Antique Restoration Specialists on Square pay $29/month — $348/year. Over three years, that's $1,168. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 9.6 months. The median antique restoration specialist earns $55,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 0.6% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,168 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Antique Restoration Specialists face unique challenges: Balancing 'restore' against 'preserve' — over-restoring strips the original patina and destroys an antique's value. Sourcing period-correct veneer, hardware, and finishes for pieces a century or more old that nobody stocks anymore. Customers who think a piece is worth a fortune and won't accept that a proper restoration costs more than the item. Slow, irreversible hand processes — French polish and hide-glue work that can't be rushed without ruining the piece. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median antique restoration specialist earns $55,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your hide glue pot and veneer hammer 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.
Square is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact Square cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| Feature | Square | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $29/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $1,168 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most antique restoration specialists are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Square Dashboard → Customers → Export. Also export transactions and item library.
15-minute setup. Import your customer list and service/product catalog.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Test invoicing and booking through Nexa.
Cancel paid subscriptions. Keep free account for records access.
Antique restoration is the opposite of fast trades — the first decision on any piece is how little to do. A client brings in a Victorian chest or a Federal card table, and before any tool comes out you're deciding whether this is a museum-grade conservation where you preserve every bit of original surface, or a working restoration where the owner wants to use it. Strip the wrong finish and you can wipe out a century of patina and a chunk of the value in an afternoon, so the reversible methods are the rule: hide glue, not modern adhesives, because the next restorer in fifty years has to be able to undo your work. A lifting veneer gets relaid with the heated veneer hammer and hide glue; a missing chunk gets patched with period-correct stock you may have to hunt down from a specialist or saw from a salvaged piece, grain and figure matched. Finish work is French polishing — building shellac in countless thin pads over days, never to be hurried, feeding patience into a surface that finally glows the way no spray gun can. Loose joints come apart, the old glue is cleaned, and they're re-fit with the same techniques the original maker used. The hardest conversations are about money and worth: people watch the TV shows and assume Grandma's dresser is a treasure, and a real restoration often costs more than the piece is worth, which you have to say plainly before you start.
Real antique restoration specialists near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you an antique restoration specialist? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every antique restoration specialist on Nexa →
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. Square may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Square is $29/month — that's $1,168 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 Square as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $1,920/year on software — and antique restoration specialist face their own version of that math. GA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Albany metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Antique Restoration Specialists run into with Square, and what Nexa does instead.
$1,168 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once