How to Choose an Email Migration Tool
Many factors influence each migration project, and each project has a unique set of challenges. Choosing the right email migration tool involves assessing your needs, the functionality of available software, and the resources that you have, including your or your team's technical skills.
This guide explores three types of email migration software, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages. It also provides recommendations for choosing the best email migration tool for your needs and outlines the steps for using VaultMe for your migration project.
Types of email migration tools
1. Free tools for personal use
Free desktop email clients such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and Mailbird can be used to migrate emails from one account to another.
The general idea is to connect the source and destination email accounts to the app and then move the emails between these accounts manually. With some apps, you can drag and drop folders; with others, you need to export and import the emails manually.
Pros:
- Free
Cons:
- All manual transfers can provide inaccurate results that may be difficult to fix
- Your computer will have to stay powered on, and any interruptions in broadband connection or power supply can cause the migration to fail
- The email app will use a lot of processing power of your computer causing it to be slower to respond
- The process may take hours, days or even weeks, depending on the size of your account and the number of folders that you have
2. Free tools for business email migrations
Microsoft's IMAP migration tools and Google's data migration services are examples of free tools for migrating business email accounts. These tools offer basic functionality for transferring data between platforms but have limitations that may be critical for some migration projects.
Pros:
- Free
Cons:
- These tools are not ideal for migrations of multiple accounts or involving large volumes of data
- Identifying and troubleshooting migration issues can be complex, often requiring manual intervention by an experienced specialist
- Migrations tend to take much time, which may disrupt daily operations
- Support for migrations is unavailable or limited, and troubleshooting often relies on community forums and self-help documentation
3. Third-party tools for migrating personal and business accounts
There are many third-party email migration apps that automate the process of migrating email between online accounts. Third-party migration tools offer more flexibility, are optimized to handle migrations quickly, and are generally more robust when dealing with large volumes of data.
VaultMe is one of these tools. It helps individuals, businesses, universities, and IT professionals migrate emails, contacts, calendars, and files.
VaultMe's advantages include the following:
- VaultMe supports hundreds of email service providers, including Gmail / Google Workspace, Outlook / Microsoft 365, Yahoo, Zoho Mail, GoDaddy, AOL, and iCloud
- VaultMe supports multiple email protocols, including IMAP
- VaultMe is an online migration tool, requiring no software download or installation
- The app ensures all content retains its original organization, formatting, and dates in the destination account
- VaultMe employs industry-leading security measures to protect data during migration
- The service includes dedicated support, helping users with pre-migration questions, migration progress tracking, and post-migration inquiries when necessary
How to select a migration tool for your project
When deciding between free migration tools and paid third-party migration solutions, consider the following factors:
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The scope of your migration project.
While small accounts can be migrated using desktop email applications, this approach is only recommended for personal use. If you need to migrate your company's email accounts or have a client who needs this task done, avoid using desktop email clients for your project.
Native tools offered by email service providers might work for many small projects, but they often have trouble handling complex migration scenarios or large volumes of data. Third-party tools are often more reliable, especially for migrations involving multiple types of data (emails, contacts, calendars, files).
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Ease of use of the email migration tool.
Free native tools offered by email service providers often require a lot of manual work. Third-party migration apps automate many steps of the migration process, significantly reducing the need for manual tasks. This makes third-party solutions a more suitable choice for businesses with limited technical skills.
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Availability of support.
Support for free tools is often unavailable or limited, while paid tools, including VaultMe, offer dedicated support.
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Cost.
Many desktop email applications and native migration tools offered by email service providers are available for free, while third-party tools typically involve additional costs. If budget constraints are a primary concern and your migration is relatively simple, free tools may be a viable option. However, investing in third-party tools is often reasonable as it translates to time savings and a lower risk of issues arising during the migration process.
How to use VaultMe as your email migration tool
If you have multiple user accounts that you'd prefer to migrate in batches or a complex migrations scenario, we recommend using VaultMe for Admins.
If, however, you only have one or two accounts to migrate, consider transferring them one by one using VaultMe for Individuals.
To transfer users' data using VaultMe for Admins:
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Navigate to the app.
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Select "Migrate or archive multiple user accounts (advanced)."
How to sign up for VaultMe for Admins -
Create a VaultMe for Admins account.
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Select your source and destination service providers. If your email service provider is not listed, select "IMAP."
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Decide how you want to connect your source accounts. Depending on your service provider, you may be limited to manually connecting each source user account.
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Connect your destination accounts. We recommend using domain authorization for Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
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Create a migration plan.
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Select what types of content you want to copy. If you are migrating from IMAP accounts, you will be able to copy only emails.
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Select how your copied content should be organized in the destination.
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Let the app calculate the final fee and proceed to checkout. (Our prices are outlined on this page: VaultMe's Pricing. Refer to the VaultMe for Admins pricing.)
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Start your migration. Feel free to close your browser or even power off your computer.
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Check back to see the progress of your migration. You'll receive an email notification when it's complete.
After your migration ends, you will have 30 days to sync changes between the accounts if needed.
To transfer your content using VaultMe for Individuals:
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Navigate to the app.
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Select "Migrate a single user account to another account."
How to access VaultMe for Individuals -
Select your source and destination service providers. If your email service provider is not listed among the popular accounts, select "IMAP."
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Connect your accounts to the app.
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Decide what parts of the account you want to copy.
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Review your migration totals and the price. For more information about the prices, see this page: VaultMe's Pricing.
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Start your migration. Feel free to close your browser and even turn your computer off. You'll get an email in your destination account when the process is complete.
VaultMe will not remove any content from the source account. Everything in the source account will remain unchanged.
VaultMe will not forward any new emails to the destination account after your migration is complete.
Frequently asked questions about email migration
How do you migrate emails from one email address to another?
You can transfer your emails from one account to another manually using a desktop email app or automatically using a third-party migration tool. While there are many third-party apps for email migration, we recommend VaultMe because it creates as perfect an outcome as possible and is a user-friendly solution that requires minimal technical effort.
What is the best email migration tool?
Each migration is different, so there's no one-size-fits-all solution. A lot depends on your specific needs, including the size and complexity of the migration, budget, and technical expertise. One of the popular options is VaultMe. It works best for personal and business migrations between popular email platforms like Gmail, Outlook.com / Microsoft Office 365, and Yahoo. It also supports migrations from and to IMAP accounts as well as file migrations.
Is email migration difficult?
Manual transfers are often complicated, but they are not the only available option. If you want to avoid the hard work, consider using native migration tools offered by email service providers or third-party email software to automate the process.
How much does it cost to migrate email?
The cost of migrating email varies widely depending on several factors, including the size of the migration, the number of user accounts, the complexity of your project, and the tools you choose to use.
VaultMe's prices range from $12.99 to $59.99, plus data fees per account migrated. For more information about the prices, see this page: VaultMe's Pricing.
Related articles
Want to change your Gmail address? See this article for instructions: How to Change a Gmail Address.
Considering using Google Takeout for email migration? Review its pros and cons before making a decision: Alternative to Google Takeout.
Planning a migration to Google Workspace? See VaultMe's guide: How to Migrate to Google Workspace.