Gate 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 gate installer 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.
Gate Installers face unique challenges: A gate is only as good as its posts, and setting them plumb in concrete on sloped or soft ground is what makes the leaf swing true instead of dragging or self-closing. Driveway slope and crown mean a swing gate can scrape the ground at the arc's low point, so the layout has to account for grade the customer never thinks about. Customers pick an ornamental gate by looks online without realizing the weight needs heavier hinges, deeper footings, and a beefier operator, blowing the budget. Coordinating the gate hardware with whatever automation and access control comes later means leaving the right conduit and loop wiring, and retrofitting it after is a tear-up. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median gate 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 Post-hole auger and concrete mixer 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 gate installers 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.
The job lives or dies on the posts, so he spends the first hour with a transit and string line getting the hinge post and latch post dead plumb and square to each other, augering holes deep enough that frost won't heave them. The driveway has a crown he clocked on the estimate, so he's calculating the swing arc to make sure the leaf clears the ground at its lowest point instead of plowing into the asphalt. He mixes concrete and sets the posts, bracing them while it kicks, because a post that drifts an inch while curing means a gate that won't latch for the next twenty years. The gate itself is a heavy ornamental steel piece the customer fell in love with from a photo; he warned them it needed the bigger hinges and a stronger operator, and the footings reflect that weight. He hangs the leaf, shims the hinges, and swings it a dozen times checking for drag and self-closing, adjusting until it stops where it should. He runs conduit for the operator and a loop for the safety sensor now, because the customer mentioned wanting an automatic opener eventually and trenching it in later means tearing up the new drive. Last is the welds ground smooth and a coat of primer on the bare steel before rust finds it. He notes the post depths and hardware specs for the file.
Real gate installers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a gate installer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every gate installer 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 $1,600/year on software — and gate installer face their own version of that math. Tennessee has no state income tax. But tri-state metro means clients in MS (5%) and AR (5.5%) add complexity. Tennessee contractor licensing for projects over $25,000. Memphis/Shelby County requires a business license. MS and AR sides have separate requirements.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Memphis metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Gate Installers 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