Maple Syrup Producers 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 Maple Syrup Producer 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.
Maple Syrup Producers face unique challenges: The whole season is a few frantic weeks when sap runs, so a breakdown in tubing or the evaporator during the run loses irreplaceable harvest. Sap is 2-3% sugar and spoils fast, so it has to be boiled to 66+ brix quickly or the day's collection is wasted. Density must hit exactly 66-67 brix or the syrup ferments or crystallizes, making the hydrometer reading a make-or-break per batch. Sales span retail jugs, wholesale, and bulk drums plus grading by color, so pricing and tracking the graded inventory gets tangled. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Maple Syrup Producer 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 evaporator with arch and boiling pans 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 maple syrup producers are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.
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During the run he's up before light because the sap waits for no one; a warm day after a freezing night means the lines are flowing and the tanks are filling. He checks the tubing across the sugarbush for a vacuum leak or a squirrel-chewed line, because a break means sap he'll never get back in a season that's only weeks long. Collected sap runs through the reverse-osmosis unit to strip out most of the water first, saving hours of boiling and a fortune in firewood, then into the evaporator where it boils down across the pans. He's watching the thermometer and the hydrometer, drawing off only when it hits the exact density, because a degree too low and it'll ferment, too high and it crystallizes in the jug. He filters the hot syrup, grades it by color from golden to dark, and bottles into jugs and bulk drums. The sales are everywhere: retail jugs at the farm and online, wholesale to a couple of stores, and bulk drums to a packer, each graded and priced differently. He's exhausted, the season's revenue all crammed into this window, and he's not tracking which grade he's got how much of. Equipment receipts and the bulk-buyer's contract are tacked up in the shack.
Real maple syrup producers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a maple syrup producer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every maple syrup producer 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 $1,968/year on software — and Maple Syrup Producer face their own version of that math. PA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Erie metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Maple Syrup Producers 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