Trenching Contractors 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 trenching contractor 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.
Trenching Contractors face unique challenges: 811 utility-locate delays — can't dig until you get the all-clear. Soil-type rate variability (clay vs sandy vs rocky changes time and wear). Equipment rental math vs ownership — when does it flip. Sub-contracting larger excavator work (yours is too small for some jobs). Sandy-soil cave-in liability and trench-shoring requirements. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median trenching contractor 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 Trencher (walk-behind or ride-on — Ditch Witch, Toro, Vermeer) 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 trenching contractors 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.
7am call to 811 confirming the locate is current. 8am tow the trencher to the site — irrigation main, 200 linear feet. 9am you start digging. By noon you've got 150 feet, lunch break. 1pm continue, edge-trim the line. 4pm haul the spoil to the dump pile. 5pm equipment maintenance — clean the chain, check the tension. 6pm you remember to invoice for the job you finished Tuesday.
Real trenching contractors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a trenching contractor? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every trenching contractor 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 $1,900/year on software — and trenching contractor face their own version of that math. No state income tax. Jacksonville's consolidated city-county government simplifies licensing compared to other FL metros. Duval County/Jacksonville consolidated government requires a Business Tax Receipt. Florida DBPR licenses for specialty contractors.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Jacksonville metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Trenching Contractors 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