Switch to Bella Booking
Switching from Phorest?
We make it easy. Free onboarding on every plan, with free data migration on Starter and Professional.
Why salons switch from Phorest
- Transparent pricing published on website - no sales calls needed
- Suitable for solo practitioners and small teams (Phorest targets 3+ staff)
- SMS reminders included in the plan (50-500/month) - no per-message charges
- Free trial available with no credit card required (Phorest offers no trial)
- Simpler, focused interface - less overwhelming for smaller teams
- Sydney-based company with responsive support across multiple timezones
What you get with Bella Booking
Everything you need to run your business, included with every plan.
Online booking
24/7 branded booking page for your clients
Automated Reminders
SMS and email reminders with confirmation links
Client Management
Full CRM with notes, history, and documents
Team Scheduling
Manage schedules, availability, and time off
Payments & Deposits
Online payments, deposits, and cancellation policies
Reports
31 built-in reports with CSV export
How to switch from Phorest
Step-by-step guide to export your data and move to Bella Booking. We offer free onboarding on every plan, and free data migration on Starter and Professional.
- 1
Export client email addresses
Go to Marketing > Client Export > Emails. This downloads a CSV of client email addresses.
- 2
Export client postal addresses
Go to Marketing > Client Export > Address. This downloads a CSV of client home addresses.
- 3
Export sales and financial data
Go to Manager > Business > CSV Export > + New Export > set your date range > select format > OK. Note: large date ranges may take up to 1 hour to process.
- 4
Export services list
Go to Manager > Services > Export all services. This includes service names and price levels.
- 5
Export future appointments
Go to Reports > Staff Appointments report to view and export upcoming bookings.
- 6
Send your exports to Bella Booking
Email your exported files to our onboarding team. We will import your clients, validate the data, and help set up your services and team schedules.
A note on appointment history
We generally recommend not importing old appointment history. Importing past appointments can trigger unintended automated messages (reminders, review requests, reminders to rebook, follow-up messages) and cause data inconsistencies. Your clients and services are the essential data for a clean start. If you do want some history carried over, we recommend a tight recent range (e.g. the last 3 months), and our migration team will ensure no notifications are sent accidentally.
Good to know
Individual staff service durations are not included in the services export. Multi-location businesses must export data separately per location. Self-service exports are free, but data exports requested directly from Phorest support may involve a charge.
Official export documentation: Phorest help centre
Can't export your data?
No problem, we can work with anything. Screenshots of your service list, a link to your public booking page, a photo of your price board, or even a typed-up list. Send us whatever you have and we will build your account from it.
Need help with the migration?
Our team will handle the data import, set up your services, and walk you through everything. Onboarding help is free on every plan, and data migration is free on Starter and Professional. We accept data in any format: CSV, Excel, screenshots, photos, links, or anything else you can send.
Rated 5.0 on Capterra
“Try Bella, You Won't Regret It!”
“Great support for small business”
“User-friendly and reliable booking system with quick support”
Common questions about switching
Will I lose my client data?
No. Export your client list from Phorest (we provide step-by-step instructions), then our team will import it into Bella Booking for you. Free onboarding is included on every plan, and free data migration on Starter and Professional.
How long does the switch take?
We handle the data import and help you through setup. Allow an hour or two for the rest.
Do I need to cancel my Phorest subscription first?
We recommend running both systems in parallel for a few days to ensure a smooth transition. Cancel your Phorest subscription once you're confident everything is working.
Is there a contract or lock-in?
No. There is no lock-in. You can cancel any time, and you keep the plan until the end of the period you have already paid for. Professional can also be billed yearly.
Ready to make the switch?
Start your 14-day free trial, no credit card required. Onboarding help is free on every plan, and on Starter and Professional we migrate your data from Phorest for free.