Candle Makers on Wave pay $16/month — $192/year. Over three years, that's $644. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 17.4 months. The median candle maker earns $28,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.7% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $644 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
See the full history of Wave price changes in the SaaS Graveyard →
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Candle Makers face unique challenges: Calculating cost per candle with fluctuating wax and fragrance oil prices. Etsy fees stacking: listing fee, transaction fee, payment processing, offsite ads. Managing wholesale orders alongside Etsy and market sales. Batch tracking for safety and recall compliance. On top of all that, Wave charges $16/month ($192/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median candle maker earns $28,000/year. Software at $192/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Wax melter and pouring pitcher 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.
Wave is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact Wave cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| Feature | Wave | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $16/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $644 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most candle makers are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Settings → Data Export. Download customers, invoices, transactions, and accounts.
15-minute setup. Import your client list and chart of accounts from CSV.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify bank connections and recurring invoices work.
Cancel paid features. Your free account data stays accessible for records.
You poured 48 candles today — 3 scents, 2 sizes. Wax costs changed since last month so your cost per candle shifted. You have 12 Etsy orders to ship, a wholesale order of 50 units for a boutique at a lower margin, and a craft fair this weekend. Etsy just charged you an offsite ads fee on a $28 candle — 15% you didn't agree to. Your cost spreadsheet has 6 tabs and you're not sure it's right anymore.
Real candle makers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a candle maker? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every candle maker on Nexa →
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. Wave may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Wave is $16/month — that's $644 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 Wave as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $2,200/year on software — and candle maker face their own version of that math. NC flat 4.5% income tax. No city income tax. Cross-border clients in SC face separate 6.5% top rate. North Carolina requires general contractor licensing through NCLBGC for projects over $30,000. Charlotte requires a Business Privilege License.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Charlotte metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Candle Makers run into with Wave, and what Nexa does instead.
If you want to compare notes or see how other candle makers are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
$644 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once