Substack Writers 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 Substack Writer earns $32,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.6% 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.
Substack Writers face unique challenges: Converting free readers to paid and keeping churn low when subscriptions renew annually and quietly lapse. Deciding the free-vs-paid post mix so the paywall earns without starving top-of-funnel growth. Tracking which posts and which referral sources actually drive paid signups, not just opens. Reconciling Substack's payout (net of its cut and Stripe fees) against gross subscription revenue for taxes. On top of all that, Wave charges $16/month ($192/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Substack Writer 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 Substack publication with paid subscriptions 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 substack writers 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.
Writing is the visible half; the business is the rest. Morning starts in the draft, the actual work, fitting deep writing into the hours before the world wakes up, with a paywall decision looming, how much of this post is free to pull readers in versus paid to reward subscribers. Then the dashboard, where overnight there were four new paid subscribers and, less welcome, two annual subs that lapsed without renewing, which is the quiet churn that annual billing hides until it's already gone. The writer checks which post or Note drove the new signups, because knowing what converts is the difference between guessing and growing. Midday is engagement: replying to comments and DMs from paying subscribers who expect access, plus a cross-promotion swap with another writer in the recommendations network. Afternoon is planning, sketching the next two weeks of posts to balance free reach against paid value, and answering a reader who's on the fence about upgrading. There's also the unloved bookkeeping: Substack's payout already netted out its cut and Stripe's fees, so the deposit doesn't match the gross subscription revenue, and for taxes both numbers matter. A brand reached out about a sponsored post, which means a rate decision and a note to keep it clearly disclosed. The day ends scheduling the next paid post, noting which lapsed subscribers might win back, and logging the month's gross and net so April isn't a guess.
Real substack writers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a substack writer? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every substack writer 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 Substack Writer face their own version of that math. Chile requires SII electronic invoicing. IVA at 19%. Requirements vary by country and locality. Check local regulations.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Antofagasta metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Substack Writers run into with Wave, and what Nexa does instead.
$644 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once