You're Switching from Square. Here's Why Personal Trainers 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 personal trainer, former Square customer
The Bottom Line
Personal Trainers 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 personal trainer earns $42,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 0.8% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$42,000
Median personal trainer income
3.8%
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 Personal Trainers 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
Personal Trainers are leaving Square every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Personal Trainers
You train 6 clients today at three different locations. Your 7am client bought a 10-pack and you think this is session 8 but you're not sure. Your 9am wants to switch from in-person to virtual this week. Your noon client's package expired and you need to invoice for renewal, but you're between sessions in a parking lot. Mindbody charges you $139/month for features designed for yoga studios with 30 employees.
Personal Trainers face unique challenges: Mindbody costs $139+/month and is designed for gyms, not independent trainers. Clients cancelling last-minute when you blocked off your schedule for them. Managing package sessions (10-pack, 20-pack) and tracking remaining sessions. Collecting payment upfront vs per-session — no good system for session packages. Scheduling across multiple locations (gym, park, client's home, online). On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median personal trainer earns $42,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Resistance bands and TRX straps 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."
— Personal trainer 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 personal trainers 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 personal trainers actually deal with
Mindbody costs $139+/month and is designed for gyms, not independent trainers
Clients cancelling last-minute when you blocked off your schedule for them
Managing package sessions (10-pack, 20-pack) and tracking remaining sessions
Collecting payment upfront vs per-session — no good system for session packages
Scheduling across multiple locations (gym, park, client's home, online)
A day in the life of a personal trainer
You train 6 clients today at three different locations. Your 7am client bought a 10-pack and you think this is session 8 but you're not sure. Your 9am wants to switch from in-person to virtual this week. Your noon client's package expired and you need to invoice for renewal, but you're between sessions in a parking lot. Mindbody charges you $139/month for features designed for yoga studios with 30 employees.
The tools a working personal trainer actually owns
Resistance bands and TRX straps
Kettlebells and dumbbells (portable set)
Yoga mats and foam rollers
Measurement tools (tape, calipers, scale)
Timer / interval training app
Their certifications (NASM, ACE, CSCS)
Why personal trainers leave the big platforms
mindbody: $139/month base and it's built for yoga studios and big gyms. Solo trainers get the same bloated software at almost the same price.
trainerize: Good for programming workouts but terrible for business management. You still need another app for invoicing and scheduling.
acuity: Scheduling only. No session package tracking, no invoicing, no client progress notes. You need three apps to replace one.
Where personal trainers actually talk shop
r/personaltraining (Reddit)
r/fitness (Reddit)
r/fitnessindustry (Reddit)
r/ACE_PersonalTraining (Reddit)
T-Nation Forums (Forum)
BodyBuilding.com Forums (Forum)
Jeff Nippard (YouTube)
NASM (YouTube)
Local personal trainers on Nexa
Real personal trainers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a personal trainer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every personal trainer on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a Square replacement for personal trainers?
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.
Personal Trainers in Broken Arrow
The average solo operator there spends about $2,112/year on software — and personal trainer face their own version of that math. OK state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Broken Arrow metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Personal Trainers 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.
Where Personal Trainers Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other personal trainers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Jeff Nippard, NASM, Mind Pump TV, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Podcasts
Mind Pump, The PTDC Podcast, Fitness Business Podcast
"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."
— Personal trainer, switched from Square
Stop Losing $348/Year to Square
$1,168 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.