Scuba 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 scuba 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.
Scuba Instructors face unique challenges: A student panics on a mask-clearing skill at depth and you have to manage their air, their fear, and the rest of the group at once. Air fills and tank rentals have to be coordinated with the dive shop, and a short fill can cut a training dive short. Weather and visibility can kill a checkout dive that's been booked for weeks, and the window to certify is tight. Tracking which of the five open-water skills each student has actually completed before you sign their card. On top of all that, Vagaro charges $50/month ($600/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median scuba 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 PADI or SSI open-water instructor certification 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 scuba 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.
Mornings start at the dive shop loading tanks and checking that every regulator breathes clean before it goes on a student's back. The confined-water session is in the pool: you brief the skills on a slate, then descend with two or three students and run them through mask clearing, regulator recovery, and the air-share drill, watching their eyes for the panic that comes when water hits their face for the first time. One student bolts for the surface on the mask skill and you're right there, slowing the ascent, getting them calm, then patiently rebuilding the skill in the shallow end before moving on. After lunch you load the boat for an open-water checkout dive, going over the dive plan, hand signals, and turn-pressure on the ride out. Underwater you demonstrate each skill kneeling on the sand, then have each student repeat it while you hover close enough to intervene. You're constantly checking everyone's air and depth, herding the group, and deploying the surface marker before the ascent. Back on the boat you debrief, log each diver's completed skills, and high-five the new certified divers. The gear gets rinsed, the tanks go back for fills, and you update who still needs a second checkout dive before the season's clear days run out.
Real scuba instructors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a scuba instructor? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every scuba 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 $2,112/year on software — and scuba instructor face their own version of that math. OK state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Tulsa metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Scuba 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