There are three ways we could sell you Neatly. Here they are, honestly, with what each one means for you by year three.
You pay once. The software sits on your machine like an old copy of Quicken.
What it means for you: every time your computer updates, or QuickBooks changes how it talks to other programs, or a form your trade has to file changes, the software needs a fix. You'd call us and pay for the fix, or live with the break. Nobody is watching it. If your laptop dies, the business record goes with it unless you backed it up. It's the cheapest on day one and the most expensive by year three, which is why almost nobody sells business software this way any more.
You pay a small monthly plan, and for founding customers the setup is included. Neatly runs on a server we look after, so it works from your truck, your office and your phone, and your records are backed up every night.
What it means for you: updates, fixes and form changes are our problem, not yours. When something breaks, you call and we fix it; that's included. The app gets better every month without you doing anything. If you ever want to leave, you press one button and everything you've ever entered comes out as files that are yours.
What it means for us: we can only promise to answer the phone if the plan pays for the hours. A one-time fee pays for the first month, and after that the work is free, which is how small software companies disappear and leave their customers stranded.
We set you up in something like Notion or Airtable, charge for the setup, and bill by the hour after that.
What it means for you: it's quick and cheap to start, and it's nobody's product. That tool's company changes its prices and features when it likes, the forms and the nightly numbers can't be built properly in it, and every change is an hourly bill.
It's the same kind of service agreement you sell your own customers: a yearly inspection, a maintenance plan. Someone is on the hook to show up.
Why the monthly number is small: the setup is where most of the work is, and for founding customers it's on us. The monthly keeps the lights on and the phone answered. Better a small price every month, for as long as it's useful, than a large one once and never hearing from us again.