MIGRATION GUIDE
How to Migrate from Basecamp to AgencyPro
A complete 2026 guide to moving your agency off Basecamp. Get project management plus CRM, invoicing, proposals, and branded client portals in one platform.
Why agencies switch from Basecamp
No time tracking or billing
Basecamp is deliberately simple, which means agencies have to bolt on Harvest, Toggl, FreshBooks, or similar. AgencyPro includes native time tracking and invoicing.
No CRM or pipeline
Basecamp doesn't help you manage leads or track deals. Agencies outsource to HubSpot or Pipedrive. AgencyPro ships with a built-in agency CRM.
Limited project management depth
To-dos and message boards work well, but task dependencies, milestones, Gantt charts, and resource planning are missing.
Client portal feels generic
Basecamp's client view is a stripped-down project. AgencyPro provides fully branded portals on your own domain.
Migration Timeline
WEEK 1 - FOUNDATION
Days 1-3: Export and setup
Export active Basecamp projects and set up your AgencyPro workspace.
WEEK 1 - DATA
Days 4-7: Clients, projects, templates
Import clients, recreate active projects, build AgencyPro project templates.
WEEK 2 - BILLING
Days 8-11: Add billing and retainers
Bring invoicing in-house to AgencyPro, connect Stripe, migrate any existing billing tool data.
WEEK 2 - LAUNCH
Days 12-14: Pilot and go-live
Pilot one client lifecycle, train the team, switch over.
Step-by-step migration process
Export data from Basecamp
In each project, Tools > Export project. Basecamp generates a ZIP with HTML copies of to-dos, message boards, schedules, and files. Download every active project.
Set up your AgencyPro account
Sign up at agencypro.app. Configure branding, custom domain, and pipeline stages. Define how Basecamp projects map to AgencyPro projects.
Import clients and contacts
Build a client CSV from Basecamp company list and any external CRM. Upload into AgencyPro contacts with full company, contact, and tag data.
Migrate active projects
Create an AgencyPro project for each active Basecamp project. Convert to-do lists into task lists, attach files from the export, and set due dates and milestones.
Transfer invoices and billing history
If you invoice from a separate tool today, export and import open invoices into AgencyPro. Consolidate all billing going forward.
Set up recurring subscriptions
Connect Stripe and rebuild each retainer as a recurring AgencyPro subscription. Email clients to re-authorize card-on-file payments.
Invite team members
Add your team with role-based permissions. Separate admins, project managers, and collaborators.
Test and go live
Pilot a full client lifecycle in AgencyPro, including onboarding, proposals, project delivery, and invoicing. Once validated, archive Basecamp and cut over.
What data you can migrate
Common migration challenges
Challenge: Message board history
Basecamp's message boards contain years of discussion. Solution: Keep the exported HTML as a reference archive. Start fresh in AgencyPro and forward only the active threads that need continuity.
Challenge: Structured import from HTML exports
Basecamp's HTML export isn't a clean CSV. Solution: Focus on active projects only. Our migration team helps parse to-do lists and schedules into AgencyPro.
Challenge: Client re-onboarding
Clients used to Basecamp guest accounts need a new experience. Solution: Announce the switch, send branded AgencyPro portal invites, and record a 60-second welcome video.
Post-migration checklist
Frequently asked questions
Why move from Basecamp to AgencyPro?
Basecamp is great for communication but lacks time tracking, invoicing, CRM, proposals, and a pipeline. Agencies outgrow its simplicity and end up running their business across 5+ tools. AgencyPro consolidates it all.
Can I export Basecamp data?
Basecamp supports per-project exports as ZIP archives containing HTML copies of to-dos, message boards, files, and schedules. This makes historical reference easy, though structured import requires some cleanup.
What about Basecamp's Hill Charts and Campfire?
Hill Charts are specific to Basecamp's Shape Up methodology. AgencyPro uses milestones and project phases that serve the same purpose for most agency work. Real-time chat lives in Slack for most teams, and AgencyPro integrates with Slack for project notifications.
Does AgencyPro support clients the way Basecamp does?
Yes, and better. Basecamp lets you invite clients to projects as guests. AgencyPro gives each client a fully branded portal at your own domain with access to projects, files, invoices, and messages.
How much does a Basecamp-to-AgencyPro migration cost?
Migration assistance is included with every AgencyPro plan. Most agencies move over in 1-2 weeks with no additional fees.
Ready to outgrow Basecamp?
Keep the simplicity you love, add the CRM, billing, and client portals your agency needs.