Sushi Chefs 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 Sushi Chef earns $35,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 1.0% 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.
Sushi Chefs face unique challenges: Sushi-grade fish is bought fresh and perishable per event, often pre-ordered from a supplier, so a cancellation or late headcount change means expensive fish you can't resell. Private omakase and party bookings are time-and-seat specific, and an at-home omakase for eight is a fixed-capacity event that has to be scheduled precisely. Pricing has to cover premium fish that swings with the market, hours of prep, your skill, and travel, and underquoting a fish-heavy menu is costly. Allergy and dietary needs (shellfish, raw-fish aversions, vegetarian guests) have to be known ahead so you order and prep the right product. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Sushi Chef earns $35,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your a yanagiba slicing knife and a deba, kept razor-sharp on whetstones 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 sushi chefs 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.
It starts at the supplier or the market, early, because the fish is the whole job: you're inspecting tuna and salmon for color and firmness, picking up the order you pre-arranged for tonight's omakase for eight. Back at your prep space you cook and season the rice, cut it into the hangiri and fan it to gloss, then break down the fish with the yanagiba into clean, even slices, portioning nigiri and sashimi to the seat count. You prep garnishes, wasabi, and the gari, and pack everything cold for transport. At the host's home you set your cutting station at the counter, and when guests sit you run the omakase course by course, shaping nigiri to order, reading the table's pace, accommodating the one guest who flagged a shellfish allergy by keeping their courses separate. It's intimate and performative; they're watching your hands. After the last course you clean your knives, pack out, and leave the kitchen spotless. Home, you reconcile what the fish cost against what you charged, confirm next week's anniversary dinner and its guest count and allergies, and make sure you've got the supplier lined up for the right amount of the right fish.
Real sushi chefs near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a sushi chef? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every sushi chef 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 $2,640/year on software — and Sushi Chef face their own version of that math. WA state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Kent metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Sushi Chefs 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