Chimney Cleaners 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 Chimney Sweep earns $38,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.7% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $2,214 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
See the full history of QuickBooks price changes in the SaaS Graveyard →
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Chimney Cleaners face unique challenges: Glazed third-degree creosote that a brush won't touch and that's a real chimney-fire risk. Tracking black soot through a customer's living room if the firebox seal isn't perfect. Everyone wanting service in the same six-week window before the first cold snap. Finding a cracked flue liner or missing cap and having to deliver expensive bad news. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Chimney Sweep 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 Poly and wire chimney brushes sized to the flue 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.
QuickBooks is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact QuickBooks cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| 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 |
Most chimney cleaners are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Reports → export to CSV. Download clients, invoices, expenses.
15-minute setup. Import your clients and expense categories.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify everything transferred.
Cancel subscription. Download final backup. You're done.
Fall rush is on, so the schedule is packed with people who want the chimney swept before they light the first fire. First house is a classic annual cleaning: I lay drop cloths from the door to the hearth, seal the firebox, and set up the HEPA vacuum so soot doesn't get loose, then run the rods up the flue with a brush sized to the tile liner, working the creosote loose from below. I drop the inspection camera down to check my work and the liner, and it looks clean. Second house is the problem one: the flue is coated in shiny, hard glazed creosote from burning unseasoned wood, the kind a brush bounces off, so I have to explain it's a chimney-fire hazard and quote a chemical treatment and a return visit. On the roof I check the cap and find it rusted through with a gap a bird already nested in, more bad news to deliver. After lunch I sweep a wood stove with a stiffer brush and clear the connector pipe. The last call is an inspection only, a home sale, where I camera the flue, check the crown for cracks, run the moisture meter on the masonry, and write it up. I vacuum every firebox spotless before I leave because the fastest way to lose a customer is a sooty footprint on their carpet, and I log which chimneys need a follow-up so they're booked before winter hits.
Real chimney cleaners near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a chimney sweep? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every chimney sweep on Nexa →
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.
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.
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.
30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.
Export your data from QuickBooks as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $1,700/year on software — and Chimney Sweep face their own version of that math. Alabama income tax up to 5%. Birmingham levies a 1% city occupational tax. Jefferson County also imposes a 0.5% tax. Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board oversees contractor licensing. Birmingham requires a city business license. Jefferson County has separate requirements.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Birmingham metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Chimney Cleaners run into with QuickBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
Recent threads from Reddit and Hacker News mentioning QuickBooks. Sentiment scored automatically — click through to read the full thread.
$2,214 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
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