Translators 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 translator earns $52,000/year, so QuickBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.9% 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.
Translators face unique challenges: Billing per word vs per hour vs per page depending on the client. Tracking time across multiple simultaneous translation projects. Translation agencies paying net-60 or net-90. Managing terminology consistency across long-term client projects. On top of all that, QuickBooks charges $38/month ($456/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median translator earns $52,000/year. Software at $456/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your CAT tools (SDL Trados, MemoQ, Smartcat) 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 translators 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.
I start with the brochure because it's for a direct client and due tomorrow: 2,400 words of Spanish marketing copy into English, where half the job is making the headlines sound like they were written in English. I work in my CAT tool with the client's glossary and translation memory open so product names match last year's catalogue. By 10 I switch to the legal document for an agency, a commercial lease, where I can't be clever at all; every 'shall' matters and I check terms against the bilingual legal dictionary and the client's termbase. I leave a translator's note on a clause that cites a local statute with no English equivalent. After lunch it's the technical manual, billed by the hour, so I start a timer and research torque specifications and part names that a previous translator rendered three different ways. I query the project manager about an ambiguous diagram label and keep going while I wait. Late afternoon I proofread the brochure out loud, check numbers, dates and units, and run a QA pass for missed segments and inconsistent terms. Then the admin: the brochure client counted 2,200 words and my count says 2,400 because they skipped the captions and the back panel, so I send the breakdown. I send an agency a reminder about an invoice now 75 days out on net-60 terms, and write down my hours on the manual before I forget them.
Real translators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a translator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every translator 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 $2,700/year on software — and translator face their own version of that math. California's high state income tax applies. Military spouse solopreneurs may benefit from SCRA protections on state taxes. California CSLB license for contractors. San Diego requires a Business Tax Certificate. Short-term rental permits tightly regulated.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the San Diego metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Translators 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 translators 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