You're Switching from HoneyBook.
Here's Why Instructional Designers Choose Nexa.

HoneyBook
$36/mo
$432/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 7.8 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 Instructional Designer, former HoneyBook customer

The Bottom Line

Instructional Designers 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 Instructional Designer earns $45,000/year, so HoneyBook's annual cost is roughly 1.0% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$45,000
Median Instructional Designer income
3.5%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
7.8 mo
Break-even vs HoneyBook
$1,017
3-year savings switching to Nexa

What HoneyBook Is Costing You

The Damage

HoneyBook monthly $36/mo
Annual drain $432/yr
Year 2 (at today's price) $432
Year 3 $432
3-year total $1,296

That's $1,296 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 Instructional Designers Leave HoneyBook

✗Starter rose from $19 to $36/month on Feb 4, 2025 (+89%).
✗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
Instructional Designers are leaving HoneyBook every week.

You're not the only one who's had enough.

Why This Matters for Instructional Designers

The day usually opens with a discovery call where a corporate L&D manager asks me to 'convert our compliance slides into an online course,' and my real first task is reframing that, because effective e-learning starts from learning objectives and a needs analysis, not a slide deck. I write measurable objectives, then storyboard the module in a doc so the SME can sign off on flow before I build anything expensive. Mid-morning I'm in Storyline turning passive content into interactions, a branching scenario where the learner makes a decision and sees the consequence, drag-and-drop knowledge checks, a final assessment that maps back to the objectives. The afternoon is the part that quietly eats hours: making it accessible, adding alt text, closed captions, keyboard navigation, and logical focus order so it passes WCAG, because retrofitting that later is a nightmare. Then comes the integration headache, I publish a SCORM package and test it in a sandbox LMS, and inevitably the completion status or quiz score won't report back correctly, so I debug the SCORM wrapper and the LMS settings. Late in the day the SME who vanished for two weeks resurfaces wanting a section rewritten, even though I've already built its interactions. Before I hand off, I run the package through one more LMS test and document the SCORM version and tracking settings so their administrator can load it without calling me at midnight.

Instructional Designers face unique challenges: Clients say 'just put our slides online' when real e-learning needs objectives, interactions, scenarios, and assessment, not a PowerPoint dump. SCORM packages that pass on my machine fail to report completion or score back to the client's LMS, and I get blamed for 'broken' tracking. Subject-matter experts go silent for weeks then demand the storyboard be redone after I've already built the interactions in Storyline. Accessibility and 508/WCAG compliance get treated as a checkbox at the end instead of designed in from the first screen. On top of all that, HoneyBook charges $36/month ($432/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Instructional Designer 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 Articulate Storyline 360 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 $36/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,296 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Instructional Designer business owner

What You Get Instead

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

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most instructional 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 instructional designers actually deal with

A day in the life of a instructional designer

The day usually opens with a discovery call where a corporate L&D manager asks me to 'convert our compliance slides into an online course,' and my real first task is reframing that, because effective e-learning starts from learning objectives and a needs analysis, not a slide deck. I write measurable objectives, then storyboard the module in a doc so the SME can sign off on flow before I build anything expensive. Mid-morning I'm in Storyline turning passive content into interactions, a branching scenario where the learner makes a decision and sees the consequence, drag-and-drop knowledge checks, a final assessment that maps back to the objectives. The afternoon is the part that quietly eats hours: making it accessible, adding alt text, closed captions, keyboard navigation, and logical focus order so it passes WCAG, because retrofitting that later is a nightmare. Then comes the integration headache, I publish a SCORM package and test it in a sandbox LMS, and inevitably the completion status or quiz score won't report back correctly, so I debug the SCORM wrapper and the LMS settings. Late in the day the SME who vanished for two weeks resurfaces wanting a section rewritten, even though I've already built its interactions. Before I hand off, I run the package through one more LMS test and document the SCORM version and tracking settings so their administrator can load it without calling me at midnight.

The tools a working instructional designer actually owns

Local instructional designers on Nexa

Real instructional designers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you an instructional designer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every instructional designer on Nexa →

FAQ

Is Nexa really a HoneyBook replacement for instructional 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 $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.

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.

Instructional Designers in Daytona Beach

The average solo operator there spends about $2,280/year on software — and Instructional Designer face their own version of that math. FL state licensing requirements apply.

Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Daytona Beach metro. Your situation will vary.

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Instructional 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.
"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."
— Instructional Designer, switched from HoneyBook

Stop Losing $432/Year to HoneyBook

$1,296 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.

Get Nexa — $279 Once
or 3 payments of $99
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee — save $500 or full refund

Still want HoneyBook?

We think Nexa is the better deal at $279 once vs $36/mo. But if you've decided on HoneyBook, here's the link. No hard feelings.

HoneyBook — $36/mo →

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