Candy Makers 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 candy maker earns $35,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 1.0% 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.
Candy Makers face unique challenges: Sugar work is married to exact temperatures, so a few degrees past hard-crack or soft-ball changes the texture and the batch can't be salvaged. Humidity makes hard candy and brittle go sticky, so a damp day can ruin a finished batch sitting on the counter. Cooked sugar moves fast once it hits temperature, so there's no pausing to answer the phone or check an order mid-pour. Seasonal demand swings hard around holidays, so months are dead and then suddenly everyone wants peppermint or candy canes at once. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median candy maker earns $35,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your heavy copper or stainless candy kettle 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 candy makers 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.
She checks the humidity meter first, because a damp morning means hard candy will weep and brittle will turn tacky no matter how perfectly it's cooked. The kettle goes on with sugar, corn syrup, and water, and from then on the thermometer runs the day, climbing toward soft-ball for caramels or hard-crack for lollipops while she stirs and watches like a hawk. Once the sugar hits temperature there's no stopping, so she pours fast onto the marble slab or into molds, adds flavor and color at the exact second the heat allows, and scores or cuts before it sets too hard to work. Between cooks she's pulling taffy, wrapping caramels in twists, and dusting fudge so pieces don't stick. She keeps the phone face-down because a distraction during a pour costs the whole pan. Holiday orders dominate the calendar in waves, so she's batching peppermint bark and candy canes for a season that barely existed a month ago. The afternoon is wrapping and boxing, since exposed candy grabs moisture from the air within hours. She logs which orders are for pickup versus shipping, confirms balances, and stores finished pieces in airtight containers, knowing the kitchen's humidity is always trying to undo a good batch.
Real candy makers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a candy maker? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every candy maker 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 $2,760/year on software — and candy maker face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Santa Maria metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Candy Makers 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