You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Video Editors Choose Nexa.
FreshBooks
$43/mo
$516/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 6.5 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from FreshBooks after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified video editor, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Video Editors 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 video editor earns $48,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.1% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$48,000
Median video editor income
3.2%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
6.5 mo
Break-even vs FreshBooks
$1,269
3-year savings switching to Nexa
What FreshBooks Is Costing You
The Damage
FreshBooks monthly$43/mo
Annual drain$516/yr
Year 2 (at today's price)$516
Year 3$516
3-year total$1,548
That's $1,548 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
Your FreshBooks subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.
Why Video Editors Leave FreshBooks
✗Client caps force upgrades ($5 to $50 clients is $20 jump)
✗Per-user pricing adds $132/year per team member
✗Loses all data access upon cancellation
✗Limited customization options
✗No bank reconciliation on Lite plan
✗When I canceled my FreshBooks subscription, I lost access to all my old invoices and customer data. It felt like canceli
✗Lite was useless after 2 months. Had to upgrade to Plus as soon as I crossed 5 clients.
Video Editors are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Video Editors
A project lands as a folder of raw footage and a vague request, so the first job is organising: logging clips, syncing audio, labelling the good takes and building a rough structure before I touch the timeline. The rough cut is about story; I'm cutting interviews down to the strongest lines, finding the order that makes sense, and laying B-roll over the joins. Then the fine cut: pacing, transitions, music that fits and is properly licensed, and sound levelled so dialogue is clear on a phone speaker. Colour correction comes next, matching shots from different cameras so it looks like one piece. Captions and graphics go on last, and I export versions for each platform, landscape, square and vertical, each with its own crop. Revisions are where I protect my time; my agreement sets the number of rounds, and I timestamp every note so feedback is specific. I back up every project to two drives. I bill some clients per project and some monthly for a set number of videos, and I track my hours on both so I know which are worth keeping.
Video Editors face unique challenges: Tracking editing hours when you work in long, uninterrupted blocks. Render time — is it billable? Clients say no, editors say yes. Revision rounds spiraling beyond the original scope. Late payments from clients who already published the video. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $43/month ($516/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median video editor earns $48,000/year. Software at $516/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Editing workstation (high-spec CPU/GPU, 64GB+ RAM) 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.
Your Full Stack Cost
FreshBooks is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
Want this breakdown emailed to you?
Your exact FreshBooks cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
"I was paying FreshBooks $43/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,548 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Video editor business owner
What You Get Instead
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
Switching Takes 1-2 Days
Most video editors are fully switched before the weekend.
1
Export your data
Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.
2
Set up Nexa
15-minute setup. Import your client list and expenses from CSV.
3
Parallel run
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Re-create unpaid and recurring invoices in Nexa; keep the FreshBooks export as your invoice history.
4
Cancel FreshBooks
Cancel subscription. Download a final data export for your records.
✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel FreshBooks when you're confident. Zero risk.
What video editors actually deal with
Tracking editing hours when you work in long, uninterrupted blocks
Render time — is it billable? Clients say no, editors say yes
Revision rounds spiraling beyond the original scope
Late payments from clients who already published the video
A day in the life of a video editor
A project lands as a folder of raw footage and a vague request, so the first job is organising: logging clips, syncing audio, labelling the good takes and building a rough structure before I touch the timeline. The rough cut is about story; I'm cutting interviews down to the strongest lines, finding the order that makes sense, and laying B-roll over the joins. Then the fine cut: pacing, transitions, music that fits and is properly licensed, and sound levelled so dialogue is clear on a phone speaker. Colour correction comes next, matching shots from different cameras so it looks like one piece. Captions and graphics go on last, and I export versions for each platform, landscape, square and vertical, each with its own crop. Revisions are where I protect my time; my agreement sets the number of rounds, and I timestamp every note so feedback is specific. I back up every project to two drives. I bill some clients per project and some monthly for a set number of videos, and I track my hours on both so I know which are worth keeping.
NLE software licenses (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut)
External storage (RAID arrays, NAS)
Why video editors leave the big platforms
freshbooks: Good invoicing but doesn't understand project-based creative work. No revision tracking, no deliverable management.
toggl: $10/month for a timer. Just a timer. Still need invoicing software, still need project management.
harvest: Time tracking is fine but the invoicing looks unprofessional. Creative clients judge you on presentation.
Where video editors actually talk shop
r/VideoEditing (Reddit)
r/editors (Reddit)
r/premiere (Reddit)
r/davinciresolve (Reddit)
Creative COW Forums (Forum)
LiftGammaGain.com (Forum)
Casey Faris (YouTube)
JayAreTV (YouTube)
Local video editors on Nexa
Real video editors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a video editor? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every video editor on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for video editors?
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.
$279 seems like a lot.
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.
Can I pay in installments?
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.
What if I don't like it?
30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.
Can I import my FreshBooks data?
Export your data from FreshBooks as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
Video Editors in Springfield
The average solo operator there spends about $2,112/year on software — and video editor face their own version of that math. IL state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Springfield metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Video Editors run into with FreshBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
✗
FreshBooks gapLimited inventory management
✓
NexaInventory tracking included for product and service businesses.
✗
FreshBooks gapNo scheduling/booking
✓
NexaBuilt-in scheduling and booking — no separate tier.
✗
FreshBooks gapBasic reporting compared to QB
✓
NexaP&L, balance sheet, and 21 reports — built in.
Where Video Editors Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other video editors are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Casey Faris, JayAreTV, Film Editing Pro, Peter McKinnon
Podcasts
The Cutting Room Floor, Art of the Cut
"FreshBooks raised prices again and I was done. Found Nexa — $279 once. I own it. No more 'we're updating our pricing' emails. Best business decision this year."
— Video editor, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $516/Year to FreshBooks
$1,548 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.