You're Switching from HoneyBook. Here's Why Graphic Designers Choose Nexa.
HoneyBook
$39/mo
$468/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 7.2 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from HoneyBook after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified graphic designer, former HoneyBook customer
The Bottom Line
Graphic Designers on HoneyBook pay $39/month — $468/year. Over three years, that's $1,570. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 7.2 months. The median graphic designer earns $52,000/year, so HoneyBook's annual cost is roughly 0.9% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$52,000
Median graphic designer income
3.5%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
7.2 mo
Break-even vs HoneyBook
$1,291
3-year savings switching to Nexa
What HoneyBook Is Costing You
The Damage
HoneyBook monthly$39/mo
Annual drain$468/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation)$521
Year 3$581
3-year total$1,570
That's $1,570 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
Your HoneyBook subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.
Why Graphic Designers Leave HoneyBook
✗89% price increase in February 2025
✗Payment processing fees add up
✗Limited geographic availability
✗Team member caps on lower tiers
✗Not suited for complex workflows
✗My least favorite thing is the price. As a solo entrepreneur, budget is tight and the barrier to entry is around $40 a m
✗89% price hike - is it still worth it to stay or switch?
Graphic Designers are leaving HoneyBook every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Graphic Designers
You're designing a brand identity for Client A while Client B's website mockups are due Friday. You switch between projects four times today and your Toggl timer is on the wrong client for an hour. Client C emails asking for 'just one small change' to the logo you delivered last month — revision 8 on a project you quoted flat-rate. By the end of the day you've worked 9 hours but can only bill for 6 because the rest was admin, emails, and untracked context-switching.
Graphic Designers face unique challenges: Tracking billable hours across 5+ client projects. Scope creep — 'one more revision' eating into fixed-price projects. Separating creative time (billable) from admin time (not billable). FreshBooks + Toggl combined costing $27+/month for basic time tracking and invoicing. On top of all that, HoneyBook charges $39/month ($468/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median graphic designer earns $52,000/year. Software at $468/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription 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
HoneyBook is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
Want this breakdown emailed to you?
Your exact HoneyBook cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
"I was paying HoneyBook $39/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,570 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Graphic designer business owner
What You Get Instead
Feature
HoneyBook
Nexa
Invoicing
✓
✓
Scheduling
✗
✓
CRM
✗
✓
Time Tracking
✗
✓
Full Accounting
✗
✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management
✗
✓
Price
$39/mo forever
$279 once or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost
$1,570
$279
Stop paying?
Lose everything
Keep everything forever
Switching Takes 1-2 Days
Most graphic designers are fully switched before the weekend.
1
Export your data
Go to Company Settings → export contacts and projects. Download templates separately.
2
Set up Nexa
15-minute setup. Import your contacts and recreate your key templates.
3
Parallel run
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Transition active projects after they complete.
4
Cancel HoneyBook
Cancel before renewal. Save any contract templates as PDFs.
✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel HoneyBook when you're confident. Zero risk.
What graphic designers actually deal with
Tracking billable hours across 5+ client projects
Scope creep — 'one more revision' eating into fixed-price projects
Separating creative time (billable) from admin time (not billable)
FreshBooks + Toggl combined costing $27+/month for basic time tracking and invoicing
A day in the life of a graphic designer
You're designing a brand identity for Client A while Client B's website mockups are due Friday. You switch between projects four times today and your Toggl timer is on the wrong client for an hour. Client C emails asking for 'just one small change' to the logo you delivered last month — revision 8 on a project you quoted flat-rate. By the end of the day you've worked 9 hours but can only bill for 6 because the rest was admin, emails, and untracked context-switching.
The tools a working graphic designer actually owns
Adobe Creative Cloud subscription
High-resolution monitor (color-calibrated)
Drawing tablet (Wacom, iPad Pro)
Font licenses and stock subscriptions
Why graphic designers leave the big platforms
freshbooks: $17-55/month depending on client count. Good invoicing but the time tracking is bolted on and clunky.
toggl: $10/month for time tracking alone. No invoicing. You need Toggl PLUS FreshBooks — that's $27+/month combined.
harvest: $11/month for mediocre time tracking and basic invoicing. The reports are good but the rest is underwhelming.
Where graphic designers actually talk shop
r/graphic_design (Reddit)
r/freelanceDesigners (Reddit)
r/Design (Reddit)
r/logodesign (Reddit)
Dribbble Community (Forum)
Behance Forum (Forum)
Designer Hangout (Slack) (Forum)
The Futur (YouTube)
Local graphic designers on Nexa
Real graphic designers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a graphic designer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every graphic designer on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a HoneyBook replacement for graphic designers?
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.
$279 seems like a lot.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. HoneyBook is $39/month — that's $1,570 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 HoneyBook data?
Export your data from HoneyBook as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
Graphic Designers in Gilbert
The average solo operator there spends about $2,520/year on software — and graphic designer face their own version of that math. AZ state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Gilbert metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Graphic Designers run into with HoneyBook, and what Nexa does instead.
✗
HoneyBook gapLimited for product-based businesses
✓
NexaBuilt into Nexa’s $279 once purchase — no separate add-on.
✗
HoneyBook gapNo inventory management
✓
NexaInventory tracking included for product and service businesses.
✗
HoneyBook gapBasic reporting
✓
NexaP&L, balance sheet, and 21 reports — built in.
Where Graphic Designers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other graphic designers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
The Futur, Will Paterson, Flux Academy, Satori Graphics
Podcasts
The Futur Podcast, The Honest Designers Show, Overtime by Dribbble
"HoneyBook 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."
— Graphic designer, switched from HoneyBook
Stop Losing $468/Year to HoneyBook
$1,570 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.