You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Etsy Sellers 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 Etsy seller, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Etsy Sellers 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 Etsy seller earns $28,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.4% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$28,000
Median Etsy seller 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 Etsy Sellers 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.
Etsy Sellers are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Etsy Sellers
You wake up to 12 overnight orders. You need to cut vinyl, press shirts, package everything, and get to the post office by 3pm. Your Cricut blade is dull and you need to order more HTV vinyl — but did you account for that in your product pricing? By the time you file quarterly taxes you realize you have no idea what your actual costs were. Etsy took $340 in fees last month and you're trying to reconcile it against your bank statement using a spreadsheet that stopped making sense in February.
Etsy Sellers face unique challenges: Tax nightmare — Etsy fees, shipping costs, material costs, and income from multiple shops. Tracking material costs per product when you buy supplies in bulk. Quarterly estimated tax payments with wildly inconsistent monthly income. Separating business and personal expenses without a $55/month QuickBooks subscription. Etsy takes 6.5% transaction fee + 3% payment processing + $0.20 listing fee — knowing actual profit is impossible without tracking. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Etsy seller 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 Craft supplies and raw materials (fabric, resin, wood, beads) 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."
— Etsy seller 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 etsy sellers 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 etsy sellers actually deal with
Tax nightmare — Etsy fees, shipping costs, material costs, and income from multiple shops
Tracking material costs per product when you buy supplies in bulk
Quarterly estimated tax payments with wildly inconsistent monthly income
Separating business and personal expenses without a $55/month QuickBooks subscription
Etsy takes 6.5% transaction fee + 3% payment processing + $0.20 listing fee — knowing actual profit is impossible without tracking
A day in the life of a etsy seller
You wake up to 12 overnight orders. You need to cut vinyl, press shirts, package everything, and get to the post office by 3pm. Your Cricut blade is dull and you need to order more HTV vinyl — but did you account for that in your product pricing? By the time you file quarterly taxes you realize you have no idea what your actual costs were. Etsy took $340 in fees last month and you're trying to reconcile it against your bank statement using a spreadsheet that stopped making sense in February.
The tools a working etsy seller actually owns
Craft supplies and raw materials (fabric, resin, wood, beads)
Cutting machines (Cricut, Silhouette)
Heat press or sublimation printer
Packaging supplies and shipping station
Photography setup for product photos
Label printer (Dymo, Rollo)
Inventory storage (shelving, bins, organizers)
Why etsy sellers leave the big platforms
quickbooks: $55/month for 'Plus' just to track expenses and categorize Etsy deposits. That's $660/year on top of Etsy's fees. You're paying to figure out how little you're making.
wave: Free is great until you realize the reports are confusing and it can't import Etsy CSV statements properly. Hours wasted on manual entry.
freshbooks: Built for service businesses, not product sellers. No inventory tracking, no COGS calculation, no integration with Etsy. Wrong tool entirely.
Where etsy sellers actually talk shop
r/Etsy (Reddit)
r/EtsySellers (Reddit)
r/EtsyShop (Reddit)
r/smallbusiness (Reddit)
Etsy Community Forums (Forum)
EtsyRank Community (Forum)
Starla Moore (YouTube)
Hannah Ebeling (YouTube)
Local etsy sellers on Nexa
Real etsy sellers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you an etsy seller? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every etsy seller on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for etsy sellers?
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.
Etsy Sellers in Columbus
The average solo operator there spends about $2,000/year on software — and Etsy seller 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 Etsy Sellers 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 Etsy Sellers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other etsy sellers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Starla Moore, Hannah Ebeling, Brandon Timothy, Kara Buntin
Podcasts
Etsy Conversations Podcast, Arts & Crafts Business Institute, The Handmade CEO
"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."
— Etsy seller, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.