You're Switching from Wave.
Here's Why Sushi Chefs 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 Sushi Chef, former Wave customer

The Bottom Line

Sushi Chefs 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 Sushi Chef earns $35,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.5% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$35,000
Median Sushi Chef 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 Sushi Chefs 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 →

Sushi Chefs are leaving Wave every week.

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

Why This Matters for Sushi Chefs

It starts at the supplier or the market, early, because the fish is the whole job: you're inspecting tuna and salmon for color and firmness, picking up the order you pre-arranged for tonight's omakase for eight. Back at your prep space you cook and season the rice, cut it into the hangiri and fan it to gloss, then break down the fish with the yanagiba into clean, even slices, portioning nigiri and sashimi to the seat count. You prep garnishes, wasabi, and the gari, and pack everything cold for transport. At the host's home you set your cutting station at the counter, and when guests sit you run the omakase course by course, shaping nigiri to order, reading the table's pace, accommodating the one guest who flagged a shellfish allergy by keeping their courses separate. It's intimate and performative; they're watching your hands. After the last course you clean your knives, pack out, and leave the kitchen spotless. Home, you reconcile what the fish cost against what you charged, confirm next week's anniversary dinner and its guest count and allergies, and make sure you've got the supplier lined up for the right amount of the right fish.

Sushi Chefs face unique challenges: Sushi-grade fish is bought fresh and perishable per event, often pre-ordered from a supplier, so a cancellation or late headcount change means expensive fish you can't resell. Private omakase and party bookings are time-and-seat specific, and an at-home omakase for eight is a fixed-capacity event that has to be scheduled precisely. Pricing has to cover premium fish that swings with the market, hours of prep, your skill, and travel, and underquoting a fish-heavy menu is costly. Allergy and dietary needs (shellfish, raw-fish aversions, vegetarian guests) have to be known ahead so you order and prep the right product. On top of all that, Wave charges $16/month ($192/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Sushi Chef 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 a yanagiba slicing knife and a deba, kept razor-sharp on whetstones 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."
— Sushi Chef 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 sushi chefs 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 sushi chefs actually deal with

A day in the life of a sushi chef

It starts at the supplier or the market, early, because the fish is the whole job: you're inspecting tuna and salmon for color and firmness, picking up the order you pre-arranged for tonight's omakase for eight. Back at your prep space you cook and season the rice, cut it into the hangiri and fan it to gloss, then break down the fish with the yanagiba into clean, even slices, portioning nigiri and sashimi to the seat count. You prep garnishes, wasabi, and the gari, and pack everything cold for transport. At the host's home you set your cutting station at the counter, and when guests sit you run the omakase course by course, shaping nigiri to order, reading the table's pace, accommodating the one guest who flagged a shellfish allergy by keeping their courses separate. It's intimate and performative; they're watching your hands. After the last course you clean your knives, pack out, and leave the kitchen spotless. Home, you reconcile what the fish cost against what you charged, confirm next week's anniversary dinner and its guest count and allergies, and make sure you've got the supplier lined up for the right amount of the right fish.

The tools a working sushi chef actually owns

Local sushi chefs on Nexa

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

FAQ

Is Nexa really a Wave replacement for sushi chefs?

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.

Sushi Chefs in Kent

The average solo operator there spends about $2,640/year on software — and Sushi Chef face their own version of that math. WA state licensing requirements apply.

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

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Sushi Chefs 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."
— Sushi Chef, 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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