Playground Installers 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 Playground Installer 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.
Playground Installers face unique challenges: Use-zone and fall-height compliance - the structure has to meet ASTM F1487 and CPSC handbook clearances, and one short use zone or wrong surfacing depth fails inspection and exposes the customer to liability. Underground surprises on the dig - hitting irrigation lines, tree roots, buried debris, or rock with the auger and blowing the footing schedule on a poured-concrete day. Tamper-resistant and pinch-point hardware - hundreds of specific bolts where one missing cap or exposed S-hook is a CPSC violation, and the kits ship with the wrong count. Surfacing depth liability - engineered wood fiber or poured rubber has to hit a critical fall-height rating, and customers want to skimp on the depth that's the whole point of the install. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Playground Installer 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 Gas-powered auger for footing holes 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 playground installers 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.
We stake out the footprint first thing using the manufacturer's footing template, snapping string lines and dropping batter boards so every post lands where the drawings say - a half-inch off at the base is two inches off at the deck. The auger eats the first four holes fine, then catches an old French drain nobody marked, so we hand-dig around it and adjust. By mid-morning the crew is plumbing uprights, and I'm walking behind with a level and the assembly book because the deck-to-deck heights set the slide angle and the guardrail compliance. We mix and pour the footings, brace everything, and let it set while we stage the climber and panel hardware - and immediately find the tamper-resistant bolt kit is short a dozen barrel nuts, so I'm calling the supplier mid-pour. Afternoon is hanging deck panels, torquing the security hardware, and capping every exposed bolt end because an inspector and a parent both run their hand over those. Before we leave I measure the use zone in every direction and check that the surfacing depth will hit the fall-height rating for the tallest deck. Last thing is documenting the footing depths and posting a note for the surfacing crew, then confirming tomorrow's school site has the gate access and the staging area cleared.
Real playground installers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a playground installer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every playground installer 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 $1,500/year on software — and Playground Installer face their own version of that math. Chile requires SII electronic invoicing. IVA at 19%. Requirements vary by country and locality. Check local regulations.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the La Serena metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Playground Installers 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