You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Bookkeepers Choose Nexa.
FreshBooks
$33/mo
$396/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 8.5 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from FreshBooks after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified bookkeeper, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Bookkeepers on FreshBooks pay $33/month — $396/year. Over three years, that's $1,329. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 8.5 months. The median bookkeeper earns $45,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.9% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$45,000
Median bookkeeper income
3.5%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
8.5 mo
Break-even vs FreshBooks
$1,050
3-year savings switching to Nexa
What FreshBooks Is Costing You
The Damage
FreshBooks monthly$33/mo
Annual drain$396/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation)$441
Year 3$491
3-year total$1,329
That's $1,329 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
Your FreshBooks subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.
Why Bookkeepers Leave FreshBooks
✗Client caps force upgrades ($5 to $50 clients is $20 jump)
✗Per-user pricing adds $132/year per team member
✗Loses all data access upon cancellation
✗Limited customization options
✗No bank reconciliation on Lite plan
✗When I canceled my FreshBooks subscription, I lost access to all my old invoices and customer data. It felt like canceli
✗Lite was useless after 2 months. Had to upgrade to Plus as soon as I crossed 5 clients.
Bookkeepers are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Bookkeepers
You manage books for 20 clients. Today you're reconciling three bank accounts, categorizing 200 transactions, and chasing two clients for missing receipts. One client wants to add payroll — that wasn't in your agreement. You need to invoice 8 monthly clients and track your hours because some are hourly and some are flat-rate retainers. You pay for QBO to do their books and FreshBooks to do your own invoicing. That's $55 + $17 = $72/month just for software stacking.
Bookkeepers face unique challenges: Tracking hours across 15-25 monthly clients. QuickBooks Online costs you pay on behalf of clients (or eat yourself). Clients dumping a shoebox of receipts on you at tax time. Scope creep when 'just bookkeeping' becomes payroll, tax prep, and advisory. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median bookkeeper earns $45,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Accounting software licenses (for client work) is yours. You bought it once. Nexa works the same way — $279 once for invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, and full accounting. All connected. All offline-capable. You own it like you own your tools.
Your Full Stack Cost
FreshBooks is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
Want this breakdown emailed to you?
Your exact FreshBooks cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
"I was paying FreshBooks $33/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,329 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Bookkeeper business owner
What You Get Instead
Feature
FreshBooks
Nexa
Invoicing
✓
✓
Scheduling
✗
✓
CRM
✗
✓
Time Tracking
✗
✓
Full Accounting
✗
✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management
✗
✓
Price
$33/mo forever
$279 once or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost
$1,329
$279
Stop paying?
Lose everything
Keep everything forever
Switching Takes 1-2 Days
Most bookkeepers are fully switched before the weekend.
1
Export your data
Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.
2
Set up Nexa
15-minute setup. Import your client list and expense categories from CSV.
3
Parallel run
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify invoice history and recurring invoices.
4
Cancel FreshBooks
Cancel subscription. Download a final data export for your records.
✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel FreshBooks when you're confident. Zero risk.
What bookkeepers actually deal with
Tracking hours across 15-25 monthly clients
QuickBooks Online costs you pay on behalf of clients (or eat yourself)
Clients dumping a shoebox of receipts on you at tax time
Scope creep when 'just bookkeeping' becomes payroll, tax prep, and advisory
A day in the life of a bookkeeper
You manage books for 20 clients. Today you're reconciling three bank accounts, categorizing 200 transactions, and chasing two clients for missing receipts. One client wants to add payroll — that wasn't in your agreement. You need to invoice 8 monthly clients and track your hours because some are hourly and some are flat-rate retainers. You pay for QBO to do their books and FreshBooks to do your own invoicing. That's $55 + $17 = $72/month just for software stacking.
The tools a working bookkeeper actually owns
Accounting software licenses (for client work)
Dual-monitor home office setup
Document scanner and secure file storage
Spreadsheet templates and reconciliation tools
Why bookkeepers leave the big platforms
quickbooks: You pay for QBO to do client work AND need another tool for your own business invoicing. Double software cost.
freshbooks: Good invoicing but $17+/month for your own business on top of the QBO licenses you maintain for clients.
harvest: Basic time tracking and invoicing. Doesn't handle the complexity of managing 20 client accounts.
Where bookkeepers actually talk shop
r/Bookkeeping (Reddit)
r/Accounting (Reddit)
r/taxpros (Reddit)
AccountingWEB.com Forum (Forum)
Bookkeepers.com (YouTube)
Hector Garcia CPA (YouTube)
Balancing Books with Brenda (YouTube)
Local bookkeepers on Nexa
Real bookkeepers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a bookkeeper? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every bookkeeper on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for bookkeepers?
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. FreshBooks may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
$279 seems like a lot.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. FreshBooks is $33/month — that's $1,329 over 3 years. Which is more? And if you'd rather split it, Nexa is also available as 3 payments of $99.
Can I pay in installments?
Yes. Nexa is $279 as a one-time payment, or 3 payments of $99 ($297 total). Either way it's a one-time purchase — no subscription, no recurring fees ever.
What if I don't like it?
30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.
Can I import my FreshBooks data?
Export your data from FreshBooks as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
Bookkeepers in Columbus
The average solo operator there spends about $2,000/year on software — and bookkeeper face their own version of that math. Ohio Commercial Activity Tax applies to businesses over $150K. Columbus imposes a 2.5% income tax — among Ohio's highest. Ohio requires specific trade licenses through the Division of Industrial Compliance. Columbus requires a business license for most trades.
Columbus 2.5% city income tax is a significant margin hit for solopreneurs
Ohio State University calendar creates boom-bust cycles for many service trades
Rapid suburban expansion into previously rural areas strains route efficiency
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Columbus metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Bookkeepers run into with FreshBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
✗
FreshBooks gapLimited inventory management
✓
NexaInventory tracking included for product and service businesses.
✗
FreshBooks gapNo scheduling/booking
✓
NexaBuilt-in scheduling and booking — no separate tier.
✗
FreshBooks gapBasic reporting compared to QB
✓
NexaP&L, balance sheet, and 21 reports — built in.
Where Bookkeepers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other bookkeepers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Reddit
r/Bookkeeping, r/Accounting, r/taxpros
Forums
AccountingWEB.com Forum
YouTube
Bookkeepers.com, Hector Garcia CPA, Balancing Books with Brenda
Podcasts
The Bookkeeping Side Hustle, Build Your Bookkeeping Business
"FreshBooks raised prices again and I was done. Found Nexa — $279 once. I own it. No more 'we're updating our pricing' emails. Best business decision this year."
— Bookkeeper, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.