You're Switching from Wave.
Here's Why Patreon Creators 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 Patreon Creator, former Wave customer

The Bottom Line

Patreon Creators 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 Patreon Creator earns $32,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.6% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$32,000
Median Patreon Creator income
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 Patreon Creators 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 →

Patreon Creators are leaving Wave every week.

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

Why This Matters for Patreon Creators

Running a Patreon is running a tiered subscription business with a fulfillment arm. The first of the month is the loudest day: pledges process, and so do the declines, a wave of failed cards that quietly shrinks the patron count unless they're chased. The creator scans the dashboard, notes who dropped, and sees which new patrons came in at which tiers, because every tier carries a different promise. Most days are production, making the actual content that justifies the pledge, then sorting which pieces go behind which tier so a top-tier patron feels the gap between their pledge and the free version. Midday is the community: the patron-only Discord needs moderation and a posted update, and a few patrons have DMed asking when their tier's perk arrives. Then fulfillment, the part outsiders forget, packing and shipping the physical rewards a higher tier promised, and realizing the shipping cost is eating most of that tier's margin. Afternoon is planning the next batch of posts against the calendar so no tier goes a month feeling neglected, plus answering a prospective patron weighing two tiers. The money side waits at the end: Patreon's payout already netted its cut and processing fees, so the deposit isn't the pledged total, and the reward costs come out of what's left. The day closes by logging the month's pledges, declines, payout, and reward spend so the business is more than a vibe.

Patreon Creators face unique challenges: Fulfilling tiered rewards on schedule, including physical perks and shipping, without losing money on a tier. Tracking declined-payment churn at month's start when a wave of cards fail to process. Mapping which exclusive content goes to which tier so higher patrons actually feel the difference. Reconciling Patreon's payout net of fees against pledged revenue, and budgeting for reward costs against it. On top of all that, Wave charges $16/month ($192/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Patreon Creator earns $32,000/year. Software at $192/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your a Patreon page with multiple membership tiers 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."
— Patreon Creator 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 patreon creators 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 patreon creators actually deal with

A day in the life of a patreon creator

Running a Patreon is running a tiered subscription business with a fulfillment arm. The first of the month is the loudest day: pledges process, and so do the declines, a wave of failed cards that quietly shrinks the patron count unless they're chased. The creator scans the dashboard, notes who dropped, and sees which new patrons came in at which tiers, because every tier carries a different promise. Most days are production, making the actual content that justifies the pledge, then sorting which pieces go behind which tier so a top-tier patron feels the gap between their pledge and the free version. Midday is the community: the patron-only Discord needs moderation and a posted update, and a few patrons have DMed asking when their tier's perk arrives. Then fulfillment, the part outsiders forget, packing and shipping the physical rewards a higher tier promised, and realizing the shipping cost is eating most of that tier's margin. Afternoon is planning the next batch of posts against the calendar so no tier goes a month feeling neglected, plus answering a prospective patron weighing two tiers. The money side waits at the end: Patreon's payout already netted its cut and processing fees, so the deposit isn't the pledged total, and the reward costs come out of what's left. The day closes by logging the month's pledges, declines, payout, and reward spend so the business is more than a vibe.

The tools a working patreon creator actually owns

Local patreon creators on Nexa

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

FAQ

Is Nexa really a Wave replacement for patreon creators?

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.

Patreon Creators in Warwick

The average solo operator there spends about $2,448/year on software — and Patreon Creator face their own version of that math. RI state licensing requirements apply.

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

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Patreon Creators 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."
— Patreon Creator, 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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