Tattoo Designers 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 Tattoo Designer earns $45,000/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.
Tattoo Designers face unique challenges: Clients arrive with a Pinterest board of ten clashing styles and 'make it mine,' with no idea what reads well as a permanent tattoo on skin. Designing for the body, fine detail and tiny text blur and blow out over years, so the art has to be built to age on living skin. People expect a fully custom, hand-drawn piece for free as a 'consultation,' then ghost or take my design to a cheaper artist. Sizing and placement, a design built for a forearm warps completely when they suddenly want it on a curved calf or ribs. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Tattoo Designer 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 an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil running Procreate (with tattoo stencil brushes) 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 tattoo designers 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.
A custom tattoo starts with translation, because a client walks in with a Pinterest board of ten different styles, a quote in a font that won't survive on skin, and 'you'll know what I mean.' I spend the consultation pinning down what they actually want, the meaning, the placement, the size, and managing the expectation that some of those references simply won't work as a tattoo. Then I research and gather reference, and start sketching the linework on the iPad, designing for skin first: bold readable lines and enough negative space, because I know fine detail and tiny lettering blur and blow out as the tattoo ages and the ink spreads over years. I build the composition to flow with the body part it's going on, a sleeve has to wrap, a ribcage piece has to follow the curve. Midday I present the draft on a tablet and walk them through why I simplified that delicate filigree they loved. The afternoon brings the placement curveball, they decide they want the forearm design on their calf instead, which means reworking the proportions and flow for a totally different surface. Before the appointment I print the stencil at exact size and test the transfer, because a stencil that smears or sits crooked ruins the session. The recurring sting is the no-shows and the people who take my custom drawing to a cheaper shop after a 'free' consult.
Real tattoo designers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a tattoo designer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every tattoo designer 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 $2,112/year on software — and Tattoo Designer face their own version of that math. VA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Roanoke metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Tattoo Designers 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