Colorists on FreshBooks pay $33/month — $396/year. Over three years, that's $1,329. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 8.5 months. The median colorists earns $45,000/year, so FreshBooks's annual cost is roughly 0.9% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,329 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Colorists face unique challenges: Per-formula notes per client — and which client is overdue for a refresh. Color correction takes 2-3x estimated time and ruins the schedule. Retail product upsell tracking against commission. Booth rent due whether you book 3 clients or 30 that week. No-show on a 4-hour balayage means losing the whole afternoon. On top of all that, FreshBooks charges $33/month ($396/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median colorists earns $45,000/year. Software at $396/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Color line of choice (Wella, Redken, Goldwell, Schwarzkopf) 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.
FreshBooks is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact FreshBooks cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| Feature | FreshBooks | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $33/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $1,329 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most colorists are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Settings → Export Data. Download clients, invoices, expenses, and time entries.
15-minute setup. Import your client list and expense categories from CSV.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify invoice history and recurring invoices.
Cancel subscription. Download a final data export for your records.
First chair at 9am — a balayage three-hour appointment. Noon: a gloss touch-up walk-in. 1pm a color correction that you quoted at 3 hours and will take 5. By 5pm you're behind, a toner walk-in is waiting, and you haven't logged a single formula. 7pm you sit down to update notes from memory — three of them, including which Olaplex No. 3 you upsold to who.
Real colorists near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a colorist? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every colorist on Nexa →
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. FreshBooks may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. FreshBooks is $33/month — that's $1,329 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 FreshBooks as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $2,208/year on software — and colorists face their own version of that math. IA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Des Moines metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Colorists run into with FreshBooks, and what Nexa does instead.
$1,329 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once