The verdict for animators: HoneyBook is solid software, but at $39/month it costs $1,570 over 3 years. Nexa does most of what HoneyBook does for $279 once. For solo animators and small teams, Nexa is the better deal.
Nexa: $279. Once. You keep $1,291. And you own it — no more "we're updating our pricing" emails.
| Feature | HoneyBook | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $39/mo | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Total | $1,570 | $279 |
| You own it? | No — stop paying, lose access | Yes — forever |
HoneyBook plus whatever else you're paying for:
Email yourself this comparison?
The math doesn't lie.
Animators deal with unique challenges that generic software was not built for: Projects take weeks-months with unclear scope and revision cycles. Revision rounds are the profit killer — clients want 'just one more tweak'. Per-second pricing vs. flat rate vs. hourly decisions. Software subscriptions (Adobe CC, plugins) eating into margins. HoneyBook charges $39/month on top of these daily realities. The median animator earns $45,000/year — $468/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 animators. You own it like you own your Animation software (After Effects, Toon Boom, Blender).
You're animating a 60-second explainer video — quoted $3,000 flat rate. You're 40 hours in and the client wants to change the character design on revision 4. Your Adobe CC costs $55/month, after effects plugins are $20/month, and your workstation cost $3,500. The project was supposed to take 2 weeks and you're entering week 4. Another client is waiting for a quote. You track time in a spreadsheet when you remember to.
Real animators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you an animator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every animator on Nexa →
For solo animators and small teams, yes. invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting — all for $279 once. HoneyBook may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
HoneyBook has features like Beautiful proposals and contracts and Client portal that some businesses rely on. For most solo animators, these aren't dealbreakers.
At $39/month, Nexa pays for itself in 7.2 months. After that: $468 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