You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Carpenters 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 carpenter, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Carpenters 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 carpenter earns $49,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.8% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$49,000
Median carpenter income
2.6%
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 Carpenters 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.
Carpenters are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Carpenters
You're building custom bookshelves in a client's living room. The homeowner walks in and asks if you can extend them around the corner — 'it shouldn't be that much more, right?' You quoted this job three weeks ago when lumber was cheaper. You've been here four days and haven't tracked your hours properly since day one. Tonight you need to write an estimate for a deck build, but you don't know your actual hourly rate because you've never tracked it accurately.
Carpenters face unique challenges: Estimating custom work without undercharging labor. Tracking hours on jobs that stretch across weeks. Lumber price fluctuations destroying quoted margins. Clients requesting changes mid-build without understanding cost impact. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median carpenter earns $49,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Table saw and miter saw 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."
— Carpenter 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 carpenters 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 carpenters actually deal with
Estimating custom work without undercharging labor
Clients requesting changes mid-build without understanding cost impact
A day in the life of a carpenter
You're building custom bookshelves in a client's living room. The homeowner walks in and asks if you can extend them around the corner — 'it shouldn't be that much more, right?' You quoted this job three weeks ago when lumber was cheaper. You've been here four days and haven't tracked your hours properly since day one. Tonight you need to write an estimate for a deck build, but you don't know your actual hourly rate because you've never tracked it accurately.
The tools a working carpenter actually owns
Table saw and miter saw
Router and router table
Chisels and hand planes
Clamps (dozens, various sizes)
Why carpenters leave the big platforms
jobber: Designed for quick service calls. Custom carpentry projects last weeks — Jobber's scheduling can't handle that workflow.
quickbooks: I'm a carpenter, not an accountant. QBO is $55/month of complexity I don't need.
freshbooks: Good invoicing but the time tracker is an afterthought. I need both to work together seamlessly.
Where carpenters actually talk shop
r/Carpentry (Reddit)
r/woodworking (Reddit)
r/Construction (Reddit)
r/FinishCarpentry (Reddit)
ContractorTalk.com (Forum)
WoodworkingTalk.com (Forum)
SawmillCreek.org (Forum)
Essential Craftsman (YouTube)
Local carpenters on Nexa
Real carpenters near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a carpenter? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every carpenter on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for carpenters?
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.
Carpenters in Providence
The average solo operator there spends about $2,100/year on software — and carpenter face their own version of that math. Rhode Island income tax up to 5.99%. Providence has no city income tax but property taxes are high. Rhode Island requires contractor registration through the CRB. Providence requires a business license. MA side of the metro has separate requirements.
Small state means solopreneurs often serve clients across both RI and MA
Essential Craftsman, The Honest Carpenter, Finish Carpentry TV, Scott Brown Carpentry
Podcasts
The Modern Craftsman Podcast, Essential Craftsman Podcast
"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."
— Carpenter, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.