You're Switching from QuickBooks. Here's Why Caterers 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 caterer, former QuickBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Caterers 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 caterer earns $38,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.7% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$38,000
Median caterer income
2.5%
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 Caterers 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're catering a 100-person corporate lunch Friday. The client just changed the headcount to 120 and wants to add a vegan option. You need to adjust the menu, recalculate food costs, update the invoice, and make a Costco and Restaurant Depot run tomorrow. Meanwhile a bride wants a tasting next week and you haven't sent her the proposal yet. Your food costs are in one spreadsheet, your invoices in another, and your event calendar in your phone.
Caterers face unique challenges: Pricing per-head for events with changing guest counts. Food cost tracking when ingredient prices fluctuate weekly. Managing dietary restrictions and menu customizations per event. Deposits covering ingredient purchases for perishable food. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median caterer earns $38,000/year. Software at $660/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Chafing dishes and warming equipment 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."
— Caterer 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 caterers 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 caterers actually deal with
Pricing per-head for events with changing guest counts
Food cost tracking when ingredient prices fluctuate weekly
Managing dietary restrictions and menu customizations per event
Deposits covering ingredient purchases for perishable food
A day in the life of a caterer
You're catering a 100-person corporate lunch Friday. The client just changed the headcount to 120 and wants to add a vegan option. You need to adjust the menu, recalculate food costs, update the invoice, and make a Costco and Restaurant Depot run tomorrow. Meanwhile a bride wants a tasting next week and you haven't sent her the proposal yet. Your food costs are in one spreadsheet, your invoices in another, and your event calendar in your phone.
The tools a working caterer actually owns
Chafing dishes and warming equipment
Commercial food prep tools and cookware
Insulated food carriers and hot boxes
Serving platters and display equipment
Why caterers leave the big platforms
honeybook: Not designed for per-head pricing or menu management. It's a generic CRM wearing a catering costume.
quickbooks: Accounting software that can't calculate food cost per plate or manage event-based billing with headcount changes.
square: Point-of-sale for restaurants, not event caterers. Can't handle proposals, deposits, or headcount-based invoicing.
Where caterers actually talk shop
r/catering (Reddit)
r/KitchenConfidential (Reddit)
r/foodtrucks (Reddit)
CateringForum.com (Forum)
Catering Advice TV (YouTube)
Nathan Dallimore Catering (YouTube)
Local caterers on Nexa
Real caterers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a caterer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every caterer on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a QuickBooks replacement for caterers?
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.
Caterers in Baton Rouge
The average solo operator there spends about $2,208/year on software — and caterer face their own version of that math. LA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Baton Rouge metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Caterers 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"
If you want to compare notes or see how other caterers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Reddit
r/catering, r/KitchenConfidential, r/foodtrucks
Forums
CateringForum.com
YouTube
Catering Advice TV, Nathan Dallimore Catering
Podcasts
Catering Business Podcast
"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."
— Caterer, switched from QuickBooks
Stop Losing $660/Year to QuickBooks
$2,214 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.