You're Switching from QuickBooks.
Here's Why Metal Building Erectors 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 metal building erector, former QuickBooks customer

The Bottom Line

Metal Building Erectors 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 metal building erector earns $55,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.2% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$55,000
Median metal building erector income
3%
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 Metal Building Erectors 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.

See the full history of QuickBooks price changes in the SaaS Graveyard →

Metal Building Erectors are leaving QuickBooks every week.

You're not the only one who's had enough.

Why This Matters for Metal Building Erectors

You walk the slab first thing with the anchor-bolt template, and sure enough the concrete crew set one column's bolts a half-inch out, so before any steel flies you're shimming and slotting base plates to make the math work. The crane shows up and the day becomes a choreography of rigging: chokers on a rigid frame, the spreader bar leveling it, two guys on tag lines walking it upright while the connection crew flies the lift to the top to set the bolts. Nothing is plumb when it lands, so the come-alongs and turnbuckles come out and you rack the bays square and plumb, eyeballing the diagonals and the wall lines before you final-torque the primary connections. Wind is the boss; a gust above the threshold and the crane stops and the frame waits, bolted but not braced, while you watch the sky. Once the steel's standing the crew moves to purlins and girts, then sheeting with self-drillers, and that's when a short shipment of wall panels surfaces with the crane already gone. The GC keeps asking why this isn't a two-man job, and you point at the 50-foot clear-span frame and the crane bill. You leave the building braced and the open bays tied off so an overnight wind doesn't rack what you spent the day plumbing.

Metal Building Erectors face unique challenges: Anchor bolts set off-pattern by the concrete crew, so the base plates don't drop and the whole frame fights you from column one. Plumbing and squaring the steel with come-alongs before tightening primary bolts, racing wind that can't safely fly a rigid frame. Mis-shipped or short purlins, girts, and sheeting from the manufacturer with a crane already on the clock. Owners and GCs who underestimate the lift, rigging, and crew size a clear-span frame really needs. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median metal building erector 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 impact wrench for structural bolts 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."
— Metal building erector 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 metal building erectors 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 metal building erectors actually deal with

A day in the life of a metal building erector

You walk the slab first thing with the anchor-bolt template, and sure enough the concrete crew set one column's bolts a half-inch out, so before any steel flies you're shimming and slotting base plates to make the math work. The crane shows up and the day becomes a choreography of rigging: chokers on a rigid frame, the spreader bar leveling it, two guys on tag lines walking it upright while the connection crew flies the lift to the top to set the bolts. Nothing is plumb when it lands, so the come-alongs and turnbuckles come out and you rack the bays square and plumb, eyeballing the diagonals and the wall lines before you final-torque the primary connections. Wind is the boss; a gust above the threshold and the crane stops and the frame waits, bolted but not braced, while you watch the sky. Once the steel's standing the crew moves to purlins and girts, then sheeting with self-drillers, and that's when a short shipment of wall panels surfaces with the crane already gone. The GC keeps asking why this isn't a two-man job, and you point at the 50-foot clear-span frame and the crane bill. You leave the building braced and the open bays tied off so an overnight wind doesn't rack what you spent the day plumbing.

The tools a working metal building erector actually owns

Local metal building erectors on Nexa

Real metal building erectors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a metal building erector? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every metal building erector on Nexa →

FAQ

Is Nexa really a QuickBooks replacement for metal building erectors?

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.

Metal Building Erectors in Washington DC

The average solo operator there spends about $3,400/year on software — and metal building erector face their own version of that math. DC income tax up to 10.75%; Virginia and Maryland also tax. Solopreneurs often serve clients across all three jurisdictions. DC requires a Basic Business License. Virginia and Maryland each have separate requirements. Multi-jurisdiction compliance is common.

Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Washington DC metro. Your situation will vary.

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Metal Building Erectors 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.

"Free QuickBooks Desktop to JSON Exporter"
HN·1 month ago·Neutral·Read thread →
"I refused to pay $50/mo for a CSV to quickbooks converter, so I built it"
HN·1 month ago·Neutral·Read thread →
"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."
— Metal building erector, switched from QuickBooks

Stop Losing $660/Year to QuickBooks

$2,214 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.

Get Nexa — $279 Once
or 3 payments of $99
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee — save $500 or full refund

Still want QuickBooks?

We think Nexa is the better deal at $279 once vs $55/mo. But if you've decided on QuickBooks, here's the link. No hard feelings.

QuickBooks — $55/mo →

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