You're Switching from HoneyBook. Here's Why Social Media Managers 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 social media manager, former HoneyBook customer
The Bottom Line
Social Media Managers 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 social media manager earns $42,000/year, so HoneyBook's annual cost is roughly 1.0% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$42,000
Median social media manager income
4%
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 Social Media Managers 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
Social Media Managers are leaving HoneyBook every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Social Media Managers
I manage accounts for six small businesses, and each one runs on its own calendar. Monday I plan the week: posts, captions, hashtags and the offers they want to push, then send it for approval, which some clients take two days to give. Content is the bottleneck. I shoot on site once or twice a month, edit short videos, design graphics, and write captions in each client's voice, because a bakery and a law firm can't sound the same. Every day I'm in the inboxes and comments, answering questions, flagging complaints to the owner, and deleting spam. Once a month I pull the numbers: reach, engagement, clicks, and the enquiries that came through social, and I explain what worked instead of just sending a screenshot. Paid ads are a separate job, with a budget, targeting and weekly adjustments. Clients pay a monthly retainer, and the hard part is keeping the retainer honest: when a client asks for one more thing every week, I track my hours so I know when the scope has quietly doubled.
Social Media Managers face unique challenges: Tracking hours across 8-15 retainer clients posting daily. Clients expecting 24/7 availability for social media 'emergencies'. Proving ROI to justify monthly retainer fees. Already paying for scheduling tools — adding invoicing software on top is painful. On top of all that, HoneyBook charges $36/month ($432/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median social media manager earns $42,000/year. Software at $432/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Scheduling tools (Later, Buffer, Hootsuite) 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."
— Social media manager 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 social media managers 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 social media managers actually deal with
Tracking hours across 8-15 retainer clients posting daily
Clients expecting 24/7 availability for social media 'emergencies'
Proving ROI to justify monthly retainer fees
Already paying for scheduling tools — adding invoicing software on top is painful
A day in the life of a social media manager
I manage accounts for six small businesses, and each one runs on its own calendar. Monday I plan the week: posts, captions, hashtags and the offers they want to push, then send it for approval, which some clients take two days to give. Content is the bottleneck. I shoot on site once or twice a month, edit short videos, design graphics, and write captions in each client's voice, because a bakery and a law firm can't sound the same. Every day I'm in the inboxes and comments, answering questions, flagging complaints to the owner, and deleting spam. Once a month I pull the numbers: reach, engagement, clicks, and the enquiries that came through social, and I explain what worked instead of just sending a screenshot. Paid ads are a separate job, with a budget, targeting and weekly adjustments. Clients pay a monthly retainer, and the hard part is keeping the retainer honest: when a client asks for one more thing every week, I track my hours so I know when the scope has quietly doubled.
The tools a working social media manager actually owns
Scheduling tools (Later, Buffer, Hootsuite)
Canva Pro or Adobe Express
Analytics dashboards and reporting tools
Phone with high-quality camera for content creation
Why social media managers leave the big platforms
freshbooks: $17-30/month for invoicing alone. Social media managers already pay for scheduling, design, and analytics tools. Adding FreshBooks hurts.
toggl: Impossible to track time accurately when you're switching between 10 client accounts every hour.
honeybook: Built for event vendors who do 30 projects a year. Social media management is ongoing retainer work — totally different workflow.
Is Nexa really a HoneyBook replacement for social media managers?
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.
Social Media Managers in Honolulu
The average solo operator there spends about $4,080/year on software — and social media manager face their own version of that math. HI state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Honolulu metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Social Media Managers 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 Social Media Managers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other social media managers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Vanessa Lau, Latasha James, Rachel Pedersen, Social Media Examiner
Podcasts
Social Media Marketing Podcast, The Social Media Manager Podcast
"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."
— Social media manager, switched from HoneyBook
Stop Losing $432/Year to HoneyBook
$1,296 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.