French Drain Installers 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 French drain installer earns $55,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.2% 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.
French Drain Installers face unique challenges: Setting continuous fall along the trench so the pipe drains, because a single belly turns the whole run into a holding tank. Wrapping and bedding the pipe right so silt doesn't clog the gravel and the drain dies in two years. Working around tree roots, buried utilities, and shallow bedrock that force the trench off the planned line. Explaining to customers why a hidden trench full of gravel costs what it does when they can't see the work after backfill. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median French drain installer earns $55,000/year. Software at $660/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your trencher or mini-excavator 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 french drain installers are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Reports → export to CSV. Download clients, invoices, expenses.
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Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify everything transferred.
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The job is a chronically wet side yard, so you start by confirming the trench line and shooting grade with the laser, because the whole system lives or dies on continuous fall. The trencher opens a clean cut to the depth you need, but halfway down the line you hit a mat of tree roots and have to switch to hand digging to ease the trench around them without losing your slope. You line the trench with non-woven filter fabric, lay in a few inches of washed gravel, and set the sock-wrapped perforated pipe on top, checking the drop with the laser every few feet so there's no belly. More gravel goes over the pipe, then you fold the fabric over the top like a burrito so silt from the surrounding soil can't migrate in and choke it. You tie the run to a solid pipe that carries water to a pop-up emitter at the low end of the yard. A cleanout at the head lets the homeowner flush it years from now. Backfill, tamp, and the trench all but disappears, which is the part customers struggle with, because they paid for something they can no longer see. You walk them through the cleanout and the emitter, and remind them not to bury the pop-up under mulch. The test is the next downpour, and you want the call to never come.
Real french drain installers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a french drain installer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every french drain installer 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 $2,448/year on software — and French drain installer face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Fresno metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps French Drain Installers 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.
Get Nexa — $279 Once