You're Switching from FreshBooks.
Here's Why Lighting Rental Operators 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 lighting rental operator, former FreshBooks customer

The Bottom Line

Lighting Rental Operators 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 lighting rental operator earns $45,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.9% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$45,000
Median lighting rental operator 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 Lighting Rental Operators 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.
Lighting Rental Operators are leaving FreshBooks every week.

You're not the only one who's had enough.

Why This Matters for Lighting Rental Operators

Wedding season: 3 events this weekend. Friday rehearsal dinner (12 uplights, $400), Saturday wedding (full production, $2,200), Sunday brunch event (bistro lights, $350). Your gear inventory is $40K. The Saturday wedding needs programming — 2 hours of DMX setup you didn't quote separately. A fixture from last week's event has a dead LED panel ($150 replacement). Your booking calendar is color-coded Google Calendar.

Lighting Rental Operators face unique challenges: High equipment investment with seasonal ROI. Lamp and LED replacement costs per fixture. Setup and programming time often underquoted. Damage during transport affecting fixture inventory. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median lighting rental operator earns $45,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your Uplighting and moving heads 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."
— Lighting rental operator 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 lighting rental operators 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 lighting rental operators actually deal with

A day in the life of a lighting rental operator

Wedding season: 3 events this weekend. Friday rehearsal dinner (12 uplights, $400), Saturday wedding (full production, $2,200), Sunday brunch event (bistro lights, $350). Your gear inventory is $40K. The Saturday wedding needs programming — 2 hours of DMX setup you didn't quote separately. A fixture from last week's event has a dead LED panel ($150 replacement). Your booking calendar is color-coded Google Calendar.

The tools a working lighting rental operator actually owns

Why lighting rental operators leave the big platforms

Where lighting rental operators actually talk shop

Local lighting rental operators on Nexa

Real lighting rental operators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a lighting rental operator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every lighting rental operator on Nexa →

FAQ

Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for lighting rental operators?

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.

Lighting Rental Operators in Miramar

The average solo operator there spends about $2,640/year on software — and lighting rental operator face their own version of that math. FL state licensing requirements apply.

Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Miramar metro. Your situation will vary.

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Lighting Rental Operators 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 Lighting Rental Operators Talk Shop

If you want to compare notes or see how other lighting rental operators are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.

Reddit
r/lightingdesign, r/stagelighting, r/EventProduction
Forums
ControlBooth.com
YouTube
Learn Stage Lighting
"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."
— Lighting rental operator, switched from FreshBooks

Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks

$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.

Get Nexa — $279 Once
or 3 payments of $99
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee — save $500 or full refund

Still want FreshBooks?

We think Nexa is the better deal at $279 once vs $33/mo. But if you've decided on FreshBooks, here's the link. No hard feelings.

FreshBooks — $33/mo →

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