Short answer: Moving off Mindbody typically takes 4–6 weeks from decision to your last day on the old system, even though the data import itself is often done in under a week. What ties you in is rarely the data. It is your contract's renewal date and notice period, your members' saved payment cards, and any new clients who find you through the Mindbody app. Plan backwards from your cancellation deadline, give members 14 days' notice, split the calendar at a fixed cut-off date, and only close Mindbody once balances and payments match.
"We really should switch."
Plenty of studio owners say that out loud for a couple of years before they act on it. Mindbody has been around since 2001, and for many studios it was the first proper booking system they ever had. If you have been on it for a while, your members are used to it, your instructors could use it in their sleep, and every membership, class pack and payment lives there. Switching feels like surgery on a patient who is still walking around.
The good news is that moving the data is rarely the hard part. The hard part is timing, contracts, payments and communication. That is what this guide covers: whether it is time to switch, what ties you in, a realistic timeline, what to tell your members, and what tends to go wrong. For the data side (what to export, how fields map, and how to check balances after import), read our companion guide on migrating from Mindbody without losing data.
Is it time to leave Mindbody?
None of the signs below is a reason to switch on its own. But if you recognise three or more in the left-hand column, the decision deserves serious attention. If you recognise several on the right, you are better off waiting and preparing.
| Signs it is time | Signs you should wait |
|---|---|
| Your bill has gone up while your use of the system has not. | A large share of your new clients find you through the Mindbody app, and you have no other channel ready. |
| You pay for modules and add-ons you do not use. | Your contract has many months left, and leaving early means paying for two systems. |
| You run spreadsheets and workarounds alongside the system. | You are in the middle of the January rush or a new-term restart. |
| You need something your current setup does not give you, such as a simpler price structure, member data stored in the EU or a booking flow in your members' language. | You depend on an integration that the systems you are considering do not offer. |
| Your renewal date is coming up, and you have to decide anyway. | You do not have the time to do it properly over the next six weeks. |
The single most useful number to know is where your new clients come from. Pull a report on last year's new members. Our rule of thumb: if more than one in five came through the Mindbody app, have a replacement ready before you switch, not after. That might be an up-to-date Google Business Profile with reviews, Instagram, partnerships with physios or local employers, or an intro offer on your own website.
What ties you to Mindbody, and how do you deal with it?
It is rarely the data that keeps studios stuck. Member lists and history can be exported. These five things decide how easily you move on:
| Tie | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Contract term and renewal | Many software contracts renew automatically and need notice to cancel. Miss the deadline and you pay for another term. | Find the contract now. Note the renewal date, the notice period and how notice must be given. Set a reminder for the deadline. |
| Saved payment cards | Card details are not part of a normal export. Card numbers must never sit in ordinary files (PCI DSS), and a direct transfer needs both payment providers to cooperate. | Assume members on recurring memberships will need to set up payment again, unless your new provider confirms otherwise in writing. |
| Prepaid balances | Class packs, memberships, gift cards and account credit all have to come across with the right numbers and dates. | List every active product type before you export, and spot-check balances after the import. |
| The Mindbody app and reviews | Your profile and reviews in the Mindbody app do not move with you. | Build up your Google Business Profile and ask regulars for a review before you switch. |
| Habits | Members have a login and a link they always use. Instructors know the screens. | One clear message, a banner on the old booking page, and instructor training before members see anything new. |
Balances deserve extra attention. In our own studio booking report, covering more than 8,100 class bookings at 17 European boutique studios, 55.6% of bookings were paid with credit from a membership or a class pack. For most studios, prepaid balances are the first thing members notice if something goes wrong in the move.
How long does it take? A realistic week-by-week timeline
Providers often say a switch takes under a week, and that is true for the import itself. But the whole process, from deciding to the last booking on Mindbody, typically takes 4–6 weeks once you count the contract, testing, notice and overlap. Here is what it can look like:
| Week | What happens | Done when … |
|---|---|---|
| 0: Decide | Find the contract. Check where new clients come from. List every active product type. Compare systems and choose. | You know your last possible cancellation date and have chosen a system. |
| 1: Export and set up | Export members, active memberships, balances, and sales and booking history. Create classes, prices and rooms in the new system. | Every export file is saved in one place, and the timetable is ready. |
| 2: Import and test | Data is imported. Spot-check 10–20 members against Mindbody. Connect payments (Stripe). Book a class yourself as a member. | Balances, memberships and class capacity match, and a test payment has gone through. |
| 3: Notice | Email 1 to members, 14 days before the cut-off date. Train instructors. Prepare new links for your website, Instagram and Google profile. | Instructors can check members in and answer the most common questions. |
| 4: Overlap | Classes from the cut-off date are booked only in the new system. Mindbody runs the last classes to completion. Follow up with members who have not set up payment. | Every active member has set up payment, or you have a call list. |
| 5: Cut-off | Email 2 on the day. Close booking on Mindbody. Save a complete export. Confirm your cancellation has been registered. | No classes or charges run on Mindbody, and you have the cancellation in writing. |
Plan backwards from your cancellation deadline
Example (illustrative dates):
Your contract renews automatically on 1 March with a 30-day notice period. Your notice must arrive by the end of January. If you want to be fully off by 1 March with a couple of weeks' buffer, your cut-off date lands around mid-February, so the process starts in the first week of January, right in the middle of the busiest time of the year.
The fix is to give notice on time, spend January on the things members do not notice (contract, export, setup, testing), and put the member notice and overlap in February. If that does not work at all, waiting for the next renewal is often cheaper than switching under pressure.
What do you tell your members? Two emails you can copy
Two emails do most of the work. They sound obvious, but it is surprise, not the change itself, that creates support requests. Say briefly why, give a date, and spend most of the words on what is not changing. Fill in the fields in [brackets].
Email 1: 14 days before the cut-off date
Email 2: on the cut-off date
Keep email 2 short: one link, one call to action, no essay. Send email 1 at a time when you can answer replies for the next few days, put up a sign with a link or QR code in the studio, and give instructors the same answers so everyone says the same thing.
Follow-up: members who do not respond
A week after email 1, pull a list of active members who have neither logged in nor set up payment, and contact them personally, by text or with a quick word at their next class. This is where you keep the members who would otherwise quietly drift away.
The overlap: two systems without double bookings
Do not let members book the same class in two systems. The class can end up overbooked, and nobody knows which list is the real one. Split the calendar at a fixed cut-off date instead:
- Classes before the cut-off date run to completion on Mindbody, with the bookings already made.
- Classes from the cut-off date are booked only in the new system. Close or remove them on Mindbody on the same day you open booking in the new one.
- Mindbody is for reference only, for history and questions, until the overlap ends.
When should the new system open for bookings? In our booking report, the median time between booking and class start was 144.5 hours, roughly 6 days. Members book about a week ahead, so the new system should open for bookings at least a week before the cut-off date. Otherwise the first classes run half empty because members could not book them in time.
Watch payments during the overlap. Stop each recurring charge on Mindbody only once that member's new payment is set up, and make the first charge in the new system fall on the date the old one would have. That way you avoid both double charges and a free month nobody planned.
What can go wrong, and how do you avoid it?
| What goes wrong | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Your Mindbody contract renews because notice arrived too late. | Set the reminder for the notice deadline, not the cut-off date. Cancel in writing and keep the confirmation. |
| Members are charged twice, or not at all. | Stop the old charge only once the new payment is set up, and match the dates. |
| Class packs and memberships do not add up. | Spot-check 10–20 members before you send notice, and ask members to check their own balance in email 1. |
| Members cannot find the new booking page. | Email, a banner on the old booking page, and updated links on your website, Instagram and Google profile on the day. |
| Class capacity is wrong, so classes look full or get overbooked. | Check capacity on a few classes in every room before you open booking. |
| New clients from the Mindbody app dry up. | Build your Google profile and reviews before the switch, and track new-client numbers for the first few months. |
| History disappears when access closes. | Save a complete export of members, sales and bookings before you close. Your accountant needs to be able to find it. |
| Member data stays with a provider you no longer have a contract with. | Ask for deletion once your own export is saved. That is what a data processing agreement under GDPR (Article 28) is for. |
Decision checklist: are you ready to switch?
- ☐ I know my renewal date, my notice period and how notice must be given.
- ☐ I know what share of last year's new clients came through the Mindbody app.
- ☐ I have a list of every active product type: memberships, class packs, gift cards and courses.
- ☐ I have compared at least two systems against the same requirements.
- ☐ I know what the new provider will move for me, and what it costs.
- ☐ I know how members will pay from now on, and how recurring memberships get set up again.
- ☐ I have checked whether my classes are VAT-liable in my country, and the new system handles prices and receipts the way my accountant needs.
- ☐ I have chosen a cut-off date outside January and the start of a new term.
- ☐ I have 4–6 weeks with time to answer members and follow up.
- ☐ Email 1 and email 2 are written, and the instructors have been briefed.
- ☐ I have a plan to save a complete export and have data deleted at Mindbody afterwards.
If you can tick most of these, you are ready. If the first three are missing, start there: they set your timeline.
Compare more than one system
We are not neutral: this is Class Booking's own site. But the best advice we can give is to compare at least two or three systems against the same requirements before you sign, and to ask every provider the same three questions: What will you move for me? What does it cost? And what happens to recurring payments? Our guide to choosing the right booking system works as a checklist, and our Mindbody vs Class Booking comparison sets the two side by side.
If you choose Class Booking, a standard migration from Mindbody is included with onboarding at no extra cost: members, memberships, class history and remaining class-pack balances. Unusual jobs get a fixed price agreed before we start. You review everything in a test studio, and the two systems run side by side for about a week before cut-over. See how it works on our migration page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to migrate from Mindbody?
The data import itself typically takes under a week. The whole process, from decision to your last day on Mindbody, typically takes 4–6 weeks once you count the contract, testing, 14 days' notice to members and 1–2 weeks of overlap.
Will my members have to re-enter their payment cards?
Usually, yes. Saved card details are not part of a normal export, so members on recurring memberships need to set up payment again in the new system. In Class Booking they can pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay via Stripe. Say so in your first email so it does not catch anyone off guard.
When should I cancel my Mindbody contract?
Find the renewal date and notice period in your contract, and give written notice before the deadline, even if the switch is not finished yet. Put your cut-off date a couple of weeks before the contract ends so you have a buffer, and keep the confirmation of your cancellation.
Will I lose clients if I leave the Mindbody app?
It depends on where your new clients come from. Check last year's numbers: if a large share came through the app, build up your Google profile, reviews and your own channels before you switch. Reviews in the Mindbody app do not transfer.
What does it cost to move from Mindbody to Class Booking?
Class Booking starts at €10 / £8 a month (Pro €30 / £20, Studio €50 / £40), with no setup fee, no binding period and no commission on top of Stripe's standard fees. A standard migration from Mindbody is included with onboarding; unusual jobs get a fixed quote up front. You can try it free for 14 days without a card.
Ready to leave Mindbody?
Classes, class packs, memberships and card payments via Stripe in one place, with help moving your members across. From €10 / £8 a month, no binding period.
Try free for 14 days →