You're Switching from Wave.
Here's Why Kombucha Brewers Choose Nexa.

Wave
$16/mo
$192/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 17.4 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 kombucha brewer, former Wave customer

The Bottom Line

Kombucha Brewers 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 kombucha brewer earns $35,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.5% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$35,000
Median kombucha brewer income
2.2%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
17.4 mo
Break-even vs Wave
$365
3-year savings switching to Nexa

What Wave Is Costing You

The Damage

Wave monthly $16/mo
Annual drain $192/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation) $214
Year 3 $238
3-year total $644

That's $644 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 Kombucha Brewers 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 →

Kombucha Brewers are leaving Wave every week.

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

Why This Matters for Kombucha Brewers

Her brewery runs on living things, so the morning starts with checking temperature, because the SCOBYs ferment faster in summer and crawl in winter and the whole timeline moves with the room. First fermentation is sweet tea fermenting under cloth covers for a week or more until the acidity hits her target, which she checks with a pH meter and a taste, knowing too long turns it to vinegar. Then comes second fermentation: she flavors with fruit or ginger, bottles into flip-tops, and lets it bottle-condition to build carbonation, which is the part that keeps her up at night because the same recipe can come out flat or gush across a counter depending on residual sugar and temperature. She burps test bottles to gauge pressure and decides when to refrigerate to halt the fizz. Alcohol is a quiet line she watches, since a long ferment can drift over the limit that would make it a regulated product. She kegs for a taproom account, fills growlers, and tracks which batches are at which stage. The afternoon is cold-chain logistics, because this is live product that has to stay cold from her cooler to the store shelf, with a real expiration she has to rotate around. She logs batch dates, acidity, and which flavors are ready versus still conditioning.

Kombucha Brewers face unique challenges: Two-stage fermentation runs on living cultures, so temperature swings speed or stall the brew and the timeline shifts with the seasons. Carbonation in bottle-conditioning is hard to control, so undercarbonated flats disappoint and overcarbonated bottles can over-pressure and gush. Acidity and trace alcohol have to stay in range, so a batch that ferments too long goes vinegary or drifts over the legal alcohol limit. Live product needs cold-chain handling and has a real shelf life, so distribution to stores and markets is a logistics problem, not just a brewing one. On top of all that, Wave charges $16/month ($192/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median kombucha brewer earns $35,000/year. Software at $192/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your food-grade fermentation vessels with cloth covers 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 $16/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $644 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Kombucha brewer business owner

What You Get Instead

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

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most kombucha brewers 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 chart of accounts from CSV.

3

Parallel run

Run both for 1-2 weeks. Verify bank connections and recurring invoices work.

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 kombucha brewers actually deal with

A day in the life of a kombucha brewer

Her brewery runs on living things, so the morning starts with checking temperature, because the SCOBYs ferment faster in summer and crawl in winter and the whole timeline moves with the room. First fermentation is sweet tea fermenting under cloth covers for a week or more until the acidity hits her target, which she checks with a pH meter and a taste, knowing too long turns it to vinegar. Then comes second fermentation: she flavors with fruit or ginger, bottles into flip-tops, and lets it bottle-condition to build carbonation, which is the part that keeps her up at night because the same recipe can come out flat or gush across a counter depending on residual sugar and temperature. She burps test bottles to gauge pressure and decides when to refrigerate to halt the fizz. Alcohol is a quiet line she watches, since a long ferment can drift over the limit that would make it a regulated product. She kegs for a taproom account, fills growlers, and tracks which batches are at which stage. The afternoon is cold-chain logistics, because this is live product that has to stay cold from her cooler to the store shelf, with a real expiration she has to rotate around. She logs batch dates, acidity, and which flavors are ready versus still conditioning.

The tools a working kombucha brewer actually owns

Local kombucha brewers on Nexa

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

FAQ

Is Nexa really a Wave replacement for kombucha brewers?

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 $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.

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.

Kombucha Brewers in Ocala

The average solo operator there spends about $2,112/year on software — and kombucha brewer face their own version of that math. FL state licensing requirements apply.

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

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Kombucha Brewers 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.
"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."
— Kombucha brewer, switched from Wave

Stop Losing $192/Year to Wave

$644 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 $16/mo. But if you've decided on Wave, here's the link. No hard feelings.

Wave — $16/mo →

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