Laser Engravers 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 laser engraver earns $30,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 1.2% 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.
Laser Engravers face unique challenges: Machine time vs. setup/design time — both cost money differently. Material waste from test runs and alignment issues. Tube replacement and maintenance costs are significant but infrequent. Bulk custom orders need per-unit pricing that accounts for setup time. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median laser engraver earns $30,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Laser engraver (Glowforge, xTool, Thunder) 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 laser engravers 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 have 3 orders today: 25 custom wedding favors ($6 each), a large cutting board engraving ($45), and 100 custom keychains for a business ($3.50 each). The wedding favors need individual names — each one requires a file edit. The keychains are identical so the machine runs continuously. Your laser tube has 2,000 hours on it and costs $400 to replace. Are you factoring tube life into your pricing? Probably not.
Real laser engravers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a laser engraver? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every laser engraver 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 $2,400/year on software — and laser engraver face their own version of that math. NC flat 4.5% income tax. No city income tax. Research Triangle's high-income residents support premium service pricing. NC general contractor license through NCLBGC for projects over $30,000. Wake County requires a business registration.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Raleigh metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Laser Engravers run into with Square, and what Nexa does instead.
If you want to compare notes or see how other laser engravers 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