Metal Fabricators 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 metal fabricator 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.
Metal Fabricators face unique challenges: One-off custom work — every job is a fresh quote. Material market pricing (steel, aluminum) varies weekly. Cut-list optimization is the difference between profit and loss. Cert-welder hourly rate vs production-rate work. Architect / GC client expectations vs blue-collar quote turnaround. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median metal fabricator 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 MIG welder (Miller, Lincoln, or Hobart) 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 metal fabricators 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.
7am open the shop, fire up the compressor. 8am cut steel for a custom railing job — 40 linear feet, 1.25" tube. 10am MIG-weld the assembly. Noon press-brake a steel staircase stringer for another job. 2pm grind and prep for paint. 4pm quote review for an architect — three custom designs. 6pm load up, deliver yesterday's railing to a residential install.
Real metal fabricators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a metal fabricator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every metal fabricator 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 metal fabricator face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Chula Vista metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Metal Fabricators 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