Photographers 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 photographer earns $42,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 1.1% 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.
Photographers face unique challenges: HoneyBook takes a percentage of every contract payment on top of the monthly fee. Managing deposits, payment plans, and final balances across 15+ active clients. Contract management — sending, signing, tracking for every shoot. Tracking expenses across shoots (travel, second shooters, prints). Dubsado has a brutal learning curve that takes weeks to set up. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $38/month ($456/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median photographer earns $42,000/year. Software at $456/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Camera bodies (Canon R5/R6, Sony A7IV, Nikon Z6 — $2,500+ each) 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 photographers 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.
The shoot is the smallest part of a wedding. Weeks before, I've walked the venue at the same hour the ceremony starts to see where the light falls, built a shot list with the couple, and confirmed timing with the planner so the portraits don't get squeezed. On the day it's ten hours on my feet with two bodies, three lenses and backup cards, reading the room so I'm in position before the moment happens, not after. Then the real work starts. A wedding comes back as three to four thousand frames; I cull that to around six hundred, then edit every one for exposure, colour and skin, which is thirty to forty hours at the desk. The gallery goes out in six to eight weeks, and in between I'm answering where-are-our-photos emails. The money side is its own job: a retainer to hold the date months out, the balance before the wedding, album upsells after, and second-shooter pay on my side. In the off-season I'm doing engagement sessions and family minis to keep cash coming, and I'm always booking next year while I edit this one.
Real photographers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a photographer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every photographer 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 $2,688/year on software — and photographer face their own version of that math. ME state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Portland metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Photographers 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 photographers 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