You're Switching from QuickBooks. Here's Why Bookkeepers 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 bookkeeper, former QuickBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Bookkeepers 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 bookkeeper earns $45,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.5% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$45,000
Median bookkeeper income
3.5%
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 Bookkeepers 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.
You manage books for 20 clients. Today you're reconciling three bank accounts, categorizing 200 transactions, and chasing two clients for missing receipts. One client wants to add payroll — that wasn't in your agreement. You need to invoice 8 monthly clients and track your hours because some are hourly and some are flat-rate retainers. You pay for QBO to do their books and FreshBooks to do your own invoicing. That's $55 + $17 = $72/month just for software stacking.
Bookkeepers face unique challenges: Tracking hours across 15-25 monthly clients. QuickBooks Online costs you pay on behalf of clients (or eat yourself). Clients dumping a shoebox of receipts on you at tax time. Scope creep when 'just bookkeeping' becomes payroll, tax prep, and advisory. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median bookkeeper earns $45,000/year. Software at $660/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Accounting software licenses (for client work) 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."
— Bookkeeper 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 bookkeepers 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 bookkeepers actually deal with
Tracking hours across 15-25 monthly clients
QuickBooks Online costs you pay on behalf of clients (or eat yourself)
Clients dumping a shoebox of receipts on you at tax time
Scope creep when 'just bookkeeping' becomes payroll, tax prep, and advisory
A day in the life of a bookkeeper
You manage books for 20 clients. Today you're reconciling three bank accounts, categorizing 200 transactions, and chasing two clients for missing receipts. One client wants to add payroll — that wasn't in your agreement. You need to invoice 8 monthly clients and track your hours because some are hourly and some are flat-rate retainers. You pay for QBO to do their books and FreshBooks to do your own invoicing. That's $55 + $17 = $72/month just for software stacking.
The tools a working bookkeeper actually owns
Accounting software licenses (for client work)
Dual-monitor home office setup
Document scanner and secure file storage
Spreadsheet templates and reconciliation tools
Why bookkeepers leave the big platforms
quickbooks: You pay for QBO to do client work AND need another tool for your own business invoicing. Double software cost.
freshbooks: Good invoicing but $17+/month for your own business on top of the QBO licenses you maintain for clients.
harvest: Basic time tracking and invoicing. Doesn't handle the complexity of managing 20 client accounts.
Where bookkeepers actually talk shop
r/Bookkeeping (Reddit)
r/Accounting (Reddit)
r/taxpros (Reddit)
AccountingWEB.com Forum (Forum)
Bookkeepers.com (YouTube)
Hector Garcia CPA (YouTube)
Balancing Books with Brenda (YouTube)
Local bookkeepers on Nexa
Real bookkeepers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a bookkeeper? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every bookkeeper on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a QuickBooks replacement for bookkeepers?
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.
Bookkeepers in Columbus
The average solo operator there spends about $2,000/year on software — and bookkeeper face their own version of that math. Ohio Commercial Activity Tax applies to businesses over $150K. Columbus imposes a 2.5% income tax — among Ohio's highest. Ohio requires specific trade licenses through the Division of Industrial Compliance. Columbus requires a business license for most trades.
Columbus 2.5% city income tax is a significant margin hit for solopreneurs
Ohio State University calendar creates boom-bust cycles for many service trades
Rapid suburban expansion into previously rural areas strains route efficiency
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Columbus metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Bookkeepers run into with QuickBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
✗
QuickBooks gapNo project management for services
✓
NexaJob and project management in the same $279 — no upgrade needed.
✗
QuickBooks gapNo scheduling/booking
✓
NexaBuilt-in scheduling and booking — no separate tier.
✗
QuickBooks gapNo CRM functionality
✓
NexaFull CRM module included in $279.
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.
If you want to compare notes or see how other bookkeepers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Reddit
r/Bookkeeping, r/Accounting, r/taxpros
Forums
AccountingWEB.com Forum
YouTube
Bookkeepers.com, Hector Garcia CPA, Balancing Books with Brenda
Podcasts
The Bookkeeping Side Hustle, Build Your Bookkeeping Business
"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."
— Bookkeeper, switched from QuickBooks
Stop Losing $660/Year to QuickBooks
$2,214 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.