You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Candle Makers 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 candle maker, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Candle Makers 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 candle maker earns $28,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.4% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$28,000
Median candle maker income
2%
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 Candle Makers 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.
Candle Makers are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Candle Makers
You poured 48 candles today — 3 scents, 2 sizes. Wax costs changed since last month so your cost per candle shifted. You have 12 Etsy orders to ship, a wholesale order of 50 units for a boutique at a lower margin, and a craft fair this weekend. Etsy just charged you an offsite ads fee on a $28 candle — 15% you didn't agree to. Your cost spreadsheet has 6 tabs and you're not sure it's right anymore.
Candle Makers face unique challenges: Calculating cost per candle with fluctuating wax and fragrance oil prices. Etsy fees stacking: listing fee, transaction fee, payment processing, offsite ads. Managing wholesale orders alongside Etsy and market sales. Batch tracking for safety and recall compliance. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median candle maker earns $28,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Wax melter and pouring pitcher 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."
— Candle maker 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 candle makers 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 candle makers actually deal with
Calculating cost per candle with fluctuating wax and fragrance oil prices
Managing wholesale orders alongside Etsy and market sales
Batch tracking for safety and recall compliance
A day in the life of a candle maker
You poured 48 candles today — 3 scents, 2 sizes. Wax costs changed since last month so your cost per candle shifted. You have 12 Etsy orders to ship, a wholesale order of 50 units for a boutique at a lower margin, and a craft fair this weekend. Etsy just charged you an offsite ads fee on a $28 candle — 15% you didn't agree to. Your cost spreadsheet has 6 tabs and you're not sure it's right anymore.
The tools a working candle maker actually owns
Wax melter and pouring pitcher
Fragrance oils and wicks inventory
Label printer
Shipping supplies and heat gun
Why candle makers leave the big platforms
quickbooks: $55/month for a candle business. That's 3 candles worth of profit just for accounting software.
wave: Free but can't track per-batch costs or calculate true cost per unit when ingredient prices change.
Where candle makers actually talk shop
r/candlemaking (Reddit)
r/Etsy (Reddit)
r/EtsySellers (Reddit)
r/smallbusiness (Reddit)
CandleScience Community (Forum)
Craft Server Candle Forum (Forum)
CandleScience (YouTube)
Standley Handcrafted (YouTube)
Local candle makers on Nexa
Real candle makers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a candle maker? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every candle maker on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for candle makers?
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.
Candle Makers in Charlotte
The average solo operator there spends about $2,200/year on software — and candle maker face their own version of that math. NC flat 4.5% income tax. No city income tax. Cross-border clients in SC face separate 6.5% top rate. North Carolina requires general contractor licensing through NCLBGC for projects over $30,000. Charlotte requires a Business Privilege License.
Banking industry layoffs periodically reduce the customer base for premium services
NC-SC border splits the metro requiring awareness of two states' rules
Explosive growth means new neighborhoods appear faster than solopreneurs can map routes
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Charlotte metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Candle Makers 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 Candle Makers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other candle makers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
"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."
— Candle maker, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.