The verdict for private investigators: FreshBooks is solid software, but at $33/month it costs $1,329 over 3 years. Nexa does most of what FreshBooks does for $279 once. For solo private investigators and small teams, Nexa is the better deal.
Nexa: $279. Once. You keep $1,050. And you own it — no more "we're updating our pricing" emails.
| Feature | FreshBooks | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $33/mo | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Total | $1,329 | $279 |
| You own it? | No — stop paying, lose access | Yes — forever |
FreshBooks plus whatever else you're paying for:
Email yourself this comparison?
The math doesn't lie.
Private Investigators deal with unique challenges that generic software was not built for: Hourly billing with detailed activity logs required. Database and tool subscriptions ($200-500/month) eating margins. Case management with sensitive client information. Retainer management and billing against retainer balances. FreshBooks charges $33/month on top of these daily realities. The median private investigator earns $50,000/year — $396/year in software subscriptions is a significant percentage of that income, paid every year, forever.
Nexa is $279 once. Invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, accounting — all connected, built for private investigators. You own it like you own your Surveillance equipment (cameras, GPS).
You're on 3 active cases. Case A: insurance fraud surveillance ($75/hour, retainer of $2,000, burned through $1,400 so far). Case B: background check for a law firm ($500 flat). Case C: missing person skip trace ($85/hour, no retainer). You sat in a parking lot for 4 hours today on Case A. Database searches for Case C cost $45 in vendor fees. The law firm wants Case B by tomorrow. Your case files are manila folders and billing is an Excel template.
Real private investigators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a private investigator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every private investigator on Nexa →
For solo private investigators and small teams, yes. invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting — all for $279 once. FreshBooks may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
FreshBooks has features like Very user-friendly for non-accountants and Built-in time tracking that some businesses rely on. For most solo private investigators, these aren't dealbreakers.
At $33/month, Nexa pays for itself in 8.5 months. After that: $396 saved every year.
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.
Own your tools. Stop renting your software.
Get Nexa — $279 Once