Pastry Chefs 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 Pastry Chef 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.
Pastry Chefs face unique challenges: Laminated doughs (croissant, Danish) and many components are made over two or three days, so production has to be scheduled backward from each order's pickup or event date. Pastry is fragile and time-sensitive, so wholesale standing orders for cafes and one-off event platters both demand tight, repeatable delivery timing. Costing is granular because formulas are weight-based and butter/chocolate/nut prices move, so pricing per dozen or per platter has to track real ingredient cost. Allergens (gluten, nuts, dairy, eggs) run through everything in a pastry kitchen, so dietary orders and cross-contact have to be tracked precisely. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Pastry Chef 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 a digital scale and bench scraper for precise, weight-based formulas 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 pastry chefs are fully switched before the weekend.
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Lamination doesn't wait, so your day is built backward from delivery dates. Morning you're folding butter into detrempe for croissants that won't be ready for two more days, while yesterday's laminated dough proofs for this morning's bake. You weigh everything; pastry is chemistry, and a formula off by grams shows. You've got a standing wholesale order of croissants and pain au chocolat for two cafes that need them by their open, plus a custom dessert platter for a Saturday event and a tart order for a pickup tomorrow. You bake, fill, glaze, and pipe through the morning, then box the wholesale orders for the early run. Between trays you're costing a new client's request, checking today's butter and chocolate prices against your per-dozen number, and noting that one cafe wants a vegan and a gluten-free option, which means separate components and careful handling. Afternoon is mise en place for tomorrow: tart shells blind-baked, pastry cream cooked and chilled, fruit prepped. You confirm the weekend event's platter count and any allergies, line up your laminating schedule so nothing's rushed, and reconcile the week's deliveries against what each account owes before the next early start.
Real pastry chefs near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a pastry chef? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every pastry chef 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 $2,160/year on software — and Pastry Chef face their own version of that math. OK state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Norman metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Pastry Chefs 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