You're Switching from QuickBooks.
Here's Why Beat Makers Choose Nexa.

QuickBooks
$38/mo
$456/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 7.3 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from QuickBooks after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified beat maker, former QuickBooks customer

The Bottom Line

Beat Makers on QuickBooks pay $38/month — $456/year. Over three years, that's $1,368. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 7.3 months. The median beat maker earns $22,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 2.1% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$22,000
Median beat maker income
2%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
7.3 mo
Break-even vs QuickBooks
$1,089
3-year savings switching to Nexa

What QuickBooks Is Costing You

The Damage

QuickBooks monthly $38/mo
Annual drain $456/yr
Year 2 (at today's price) $456
Year 3 $456
3-year total $1,368

That's $1,368 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.

Your QuickBooks subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.

Why Beat Makers Leave QuickBooks

✗Intuit raised all four QuickBooks Online plan prices on July 1, 2025.
✗User caps force expensive tier jumps
✗Complex interface overwhelms small operators
✗Desktop version being sunset - forced to Online
✗Payment processing fees add up fast
✗No offline capability

See the full history of QuickBooks price changes in the SaaS Graveyard →

Beat Makers are leaving QuickBooks every week.

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

Why This Matters for Beat Makers

I start by 10 with coffee and the laptop, headphones on, and cook up two or three ideas: chop a sample, find a loop in a pack, lay out 808 slides and hi-hat rolls at 140 BPM, and build a trap drum pattern with the kick sitting under the bass. Most ideas die by lunch; one gets a full arrangement with intro, hook, verse and a drop. In the afternoon I work on the custom beat for a local rapper, who paid half upfront. He sent a voice memo of the flow he wants, so I rework the bridge, mix the 808 so it doesn't mud up his vocal, and bounce stems out as separate WAVs for drums, bass, melody and FX. Then I tag the new beat with a producer tag, export an untagged WAV and an MP3, and upload it to BeatStars and Airbit with the key, BPM, mood tags and cover art. Someone buys a lease, so I check the license tier (MP3 lease, WAV lease, or unlimited) and send the right files with a stream-cap agreement. Someone else asks if a beat is still available exclusive, which means I have to check nobody leased it since, or tell him those leases stay valid. In the evening I post a snippet, answer DMs haggling over the price, renew a plugin subscription that I forgot about, and try to work out which of my two hundred beats actually earn, comparing lease sales on each marketplace with my direct sales.

Beat Makers face unique challenges: Tracking lease vs. exclusive sales with different licensing terms. Revenue from BeatStars, Airbit, and direct sales all in different places. Royalty tracking on leased beats. Plugin and sample subscription costs eating into profit. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $38/month ($456/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median beat maker earns $22,000/year. Software at $456/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your DAW (FL Studio, Ableton, Logic) 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

QuickBooks is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?

Want this breakdown emailed to you?

Your exact QuickBooks cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.

"I was paying QuickBooks $38/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,368 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Beat maker business owner

What You Get Instead

Feature QuickBooks Nexa
Invoicing ✓ ✓
Scheduling ✗ ✓
CRM ✗ ✓
Time Tracking — ✓
Full Accounting ✓ ✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management ✗ ✓
Works offline — ✓
Price $38/mo forever $279 once
or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost $1,368 $279
Stop paying? Lose everything Keep everything forever

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most beat makers are fully switched before the weekend.

1

Export your data

Go to Reports → export to CSV. Download clients, invoices, expenses.

2

Set up Nexa

15-minute setup. Import your clients and expenses by CSV; re-enter your main services.

3

Parallel run

Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify everything transferred.

4

Cancel QuickBooks

Cancel subscription. Download final backup. You're done.

✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel QuickBooks when you're confident. Zero risk.

What beat makers actually deal with

A day in the life of a beat maker

I start by 10 with coffee and the laptop, headphones on, and cook up two or three ideas: chop a sample, find a loop in a pack, lay out 808 slides and hi-hat rolls at 140 BPM, and build a trap drum pattern with the kick sitting under the bass. Most ideas die by lunch; one gets a full arrangement with intro, hook, verse and a drop. In the afternoon I work on the custom beat for a local rapper, who paid half upfront. He sent a voice memo of the flow he wants, so I rework the bridge, mix the 808 so it doesn't mud up his vocal, and bounce stems out as separate WAVs for drums, bass, melody and FX. Then I tag the new beat with a producer tag, export an untagged WAV and an MP3, and upload it to BeatStars and Airbit with the key, BPM, mood tags and cover art. Someone buys a lease, so I check the license tier (MP3 lease, WAV lease, or unlimited) and send the right files with a stream-cap agreement. Someone else asks if a beat is still available exclusive, which means I have to check nobody leased it since, or tell him those leases stay valid. In the evening I post a snippet, answer DMs haggling over the price, renew a plugin subscription that I forgot about, and try to work out which of my two hundred beats actually earn, comparing lease sales on each marketplace with my direct sales.

The tools a working beat maker actually owns

Why beat makers leave the big platforms

Where beat makers actually talk shop

Local beat makers on Nexa

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

FAQ

Is Nexa really a QuickBooks replacement for beat makers?

For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. QuickBooks 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. QuickBooks is $38/month — that's $1,368 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 QuickBooks data?

Export your data from QuickBooks as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.

Beat Makers in Columbia

The average solo operator there spends about $2,160/year on software — and beat maker face their own version of that math. MO state licensing requirements apply.

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

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Beat Makers run into with QuickBooks, and what Nexa does instead.

✗
QuickBooks gapNo scheduling/booking
✓
NexaBuilt-in scheduling and booking — no separate tier.
✗
QuickBooks gapNo CRM functionality
✓
NexaFull CRM module included in $279.
✗
QuickBooks gapNo project management for services
✓
NexaJob and project management in the same $279 — no upgrade needed.

What QuickBooks Users Are Saying Lately

Recent threads from Reddit and Hacker News mentioning QuickBooks. Sentiment scored automatically — click through to read the full thread.

"Free QuickBooks Desktop to JSON Exporter"
HN·6 months ago·Neutral·Read thread →
"I refused to pay $50/mo for a CSV to quickbooks converter, so I built it"
HN·6 months ago·Neutral·Read thread →

Where Beat Makers Talk Shop

If you want to compare notes or see how other beat makers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.

Reddit
r/makinghiphop, r/WeAreTheMusicMakers, r/trapproduction, r/BeatMarket
Forums
Future Producers, Gearslutz/GearSpace
YouTube
Internet Money, Kyle Beats, Simon Servida
Podcasts
The Beat Selling Academy
"QuickBooks 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."
— Beat maker, switched from QuickBooks

Stop Losing $456/Year to QuickBooks

$1,368 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 QuickBooks?

We think Nexa is the better deal at $279 once vs $38/mo. But if you've decided on QuickBooks, here's the link. No hard feelings.

QuickBooks — $38/mo →

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