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

QuickBooks
$55/mo
$660/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 5.1 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 blacksmith, former QuickBooks customer

The Bottom Line

Blacksmiths on QuickBooks pay $55/month — $660/year. Over three years, that's $2,214. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 5.1 months. The median blacksmith earns $35,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.9% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$35,000
Median blacksmith income
1.5%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
5.1 mo
Break-even vs QuickBooks
$1,935
3-year savings switching to Nexa

What QuickBooks Is Costing You

The Damage

QuickBooks monthly $55/mo
Annual drain $660/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation) $735
Year 3 $819
3-year total $2,214

That's $2,214 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 Blacksmiths Leave QuickBooks

Annual price increases of 10-15%
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
QB controls 85% of this market. It's technically a monopoly. The FTC has a long issue with Intuit over pricing.
400% increase since 2023. We used to update every 2 years for $250. Now subscription is $689.
An almost 70% price increase for your most used product and all you guys are adding is a bunch of AI slop.

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

Blacksmiths are leaving QuickBooks every week.

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

Why This Matters for Blacksmiths

You're forging a custom railing for a homeowner — 30 hours over 2 weeks. Steel costs went up and your quote from last month is now thin. You also have 4 knives to make for an Etsy order, a craft fair next weekend ($300 booth fee), and a wedding venue wanting decorative hooks. Your forge eats propane at $4/hour. Your 'accounting' is a notebook next to the anvil.

Blacksmiths face unique challenges: Custom commissions take weeks and scope creep is constant. Material costs (steel, coal/gas) fluctuate. Craft fair booth fees and travel costs. Pricing artistic work fairly when customers compare to factory-made items. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median blacksmith earns $35,000/year. Software at $660/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your Forge (coal or gas) 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 $55/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $2,214 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Blacksmith business owner

What You Get Instead

Feature QuickBooks Nexa
Invoicing
Scheduling
CRM
Time Tracking
Full Accounting ✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management
Price $55/mo forever $279 once
or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost $2,214 $279
Stop paying? Lose everything Keep everything forever

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most blacksmiths 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 expense categories.

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 blacksmiths actually deal with

A day in the life of a blacksmith

You're forging a custom railing for a homeowner — 30 hours over 2 weeks. Steel costs went up and your quote from last month is now thin. You also have 4 knives to make for an Etsy order, a craft fair next weekend ($300 booth fee), and a wedding venue wanting decorative hooks. Your forge eats propane at $4/hour. Your 'accounting' is a notebook next to the anvil.

The tools a working blacksmith actually owns

Why blacksmiths leave the big platforms

Where blacksmiths actually talk shop

Local blacksmiths on Nexa

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

FAQ

Is Nexa really a QuickBooks replacement for blacksmiths?

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 $55/month — that's $2,214 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.

Blacksmiths in San Marcos

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

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

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Blacksmiths 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.

"I refused to pay $50/mo for a CSV to quickbooks converter, so I built it"
HN·1 month ago·Neutral·Read thread →
"Free QuickBooks Desktop to JSON Exporter"
HN·1 month ago·Neutral·Read thread →

Where Blacksmiths Talk Shop

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

Reddit
r/Blacksmith, r/blacksmithing, r/knifemaking
Forums
IForgeIron.com, ABANA Forums
YouTube
Alec Steele, Black Bear Forge, Essential Craftsman
"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."
— Blacksmith, switched from QuickBooks

Stop Losing $660/Year to QuickBooks

$2,214 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 $55/mo. But if you've decided on QuickBooks, here's the link. No hard feelings.

QuickBooks — $55/mo →

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