Event Decorators 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 Event Decorator 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.
Event Decorators face unique challenges: Loading in and transforming a raw venue within a tight setup window before guests arrive. Tracking rented linens, props, and uplights across simultaneous weekend events so nothing goes missing. Coordinating venue access, freight elevators, and union load-in rules with coordinators. Striking the entire setup late at night and accounting for every fixture and panel. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Event Decorator 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 Pipe-and-drape kits with adjustable uprights and crossbars 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 event decorators 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.
Load-in is a race against the clock. I back the van to the dock and start hauling pipe-and-drape uprights, crates of linens, and uplight fixtures into a room that still smells like the last event's teardown. First the drape goes up to hide the ugly walls, then I steam every wrinkle out of the head-table linen because a camera will catch it. Uplights get placed and color-matched to the couple's palette over wireless DMX, and I walk the room dimming the house lights to see how the wash reads. Centerpieces come out of bubble wrap and onto tables I have measured against a floor plan. The whole transformation has to land before the planner does her walkthrough, and there is always a surprise: a pillar in the wrong place, a freight elevator that is down, a delivery that is late. After the event ends near midnight, I strike everything in reverse, folding drape, coiling cable, and counting every chair sash because a missing rental comes out of my pocket. Then I load the van in the dark, drive home, and do inventory before the next morning's event needs the same fixtures.
Real event decorators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you an event decorator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every event decorator 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 $2,832/year on software — and Event Decorator face their own version of that math. MD state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Germantown metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Event Decorators 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