Bella Booking vs Shortcuts
Pure cloud. Transparent pricing. No sales calls needed.
An honest comparison to help you choose the right salon, spa or clinic software for your business - whatever its size.
Quick facts at a glance
A side-by-side overview of key differences
Prices shown in USD unless marked A$
Bella Booking: Starter plan for 1-3 team members, Professional for 4+ (unlimited). Competitor pricing from official sources, verified October 2026.
Which is right for you?
An honest look at when each platform makes sense
Consider Bella Booking if...
- Transparent pricing published on website - no sales calls needed
- Pure cloud - access from any device, no installation required
- Online booking included on all plans (Shortcuts requires Climb+)
- Deposit collection on all plans (Shortcuts requires Climb+)
- Walk-in management on all plans (Shortcuts requires Climb+)
- Waitlist management included (not available on Shortcuts)
- Memberships with recurring Stripe billing, 9 billing cycles, and session tracking (not available on Shortcuts)
- SMS reminders included (50-500/month) - no bundles to purchase
- Free data migration on Starter and Professional
- Simple, modern interface designed for ease of use
- Family/dependent booking (not available on Shortcuts)
- Client reviews included (Professional plan)
- Attendance tracking with time clock and PIN
- AI Assistant for business insights
- No contract lock-in
- Client confirmation system with one-click links
- Service-level deposit and cancellation policy overrides
- Accessibility & personalisation - dark mode, dyslexia-friendly fonts, colour themes, density modes
- Prepaid packages on Professional (Shortcuts sells series packs on its top Summit tier)
- Gift card online redemption at booking checkout
- Clients can tip online after the appointment (Shortcuts takes tips on its terminal at checkout)
- Digital forms with e-signatures and auto-send (not available on Shortcuts)
- Resource management with capacity controls and auto-assignment (Shortcuts: Summit tier only)
- 31 reports with charts and comparison mode
Consider Shortcuts if...
- You want 24/7 local Australian phone support
- You need an established platform with a long track record
- Multi-site centralised management is essential
- Visual treatment records and contraindications are important
- You prefer a hybrid cloud/on-premise setup
- Xero integration for accounting is a must-have
We believe in helping you find the right fit, even if it's not us.
Detailed feature comparison
A comprehensive look at what each platform offers
Scheduling & Booking
Client Management
Team Management
Payments & POS
Communication & Marketing
Business Management
Platform & Support
Unique Features
Integrations
Pricing breakdown
What you'll actually pay
Prices shown are starting prices. Bella Booking Starter includes up to 3 team members; Professional includes unlimited team members. Competitor pricing may vary based on team size.
Bella Booking
Solo (1 team): $25/month USD • Starter (1-3 team): $67/month USD • Professional (4+): $99/month USD
Shortcuts
Additional costs to consider
- • SMS bundles (additional cost)
- • Marketing Plus add-on (additional cost)
- • Xero integration add-on (additional cost)
Pricing information based on publicly available data as of October 2026. Visit each provider's website for current pricing.
What Shortcuts does well
We believe in honest comparisons. Here's what Shortcuts excels at:
- 1Australian company with 24/7 local phone support
- 2Established platform with 14,000+ businesses
- 3Extensive reporting (50+ reports claimed)
- 4Multi-site management with centralised control
- 5Reserve with Google integration
- 6Integrated EFTPOS terminal support (ShortcutsPay)
- 7Visual treatment records and contraindications (Summit)
- 8Xero and Shopify integrations available as add-ons
Shortcuts might be better if...
We believe in helping you find the right solution, even if it's not us. Here are some scenarios where other options might serve you better:
- 124/7 local Australian phone support
- 2Established platform (since 2002) with 14,000+ businesses
- 3Visual treatment records and contraindications (Summit)
- 4Xero integration for Australian accounting
- 5Branded client mobile app (Summit)
Still not sure? - we'll give you an honest assessment of whether Bella Booking is right for your business.
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”
Switching from Shortcuts?
We make it easy. Free onboarding on every plan, with free data migration on Starter and Professional.
See the full guide to switching from Shortcuts
Still comparing? More Shortcuts alternatives
How to switch from Shortcuts
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 your client list
Go to Tools > Marketing > select the fields you want to include > click Compute > click Done > save the file. The export is a TXT file - open it in Excel using the Text Import Wizard with comma/space delimiters, then save as an Excel workbook.
- 2
Export reports (optional)
Shortcuts reports can be exported as PDF. Navigate to the relevant report section and use the print or export option. For data in a spreadsheet format, contact Shortcuts support to request a data extract - or send us a screenshot and we will work from that.
- 3
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
The client export produces a TXT file (not CSV or Excel natively) - it requires manual conversion via Excel's Text Import Wizard. Bulk appointment history export is not publicly documented.
Official export documentation: Shortcuts 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.
Sources: Information gathered from www.shortcuts.com.au. Last verified: October 2026.
Found an error? and we'll correct it promptly.
Important Notice
The information about Shortcuts on this page is based on publicly available data as of October 2026 and is provided for general comparison purposes only. Pricing, features, and policies may change at any time without notice. We make reasonable efforts to keep this information accurate, but we cannot guarantee its completeness or current accuracy.
Always verify directly with Shortcuts before making any business decisions. This comparison reflects our understanding and may not capture all nuances of their offerings.