Cookie Decorators 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 cookie decorator earns $35,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.1% 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.
Cookie Decorators face unique challenges: Holiday and themed orders cluster around the same delivery dates, so the calendar jams in December and the week before every birthday party. Royal icing has to flood and crust on a schedule, so a late deposit or a vague order detail throws off the whole drying timeline. Pricing per dozen never captures the real hours of outlining, flooding, and detail work, so intricate sets get under-charged. Customers send a Pinterest screenshot and expect an exact match, then change the colors or theme after the icing is already mixed. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median cookie decorator earns $35,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your piping bags and stainless couplers 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?
Want this breakdown emailed to you?
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 cookie decorators 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.
She mixes royal icing before the house wakes up, dividing it into bowls and tinting each to gel-color shades that have to match last batch's wedding-shower order exactly. The base cookies were baked and cooled overnight, so the morning is outlining: a stiffer consistency piped around every edge so the flood won't run off. Then she thins icing to a 15-second consistency, floods each cookie, and pops air bubbles with a scribe before a crust forms. Wet-on-wet details go down immediately; raised detail waits until tomorrow when the flood has set hard. Between batches she answers messages from a customer who wants the same set but in 'fall colors,' and another asking if she can squeeze in two dozen for Friday. She runs the airbrush for a gradient sky on a graduation set, cleans the compressor, and boxes yesterday's dried cookies with bubble wrap so the detail doesn't crack in transit. Lunch is standing at the counter. The afternoon is the part nobody sees: tracking who paid a deposit, who still owes a balance, and which pickup is tomorrow versus Saturday. By evening she's packaging finished orders, photographing them for her feed, and re-mixing icing for the cookies that need a second drying day.
Real cookie decorators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a cookie decorator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every cookie decorator 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 $1,600/year on software — and cookie decorator face their own version of that math. Mexico requires CFDI electronic invoicing for all formal businesses. ISR and IVA apply. Requirements vary by country and locality. Check local regulations.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the San Luis Potosí metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Cookie Decorators run into with FreshBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once