You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Freelance Web Developers 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 web developer, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Freelance Web Developers 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 web developer earns $77,030/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.7% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$77,030
Median web developer income
3.5%
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 Freelance Web Developers 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.
Freelance Web Developers are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Freelance Web Developers
Most of my week isn't writing new code; it's figuring out what the client actually needs. A small business owner says they want a new website, and what they need is for their booking form to stop losing leads. So a project starts with discovery: what the site does today, who uses it, what breaks. Then I scope it tightly, because scope creep is how a fixed-price job turns into working for free. Build days are focused: a staging site, the templates, forms wired to their email and CRM, performance checks on a slow phone, accessibility basics, and testing on the browsers their customers actually use. Launch is DNS, SSL, redirects from the old URLs so they don't lose their search rankings, and watching the analytics for a week. After that, a lot of my income is recurring: hosting, updates, backups and a few hours of changes a month on a care plan. I track hours even on fixed-price work, because it's the only way I know whether I quoted right. The rest is sales: proposals, calls, and chasing the final payment that was due on launch.
Freelance Web Developers face unique challenges: Tracking billable hours across multiple client projects and internal work. Scope creep — 'one small change' turning into 5 hours of unpaid work. Clients who don't understand why maintenance costs money after launch. Harvest charges $11/month for time tracking that doesn't integrate with project management. Chasing invoices from clients who approved the work 3 weeks ago. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $43/month ($516/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median web developer earns $77,030/year. Software at $516/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Development workstation (high-spec laptop or desktop) 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."
— Web developer 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 freelance web developers 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 freelance web developers actually deal with
Tracking billable hours across multiple client projects and internal work
Scope creep — 'one small change' turning into 5 hours of unpaid work
Clients who don't understand why maintenance costs money after launch
Harvest charges $11/month for time tracking that doesn't integrate with project management
Chasing invoices from clients who approved the work 3 weeks ago
A day in the life of a web developer
Most of my week isn't writing new code; it's figuring out what the client actually needs. A small business owner says they want a new website, and what they need is for their booking form to stop losing leads. So a project starts with discovery: what the site does today, who uses it, what breaks. Then I scope it tightly, because scope creep is how a fixed-price job turns into working for free. Build days are focused: a staging site, the templates, forms wired to their email and CRM, performance checks on a slow phone, accessibility basics, and testing on the browsers their customers actually use. Launch is DNS, SSL, redirects from the old URLs so they don't lose their search rankings, and watching the analytics for a week. After that, a lot of my income is recurring: hosting, updates, backups and a few hours of changes a month on a care plan. I track hours even on fixed-price work, because it's the only way I know whether I quoted right. The rest is sales: proposals, calls, and chasing the final payment that was due on launch.
The tools a working web developer actually owns
Development workstation (high-spec laptop or desktop)
Multiple monitors
IDE licenses (JetBrains, etc.)
Domain registrar accounts
Hosting accounts and server infrastructure
Design software (Figma, Adobe CC)
Testing devices (phones, tablets)
Why freelance web developers leave the big platforms
harvest: $11/month per user. Decent time tracking but invoicing is basic. No project scoping, no contract management, no CRM.
toggl: $10/month for time tracking alone. Need invoicing too? That's another app and another subscription.
freshbooks: Good invoicing but time tracking is bolted on and clunky. The two features developers need most are both mediocre.
Where freelance web developers actually talk shop
r/webdev (Reddit)
r/freelance (Reddit)
r/webdesign (Reddit)
r/WordPress (Reddit)
r/reactjs (Reddit)
r/Frontend (Reddit)
DEV Community (dev.to) (Forum)
Hacker News (Forum)
Local freelance web developers on Nexa
Real freelance web developers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a web developer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every web developer on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for freelance web developers?
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.
Freelance Web Developers in Santiago
The average solo operator there spends about $2,000/year on software — and web developer face their own version of that math. Chile requires SII electronic invoicing. IVA at 19%. Requirements vary by country and locality. Check local regulations.
Most developed LATAM market. Nubox dominant. SII e-invoicing mandatory.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Santiago metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Freelance Web Developers 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 Freelance Web Developers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other freelance web developers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Reddit
r/webdev, r/freelance, r/webdesign, r/WordPress
Forums
DEV Community (dev.to), Hacker News, IndieHackers
YouTube
Traversy Media, Web Dev Simplified, Kevin Powell, Fireship
Podcasts
Syntax.fm, ShopTalk Show, The Freelancers Show, CodePen Radio
"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."
— Web developer, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $516/Year to FreshBooks
$1,548 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.