Migrating from HubSpot to GoHighLevel: A Step-by-Step Plan

Many growing businesses decide to migrate HubSpot to GoHighLevel to bring CRM, funnels, calendars, SMS and reputation tools into one platform, often at a lower total cost. The move itself is where things go wrong: lost contact history, broken automations and a sales team that stops trusting the new system. A structured migration plan avoids all three.

Is GoHighLevel the right move?

Be honest about fit before you start.

If you rely heavily on advanced HubSpot features such as complex custom objects, enterprise reporting or a large sales team with sequences, map those needs carefully before switching.

Phase 1: Audit what you have

• Data: contacts, companies, deals, tickets, notes, emails, call logs and custom properties

• Automations: workflows, sequences, lead scoring and lists

• Assets: forms, landing pages, email templates and meeting links

• Integrations: every tool connected to HubSpot

• Reports: dashboards your team actually uses

Mark each item as migrate, rebuild, replace or retire. Many businesses find a large share of old workflows and properties are no longer used.

Phase 2: Map your data

Create a mapping sheet that matches each HubSpot field to its GoHighLevel destination:

Decide how much history to migrate. Contact records and open deals are essential; years of email engagement history may be better kept as an archive export.

Phase 3: Clean before you move

Migration is the best time to fix data. Deduplicate contacts, standardise phone numbers in international format, remove bounced and unsubscribed emails from marketing lists while retaining their opt-out status, and delete unused properties.

Mid-article CTA: Planning a CRM switch? Book a free audit call and we will build your migration map.

Phase 4: Build and rebuild

1. Set up pipelines, custom fields and tags first, so imported data lands correctly.

2. Import contacts and opportunities using CSV or an API-based migration for larger datasets.

3. Rebuild forms, calendars and funnels.

4. Recreate essential workflows, improving them rather than copying old logic blindly.

5. Reconnect integrations through native connectors, webhooks or automation tools.

6. Configure email sending domains and phone numbers, including A2P 10DLC registration.

Phase 5: Test and train

• Test every form, workflow and integration with sample records

• Verify that counts match: contacts, open deals and pipeline values

• Run a pilot week with part of the team

• Train staff on daily tasks: managing conversations, moving opportunities and booking appointments

Phase 6: Cutover

Pick a quiet period. Freeze changes in HubSpot, run a final delta import of anything created since the main migration, switch forms and integrations to GoHighLevel and keep HubSpot read-only for a short period as a safety net.

Common migration mistakes

• Importing dirty data and recreating old problems

• Losing opt-out status, which creates compliance risks

• Switching domains for email without warming up the new sending domain

• Forgetting hidden integrations, such as a website form posting to HubSpot

• Skipping training, so the team keeps working in spreadsheets

Frequently asked questions

How long does a HubSpot to GoHighLevel migration take? Small accounts can move in one to three weeks. Larger accounts with many workflows and integrations may take four to eight weeks.

Can I migrate email history? Partial history can sometimes be migrated as notes, but full engagement history usually does not transfer. Keep an archive export.

Will my automations transfer automatically? No. Workflows must be rebuilt in GoHighLevel, which is a good opportunity to simplify them.

Do I lose my HubSpot data when I cancel? Export everything you need before cancelling, and check HubSpot's current data retention terms.

Switch CRMs without losing momentum

Calari Solutions plans and executes CRM migrations with data mapping, cleaning, workflow rebuilds and team training, so your pipeline keeps moving. Schedule a free audit call to get a migration plan for your account.