Mobile Bartenders 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 Mobile Bartender earns $42,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.9% 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.
Mobile Bartenders face unique challenges: Building a custom cocktail menu and a shopping list scaled to the guest count. Calculating how much liquor, mixers, ice, and garnish to buy so nothing runs out. Maintaining bartending certification and verifying liquor liability for each booking. Setting up and breaking down the bar station at venues with no sink or fridge access. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Mobile Bartender earns $42,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Portable bar station or folding bar with skirting 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 mobile bartenders are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.
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Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify invoice history and recurring invoices.
Cancel subscription. Download a final data export for your records.
Most of the job happens before I tie on the apron. I meet the host to design a menu, usually two signature cocktails plus beer and wine, then translate the guest count into a shopping list down to how many limes I need to juice and how many bags of ice will survive a hot afternoon. I confirm my certification is current and that liability is covered for the booking, because hosts and venues increasingly ask. On the day I haul the portable bar in, skirt it, set up coolers since there is rarely a fridge, and lay out my station with shakers, jiggers, a juicer, and a garnish caddy within reach for speed. There is usually no sink, so I rig a clean-water and rinse system to keep up. Service is reading the room: prepping batches of the signature ahead of the rush, keeping the line short, free-pouring consistently so the tenth drink tastes like the first, and quietly cutting off anyone who has had enough. When the last guest drifts off I break down the station, pack out everything I brought, settle the bill, and tally what I poured against what I bought so the next event's shopping list is sharper.
Real mobile bartenders near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a mobile bartender? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every mobile bartender 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 $2,448/year on software — and Mobile Bartender face their own version of that math. MT state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Missoula metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Mobile Bartenders 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