You're Switching from Wave.
Here's Why Custom Sneaker Painters 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 custom sneaker painter, former Wave customer

The Bottom Line

Custom Sneaker Painters 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 custom sneaker painter earns $28,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.8% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$28,000
Median custom sneaker painter income
1.5%
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 Custom Sneaker Painters 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 →

Custom Sneaker Painters are leaving Wave every week.

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

Why This Matters for Custom Sneaker Painters

I've got four custom pairs in the queue, and each takes eight to fifteen hours. This morning I'm on a pair of Dragon Ball Z Air Force 1s I quoted on top of the retail shoe. The prep comes first: I remove the factory finish with leather preparer and a cotton pad on every panel I'm painting, tape off the soles and the swoosh edges, and stuff the shoe so the leather is taut. Then I lay the base coats in thin layers with leather paint, hitting them with the heat gun between coats so they don't crack, and I sketch Goku on the side panel with a pencil from my approved mockup. I do the detail work with a size 0 and a 10/0 brush, building color gradients in the hair and the energy blast. Six hours in, the client messages that he wants to change Goku's pose, which means stripping the panel back and repainting it, so I tell him what the revision costs before I touch it. After lunch I seal a finished pair with an acrylic finisher in matte, three thin coats, and let them cure overnight before I box them. Another customer paid a deposit two weeks ago and has stopped answering, so I send the reminder that his deposit covers the shoes I bought. In the evening I reply to three DMs asking for quotes, sketch mockups, order more paint and finisher, and mark how much paint and supplies each pair actually used.

Custom Sneaker Painters face unique challenges: Custom designs take 5-20 hours but customers compare to retail prices. Supply costs per pair ($15-30 in paint) not tracked carefully. Revision requests after paint is already applied. No-show on paid deposits when customers change their mind. On top of all that, Wave charges $19/month ($228/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median custom sneaker painter earns $28,000/year. Software at $228/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your Angelus leather paints and supplies 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."
— Custom sneaker painter 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 custom sneaker painters 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 custom sneaker painters actually deal with

A day in the life of a custom sneaker painter

I've got four custom pairs in the queue, and each takes eight to fifteen hours. This morning I'm on a pair of Dragon Ball Z Air Force 1s I quoted on top of the retail shoe. The prep comes first: I remove the factory finish with leather preparer and a cotton pad on every panel I'm painting, tape off the soles and the swoosh edges, and stuff the shoe so the leather is taut. Then I lay the base coats in thin layers with leather paint, hitting them with the heat gun between coats so they don't crack, and I sketch Goku on the side panel with a pencil from my approved mockup. I do the detail work with a size 0 and a 10/0 brush, building color gradients in the hair and the energy blast. Six hours in, the client messages that he wants to change Goku's pose, which means stripping the panel back and repainting it, so I tell him what the revision costs before I touch it. After lunch I seal a finished pair with an acrylic finisher in matte, three thin coats, and let them cure overnight before I box them. Another customer paid a deposit two weeks ago and has stopped answering, so I send the reminder that his deposit covers the shoes I bought. In the evening I reply to three DMs asking for quotes, sketch mockups, order more paint and finisher, and mark how much paint and supplies each pair actually used.

The tools a working custom sneaker painter actually owns

Why custom sneaker painters leave the big platforms

Where custom sneaker painters actually talk shop

Local custom sneaker painters on Nexa

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

FAQ

Is Nexa really a Wave replacement for custom sneaker painters?

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.

Custom Sneaker Painters in Concord

The average solo operator there spends about $3,240/year on software — and custom sneaker painter face their own version of that math. CA state licensing requirements apply.

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

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Custom Sneaker Painters 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 Custom Sneaker Painters Talk Shop

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

Reddit
r/Sneakers, r/CustomSneakers, r/sneakermarket
Forums
NikeTalk Custom Forum
YouTube
Kiwi The King, Dillon DeJesus, Marko Custom
"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."
— Custom sneaker painter, 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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