Brake 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 Brake Specialist earns $48,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 0.7% 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.
Brake Specialists face unique challenges: Customers wait in the lobby expecting a 45-minute pad job, then a seized caliper or sheared bleeder screw blows the estimate apart. Explaining why both rotors and pads need replacing when the dash light only just came on, without sounding like an upsell. Sourcing the right pad compound and rotor for a specific vehicle when the parts store sends the wrong fitment twice. Comeback brake squeal or pulsation that means re-doing a job for free and eating the labor hour. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Brake Specialist earns $48,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Brake lathe for resurfacing rotors and drums 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 brake 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.
The first car up is a minivan with a grinding noise the owner ignored for a month. You pull the wheels and find the inner pad worn to the backing plate, scoring the rotor past minimum thickness. You measure it with the micrometer, confirm it can't be resurfaced, and walk to the lobby to deliver the news that a $180 pad job is now $420 with rotors. Some take it, some need to think about it. Back in the bay you wind the caliper pistons in, hang the new pads with fresh hardware and a smear of brake grease on the abutment clips, and torque everything to spec. You bleed the system, top off the fluid, and bed the pads on a test drive around the block. Mid-afternoon a comeback rolls in, a brake job from last week that's developed a squeal, and you spend an unpaid half hour chasing it down to a loose anti-rattle clip. Between cars you're on the phone with the parts counter because they sent semi-metallic pads when the car needs ceramic. You close out by writing up the next morning's appointments and trying to remember which customer wanted a call back about their rear brakes.
Real brake specialists near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a brake specialist? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every brake 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 $2,160/year on software — and Brake Specialist face their own version of that math. NE state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Lincoln metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Brake 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