Private Investigators on FreshBooks pay $43/month — $516/year. Over three years, that's $1,548. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 6.5 months. The median private investigator earns $50,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.0% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,548 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Private Investigators face unique challenges: Hourly billing with detailed activity logs required. Database and tool subscriptions ($200-500/month) eating margins. Case management with sensitive client information. Retainer management and billing against retainer balances. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $43/month ($516/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median private investigator earns $50,000/year. Software at $516/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Surveillance equipment (cameras, GPS) 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 | — | ✓ |
| Works offline | — | ✓ |
| Price | $43/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $1,548 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most private investigators are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.
15-minute setup. Import your client list and expenses from CSV.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Re-create unpaid and recurring invoices in Nexa; keep the FreshBooks export as your invoice history.
Cancel subscription. Download a final data export for your records.
Most of my cases come from attorneys, insurance companies and individuals, and every case starts with a clear objective and a check that it's legal and ethical, because some requests I turn down. Background investigations mean public records, court filings, property and business records, and interviews, pieced together into a report. Surveillance is long, uncomfortable work: hours in a vehicle, watching and documenting activity with photos and video, noting times precisely, and staying unnoticed, often for insurance claims where someone's claimed injury doesn't match their weekend. Locating people, witnesses or debtors, is detective work through records and contacts. Everything I do has to stand up in court, so my notes, the chain of custody for evidence and the report are meticulous, and I may be called to testify. I know the laws on recording, trespass and privacy in my state and stay well inside them. I'm licensed and insured, bill by the hour plus mileage and expenses, and take a retainer before I start a case.
Real private investigators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a private investigator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every private investigator 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 $43/month — that's $1,548 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 $2,688/year on software — and private investigator face their own version of that math. OR state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Hillsboro metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Private Investigators run into with FreshBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
If you want to compare notes or see how other private investigators are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
$1,548 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once