You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Videographers Choose Nexa.
FreshBooks
$33/mo
$396/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 8.5 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 videographer, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Videographers 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 videographer earns $48,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.8% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$48,000
Median videographer income
3.8%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
8.5 mo
Break-even vs FreshBooks
$1,050
3-year savings switching to Nexa
What FreshBooks Is Costing You
The Damage
FreshBooks monthly$33/mo
Annual drain$396/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation)$441
Year 3$491
3-year total$1,329
That's $1,329 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 Videographers 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.
Videographers are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Videographers
You filmed a wedding Saturday — 10 hours on your feet. Now it's Monday and you need to start editing 6 hours of footage into a 5-minute highlight reel and a 30-minute full film. The couple wants a first-look teaser by Friday. You also need to send a contract to next month's corporate client and collect a deposit from a bat mitzvah family. HoneyBook charges $39/month and takes 2.9% of the $5,000 wedding payment you just processed.
Videographers face unique challenges: Managing contracts, deposits, and payment schedules for $3-10K packages. HoneyBook taking payment processing fees on large invoices. Scope creep — clients wanting 'one more edit' after final delivery. Tracking hours across filming, editing, and revision rounds. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median videographer earns $48,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Camera bodies (Sony FX3/FX6, Canon C70, Blackmagic) 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 $33/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,329 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Videographer business owner
What You Get Instead
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
Switching Takes 1-2 Days
Most videographers 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 expense categories from CSV.
3
Parallel run
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify invoice history and recurring invoices.
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 videographers actually deal with
Managing contracts, deposits, and payment schedules for $3-10K packages
HoneyBook taking payment processing fees on large invoices
Scope creep — clients wanting 'one more edit' after final delivery
Tracking hours across filming, editing, and revision rounds
A day in the life of a videographer
You filmed a wedding Saturday — 10 hours on your feet. Now it's Monday and you need to start editing 6 hours of footage into a 5-minute highlight reel and a 30-minute full film. The couple wants a first-look teaser by Friday. You also need to send a contract to next month's corporate client and collect a deposit from a bat mitzvah family. HoneyBook charges $39/month and takes 2.9% of the $5,000 wedding payment you just processed.
The tools a working videographer actually owns
Camera bodies (Sony FX3/FX6, Canon C70, Blackmagic)
Gimbal stabilizer (DJI RS series)
Audio recorder and lavalier mics
Editing workstation with high-spec GPU
Why videographers leave the big platforms
honeybook: $39/month plus 2.9% payment processing. On a $5,000 wedding package, that's $145 in processing fees alone. Plus the monthly subscription. Nearly $700/year.
dubsado: The setup took 30+ hours. Powerful workflows but the interface is confusing. Every other update introduces new bugs.
freshbooks: Good for invoicing but no contract management. Videographers need proposals, contracts, and invoicing in one place.
Where videographers actually talk shop
r/videography (Reddit)
r/VideoEditing (Reddit)
r/WeddingVideography (Reddit)
r/Filmmakers (Reddit)
DVXUser.com (Forum)
Creative COW Forums (Forum)
Parker Walbeck (YouTube)
Kraig Adams (YouTube)
Local videographers on Nexa
Real videographers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a videographer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every videographer on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for videographers?
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 $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.
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.
Videographers in San Francisco
The average solo operator there spends about $3,800/year on software — and videographer face their own version of that math. California 13.3% top rate plus SF Gross Receipts Tax. Among the highest total tax burdens for self-employed in the US. San Francisco requires a Business Registration Certificate and may require additional permits. Oakland has separate business tax requirements.
Astronomical operating costs mean every subscription dollar is scrutinized
Tech-savvy clients expect polished digital booking and invoicing experiences
Bridge tolls and parking costs add significant overhead to mobile service businesses
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the San Francisco metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Videographers 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 Videographers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other videographers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Parker Walbeck, Kraig Adams, Peter McKinnon, DSLR Video Shooter
Podcasts
How to Film Weddings Podcast, The Business of Film
"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."
— Videographer, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.