Backing up your Instantly account before you cancel or downgrade

Last updated: July 4, 2026.

The short version: once your Instantly subscription expires you can't log in — which means you can't export anything until you pay again. That's documented in Instantly's own help center, and their advice matches ours: export everything you care about before the plan lapses. Most of it exports natively in a few clicks; the one big gap is your Unibox reply history.

What happens when the subscription ends

Two different things, and it's worth keeping them apart:

The checklist

Steps 1–5 use Instantly's built-in exports (their guide); step 6 is the gap that needs the API.

  1. Leads (CSV). CRM → All Leads → select the leads (or all) → Row actions → Download selected. Includes contact data, campaign/list membership, status, interest status and verification details.
  2. Campaign email activity (CSV). Open each campaign → Analytics → scroll to Activity → Download. Caveat: this is an event log — sends, opens, clicks, reply timestamps — it does not contain the text of any reply.
  3. Email accounts (CSV). Email Accounts dashboard → select accounts → three-dots menu → Download CSV. Handy as an inventory of sender addresses and tags before you disconnect them.
  4. Blocklist (CSV). Blocklist panel → select entries → Download CSV. Easy to forget, painful to rebuild — carry it to whatever tool comes next.
  5. Campaign analytics (JPG only). Campaign → Analytics → Share → Download. The dashboard exports this as an image, not data — if you need the numbers, the activity CSV from step 2 is the machine-readable source.
  6. Unibox replies — the gap. There is no native bulk export ("There is no direct way to bulk export all Unibox replies from the interface" — Instantly's help center). Your options are the v2 API: a DIY script, the open-source instantly-cli, or the ReplyVault extension. We compared all three honestly — effort, cost, limits — in how to export your Instantly Unibox replies: all 3 ways.

Downgrading instead of cancelling?

Same deadline, different trigger: API access is only included on Hypergrowth and above (Instantly's docs are inconsistent about this, but that's what the app enforces as of July 2026). Every bulk Unibox export route — script, CLI, or extension — depends on the API, so if you're stepping down to Growth to save money, run your Unibox export while you still have API access. The native exports in steps 1–5 keep working on any active paid plan.

Doing the Unibox export with ReplyVault? The free tier covers your newest 200 emails; $49 one-time for everything. Your API key and emails go only to Instantly — never to us. And to be fair: the DIY routes are free if you're comfortable with an API.

Frequently asked questions

Does Instantly delete my data when my subscription expires?

What's documented is lockout, not deletion: after expiry you can't log in or use any export function until you resubscribe. Whether — or when — data is deleted afterwards isn't publicly documented as of July 2026, so treat your renewal date as the deadline and ask Instantly support about retention if you need certainty.

Can I export my Unibox replies before cancelling?

Not from the interface — Instantly's help center confirms there is no bulk Unibox export. You can script it against the v2 API, use the open-source instantly-cli, or use the ReplyVault extension. All three need a plan with API access (currently Hypergrowth and above), so run the export before you cancel or downgrade.

What can I export from Instantly natively?

From the dashboard: your leads (CSV), campaign email activity events (CSV), email accounts (CSV), your blocklist (CSV), and campaign analytics as a JPG image. Unibox reply content is not included in any of them.

Do I lose API access if I downgrade from Hypergrowth?

Yes — tiers below Hypergrowth can't use v2 API keys, and every bulk Unibox export route depends on the API. If you're stepping down to Growth to save money, run your export while you still have API access.

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