Drone Light Show Operators 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 drone light show operator earns $42,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 0.8% 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.
Drone Light Show Operators face unique challenges: Wind 7+ m/s cancels the show and the client wants their deposit back. Choreography is locked weeks out — day-of "can you add our logo" asks don't work. FAA waiver/COA per state and per event type, every show is a permit run. Battery cycle math — 300 cycles per pack means real per-show amortization. Insurance for crowd-overflight events is its own quote per gig. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median drone light show operator earns $42,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Drone fleet — 50 to 500 units (Intel Shooting Star or Verge Aero VX1) 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 drone light show operators 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.
7am you arrive at the venue 12 hours pre-show. 9am drone-count and battery rotation cycle starts. Noon weather check — wind forecast is brushing 6 m/s. 4pm full system test. 7pm the client wants to add their logo at the end of the show. You explain again that the choreography is locked. 9:30pm 250 drones launch. 9:45pm post-show, you're already charging batteries for tomorrow's gig.
Real drone light show operators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a drone light show operator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every drone light show operator 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 $2,208/year on software — and drone light show operator face their own version of that math. VA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Hampton metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Drone Light Show Operators 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