You're Switching from Square.
Here's Why French Drain Installers Choose Nexa.

Square
$29/mo
$348/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 9.6 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from Square after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified French drain installer, former Square customer

The Bottom Line

French Drain Installers 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 French drain installer earns $55,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 0.6% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$55,000
Median French drain installer income
3%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
9.6 mo
Break-even vs Square
$889
3-year savings switching to Nexa

What Square Is Costing You

The Damage

Square monthly $29/mo
Annual drain $348/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation) $388
Year 3 $432
3-year total $1,168

That's $1,168 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.

Your Square subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.

Why French Drain Installers Leave Square

✗Processing fees add up (2.6-3.5% per transaction)
✗2025 price increase: in-person went from $0.10 to $0.15 per transaction
✗Online fees jumped to 3.3% on Free plan
✗Add-ons like payroll, loyalty, marketing stack up
✗Account stability risk - surprise fund holds
French Drain Installers are leaving Square every week.

You're not the only one who's had enough.

Why This Matters for French Drain Installers

The job is a chronically wet side yard, so you start by confirming the trench line and shooting grade with the laser, because the whole system lives or dies on continuous fall. The trencher opens a clean cut to the depth you need, but halfway down the line you hit a mat of tree roots and have to switch to hand digging to ease the trench around them without losing your slope. You line the trench with non-woven filter fabric, lay in a few inches of washed gravel, and set the sock-wrapped perforated pipe on top, checking the drop with the laser every few feet so there's no belly. More gravel goes over the pipe, then you fold the fabric over the top like a burrito so silt from the surrounding soil can't migrate in and choke it. You tie the run to a solid pipe that carries water to a pop-up emitter at the low end of the yard. A cleanout at the head lets the homeowner flush it years from now. Backfill, tamp, and the trench all but disappears, which is the part customers struggle with, because they paid for something they can no longer see. You walk them through the cleanout and the emitter, and remind them not to bury the pop-up under mulch. The test is the next downpour, and you want the call to never come.

French Drain Installers face unique challenges: Setting continuous fall along the trench so the pipe drains, because a single belly turns the whole run into a holding tank. Wrapping and bedding the pipe right so silt doesn't clog the gravel and the drain dies in two years. Working around tree roots, buried utilities, and shallow bedrock that force the trench off the planned line. Explaining to customers why a hidden trench full of gravel costs what it does when they can't see the work after backfill. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median French drain installer 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 trencher or mini-excavator 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.

Your Full Stack Cost

Square is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?

Want this breakdown emailed to you?

Your exact Square cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.

"I was paying Square $29/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,168 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— French drain installer business owner

What You Get Instead

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

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most french drain installers are fully switched before the weekend.

1

Export your data

Go to Square Dashboard → Customers → Export. Also export transactions and item library.

2

Set up Nexa

15-minute setup. Import your customer list and service/product catalog.

3

Parallel run

Run both for 1-2 weeks. Test invoicing and booking through Nexa.

4

Cancel Square

Cancel paid subscriptions. Keep free account for records access.

✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel Square when you're confident. Zero risk.

What french drain installers actually deal with

A day in the life of a french drain installer

The job is a chronically wet side yard, so you start by confirming the trench line and shooting grade with the laser, because the whole system lives or dies on continuous fall. The trencher opens a clean cut to the depth you need, but halfway down the line you hit a mat of tree roots and have to switch to hand digging to ease the trench around them without losing your slope. You line the trench with non-woven filter fabric, lay in a few inches of washed gravel, and set the sock-wrapped perforated pipe on top, checking the drop with the laser every few feet so there's no belly. More gravel goes over the pipe, then you fold the fabric over the top like a burrito so silt from the surrounding soil can't migrate in and choke it. You tie the run to a solid pipe that carries water to a pop-up emitter at the low end of the yard. A cleanout at the head lets the homeowner flush it years from now. Backfill, tamp, and the trench all but disappears, which is the part customers struggle with, because they paid for something they can no longer see. You walk them through the cleanout and the emitter, and remind them not to bury the pop-up under mulch. The test is the next downpour, and you want the call to never come.

The tools a working french drain installer actually owns

Local french drain installers on Nexa

Real french drain installers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a french drain installer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every french drain installer on Nexa →

FAQ

Is Nexa really a Square replacement for french drain installers?

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.

$279 seems like a lot.

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.

Can I pay in installments?

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.

What if I don't like it?

30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.

Can I import my Square data?

Export your data from Square as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.

French Drain Installers in Fresno

The average solo operator there spends about $2,448/year on software — and French drain installer face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.

Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Fresno metro. Your situation will vary.

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps French Drain Installers run into with Square, and what Nexa does instead.

✗
Square gapNo offline payment processing
✓
NexaBuilt into Nexa’s $279 once purchase — no separate add-on.
✗
Square gapLimited inventory for retail
✓
NexaInventory tracking included for product and service businesses.
✗
Square gapHigher processing fees than interchange-plus
✓
Nexa$279 once — not $69/month forever.
"Square raised prices again and I was done. Found Nexa — $279 once. I own it. No more 'we're updating our pricing' emails. Best business decision this year."
— French drain installer, switched from Square

Stop Losing $348/Year to Square

$1,168 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.

Get Nexa — $279 Once
or 3 payments of $99
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee — save $500 or full refund

Still want Square?

We think Nexa is the better deal at $279 once vs $29/mo. But if you've decided on Square, here's the link. No hard feelings.

Square — $29/mo →

This is an affiliate link. If you sign up, we earn a commission.

Also Compare