Top 5 Best Zendesk Sell Data Migration Solutions
A practical, no-fluff guide to leaving Zendesk Sell before the August 31, 2027 retirement, comparing five concrete options: ClonePartner, Pipedrive’s importer, Import2, Syncmatters, and Faye. You’ll see where each fits, where it doesn’t, and how a pilot plus delta can cut downtime to roughly a day or two.
Planning a migration?
Get a free 30-min call with our engineers. We'll review your setup and map out a custom migration plan — no obligation.
Schedule a free call- 1,500+ migrations completed
- Zero downtime guaranteed
- Transparent, fixed pricing
- Project success responsibility
- Post-migration support included
Zendesk has announced that it will retire Zendesk Sell on August 31, 2027. Customers can keep using Sell until then, but everyone will eventually need to move their CRM data to a new home. For customers still using Zendesk Sell, migrations will become an essential project. If you delay, you risk rushed timelines, loss of historical context, and disruption to sales operations.
Below are five Zendesk Sell data migration solutions. For each, you will find what the product or service does, where it works well, and where it may not fit. The goal is to help you choose a Zendesk Sell migration tool or service that matches your timeline, complexity, and budget.
How these five were selected: We evaluated tools and services that (1) explicitly support Zendesk Sell as a source, (2) have documented object-level migration coverage, and (3) offer at least a test or sample migration capability. Tools with no public documentation of Sell support were excluded.
Disclosure: ClonePartner authored this post and is included in the list below. We have moved it to the end of the list and labeled it clearly. You should weigh that conflict accordingly and evaluate all options against your own requirements.
Zendesk Sell object support comparison
The table below summarizes which core Sell objects each tool or service supports. "Partial" means the object migrates but with known gaps or workarounds required. Check each vendor's current documentation before committing, as support matrices change.
| Object | Pipedrive Native Importer | Import2 | Syncmatters | Faye Utility | ClonePartner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Companies / Accounts | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Deals / Opportunities | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Leads | Partial (CSV) | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Products | Partial (CSV) | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Opportunity line items | Partial (CSV) | Unsupported | Confirm with vendor | Confirm with vendor | Supported |
| Activities (calls, meetings, tasks) | Partial (CSV) | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Notes | Partial (CSV) | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Custom fields | Manual pre-mapping | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Email threads | Unsupported | Unsupported (export gap in Sell) | Confirm with vendor | Confirm with vendor | Partial (depends on Sell export) |
| Attachments / Documents | Unsupported | Confirm with vendor | Confirm with vendor | Supported (optional) | Supported |
| Pipeline / Stage mapping | Manual | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Owner re-mapping | Manual | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
Sources: Import2 public migration matrix, Faye product page, Pipedrive import documentation, Syncmatters public entity pages. Cells marked "Confirm with vendor" reflect absent public documentation at time of writing.
Decision framework
Three questions narrow the field quickly:
- What is your destination CRM? Faye's utility is Pipedrive-only. Pipedrive's native importer is Pipedrive-only. Import2 and Syncmatters cover multiple destinations. ClonePartner is destination-agnostic.
- How many records and custom objects do you have? CSV-based tools (Pipedrive native importer) become error-prone above a few thousand records with complex relationships. Automated platforms and services handle higher volumes more reliably.
- Do you have non-standard objects or transforms? Opportunity line items, activity threading, owner re-mapping, and attachment carryover are the four most common failure points. If any apply, a self-serve CSV tool is unlikely to be sufficient.
Top migration risks for Zendesk Sell
Before choosing a tool, understand where Sell migrations routinely fail:
- Email thread export gap. Zendesk Sell does not expose full email thread content via its standard export. Any tool claiming full email migration should be asked to demonstrate this specifically.
- Opportunity line items. Import2 explicitly does not support these in its standard Sell migration matrix. Other tools should be asked directly.
- Activity linkage. Activities in Sell are linked to multiple object types. Flat CSV exports break these relationships. Verify that your chosen tool reconstructs them in the destination.
- Owner mapping. If rep names or email addresses differ between Sell and the destination, automated tools will create orphaned records or assign everything to a default owner. Map owners before migration, not after.
- Custom field type mismatches. Sell picklist values that have no equivalent in the destination must be transformed or dropped. Document every custom field and its destination equivalent before running a full migration.
- Delta migration handling. If your team keeps working in Sell during a migration window, you need a plan to capture records created or updated after the initial export. Ask each vendor how they handle delta sync or incremental runs.
- Pipedrive's Native Importer
What it is: Pipedrive includes built-in CSV import and also surfaces a partner pathway to Import2 for direct CRM-to-Pipedrive moves. This is often the simplest route if your destination is Pipedrive and your Sell export maps cleanly to Pipedrive's objects.
Pros:
- Included CSV importer for basic objects. No extra software for simple moves.
- Supports creating matching custom fields first, then auto-maps during import.
- Works for clean, well-structured exports from Sell with low record counts.
Cons:
- CSV imports require you to export, cleanse, and map data carefully. Complex history or many-to-many links become error-prone in spreadsheets above a few thousand records.
- Activity linkages, nested structures, and multi-object histories require manual reconstruction.
- Not suitable if your destination is anything other than Pipedrive.
Pricing: Included with Pipedrive subscriptions. No additional charge for the native CSV importer.
- Import2
What it is: Automated migration platform with direct integrations and a long track record. It can run sample migrations, apply field mappings, and perform full migrations into targets including Pipedrive. Also available inside Pipedrive as "Import from other software."
Pros:
- Public documentation covering which Sell objects are supported: companies, contacts, leads, opportunities, products, calls, and meetings.
- Integrated in Pipedrive's "Import from other software" flow, which keeps the process contained for Pipedrive destinations.
- Sample migration option lets you validate mappings before running the full job.
Cons:
- Opportunity line items are explicitly unsupported in Import2's standard Sell migration matrix.
- Email export from Sell is unsupported, which means email thread history will not carry over.
- Custom transforms and non-standard relationships may require a services engagement beyond the self-serve platform.
Pricing: Import2 offers self-serve pricing tiers. Contact Import2 directly for current rates; pricing varies by record volume and object scope.
- Syncmatters
What it is: An automated migration platform with guided paths for Zendesk Sell migrations to various CRMs. They offer online chat, a free demo, and sample migration options so you can test before committing.
Pros:
- Ready-made flows for Zendesk Sell to common destinations.
- Public pages outline entities and common object mappings, which helps scope your project before engaging their team.
- Sample migrations available before full commitment.
Cons:
- Public documentation is broad. You will need to contact support to confirm support for specific Sell objects — particularly opportunity line items and email threads — before assuming coverage.
- Complex, nonstandard relationships or heavy field transforms may require a professional services engagement beyond the default automated flows.
Pricing: Contact Syncmatters directly. They offer both self-serve and assisted migration tiers.
- Faye
What it is: A CX and CRM consultancy that released a Zendesk Sell to Pipedrive Migration Utility. The tool migrates accounts, contacts, deals, leads, activities, notes, products, and optional documents, with a test migration to validate before go-live.
Pros:
- Purpose-built for the Sell-to-Pipedrive path, with documented relationship preservation.
- Includes a test migration to validate results before cutover.
- Covers documents and attachments as an optional add-on, which most automated tools do not.
Cons:
- Pipedrive is the only supported destination. If you are moving to HubSpot, Salesforce, or another CRM, this tool does not apply.
- Productized scope means highly bespoke requirements — non-standard objects, complex transforms — may require custom services work on top of the utility.
Pricing: Contact Faye directly for current pricing on the migration utility.
- ClonePartner (this post's author)
What it is: A specialist service team that delivers custom, engineer-led, end-to-end migrations with security reviews, field-level mapping, validation runs, and cutover planning. Suited for migrations with custom objects, historical activities, attachments, or owner and stage remapping requirements that exceed what automated tools handle.
Pros:
- Tailored field-level mapping, historical activity carryover, and cross-tool data alignment.
- Iterative test migrations before full cutover to catch mapping errors early.
- Destination-agnostic: works whether you are moving to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, or another CRM.
- Handles opportunity line items, owner re-mapping, pipeline and stage translations, and activity history threading.
Cons:
- Requires discovery, scheduling, and documentation coordination with the team. Not the right choice if you need a same-day self-serve import.
- Services pricing scales with scope. For small, clean datasets going to Pipedrive, a self-serve tool will likely be faster and cheaper.
Pricing: Scoped per project after a discovery call. Contact ClonePartner for a fixed-scope quote.
Bottom line
Zendesk Sell sunsets on August 31, 2027. The deadline is defined; the risk is in how you use the time between now and then.
If your destination is Pipedrive and your data is clean and low-volume, start with Pipedrive's native importer or Faye's Sell-to-Pipedrive utility.
If you want an automated platform with documented Sell object support, Import2 is the most transparent about what it covers — and what it does not. Syncmatters offers similar automation with multi-destination support; confirm your specific object requirements with their team before committing.
If you have custom fields, opportunity line items, activity threading, attachments, or owner remapping requirements, a self-serve CSV tool will likely require significant manual cleanup. A services engagement is worth pricing out before you spend that time.
Whatever you choose: run a test migration, validate record counts and relationship integrity, and document your field mappings before cutover.
FAQs
Q. When is Zendesk Sell shutting down, and why should I plan my migration now?
- Zendesk Sell is scheduled to retire on August 31, 2027. Planning now prevents rushed timelines, missed mappings, and reporting gaps during cutover. A test migration plus a delta migration pass to capture records created after the initial export usually keeps downtime to hours rather than days.
Q. What is the best Zendesk Sell migration tool or service for complex data?
- For heavy custom fields, historical activities, documents, or tricky owner and stage remaps, a specialist migration service gives you more control over field-level mapping and validation. Automated tools are faster to start, but the object support gaps documented above — particularly opportunity line items and email threads — become real problems at higher complexity.
Q. Which Zendesk Sell objects typically migrate?
- Commonly moved objects include companies, contacts, deals, pipelines and stages, activities, notes, products, tags, custom fields, and documents. Email threads have an export gap on the Sell side that affects all tools. Opportunity line items are unsupported by Import2 in its standard matrix; confirm support with any other vendor before assuming coverage.
Q. How much does a Zendesk Sell migration cost?
- Self-serve tools vary by vendor and record volume — contact Import2 or Syncmatters directly for current rates. Services engagements are scoped per project; complexity, object count, and custom transforms drive the price. Request a fixed-scope quote after a test migration so you know what you are paying for before the full run.
Q. Can I migrate custom fields from Zendesk Sell?
- Yes. Create matching custom fields in the destination first. Then map field types, picklists, and option values. Document any transforms required — for example, splitting a combined field or normalizing picklist values — before running the migration. Mismatched field types are one of the most common sources of data loss in Sell migrations.
Q. Where can I learn more about the Zendesk Sell shutdown?
- We have written a detailed blog post about the timeline, impact, and alternatives here: Zendesk Sell is Shutting Down: Timeline, Impact, and Alternatives
