Karate Instructors on Vagaro pay $50/month — $600/year. Over three years, that's $2,013. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 5.6 months. The median Karate Instructor earns $40,000/year, so Vagaro's annual cost is roughly 1.5% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $2,013 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Karate Instructors face unique challenges: Belt testing happens on a cycle and I'm chasing who's eligible, who paid the test fee, and who's ready on kata. Kids' classes are the bulk of my income, which means parents, waivers, and tuition autopay I manage by hand. Tournaments require travel, registration, and permission slips I coordinate for a whole team at once. Retention drops after kids earn a few belts and parents decide they've 'done karate' and quit. On top of all that, Vagaro charges $50/month ($600/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Karate Instructor earns $40,000/year. Software at $600/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Gi (karate-gi) and belt set 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.
Vagaro is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact Vagaro cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| Feature | Vagaro | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $50/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $2,013 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most karate instructors are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Reports → export client list, appointment history, and sales data to CSV.
15-minute setup. Import your client list and set up your service categories.
Run both for 2 weeks. Update your booking link to Nexa. Notify existing clients.
Cancel subscription. Redirect old booking URLs to your new Nexa page.
I open the dojo, bow in, and line up the day. Afternoons and evenings are my bread and butter — kids' classes, where the real business lives. The little ones need structure and energy, so I run them through stances, basic blocks, and a kata, handing out the discipline and the fun in equal measure while parents watch from the chairs. I'm tracking which kids are close to testing for the next belt, who's mastered their kata, and who needs another cycle. Between classes a parent asks about the upcoming belt test and whether her son's ready and what the fee is, and I'm answering from memory because my eligibility list is a marked-up roster. We've got a tournament coming, so I'm collecting registration money and permission slips from a dozen families and trying to coordinate who's competing in what division. The adult evening class is smaller — more sparring, more advanced kata — and I gear them up for controlled sparring, watching for safety. Admin is relentless behind the scenes: tuition that's supposed to autopay but a few cards expired, test fees, the new student whose waiver I never got signed. I notice a couple of green belts haven't been back — that classic drop-off where the family feels they've 'done karate' once the kid has a colored belt. I close the dojo knowing I should call those parents before they're gone for good.
Real karate instructors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a karate instructor? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every karate instructor on Nexa →
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. Vagaro may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Vagaro is $50/month — that's $2,013 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 Vagaro as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $2,280/year on software — and Karate Instructor face their own version of that math. MN state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Duluth metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Karate Instructors run into with Vagaro, and what Nexa does instead.
$2,013 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once