You're Switching from Wave.
Here's Why Craft Vendors Choose Nexa.

Wave
$19/mo
$228/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 14.7 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from Wave after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified craft vendor, former Wave customer

The Bottom Line

Craft Vendors on Wave pay $19/month — $228/year. Over three years, that's $684. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 14.7 months. The median craft vendor earns $25,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.9% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$25,000
Median craft vendor income
2%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
14.7 mo
Break-even vs Wave
$405
3-year savings switching to Nexa

What Wave Is Costing You

The Damage

Wave monthly $19/mo
Annual drain $228/yr
Year 2 (at today's price) $228
Year 3 $228
3-year total $684

That's $684 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.

Your Wave subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.

Why Craft Vendors Leave Wave

✗Higher payment processing fees than competitors
✗Limited features compared to QuickBooks
✗Support limited on free plan
✗No mobile invoicing on free
✗Acquired by H&R Block - future uncertain
✗Wave wins for freelancers who don't need inventory, but payment processing fees are slightly higher.

See the full history of Wave price changes in the SaaS Graveyard →

Craft Vendors are leaving Wave every week.

You're not the only one who's had enough.

Why This Matters for Craft Vendors

Most weekends I'm at a market or a craft fair, and the week is spent making enough to fill the table. Production happens in batches, because making one piece at a time never covers the booth fee; I'm working through my best-sellers, testing a new design or two, and pricing every item so the materials, my hours and the fees all fit. Before an event I'm pulling inventory, packing display pieces, signage, a float of change, bags and my card reader, and loading the car the night before. Show days are long: setup at dawn, eight hours of talking to people, and teardown. Booth fees range from twenty dollars at a local market to several hundred at a juried show, and some shows take a cut of sales too, so I track which events actually pay. In between shows I sell online and take custom orders, which need a clear quote and a deposit. Applications for the big seasonal shows open months ahead, and the holiday season can be a third of my year, so I plan inventory from the summer.

Craft Vendors face unique challenges: Tracking profit per item when material costs vary by batch. Square processing fees on low-margin handmade items. Managing inventory across craft fairs, online shops, and consignment. Booth fees and travel costs eating into already thin margins. On top of all that, Wave charges $19/month ($228/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median craft vendor earns $25,000/year. Software at $228/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your Display setup (tables, racks, signage) 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.

Your Full Stack Cost

Wave is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?

Want this breakdown emailed to you?

Your exact Wave cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.

"I was paying Wave $19/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $684 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Craft vendor business owner

What You Get Instead

Feature Wave Nexa
Invoicing ✓ ✓
Scheduling ✗ ✓
CRM ✗ ✓
Time Tracking ✗ ✓
Full Accounting ✓ ✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management ✗ ✓
Works offline ✗ ✓
Price $19/mo forever $279 once
or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost $684 $279
Stop paying? Lose everything Keep everything forever

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most craft vendors are fully switched before the weekend.

1

Export your data

Go to Settings → Data Export. Download customers, invoices, transactions, and accounts.

2

Set up Nexa

15-minute setup. Import your client list and bank transactions from CSV.

3

Parallel run

Run both for 1-2 weeks. Re-create recurring invoices in Nexa and check your bank imports.

4

Cancel Wave

Cancel paid features. Your free account data stays accessible for records.

✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel Wave when you're confident. Zero risk.

What craft vendors actually deal with

A day in the life of a craft vendor

Most weekends I'm at a market or a craft fair, and the week is spent making enough to fill the table. Production happens in batches, because making one piece at a time never covers the booth fee; I'm working through my best-sellers, testing a new design or two, and pricing every item so the materials, my hours and the fees all fit. Before an event I'm pulling inventory, packing display pieces, signage, a float of change, bags and my card reader, and loading the car the night before. Show days are long: setup at dawn, eight hours of talking to people, and teardown. Booth fees range from twenty dollars at a local market to several hundred at a juried show, and some shows take a cut of sales too, so I track which events actually pay. In between shows I sell online and take custom orders, which need a clear quote and a deposit. Applications for the big seasonal shows open months ahead, and the holiday season can be a third of my year, so I plan inventory from the summer.

The tools a working craft vendor actually owns

Why craft vendors leave the big platforms

Where craft vendors actually talk shop

Local craft vendors on Nexa

Real craft vendors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a craft vendor? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every craft vendor on Nexa →

FAQ

Is Nexa really a Wave replacement for craft vendors?

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.

$279 seems like a lot.

It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Wave is $19/month — that's $684 over 3 years. Which is more? And if you'd rather split it, Nexa is also available as 3 payments of $99.

Can I pay in installments?

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.

What if I don't like it?

30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.

Can I import my Wave data?

Export your data from Wave as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.

Craft Vendors in Aurora

The average solo operator there spends about $2,352/year on software — and craft vendor face their own version of that math. IL state licensing requirements apply.

Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Aurora metro. Your situation will vary.

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Craft Vendors run into with Wave, and what Nexa does instead.

✗
Wave gapScheduling
✓
NexaBuilt-in scheduling and booking — no separate tier.
✗
Wave gapCRM
✓
NexaFull CRM module included in $279.
✗
Wave gapTime tracking
✓
NexaBuilt into Nexa’s $279 once purchase — no separate add-on.

Where Craft Vendors Talk Shop

If you want to compare notes or see how other craft vendors are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.

Reddit
r/craftfairs, r/Artisan, r/smallbusiness, r/Handmade
Forums
Craftcount Community
YouTube
Craft Fair Insider, Jennifer Maker, Made Urban
Podcasts
The Handmade CEO, Made Urban Podcast
"Wave raised prices again and I was done. Found Nexa — $279 once. I own it. No more 'we're updating our pricing' emails. Best business decision this year."
— Craft vendor, switched from Wave

Stop Losing $228/Year to Wave

$684 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.

Get Nexa — $279 Once
or 3 payments of $99
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee — save $500 or full refund

Still want Wave?

We think Nexa is the better deal at $279 once vs $19/mo. But if you've decided on Wave, here's the link. No hard feelings.

Wave — $19/mo →

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