Animators on HoneyBook pay $36/month — $432/year. Over three years, that's $1,296. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 7.8 months. The median animator earns $45,000/year, so HoneyBook's annual cost is roughly 1.0% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,296 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Animators face unique challenges: Projects take weeks-months with unclear scope and revision cycles. Revision rounds are the profit killer — clients want 'just one more tweak'. Per-second pricing vs. flat rate vs. hourly decisions. Software subscriptions (Adobe CC, plugins) eating into margins. On top of all that, HoneyBook charges $36/month ($432/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median animator earns $45,000/year. Software at $432/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Animation software (After Effects, Toon Boom, Blender) 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.
HoneyBook is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact HoneyBook cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| Feature | HoneyBook | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | — | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | — | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | — | ✓ |
| Works offline | — | ✓ |
| Price | $36/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $1,296 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most animators are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Company Settings → export contacts and projects. Download templates separately.
15-minute setup. Import your contacts and recreate your key templates.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Transition active projects after they complete.
Cancel before renewal. Save any contract templates as PDFs.
A thirty-second animated explainer takes me three to five weeks. It starts with the script, which the client usually writes and I usually cut, because every second on screen costs animation time. Then a storyboard, a sequence of rough frames that shows every scene, and a style frame or two so the client sees exactly how it will look before I animate anything. Changes are cheap at the storyboard stage and expensive later, so I push for sign-off there. Next is the voiceover, recorded first so I can time the animation to it. Then the long part: building characters and assets, animating each scene, adding motion to text and transitions, and adding sound effects and music. Rendering can take hours for complex scenes. The client gets two rounds of revisions in my contract, and I'm specific about what counts as a revision versus a new request. Deliverables come in several formats for web, social and presentations. I take a deposit before the script is locked, a payment at storyboard approval and the balance on delivery.
Real animators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you an animator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every animator on Nexa →
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. HoneyBook may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. HoneyBook is $36/month — that's $1,296 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 HoneyBook as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $3,480/year on software — and animator face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Oakland metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Animators run into with HoneyBook, and what Nexa does instead.
If you want to compare notes or see how other animators are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
$1,296 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once