Elevator Inspectors 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 Elevator Inspector 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.
Elevator Inspectors face unique challenges: Coordinating the elevator mechanic to be on site so you can witness the Category 1 and Category 5 safety tests together. Building managers who can't lose the elevator during business hours but still want the annual signed off. Tracking which units are due for the annual no-load test versus the five-year full-load test across a portfolio. Writing up worn governor ropes and out-of-date buffer tests, then chasing the re-inspection after the repair. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Elevator Inspector 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 QEI certification and the ASME A17.1/A17.2 handbook in the bag 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 elevator inspectors 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.
You meet the elevator mechanic in the lobby because you can't witness a Category 1 test without him operating the car, and the building manager has already warned you the unit can't be down past 10am. Up in the machine room you check the controller, the governor, and the brake, then you run the no-load safety test, timing the governor trip and watching the safeties set on the rails. Down in the pit you inspect the buffers, the travel cables, and the pit stop switch, ducking under the car with the hoistway light. You note the oil buffer hasn't had its five-year stroke test documented and the governor rope is showing wear. At the next building it's a full-load Category 5, so you and the mechanic load the car to rated capacity with test weights and run the brake and safety test under load, which is the one nobody wants to schedule because the car is out of service for hours. You measure door force, check the interlocks open the circuit, and verify the firefighters' service recall. The afternoon is two more annuals where the real work is keeping the units' due dates straight so none of them lapse, and then writing the deficiency reports with photos so the building knows what to fix before you come back to re-inspect.
Real elevator inspectors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you an elevator inspector? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every elevator inspector 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 $2,928/year on software — and Elevator Inspector face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Oceanside metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Elevator Inspectors 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