Reception Bands 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 Reception Band earns $42,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 0.8% 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.
Reception Bands face unique challenges: Learning and rehearsing custom song requests like the couple's first-dance number. Loading in heavy backline and PA and soundchecking before guests arrive. Reading the dance floor and sequencing sets to keep the crowd up all night. Splitting pay among bandmates and a sound tech and tracking who is booked which date. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Reception Band 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 Full backline: drum kit, bass rig, keyboard, and guitar amps 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 reception bands 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.
Show day is a load-in marathon long before a single note. We back the trailer to the dock and haul the drum kit, bass rig, amps, PA mains, monitors, and a lighting tree up to the stage, then run snake cables and patch everyone into the digital console. Soundcheck has to happen in the window before guests arrive, ringing out monitors so the singer can hear herself over the drums and dialing the mains so the room does not feed back. The couple requested a first dance the band had never played, so we spent rehearsals learning it in their key and arranging an ending that lands. Then it is showtime, and the real skill is reading the floor: opening with something safe, watching who gets up, pivoting the set list on the fly when a ballad empties the floor, building toward the songs that pack it. We play in-ears so we can take cues mid-song. Between sets the playlist covers us. After the last song we strike everything in reverse, coil every cable, load the trailer in the dark, and settle up, splitting the night's pay among the players and the sound tech and confirming who is on the calendar for next weekend.
Real reception bands near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a reception band? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every reception band 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 $2,500/year on software — and Reception Band face their own version of that math. Philadelphia city wage tax of 3.75% for residents applies even to self-employed. PA flat 3.07% state income tax on top. Philadelphia requires a Commercial Activity License and Business Income & Receipts Tax registration. PA home improvement contractors need HIC registration.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Philadelphia metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Reception Bands 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