You're Switching from QuickBooks. Here's Why Locksmiths 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 locksmith, former QuickBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Locksmiths 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 locksmith earns $45,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.5% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$45,000
Median locksmith income
2.4%
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 Locksmiths 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.
It's 10pm and someone's locked out of their car at a gas station. You drive 25 minutes, pop the lock in 3 minutes, and they complain about the $85 fee. Tomorrow you have three rekeying appointments and a commercial access control estimate. You need to invoice tonight's emergency call, track your mileage, and figure out why last week's commercial client still hasn't paid. Your software costs more per month than most of tonight's service calls.
Locksmiths face unique challenges: Emergency calls at 2am that need immediate response. Quoting over the phone without seeing the lock. Customers balking at pricing after you've already driven 30 minutes. Managing automotive, residential, and commercial as different service lines. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median locksmith 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 Key cutting machine (manual and electronic) 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."
— Locksmith 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 locksmiths 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 locksmiths actually deal with
Emergency calls at 2am that need immediate response
Quoting over the phone without seeing the lock
Customers balking at pricing after you've already driven 30 minutes
Managing automotive, residential, and commercial as different service lines
A day in the life of a locksmith
It's 10pm and someone's locked out of their car at a gas station. You drive 25 minutes, pop the lock in 3 minutes, and they complain about the $85 fee. Tomorrow you have three rekeying appointments and a commercial access control estimate. You need to invoice tonight's emergency call, track your mileage, and figure out why last week's commercial client still hasn't paid. Your software costs more per month than most of tonight's service calls.
The tools a working locksmith actually owns
Key cutting machine (manual and electronic)
Lock pick sets and bypass tools
Plug followers and pinning kits
Key programming tools for automotive
Why locksmiths leave the big platforms
jobber: I do 30-minute emergency calls, not 4-hour plumbing jobs. Jobber is over-engineered for locksmith work.
housecall-pro: Another $129/month app that doesn't understand emergency service pricing or after-hours rates.
square: Good for swiping a card at the car door, but can't manage three different service lines or after-hours pricing.
Where locksmiths actually talk shop
r/Locksmith (Reddit)
r/lockpicking (Reddit)
r/sweatystartup (Reddit)
LocksmithTalk.com (Forum)
Keypicking.com Forum (Forum)
LockPickingLawyer (YouTube)
Bill's Locks (YouTube)
Mr. Locksmith (YouTube)
Local locksmiths on Nexa
Real locksmiths near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a locksmith? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every locksmith on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a QuickBooks replacement for locksmiths?
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.
Locksmiths in Anaheim
The average solo operator there spends about $3,120/year on software — and locksmith face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Anaheim metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Locksmiths 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.
"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 locksmiths are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Reddit
r/Locksmith, r/lockpicking, r/sweatystartup
Forums
LocksmithTalk.com, Keypicking.com Forum
YouTube
LockPickingLawyer, Bill's Locks, Mr. Locksmith
"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."
— Locksmith, switched from QuickBooks
Stop Losing $660/Year to QuickBooks
$2,214 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.