Knife Makers 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 knife maker earns $32,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 1.1% 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.
Knife Makers face unique challenges: Steel and handle material costs vary by type and source. Heat treat failures waste hours of grinding and shaping work. Custom orders with exotic materials are hard to quote accurately. Belt and abrasive costs are constant and add up. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median knife maker earns $32,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Belt grinder (2x72) 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 knife makers 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're grinding a chef's knife from CPM S35VN steel ($40 per bar). Handle is stabilized burl ($25 for the block). You've got 6 hours in this knife so far — grinding, drilling, heat treating. It needs another 4 hours of hand sanding, handle fitting, and sharpening. You'll sell it for $350 on Instagram. After materials ($75), belt costs ($8), and your time (10 hours), your hourly rate is $26.70. But you didn't factor in the knife that warped in heat treat last week.
Real knife makers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a knife maker? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every knife maker 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 $2,880/year on software — and knife maker face their own version of that math. NJ state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Edison metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Knife Makers run into with Square, and what Nexa does instead.
If you want to compare notes or see how other knife makers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
$1,168 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once