Best Invoicing for Luthiers

Verified Apr 15, 2026: QuickBooks Simple Start $38/mo; FreshBooks Plus $43/mo; Wave Pro $16/mo.

Bottom Line

The typical luthier pays $88/month for QuickBooks + FreshBooks. That's $1,056/year — $3,542 over 3 years with SaaS inflation. Nexa includes invoicing as a built-in module for $279 once. Break even in 3.2 months.

What Luthiers Actually Pay

QuickBooks$55/mo ($660/yr)
FreshBooks$33/mo ($396/yr)
Annual software rent $1,056/yr
3-year total (11.4% inflation) $3,542
5-year total $6,628
Nexa — one time, own forever $279
You keep over 3 years $3,263

That's 55 hours of your work every year — just to pay for software you don't own.

Sound Familiar?

You have a custom acoustic guitar 60% done — 3 months in, $600 in tonewoods, 120 hours so far. The client put down a $1,500 deposit on a $4,000 build. You also have 3 repair jobs this week: a neck reset ($350), a refret ($300), and a pickup install ($100). Repairs pay the bills while custom builds tie up capital. You need to track both revenue streams but they have completely different cost structures.

Why Luthiers Are Fed Up

"$55/month for a 1-person shop. Repair invoicing is simple but custom build tracking is complex. QB does neither well."
— Common luthier complaint about QuickBooks
"Good for invoicing repairs but can't handle multi-month custom build project tracking with deposits."
— Common luthier complaint about FreshBooks

Run Your Own Numbers

Select the tools you're paying for. Watch the total climb.

Would you rent a hammer? Then why rent your invoicing software?

You own your Specialized hand tools (fret files, nut files, radius gauges). You bought it once. Why are you renting your invoicing?
$88/month. Every month. Forever. That's not a tool — that's a tax.

What You Get for $279

Professional invoicing with payment tracking, reminders, and automated follow-ups. Plus scheduling, CRM, task management, and a full QuickBooks-style accounting suite. All connected. All yours. Forever.

What This Means for Luthiers

The average luthier pays QuickBooks ($55/mo), FreshBooks ($33/mo) — a total of $88/month or $1,056 per year. With SaaS prices rising 11.4% annually (five times general inflation), that stack will cost $3,542 over three years and $6,628 over five. Nexa replaces all of it for $279, paid once. You break even in 3.2 months. After that, every dollar your competitors spend on subscriptions is money you keep. At median luthier earnings, $1,056/year in software represents 55 hours of work — time spent earning money just to hand it to SaaS companies for tools you never own.

Today's read · How-to · updated June 17, 2026

Invoice from the truck: the 90-second close

Finish the job, tap the saved service, add any extras, send. The customer pays from the link before you've left the driveway. The longer an invoice sits, the lower the odds it's paid in full — speed is the collection strategy.

The tools a working luthier actually owns

Where luthiers actually talk shop

Local luthiers on Nexa

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

FAQ

Is Nexa actually built for luthiers?

Yes. The invoicing module is designed for luthiers who need to professional invoicing with payment tracking, reminders, and automated follow-ups. Plus you get scheduling, CRM, time tracking, and full accounting — tools most luthiers end up needing anyway. $279 total for everything.

$279 seems expensive upfront. Is it worth it?

$279 spread over 3 years is $7.75/month. You're currently paying $88/month for QuickBooks + FreshBooks — that's $3,542 over 3 years. Nexa saves you $3,263 over that period. The math isn't close.

What if I don't like it?

30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund, no questions. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.

Can I switch from QuickBooks?

Yes. Export your data as CSV, import into Nexa. Most luthiers are fully switched in 1-2 days. Run both in parallel until you're confident — zero risk.

How does Nexa compare to what other luthiers spend?

The median luthier earns $40,000/year. Software subscriptions at $1,056/year represent 2.6% of that income — every single year. Nexa at $279 once is 0.70% of annual income, paid one time. The difference compounds every year you operate.

Why One App Beats Three Subscriptions

Most luthiers cobble together 3-5 separate apps — one for scheduling, one for invoicing, one for bookkeeping, maybe another for client management. Each one charges monthly. None of them talk to each other. So you end up copying client info between apps, manually reconciling invoices with your books, and losing track of details that fall through the cracks.

For the way a luthier actually works, Nexa keeps one record instead of five logins. You finish the job and the invoice generates from that same record — no retyping into a second app between calls. The hours feed your P&L automatically, a client who books online lands in your CRM with their history, and the Specialized hand tools (fret files, nut files, radius gauges) you bought once is finally matched by software you buy once. The "custom builds take 100-300 hours over months" problem goes away. No Zapier, no CSV exports. $279 once — or $99 today and two more — and the whole integrated system is yours, break-even in 3.2 months. 30-day money-back guarantee. And because there's nothing to renew, a luthier who switches keeps paying $0/month while competitors keep paying $88/month — that gap compounds every year you own it.

Get your personalized cost report

Your exact QuickBooks + FreshBooks cost, 3.2-month break-even math, and 5-year projection.

Pricing verified March 2026. SaaS inflation rate: 11.4% YoY (5x general inflation).

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