You're Switching from FreshBooks. Here's Why Welders 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 welder, former FreshBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Welders 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 welder earns $47,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.8% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$47,000
Median welder income
2.5%
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 Welders 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.
Welders are leaving FreshBooks every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Welders
You're in the shop fabricating a custom gate when a rancher calls about a broken cattle guard. That's a mobile job 45 minutes away. You need to quote it sight-unseen, load the truck with the right rods and gas, and figure out how to invoice both jobs today. The gate client wants progress photos and an itemized bill. You're juggling fabrication time, material costs, and drive time, and none of it is being tracked anywhere except your head.
Welders face unique challenges: Quoting fabrication jobs without knowing exact material costs upfront. Tracking consumables — wire, gas, rods — across multiple jobs. Getting paid on custom fab work before material costs eat your cash flow. No software understands shop + mobile welding workflows. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median welder earns $47,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your MIG, TIG, and stick welders 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."
— Welder 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 welders 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 welders actually deal with
Quoting fabrication jobs without knowing exact material costs upfront
Tracking consumables — wire, gas, rods — across multiple jobs
Getting paid on custom fab work before material costs eat your cash flow
No software understands shop + mobile welding workflows
A day in the life of a welder
You're in the shop fabricating a custom gate when a rancher calls about a broken cattle guard. That's a mobile job 45 minutes away. You need to quote it sight-unseen, load the truck with the right rods and gas, and figure out how to invoice both jobs today. The gate client wants progress photos and an itemized bill. You're juggling fabrication time, material costs, and drive time, and none of it is being tracked anywhere except your head.
The tools a working welder actually owns
MIG, TIG, and stick welders
Plasma cutter
Angle grinders and cut-off wheels
Welding helmets and safety gear
Why welders leave the big platforms
jobber: It's designed for service calls to houses, not fabrication shops. Doesn't handle material-heavy project quoting.
quickbooks: I don't need double-entry accounting. I need to quote, track materials, and invoice. $55/month for features I'll never use.
square: Fine for collecting payment in the field, but it can't track a multi-day fab project or material costs.
Where welders actually talk shop
r/Welding (Reddit)
r/WeldingPorn (Reddit)
r/metalworking (Reddit)
WeldingWeb.com (Forum)
MillerWelds Forum (Forum)
Weld.com (YouTube)
ChuckE2009 (YouTube)
Fireball Tool (YouTube)
Local welders on Nexa
Real welders near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a welder? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every welder on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a FreshBooks replacement for welders?
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.
Welders in Kalamazoo
The average solo operator there spends about $2,112/year on software — and welder face their own version of that math. MI state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Kalamazoo metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Welders 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 Welders Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other welders are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Reddit
r/Welding, r/WeldingPorn, r/metalworking
Forums
WeldingWeb.com, MillerWelds Forum
YouTube
Weld.com, ChuckE2009, Fireball Tool, This Old Tony
Podcasts
Welding Tips and Tricks Podcast, Arc Junkies
"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."
— Welder, switched from FreshBooks
Stop Losing $396/Year to FreshBooks
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.