HoneyBook excels at helping solopreneurs and small creative businesses manage bookings, send contracts, and get paid. Its workflows are smooth for one person juggling a handful of clients. But when you grow into a team, add retainer clients, and need real project management, HoneyBook's limits become apparent. If your agency has outgrown HoneyBook, this guide walks you through migrating to AgencyPro—a platform built for scaling agency operations.
Key Takeaways:
- HoneyBook works for solopreneurs; agencies with 3+ team members typically outgrow it
- Migrate at month-end for a clean billing cutoff between platforms
- Recreate your top 3 contract templates first—don't try to migrate everything at once
- The biggest shift is from HoneyBook's solo-centric model to team-based workflows
Why Agencies Switch from HoneyBook
HoneyBook serves solo creatives well. Its pipeline view, contract templates, and payment processing are intuitive (see HoneyBook's feature set). Client communication and invoicing work seamlessly for freelancers and very small teams. Many agency owners started with HoneyBook when they were flying solo.
The shift happens when:
You add team members. HoneyBook wasn't designed for multi-person teams. Task assignment, workload balancing, and collaboration features are minimal. Once you have 3+ people serving clients, coordinating work in HoneyBook becomes a struggle.
Project management gets complex. HoneyBook's project view is essentially a pipeline. It doesn't support multi-phase workflows, task dependencies, recurring deliverables, or the complexity of agency campaigns. You end up supplementing with Notion, Asana, or spreadsheets—and now you're managing multiple tools.
Retainers become your model. Most agencies rely on monthly retainers. HoneyBook's model is booking-based: one-time projects and engagements. Tracking retainer hours, managing monthly deliverables, and billing retainers automatically don't fit HoneyBook's paradigm. You're fighting the tool's design.
Reporting falls short. HoneyBook gives you financial overview—revenue, outstanding payments. It doesn't give you retainer utilization, team capacity, project profitability, or agency-level operational metrics. Growing agencies need visibility into how the business runs, not just how much money comes in.
Limited customization. HoneyBook's templates and workflows work well for common use cases. Customizing for agency-specific needs—different client types, varied project structures, team-based approval flows—hits limits quickly.
AgencyPro was built for this stage. It combines CRM, proposals, contracts, project management, time tracking, billing, and client portal in one platform designed for agency teams and retainer relationships.
What to Migrate
Clients and contacts. Export your HoneyBook client list with contact details, notes, and tags. Each client will be recreated in AgencyPro and receive access to their client portal.
Contracts and templates. HoneyBook stores your contract templates and signed agreements. Export or download signed contracts for your records. Recreate your key contract templates in AgencyPro during setup.
Invoices and payment history. Export invoice and payment data for accounting and historical reference. Active outstanding invoices should be collected in HoneyBook (or migrated with client communication) before switching.
Projects and pipelines. HoneyBook's pipeline doesn't map directly to AgencyPro's project structure. Document your active projects—scope, status, key milestones—and recreate them in AgencyPro. Past projects can remain in HoneyBook exports for reference.
Forms and questionnaires. If you use HoneyBook's intake forms, document the fields and recreate them in AgencyPro's client intake and brief forms.
Step-by-Step Migration Process
Step 1: Plan Your Timeline
Allow 1–2 weeks for migration. Communicate to your team and clients. Avoid overlapping with major client deliverables. Many agencies migrate at month-end for a clean billing cutoff—finish HoneyBook invoices for the month, then start fresh in AgencyPro.
Step 2: Export Data from HoneyBook
Export your HoneyBook data:
- Clients: HoneyBook allows client export. Go to your client list → Settings or Export options. Download CSV with contact details.
- Contracts: Download signed contracts from each project. HoneyBook stores these in the project/proposal view.
- Invoices and payments: Export financial data for your records. Settle or migrate any outstanding invoices.
- Projects: Document active projects—client, scope, status, team assignments. HoneyBook doesn't have a bulk project export in the same way as task-based tools, so manual documentation may be needed.
- Templates: Screenshot or copy your contract and proposal templates for recreation in AgencyPro.
Step 3: Set Up AgencyPro
Create your AgencyPro account and configure your agency structure:
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Create clients. Import or manually add each client from your HoneyBook export. In AgencyPro, each client gets their own branded portal.
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Recreate contract templates. Build your key contract and proposal templates in AgencyPro. The platform supports e-signatures and integrates with your project and billing workflow.
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Configure billing. Set up billing preferences—invoice templates, payment terms, recurring billing for retainers. Configure time tracking if you bill hourly or track against retainers.
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Create project templates. Build templates for your common project types. Unlike HoneyBook's pipeline, AgencyPro supports phases, milestones, tasks, and approval workflows. Structure them to match how you deliver work.
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White-label your portal. Add your logo and colors. White-label ensures clients see your brand throughout the experience.
Step 4: Migrate Active Projects
For each active project:
- Create the project in AgencyPro under the correct client
- Add key tasks, milestones, and current status
- Assign team members
- Attach relevant files (re-upload from HoneyBook or local storage)
- If the project has an active retainer, set up the retainer terms and tracking in AgencyPro
For completed or nearly complete projects, many agencies choose to leave them in HoneyBook and only migrate active work.
Step 5: Migrate Outstanding Invoices
Decide how to handle outstanding invoices:
- Option A: Collect all outstanding HoneyBook invoices before switching. Start fresh in AgencyPro for new work.
- Option B: For clients with outstanding balances, communicate the switch and provide payment instructions. Some agencies create matching invoices in AgencyPro and void the HoneyBook ones once paid.
- Option C: Let HoneyBook run for another billing cycle while you migrate projects. Use the overlap to transition clients to AgencyPro billing.
Step 6: Onboard Your Team
Invite your team to AgencyPro. Assign roles and permissions. Unlike HoneyBook, AgencyPro is built for team collaboration:
- Assign tasks to specific team members
- Use project management for multi-phase workflows
- Track time against projects and retainers
- Collaborate on client communications
Train the team on where things live and how the new workflows operate. The shift from HoneyBook's solo-centric model to AgencyPro's team model is the biggest change—embrace it as a capability upgrade.
Step 7: Onboard Clients
Invite clients to their client portals:
- Send portal invites with login instructions
- Explain what they'll see: projects, deliverables, approvals, invoices
- Migrate ongoing communication to AgencyPro
- Provide support during the first week
Many clients find AgencyPro's portal clearer than HoneyBook's client view—especially when they have multiple projects and retainer visibility.
Step 8: Go Live and Sunset HoneyBook
Make AgencyPro your primary system. Update your website, email signatures, and processes to point clients to AgencyPro. After confirming all critical data is migrated and clients are onboarded, cancel HoneyBook. Keep exports archived.
What You'll Gain with AgencyPro
Team-based operations. Project management with task assignment, workload visibility, and collaboration. Built for agencies with multiple people serving multiple clients.
Retainer management. Track hours against monthly retainer allocations. Recurring billing that auto-generates invoices. Visibility into retainer utilization for you and your clients.
Client portal built for agencies. A branded portal where clients see projects, approve deliverables, view retainer usage, and communicate—far beyond HoneyBook's client view.
Integrated platform. CRM, proposals, contracts, projects, time tracking, billing—all in one place. No more HoneyBook + project management tool + time tracker.
White-label experience. White-label the entire client experience. Your brand, your domain, your professional presentation.
Agency reporting. Dashboards for retainer health, team utilization, revenue by client, project profitability. Operational intelligence HoneyBook doesn't provide.
Migration Checklist
- [ ] Set migration timeline; communicate to team and clients
- [ ] Export HoneyBook clients and contacts
- [ ] Export or download signed contracts and templates
- [ ] Export invoice and payment history
- [ ] Document active projects and their status
- [ ] Settle or plan migration of outstanding invoices
- [ ] Create AgencyPro account
- [ ] Add clients and recreate contract templates
- [ ] Configure billing, time tracking, and recurring billing
- [ ] Create project templates
- [ ] Migrate active projects to AgencyPro
- [ ] Invite team; assign roles and train
- [ ] Invite clients to portals
- [ ] Go live
- [ ] Cancel HoneyBook; archive exports
Common Migration Questions
How long does the migration take? Most agencies complete migration in 1–2 weeks. HoneyBook's data structure is simpler than task-based tools, but you'll spend time recreating templates and onboarding clients to the new portal.
Will we lose our contracts? No. Export and download signed contracts from HoneyBook before canceling. Store them in your records. New contracts going forward will be created and signed in AgencyPro.
What about outstanding invoices? Best practice: collect outstanding HoneyBook invoices before fully switching, or migrate them with clear client communication. AgencyPro can generate new invoices; you'll need to reconcile payment status with your HoneyBook history.
Does AgencyPro have proposals and contracts like HoneyBook? Yes. AgencyPro includes proposal creation, contract management, and e-signatures. You get HoneyBook's business development features plus project management, time tracking, billing, and team collaboration that HoneyBook lacks.
When is the right time to switch from HoneyBook? Most agencies outgrow HoneyBook when they reach 3+ team members, 10+ active clients, or need retainer management and team-based project workflows. Industry research confirms that growing agencies increasingly need integrated platforms. If you're supplementing HoneyBook with other tools, it's time to consolidate.
Can we get migration help? Yes. Book a demo and mention you're migrating from HoneyBook. Our team can assist with template setup, workflow design, and migration best practices.
How does AgencyPro compare to HoneyBook? HoneyBook excels for solopreneurs. AgencyPro excels for agencies with teams, retainers, and complex project delivery. See our AgencyPro vs HoneyBook comparison for a detailed breakdown.
Will our clients need to learn a new payment system? AgencyPro supports invoicing and payment processing. Clients will receive invoices from AgencyPro instead of HoneyBook. The payment flow is similar—they click, pay, done. Communicate the change in advance and provide the new payment link. Most clients adapt within one billing cycle.
Tips for a Smooth HoneyBook Migration
- Finish the billing cycle. Migrate at month-end so you can close out HoneyBook invoices cleanly and start AgencyPro with a fresh cycle.
- Recreate your top 3 templates first. Don't try to migrate every contract and proposal template on day one. Start with your most-used ones and add others as you need them.
- Emphasize the team benefits. If your team resisted HoneyBook's limitations, highlight how AgencyPro solves them: task assignment, workload visibility, retainer tracking.
- Use the client portal as a differentiator. HoneyBook's client view is functional; AgencyPro's client portal is a step up. Position the switch to clients as an upgrade to their experience.
Ready to Migrate?
HoneyBook served you well when you were smaller. AgencyPro is built for where you're going—team-based delivery, retainer relationships, and scalable operations.
Book a demo to see AgencyPro and get personalized migration support. We'll help you transition smoothly and start realizing the benefits of an agency-built platform.
Key takeaway: HoneyBook works for solopreneurs; AgencyPro is built for scaling agencies. The migration brings team collaboration, retainer management, client portal, and integrated billing into one platform. Most agencies complete the switch in 1–2 weeks and quickly see the operational benefits.