Unsubscribe Link Merge Tags for Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign and SendGrid

Each platform has its own unsubscribe tag, and using the wrong one leaves a dead link in your footer. Mailchimp uses *|UNSUB|*, HubSpot {{ unsubscribe_link }}, ActiveCampaign %UNSUBSCRIBELINK%, and SendGrid two different tags: {{{unsubscribe}}} in Marketing Campaigns and <%asm_group_unsubscribe_raw_url%> through the Email API. Put the tag in the href of your footer link, and send a test to make sure it turns into a real URL.

Sources, read 2 November 2026: Mailchimp's merge tag cheat sheet, HubSpot's HubL variables reference, ActiveCampaign's Unsubscribe Link vs Unsubscribe Link (All Lists) and default footer articles, SendGrid's email editor and group unsubscribes docs.

The tags, side by side

Platform	Unsubscribe link	Preferences link	Address
Mailchimp	*|UNSUB|*	*|UPDATE_PROFILE|*	*|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|*
HubSpot	{{ unsubscribe_link }} (preferences page or unsubscribe)	same tag; {{ unsubscribe_link_all }} for all types	set in the email footer settings
ActiveCampaign	%UNSUBSCRIBELINK% (lists the campaign went to)	see the Personalization Tags menu	the address personalization tag
SendGrid Marketing Campaigns	{{{unsubscribe}}}	{{{unsubscribe_preferences}}}	{{Sender_Address}} and the other Sender tags
SendGrid Email API	<%asm_group_unsubscribe_raw_url%>	<%asm_preferences_raw_url%>	in your own template

Platform notes that trip people up

• Mailchimp: add *|UNSUB|* with the link tool so the text is clickable, rather than pasting the bare tag as text.
• HubSpot: {{ unsubscribe_link }} prints a URL, so it belongs inside href. HubSpot also has {{ unsubscribe_section }}, which renders a whole block with help text.
• ActiveCampaign: typing the tags by hand into the footer doesn't replace the default footer. Its help center says the default footer is removed only once both the unsubscribe and the address personalization tags are inserted.
• SendGrid Marketing Campaigns: three braces, {{{unsubscribe}}}. SendGrid's editor docs say the ASM tags are reserved for the Email API and should never be used in Marketing Campaigns.
• SendGrid Email API: the _raw_url versions are for an href with your own wording; <%asm_group_unsubscribe_url%> makes its own link. SendGrid says you must pass an unsubscribe group in the API or X-SMTPAPI request, or the link won't populate.

Build the footer

1. Open the email footer generator.
2. Enter your business name and postal address (a street address, registered P.O. box or registered private mailbox).
3. Pick your platform's tag from the list, or choose "my own unsubscribe URL" for anything else. The tag is written into the href exactly as your platform expects it.
4. Add an optional preferences link, a line on why the reader gets the email, and a contact address.
5. Copy the HTML and plain-text versions. The page runs the footer through the CAN-SPAM compliance checker so you can see what's still missing.
6. Send yourself a test and click the link. A tag that shows up as literal text in the inbox is the wrong tag for that platform or sending path.

What the footer link doesn't cover

Google's sender guidelines ask anyone sending more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail for one-click unsubscribe plus a clearly visible unsubscribe link in the body, and its sender FAQ says a mailto link in the body doesn't meet the one-click requirement and that requests should be honoured within 48 hours. The one-click part is a List-Unsubscribe header, which most platforms add for you; for your own sending, the List-Unsubscribe header generator writes it. See one-click unsubscribe and the CAN-SPAM footer for the rest.

The footer generator is not legal advice.

Where SimpleVerifier fits

Unsubscribes are people telling you to stop; bounces are addresses that were never going to read it. Check the list before the send on the verify page; the first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in. Pro is $39 a month with the first 100,000 checks a month at full speed, then slower, never cut off. See pricing.