DanceFlow
Switching from Mindbody

DanceFlow vs Mindbody

DanceFlow is built for ballroom and partner dance: private-lesson packages, couples, teacher pay and competitions. Here is what a studio like yours needs, what DanceFlow does about it and what Mindbody says on its own pages, side by side. Then how little work the move is.

01

Why a ballroom studio picks DanceFlow

Ballroom and private-lesson studios. Everything below is something DanceFlow does today.

  • Private lessons, doubles and Pro/Am, booked against lesson packages that count down as lessons are taught.

  • Invoices, payments and a money ledger behind them, with the reports an owner opens every morning.

  • Teacher pay, renewals that are due and what every student owes, without a spreadsheet.

  • A free portal for students and parents: the schedule, what is left on a package, invoices and messages.

  • Competitions in the same system: entries, heats, judging and results. DanceFlow is not NDCA-sanctioned.

  • One plan for the whole studio, with unlimited students and teachers. Students, parents and teachers never pay.

Side by side

What a ballroom studio needs

The DanceFlow column is what the app does today. The Mindbody column quotes Mindbody's own public pages, each with a link to the page. Where those pages are silent on something, the row says so, and that is all it says.

What it costs

DanceFlow

Free during early access. When paid plans begin, $89 a month or $799 a year, with unlimited students and teachers.

Mindbody

Listed from $79 a month per location. Each plan's price is given by their sales team.

Source Private-lesson packages

DanceFlow

Packages count down as lessons are taught. A lesson taken with nothing left takes the balance below zero instead of going unrecorded, and the next package sold pays it first.

Mindbody

Their website

“clients can manage and book classes and packs”
Source Couples and partners

DanceFlow

A couple can share one package. A couple lesson takes one credit from it and nothing from the partner, and each partner can still keep their own Pro/Am package.

Mindbody

Not described on the public pages we read.

Teacher pay

DanceFlow

Per lesson, by the hour, by the day, a salary, salary and lessons, or a formula, set for each teacher, with a pay run from the lessons they taught.

Mindbody

Their website

“built-in substitution management, staff permissions, and payroll”
Source Competitions

DanceFlow

Competition trips with entries and what each one costs. For organizers: heats across several floors, judges marking on a phone, and results by the Skating System. DanceFlow is not NDCA-sanctioned.

Mindbody

Not described on the public pages we read.

Parents and families

DanceFlow

A free portal for parents with every child they are linked to: the schedule, lessons left, invoices and messages.

Mindbody

Their website

“multiple siblings and family members with a single account”
Source Between lessons

DanceFlow

A lesson diary of what was worked on, and a practice timer dancers start between lessons when the studio turns it on.

Mindbody

Not described on the public pages we read.

Showcases and tickets

DanceFlow

Tickets for a showcase or party, each with a QR code, scanned at the door with an iPhone camera. Each ticket gets in once.

Mindbody

Not described on the public pages we read.

Camps

DanceFlow

Training camps with a timetable, groups, coaches, packages, a waitlist and a public link for dancers from other studios.

Mindbody

Not described on the public pages we read.

Languages

DanceFlow

The app and this site in 14 languages, among them English, Finnish, Swedish, German, Spanish and Chinese.

Mindbody

Not described on the public pages we read.

Phone and watch

DanceFlow

iPhone and iPad apps with Home and Lock Screen widgets, Apple Watch, and a Live Activity for the lesson in progress.

Mindbody

Their pricing page

“Create a personalized mobile app for clients to book, buy, and manage their accounts”
Source Answering the phone

DanceFlow

AI Front Desk, to answer the studio's phone, is coming soon. It is not live yet.

Mindbody

Their pricing page

“24/7 AI front desk support to turn missed calls into bookings”
Source Moving your records

DanceFlow

The importer has a Mindbody setting. Students, families, package balances and the calendar come in checked row by row, an import can be undone, and there is no setup fee.

Mindbody

Their pricing page

“We offer a data transfer service (fees may apply)”
Source

Compared with each product's public pages on October 23, 2026. Products change; tell us if something is out of date.

Mindbody is a trademark of its owner; DanceFlow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Mindbody.

Mindbody website www.mindbodyonline.com/businessMindbody pricing www.mindbodyonline.com/business/pricing
02

Switching from Mindbody is easier than it sounds

You export files from Mindbody, the importer reads them, and you check every row before anything is saved. Setting up takes an afternoon, and Mindbody keeps running until you are ready.

  • The importer has a setting for files from Mindbody. It knows the column headings Mindbody exports are known to use, shows every match it made and lets you change any of them.

  • It brings in teachers, students and families, package balances, the lessons already promised on the calendar, class rosters, past lessons and past payments.

  • Past payments arrive as history. No report counts them as new revenue.

  • An import can be undone while nothing has been built on what it brought in.

  • Setting up is included: bringing your roster across from a spreadsheet, setting up packages and policies, and running both systems until you are ready.

Files from Mindbody the importer already knows

  • Teachers
  • Students
  • Package balances
  • Future calendar
  • Lesson history
  • Payment history

Any other list comes in from a spreadsheet, with a step where you match the columns yourself.

  • The headings come from public documentation and public walkthroughs, not from a live export of every Mindbody account. Treat the first match as a suggestion and check it.

Getting your file out of Mindbody

  1. In Mindbody, open Reports, then Clients, and choose Mailing Lists. List all clients, with any opt-in status.

  2. Press Generate, then Export to Excel, and choose the file above.

  3. For the calendar, run Schedule at a Glance from Reports with an end date in the future, and export it the same way. If it times out, export one year at a time.

These are the steps DanceFlow shows on its Import screen, where "above" is the place you choose the file.

Your first week

What changes in your first week

Nothing has to stop on the day you start. Mindbody keeps running while DanceFlow fills up, and you move the front desk over when you trust it.

  1. 1

    Day 1

    Set up the studio

    Create your studio, add your teachers and set your packages, prices and policies. Teachers join with a code from the studio.

  2. 2

    Days 1 and 2

    Bring your records from Mindbody

    Export from Mindbody and import students, families and package balances, then the lessons already booked. Check each row in the preview first.

  3. 3

    Days 3 to 5

    Book ahead in DanceFlow

    Book the coming weeks in DanceFlow while Mindbody finishes the current ones. Teachers see their day in the app.

  4. 4

    End of the week

    Invite students and switch

    Invite students and parents when you are ready, and move the front desk over on a quiet day. Keep Mindbody until you no longer open it.

Start free with your own studio, bring one file from Mindbody, and see your own students on the schedule.

Coming from somewhere else?

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