How to Switch from Brightwheel to Neztio
Export your Brightwheel data, upload it to Neztio, and be up and running in minutes. Completely self-serve. No sales calls, no waiting for a concierge team, no manual data entry.
Why centers leave Brightwheel
Brightwheel is a solid product for getting started, but as centers grow, common pain points emerge. Here is what we hear most often from centers that switch:
Per-child pricing grows with enrollment
Brightwheel charges $3 to $5 per child per month. A center with 100 children pays $300 to $500/mo just for the software. As you enroll more families, your bill keeps climbing.
No flat pricing option
There is no way to lock in a fixed monthly rate regardless of enrollment. Budgeting becomes unpredictable, especially for centers adding capacity.
Limited AI features
No AI-powered daily reports, no AI chatbot for parent questions, no AI-assisted enrollment follow-ups. The platform relies on manual workflows for tasks that modern software automates.
No real-time ratio monitoring
Brightwheel tracks attendance but does not provide live staff-to-child ratio visibility. Directors have to calculate ratios manually or use separate spreadsheets.
Migration "support" that takes days
Switching to Brightwheel typically requires scheduling a call with their onboarding team and waiting for them to manually set up your data. It is not self-serve.
Step-by-step: export your data from Brightwheel
Before you can import into Neztio, you need a copy of your data. Brightwheel allows admins to export student directory data as a CSV file.
Log into Brightwheel as an admin
Go to schools.mybrightwheel.com and sign in with your admin credentials. You must have admin-level access to export data.
Go to the Directory section
Navigate to the Students or Directory tab in your admin dashboard. This is where Brightwheel stores all child and family records.
Click Export or Download CSV
Look for the Export button (sometimes labeled "Download CSV" or accessible via a menu icon). Click it to generate a CSV file containing your student directory.
Save the CSV file
Save the file to your computer in a location you can easily find. The file will typically be named something like students_export.csv.
Export your data BEFORE canceling your Brightwheel account
Once you cancel or downgrade your Brightwheel subscription, you may lose access to the admin dashboard and the ability to export. Always download your data first, then cancel after you have verified everything imported correctly into Neztio.
Step-by-step: import into Neztio
Neztio auto-detects Brightwheel CSV format and maps all columns for you. No manual column matching, no support tickets. The entire process takes under five minutes.
Sign up for a free Neztio trial
Go to neztio.com/get-started and create your account. No credit card required. Your 30-day free trial starts immediately.
Go to Settings, then Import
In the Neztio admin dashboard, navigate to Settings and find the Import section. This is where you upload external data files.
Upload your Brightwheel CSV
Click the upload area or drag and drop your Brightwheel CSV file. Neztio recognizes the Brightwheel format automatically and maps every column to the correct field.
Neztio auto-detects the Brightwheel format
Column headers from Brightwheel are mapped instantly to Neztio fields: child name, date of birth, classroom, guardian contacts, allergies, and more. No manual mapping required.
Preview your data
Before anything is committed, you see a full preview of every record that will be created. Verify child names, classroom assignments, and family contacts all look correct.
Click Import. Done.
Hit the Import button and your children, classrooms, and families are live in Neztio. Start taking attendance, sending messages, and managing your center right away.
One-click rollback if anything looks off
Made a mistake? Imported the wrong file? Click rollback to undo the entire import instantly. Fix the issue and re-import as many times as you need. There is no penalty and no waiting.
What transfers from Brightwheel
Neztio auto-maps 40+ fields from your Brightwheel CSV across 11 categories. Here is everything that comes over:
First and last name, date of birth, gender, race, ethnicity
Street, city, state, ZIP, country
Room / classroom assignment
First name, last name, email, phone
First name, last name, email, phone
Allergies, physician name, physician phone, medical notes
Up to 2 contacts with name, phone, and relationship
Up to 2 pickups with name and phone
Status, enrollment date, start date
Status and case number
General notes
41 fields total, auto-mapped from your Brightwheel CSV
What does not transfer
Brightwheel does not include photos, daily activity logs, or historical billing data in their CSV export. These stay in your Brightwheel account. We recommend keeping read-only access to Brightwheel for a few months so you can reference historical records if needed.
Neztio import vs. Brightwheel onboarding
A direct comparison of what it takes to get your data into each platform.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about switching from Brightwheel to Neztio.
How long does it take to switch from Brightwheel to Neztio?
Will I lose any data switching from Brightwheel?
Can I run Brightwheel and Neztio at the same time?
How much will I save switching from Brightwheel?
Do I need to call Neztio support to switch?
What if the import does not look right?
Ready to leave Brightwheel? It takes 10 minutes.
Start your free 30-day trial. Import your Brightwheel data yourself. No sales call, no credit card.