Trade Show 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 Trade Show 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.
Trade Show Designers face unique challenges: Designing booth graphics to exact hardware templates — tension-fabric SEG, pop-up walls, hanging signs — where bleed and safe zones differ for every system. The show's drayage and install deadline is fixed, so files missing the print-ship date means the booth arrives blank. Accounting for sight lines and viewing distance — headline legible from across an aisle, logo readable from the show floor, not just on a monitor. Exhibitor manuals and venue rules (hanging-sign height limits, fire-rated materials, rigging points) change per show and per convention center. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Trade Show 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 Adobe Illustrator 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 trade show designers are fully switched before the weekend.
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I start by pulling the hardware spec for whoever's exhibiting next — a 20-foot tension-fabric backwall prints to a completely different template than a retractable banner stand, and the SEG bleed has to wrap into the silicone edge or you get a white line on the seam. I lay out the graphics thinking in viewing distance: the headline has to land from across a 10-foot aisle, the product shot has to survive being half-blocked by a demo counter, and the logo has to read up on the hanging sign. Midday I'm cross-checking the venue's exhibitor manual — this convention center caps hanging-sign height and requires fire-rated fabric, and the rigging points aren't where the last show's were. I build a quick 3D mockup so the client can see the booth in space before we commit to print, because nobody can read a flat 20-foot file on a laptop. Afternoon is the deadline math: the printer needs files three days before the booth ships to make drayage, which means my client sign-off is really due tomorrow, not next week. I send a proof with the print-ship date in bold. Then a kickoff for a medical-device company's first show, and we talk traffic flow and what the booth has to make a passerby stop.
Real trade show designers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a trade show designer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every trade show 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 $2,160/year on software — and Trade Show Designer face their own version of that math. IL state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Champaign metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Trade Show 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