The Cost of Switching Software: Why Studios Stay on Mindbody

At first glance, switching to a lower-cost software might seem like an easy way for fitness and wellness businesses to save money. But cheaper platforms often come with hidden fees, clunky tools, and costly disruptions that can stall your growth.

When fitness and wellness businesses make the switch, many often discover the new platform isn't what they were promised, with features that fall short of expectations. As a result, a surprising number ultimately switch back.

That's because the real cost of leaving Mindbody becomes apparent almost immediately. Through migration headaches, operational downtime, staff confusion, and missed revenue opportunities. It's not just about the monthly fee. It's about your ability to grow and scale without setbacks.

This article breaks down the risks, hidden costs, and why staying with Mindbody, the #1 wellness software, pays off in the long run.

Switching software isn’t just hard, it’s also expensive

Your core software isn't just a back-end tool. It powers every part of your business, from how you get paid to how your staff works and how your clients book, pay, and stay engaged.

When you switch systems, it's not a quick toggle. It's a full-scale disruption that impacts:

Retraining staff can slow everything down

• Learning a new system doesn't happen overnight. Your staff will need to spend time training, which is time they could be spending supporting clients or running the front desk.
• Switching platforms often means reworking day-to-day processes, not just learning new buttons. Even seasoned team members may struggle to keep up.
• When staff feel uncertain or overwhelmed, the ripple effect hits your clients. Mistakes get made. Service slows down. Morale drops.

You risk losing valuable data

• Your data is your business. It consists of client records, membership info, payment history, and scheduling details. If anything goes missing during a transfer, the fallout can be serious.
• Many low-cost platforms promise "easy migration," but in practice, the process is messy, risky, and rarely well-supported.
• Recovering lost data isn't just frustrating; it can also take weeks, cost thousands, and damage trust with your clients.

Clients get confused and may not come back

• Every time you change how clients book, pay, or interact with your brand, there's a risk of friction.
• It might seem minor, but switching to a new app, login, and experience is often enough to confuse or frustrate clients.
• When the experience gets clunky, some clients leave, often without saying anything. That churn is hard to reverse.

You could end up with a patchwork of disconnected tools

• Most low-cost software platforms don't offer everything in one place. That means you'll need to plug in third-party tools for marketing, payments, client communication, and more.
• Disconnected tools often create a system that's hard to manage and harder to scale.
• When integrations break, data gets siloed, and you end up spending more time troubleshooting than actually growing your business.

Re-platforming costs more than you think

• Setup fees, onboarding time, consultant hours, and weeks of double-platform overlap can quickly add up.
• When things go wrong, as they often do with newer or less-established platforms, support is slow, limited, or non-existent.
• You may save a few dollars on your monthly subscription, but you'll lose far more in time, productivity, and peace of mind.

Why businesses that leave Mindbody often return

Mindbody is more than just booking software. It's a powerful, all-in-one platform built over 20+ years to help fitness, wellness, and beauty businesses grow. Many businesses that leave Mindbody eventually return. Not because Mindbody is the cheapest option, but because its all-in-one features help minimize long-term operational risk.

What brings them back?

They realize robust, all-in-one tools outperform fragmented competitor systems

Like many fitness and wellness business owners, those who leave often discover that competitor platforms rely on pieced-together tools that don't communicate well. Mindbody's fully integrated platform makes it easier to manage scheduling, marketing, payments, and operations in one place, without the friction of multiple logins or manual workarounds.

They miss built-in growth engines competitors can't match

After switching, many realize that external platforms can't replicate the visibility and bookings driven by the Mindbody app and Affiliate Network. These built-in growth channels consistently deliver new clients, something most competitors simply don't offer.

They feel the impact of weaker support and reliability Competitors may promise simplicity, but when issues arise, businesses often find themselves without dependable support or enterprise-grade infrastructure. Mindbody's security, uptime, and knowledgeable support teams become especially valuable during peak operating hours.

They outgrow limited or underdeveloped features What initially seems "good enough" can quickly become restrictive. Businesses returning to Mindbody often cite missing automation, shallow reporting, and limited customization compared to Mindbody's AI-powered tools and operational depth.

They need data they can actually act on Many competitor platforms offer basic reports, but businesses come back when they realize they need real-time, detailed insights. Mindbody's Analytics 2.0 provides the visibility required to track performance, spot trends, and make confident growth decisions.

Your software should be an investment, not an afterthought

You didn't open your business to become an IT manager. You need software that saves time, makes money, and just works. Mindbody does that.

• Businesses using Mindbody grew revenue by an average of +45% 6 months after their software onboarding in 2024
• Many Mindbody businesses can fully offset the cost of their software just from the new clients they gain through the Mindbody app
• You get access to an average of 3.0M monthly active users on the Mindbody app

Other platforms make promises. We deliver results.

Invest in a platform that scales with you

When you choose Mindbody, you're choosing reliable, proven software with unmatched support and the tools to scale. Your business is worth more than "good enough" software, so don't settle for less.