Caterers 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 caterer earns $38,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.0% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,329 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Caterers face unique challenges: Pricing per-head for events with changing guest counts. Food cost tracking when ingredient prices fluctuate weekly. Managing dietary restrictions and menu customizations per event. Deposits covering ingredient purchases for perishable food. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median caterer earns $38,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Chafing dishes and warming equipment 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.
FreshBooks is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact FreshBooks cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| 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 |
Most caterers are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.
15-minute setup. Import your client list and expense categories from CSV.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify invoice history and recurring invoices.
Cancel subscription. Download a final data export for your records.
You're catering a 100-person corporate lunch Friday. The client just changed the headcount to 120 and wants to add a vegan option. You need to adjust the menu, recalculate food costs, update the invoice, and make a Costco and Restaurant Depot run tomorrow. Meanwhile a bride wants a tasting next week and you haven't sent her the proposal yet. Your food costs are in one spreadsheet, your invoices in another, and your event calendar in your phone.
Real caterers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a caterer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every caterer on Nexa →
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.
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.
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.
30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.
Export your data from FreshBooks as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $2,208/year on software — and caterer face their own version of that math. LA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Baton Rouge metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Caterers run into with FreshBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
If you want to compare notes or see how other caterers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once