Pet Food 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 Pet Food 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.
Pet Food Makers face unique challenges: Complete-and-balanced pet food faces strict AAFCO nutritional-adequacy and state feed-licensing rules, so formulating and labeling legally is a serious hurdle. Cold-chain logistics for raw and frozen meals make delivery, pickup windows, and freezer space a constant operational headache. Protein and organ-meat sourcing prices swing hard, but subscription customers expect a stable per-week price. Recipe customization for allergies and conditions means tracking each pet's formula, which gets unmanageable on paper fast. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Pet Food 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 Commercial meat grinder and a large-capacity 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 pet food 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.
The morning is production: grinding muscle meat and organs to a balanced recipe, weighing in the supplement premix that makes the food complete-and-balanced rather than just a meat mash, and portioning into per-pound packs by pet weight. Everything is logged, because a feed product carries real nutritional and licensing responsibility, and a batch sheet is the record if anything is ever questioned. Cold chain rules the day: meals go straight to vacuum-seal and into the chest freezer, and the delivery route has to be planned so frozen stays frozen in the cooler. Mid-day is customer work, the part paper can't keep up with: this Frenchie is on a novel-protein recipe for allergies, that senior shepherd needs lower phosphorus, and each pet's custom formula has to be pulled correctly for the week's batch. Afternoon is the delivery and pickup window, juggling who's home, who wants porch drop with a cooler, and restocking freezer stock for walk-up sales. Between runs there are subscription renewals, a sourcing call as chicken backs jump in price, and an inquiry from a customer whose vet recommended a prescription-style diet. Evenings are spent reconciling protein receipts, adjusting per-week pricing so the margin holds, and updating each pet's formula notes for next week.
Real pet food makers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a pet food maker? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every pet food 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 $2,000/year on software — and Pet Food Maker face their own version of that math. California's high state income tax applies, but lower cost of living than coastal metros makes it more manageable. California CSLB license required for contractor work over $500. County business licenses required in both Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Pet Food Makers 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