workflows, triggers, and email sequences cannot be transferred to HubSpot.
Workaround: Document all Emma automations and rebuild as HubSpot workflows.
Group/segment Membership Does Not Sync
Emma groups and segments do not map to HubSpot lists through the native data sync.
Workaround: Recreate segmentation using HubSpot active lists based on synced contact properties.
The 24 Items That Get Rebuilt by Hand
This is the list that separates a quote that holds from one that does not.
Data And Objects
Groups and Segments
Emma groups hold audience membership, with segments layered on as saved filters.
HubSpot: Static lists and active lists
Groups map to static lists cleanly. Segments are rules and have to be rebuilt as active lists or they freeze on arrival.
Suppression and Opt-out Lists
Unsubscribes and suppressed addresses held at account and subaccount level.
HubSpot: Unsubscribed contacts and the opt-out list
Collect from every subaccount, not just the parent. Import before the first send.
Email Engagement History
Per-contact open and click history behind Emma's response reporting.
HubSpot: No equivalent import path
Cannot be imported as engagement. Export it if anyone reports on it, and expect the new baseline to start at the cutover.
Subaccount Membership Data
Which subaccount a contact belongs to, in Emma's parent and child account structure.
HubSpot: Contact property or list membership
HubSpot has one contact database, so subaccount becomes a property. Decide early, because it drives list logic, reporting and access.
Automation
Automated Campaigns
Emma's automated send paths, built in its visual workflow tool.
HubSpot: Workflows
Rebuilt step by step. Screenshot each Emma workflow before the account lapses, because the logic is not exportable in a readable form.
Triggered Email Series
Sends fired by a contact action or field change.
HubSpot: Workflows
Confirm what each trigger really watches. Emma triggers on group membership more often than teams remember.
Welcome and Onboarding Sequences
The first-contact series after a signup.
HubSpot: Workflows
The triggering form is being rebuilt too, so rebuild the enrolment rather than translating it.
Date-triggered Automations
Sends keyed to a date held on the contact record.
HubSpot: Date-based workflow enrolment
Needs the source date to land as a real date property, which is an import decision rather than a workflow one.
Reporting
Campaign Performance Reports
Per-mailing open, click and bounce reporting.
HubSpot: Marketing email analytics
Historical mailings do not transfer. Export a final set before access ends.
A/B Test Results
Split-test outcomes recorded against past mailings.
HubSpot: No equivalent import path
Lost with the send history. Record any standing conclusions somewhere outside the tool.
Response Rate and Engagement Analytics
Emma's response reporting across mailings and groups.
HubSpot: Marketing email analytics and custom reports
Rebuild against HubSpot's own metrics. Emma and HubSpot do not count a unique open the same way, so the numbers will not line up.
Custom Reports
Saved report configurations used for recurring reporting.
HubSpot: Custom reports and dashboards
Rebuild from the question each report answers rather than its old layout.
Sales And Marketing Config
Email Templates
Branded mailing templates built in Emma's editor.
HubSpot: Marketing email templates
No import path between editors. Rebuild from brand assets rather than pasting exported HTML, which brings the old editor's markup with it.
Emma Landing Pages
Hosted pages built in Emma, where the account used them.
HubSpot: Landing pages
Rebuilt page by page. Check which are linked externally before retiring the URLs.
Signup Forms
Embedded and hosted signup forms feeding Emma groups.
HubSpot: Forms
Every website embed has to be swapped at cutover or signups keep landing in the old account.
A/B Testing Configuration
Subject line and content test setups attached to mailings.
HubSpot: Marketing email A/B testing
Set up per send rather than migrated. Carry over the testing convention, not the configuration.
Lead Scoring
Engagement scoring used to rank contacts.
HubSpot: Score properties
Built from scratch against the signals HubSpot records, which are not the same set Emma scored on.
Visual Automation Builder Logic
The branching logic drawn in Emma's automation canvas.
HubSpot: Workflows with branching logic
Translated by hand. Branch conditions are where the meaning shifts, so walk each branch with the person who owns the campaign.
Users And Permissions
User Accounts and Permission Levels
Logins and the access level attached to each.
HubSpot: Users and permission sets
Created fresh. Audit the list first: subaccount structures tend to accumulate stale logins.
Subaccount Admin Structure
Emma's parent and child account hierarchy and who administers each.
HubSpot: Teams and permission sets
HubSpot has no subaccount concept, so this becomes teams plus access rules. Confirm whether the client actually needs the separation before rebuilding it.
Send Approval Workflows
Sign-off steps required before a mailing goes out.
HubSpot: Marketing email approvals
Confirm the approval feature is available on the plan being bought before promising it, and agree a manual process as the fallback.
Integrations
Third-party App Connections
Connectors joining Emma to the rest of the stack.
HubSpot: App Marketplace integrations
Reconnected individually. Check field mapping on each rather than assuming a same-named connector behaves the same.
Custom API Integrations
Bespoke code written against the Emma API.
HubSpot: HubSpot APIs
Rewritten against a different object model. Scope against the code itself.
Webhook Triggers
Outbound webhooks fired by Emma events.
HubSpot: Workflow webhook actions
The receiving endpoint expects Emma's payload shape, so both ends usually need work, not just the sending side.
The Sequence
Sync First, Then Migrate
Order is the content here. These are a dependency chain, and running them out of order is a documented way these migrations fail.
- 1
Audit Emma Account
groups, segments, automations, templates, integrations, subaccounts
- 2
Export All Members/subscribers as CSV With Custom Fields and Group Memberships
Export all members/subscribers as CSV with custom fields and group memberships
- 3
Export Suppression List (opted-out, Bounced, Inactive Members)
Export suppression list (opted-out, bounced, inactive members)
- 4
Export Email Template HTML/content for Reference
Export email template HTML/content for reference
- 5
Document All Automated Campaigns With Triggers, Conditions, Timing, and Content
Document all automated campaigns with triggers, conditions, timing, and content
- 6
If Using Subaccounts, Plan Mapping Strategy to HubSpot (teams, Custom Properties, or Business Units)
If using subaccounts, plan mapping strategy to HubSpot (teams, custom properties, or business units)
- 7
Clean Data
deduplicate, validate emails, standardize fields
- 8
Import Suppression List Into HubSpot BEFORE Marketing Sends
Import suppression list into HubSpot BEFORE marketing sends
- 9
Import Contacts With Field Mapping to HubSpot Properties
Import contacts with field mapping to HubSpot properties
- 10
Recreate Groups/segments as HubSpot Active Lists
Recreate groups/segments as HubSpot active lists
- 11
Rebuild Email Templates in HubSpot's Email Editor
Rebuild email templates in HubSpot's email editor
- 12
Recreate Automated Campaigns as HubSpot Workflows
Recreate automated campaigns as HubSpot workflows
- 13
Rebuild Forms and Landing Pages in HubSpot
Rebuild forms and landing pages in HubSpot
- 14
Configure Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
Configure email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- 15
Warm Sending Domain Over 4-6 Weeks
Warm sending domain over 4-6 weeks
- 16
Decommission Emma After Successful Transition
Decommission Emma after successful transition
Typically 2-4 weeks end to end, depending on how much of the source configuration is actually in use.
Effort Estimator
How Big Is This Migration?
A handful of questions, no email required. The ranges come from the research above: every feature we mapped carries an effort figure, and this adds up the ones that apply to you.
Estimated Effort
Answer a couple of questions and an hours range appears here.
Built from our research on 23 Emma features. It is a range, not a quote.
A planning range, not a quote. It is delivery effort only, with no project management line and no agency markup, so add your own. What moves it most in practice is data quality.
What Goes Wrong Most Often
The failures that show up again and again, in roughly the order they bite.
Emma Subaccount Structures Creating Complexity in HubSpot Mapping
Emma subaccount structures creating complexity in HubSpot mapping
Forgetting to Import Suppression Lists Before First HubSpot Send
Forgetting to import suppression lists before first HubSpot send
Emma's Approval Workflow Feature Not Having a Direct HubSpot Equivalent (requires Custom Process)
Emma's approval workflow feature not having a direct HubSpot equivalent (requires custom process)
Complex Multi-brand Setups Requiring HubSpot Business Units Add-on
Complex multi-brand setups requiring HubSpot Business Units add-on
Email Engagement History Not Carrying Over, Affecting Initial Segmentation Decisions
Email engagement history not carrying over, affecting initial segmentation decisions
Emma's Professional Services Involvement in Integration Setup Adding Timeline Dependencies
Emma's Professional Services involvement in integration setup adding timeline dependencies
Questions
Emma To HubSpot, Answered
Yes. Data sync, two way, covering 1 object. What it does not do is rebuild configuration: that is the 24 items below.
Typically 2-4 weeks. Complexity is driven by automation and reporting depth, not by record count: the connector moves records, so a large database is not by itself a long project.
Of 23 features we mapped, 19 (83%) carry across directly and 4 (17%) map partially, meaning something is lost or reshaped. 0 have no HubSpot equivalent at any tier.
24 items have to be rebuilt by hand, and 6 documented limitations are not surfaced by the connector at all. The full list of both is on this page.
Free HubSpot CRM or higher
Only in one direction. The sync is not bidirectional here, so a parallel period means picking a system of record and accepting drift in the other.
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