Switch from GRIN to KALO IQ: a clean migration guide for 2026
GRIN restructured pricing in 2026 to 5 tiers starting at $399/mo for 15 creators and climbing to $1,799/mo at the Complete tier. The platform still works for big enterprise programs but the per-creator caps and the discovery gap (GRIN removed creator discovery from some plans without notice) are pushing US DTC teams to look for something cleaner. This guide walks you through the 5-step migration to KALO IQ at $79 to $399/mo, what to export from GRIN before you cancel and how to keep your existing campaign data intact.
Why US brands are leaving GRIN in 2026
Three reasons keep coming up in switch conversations.
Reason 1: per-creator caps make growth expensive
GRIN's 2026 tiers cap how many creators you can manage:
- Lite: $399/mo, 15 creators
- Essentials: $699/mo, 100 creators
- Growth: $1,149/mo, 200 creators
- Complete: $1,799/mo, 400 creators plus API access
The Lite tier blocks you at 15 creators. Most US DTC brands burn through 15 in a single seeding campaign. The next tier up is $300/mo more for an extra 85 creator slots. The math forces you to either keep upgrading or run smaller programs than your budget would otherwise allow.
KALO IQ does not cap how many creators you can manage on any plan. Your only cap is email unlocks, which controls how many you can reach out to in a given month.
Reason 2: discovery feature changes mid-contract
GRIN scaled back creator discovery in 2024 and some users reported losing access to features they had paid for without advance notice. If your team relies on creator search and discovery, GRIN's positioning has shifted toward "creator management" and away from "creator discovery." For brands that need both in one tool, that is a structural mismatch.
KALO IQ is discovery-first. 100M hand-verified US creators in the database, full search filters at every plan tier including Starter at $79/mo. Discovery and management both live in the same workflow.
Reason 3: enterprise UI for non-enterprise teams
GRIN is built for big creator programs with 200+ active partnerships and a dedicated team to run them. The UI shows the weight of that. Multiple sub-modules, longer onboarding, more clicks per task. For a 3-person DTC marketing team running 20 creators, that surface area is overkill.
KALO IQ is built for self-serve teams. Sign up, search, shortlist, send outreach, track results. No sales call required to start.
GRIN vs KALO IQ cost comparison
Real numbers for the same use case: a US DTC team managing 75 creators across Instagram and TikTok.
| Cost line | GRIN Essentials | KALO IQ Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $699 | $199 |
| Annual cost | $8,388 | $2,388 |
| Annual cost with discount | n/a (month-to-month only at this tier) | $1,672 (30% off) |
| Creators included | 100 | Unlimited |
| Seats | Negotiated | 3 |
| Discovery search | Limited | Full 100M+ database |
| Outreach | Built in | 2,000 email unlocks/mo |
| Free trial | 30 days | Free plan, no trial limit |
Switching from GRIN Essentials to KALO IQ Growth saves $6,000 per year on annual billing or $6,716 with the KALO IQ annual discount. That assumes one-for-one feature parity, which is roughly true for US DTC discovery and outreach workflows.
The 5-step migration plan
Step 1: export your creator data from GRIN
Before you do anything else, get your data out. In GRIN:
- Go to Creators in the sidebar.
- Filter by Active. Select all.
- Click Export and pick CSV.
- Repeat for past campaigns. Export each campaign's creator list and the performance data attached.
The CSV should include creator handle, platform, follower count, contact email if unlocked and any notes or tags your team added. Save these to a folder labelled with the export date.
Step 2: pull your campaign performance reports
GRIN reporting lives under Analytics. Pull the last 12 months of campaign-level results: spend, posts, impressions, clicks, conversions if you tracked them. Export each report as PDF or CSV. You will use these to seed your KALO IQ baselines so you can compare quarter-over-quarter after switching.
Step 3: sign up for KALO IQ and import your creator list
Free plan is enough to test the workflow. Sign up at kaloiq.com/signup, confirm your email, then go to Lists in the sidebar. Click Import and upload the CSV from Step 1. KALO IQ will match each creator handle against the verified US database and flag any that are not in the system. Most US creators with over 5,000 followers will be in there.
Creators that match get full profile enrichment immediately: verified contact email, audience demographics, engagement history, fake follower check. Creators that do not match can be added as custom entries and tracked manually.
Step 4: rebuild your active campaigns in KALO IQ
For each active campaign in GRIN, create the equivalent campaign in KALO IQ under Campaigns > New. Add the creators from your imported list. Set up tracked links and discount codes if you use them. Configure outreach templates if you use them in GRIN. The whole rebuild for a single campaign takes about 20 minutes.
Step 5: cancel GRIN at the end of your contract term
If you signed an annual GRIN contract, you cannot cancel mid-term. Calculate your contract end date and schedule the cancellation. If you are on the newer month-to-month GRIN tier, cancel at the end of your current billing month.
Keep GRIN running in read-only mode for 30 days after KALO IQ goes live. That gives you a safety net if you discover a creator or report you missed in your export.
What you will and will not get back from GRIN
Things GRIN lets you export:
- Creator lists with handle, platform and tags
- Campaign performance CSVs
- Discount code redemption data
- Conversion tracking data if connected to Shopify
Things GRIN does not let you export:
- Direct message threads with creators (you keep your email Gmail threads if you used Gmail, otherwise these are lost)
- Internal team notes attached to creator profiles (export tags and free-text notes as part of the CSV; check that your fields export properly)
- UGC content stored on GRIN's servers (download attached media before you cancel)
Switch to KALO IQ today
Start on the free plan to test the workflow. Upgrade to Starter at $79/mo when you are ready to run real outreach. Cancel GRIN when your contract ends. Total time to migrate one active campaign is about 90 minutes. The annual cost difference funds another marketing hire.
Frequently asked questions
Can I import my GRIN creator list into KALO IQ?
Yes. Export your creators from GRIN as CSV and upload via Lists in KALO IQ. Verified US creators get matched and enriched automatically. Custom or international creators can be added manually.
How much do I save switching from GRIN to KALO IQ?
For a typical US DTC team managing 75 creators, GRIN Essentials at $699/mo against KALO IQ Growth at $199/mo saves $6,000/yr. With the KALO IQ annual discount it saves $6,716/yr.
Can I cancel GRIN mid-contract?
If you are on a GRIN annual contract, you cannot cancel mid-term without a fee. Wait until your renewal date. If you are on month-to-month, you can cancel anytime.
Does KALO IQ have GRIN's product seeding workflow?
Yes. KALO IQ supports product seeding campaigns with creator selection, shipping address collection and post tracking. The workflow is leaner than GRIN's but covers the same end-to-end flow.
Will I lose my historical campaign data switching from GRIN?
Export your historical campaign reports as PDF or CSV before you cancel. KALO IQ does not import historical campaign performance from GRIN automatically but you can upload past results as reference for your KALO IQ baselines.
Is KALO IQ better than GRIN for small DTC brands?
For brands managing under 100 creators with a small team, yes. KALO IQ at $79 to $199/mo gives the same core workflow without the per-creator caps and without the enterprise UI overhead. GRIN starts to make sense at 200+ active creators with dedicated program managers.