You're Switching from QuickBooks. Here's Why Painters 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 painter, former QuickBooks customer
The Bottom Line
Painters 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 painter earns $42,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.6% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$42,000
Median painter 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 Painters 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.
You're on day two of a three-day exterior job. The homeowner wants to change the trim color — that's another gallon of paint and two more hours you didn't quote. Your next job starts Monday but the client hasn't confirmed. You've got $600 in paint receipts stuffed in your glovebox and no idea what your actual margin is on this job. By Sunday night you're writing three estimates on the kitchen table instead of resting.
Painters face unique challenges: Estimating square footage and paint quantities remotely. Multi-day jobs throwing off the rest of the week's schedule. Tracking paint and supply costs per job for accurate bidding. Clients wanting color consultations that eat unpaid hours. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $55/month ($660/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median painter earns $42,000/year. Software at $660/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Airless sprayer (Graco, Titan) 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."
— Painter 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 painters 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 painters actually deal with
Estimating square footage and paint quantities remotely
Multi-day jobs throwing off the rest of the week's schedule
Tracking paint and supply costs per job for accurate bidding
Clients wanting color consultations that eat unpaid hours
A day in the life of a painter
You're on day two of a three-day exterior job. The homeowner wants to change the trim color — that's another gallon of paint and two more hours you didn't quote. Your next job starts Monday but the client hasn't confirmed. You've got $600 in paint receipts stuffed in your glovebox and no idea what your actual margin is on this job. By Sunday night you're writing three estimates on the kitchen table instead of resting.
The tools a working painter actually owns
Airless sprayer (Graco, Titan)
Brushes and roller sets (multiple nap sizes)
Extension ladders and scaffolding
Drop cloths and masking supplies
Why painters leave the big platforms
jobber: Built for one-hour service calls, not multi-day painting projects. The scheduling doesn't handle day spans well.
quickbooks: I don't need payroll and inventory modules. I need to estimate, schedule, and invoice. $55/month for bloat.
housecall-pro: $129/month and half the features are for dispatching teams I don't have.
Where painters actually talk shop
r/painting (Reddit)
r/HomeImprovement (Reddit)
r/sweatystartup (Reddit)
r/Construction (Reddit)
PaintTalk.com (Forum)
ContractorTalk.com (Forum)
Idaho Painter (YouTube)
Paint Life TV (YouTube)
Local painters on Nexa
Real painters near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a painter? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every painter on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a QuickBooks replacement for painters?
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.
Painters in Jersey City
The average solo operator there spends about $3,120/year on software — and painter face their own version of that math. NJ state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Jersey City metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Painters 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.
Idaho Painter, Paint Life TV, The Idaho Painter, Painting and Decorating
Podcasts
Painter Marketing Mastermind, Ask a Painter Live
"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."
— Painter, switched from QuickBooks
Stop Losing $660/Year to QuickBooks
$2,214 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.