Lighting Rental Operators on QuickBooks pay $38/month — $456/year. Over three years, that's $1,368. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 7.3 months. The median lighting rental operator earns $45,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.0% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,368 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.
Lighting Rental Operators face unique challenges: High equipment investment with seasonal ROI. Lamp and LED replacement costs per fixture. Setup and programming time often underquoted. Damage during transport affecting fixture inventory. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $38/month ($456/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median lighting rental operator earns $45,000/year. Software at $456/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Uplighting and moving heads 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 | ✗ | ✓ |
| Works offline | — | ✓ |
| Price | $38/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $1,368 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most lighting rental operators are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Reports → export to CSV. Download clients, invoices, expenses.
15-minute setup. Import your clients and expenses by CSV; re-enter your main services.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify everything transferred.
Cancel subscription. Download final backup. You're done.
Friday morning I'm in the shop pulling gear for three events: twelve battery uplights for tonight's rehearsal dinner, the full package for Saturday's wedding, and 300 feet of bistro string for Sunday's brunch. I test every fixture before it goes in a road case — battery charge, DMX address, color output — and one of last week's uplights has a dead LED panel, so it goes on the bench and a spare goes in its slot. The wedding is the big one: amber and blush uplights around the reception tent, pin spots on the cake and centerpieces, bistro runs swagged from the center pole to the perimeter, and a gobo with the couple's monogram on the dance floor. Load-in Saturday is at 11, and I spend two hours at the console building cues — dinner look, first dance, party chase — time I never priced into the quote. The rehearsal dinner is quick: set, aim, link the wireless, done in forty minutes. The bistro job means a ladder, zip ties, a guy wire across the patio and checking that the venue's circuits can take the load. Saturday night I strike, coil cable, count every fixture back into its case and find a cracked lens from the truck ride. Sunday evening I'm writing up the damage, ordering the replacement panel, sending the balance invoice for the wedding and answering two inquiries for October dates that are already half booked.
Real lighting rental operators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a lighting rental operator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every lighting rental operator 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 $38/month — that's $1,368 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 $2,640/year on software — and lighting rental operator face their own version of that math. FL state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Miramar metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Lighting Rental Operators 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.
If you want to compare notes or see how other lighting rental operators are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
$1,368 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once