The verdict for martial arts instructors: Vagaro is solid software, but at $50/month it costs $2,013 over 3 years. Nexa does most of what Vagaro does for $279 once. For solo martial arts instructors and small teams, Nexa is the better deal.
Nexa: $279. Once. You keep $1,734. And you own it — no more "we're updating our pricing" emails.
| Feature | Vagaro | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $50/mo | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Total | $2,013 | $279 |
| You own it? | No — stop paying, lose access | Yes — forever |
Vagaro plus whatever else you're paying for:
Email yourself this comparison?
The math doesn't lie.
Martial Arts Instructors deal with unique challenges that generic software was not built for: Running recurring monthly tuition for dozens of students while chasing the handful whose autopay cards expire each month. Scheduling a single mat across little-dragons, teens, and adult classes without overlap or an empty floor. Collecting belt-testing fees and tracking who's eligible to grade and who's stalled at the same rank too long. Managing tournament registrations, weight divisions, and waivers for a busload of competitors at once. Vagaro charges $50/month on top of these daily realities. The median Martial Arts Instructor earns $42,000/year — $600/year in software subscriptions is a significant percentage of that income, paid every year, forever.
Nexa is $279 once. Invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, accounting — all connected, built for martial arts instructors. You own it like you own your Mat flooring (puzzle tatami or rollout mats) for the dojo floor.
He gets to the dojo by mid-afternoon to mop the mats before the after-school crowd floods in. The little-dragons class is controlled chaos: thirty minutes of falling-down games disguised as ukemi, and he's counting heads against the roster because two parents are perpetually late on pickup. Between classes he resets the floor, swaps the focus mitts for sparring gear, and checks who on the adult roster is overdue for their blue-belt test. Evening classes stack back to back, and he's calling out combinations on the pads until his shoulders ache. Somewhere in there a parent corners him about whether their kid is ready to grade, and another asks how tournament registration works for the regional next month. After the last class he sits at the front desk reconciling tuition: two autopay cards bounced, one family wants to freeze their membership over summer, and he still has to collect testing fees from six students before Saturday's belt exam. He updates the testing eligibility list, posts the tournament weight divisions to the parents' group, locks the bag closet, and turns off the round timer. He's a coach who became an accountant by accident, and the books are always the part that keeps him up.
Real martial arts instructors near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a martial arts instructor? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every martial arts instructor on Nexa →
For solo martial arts instructors and small teams, yes. invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting — all for $279 once. Vagaro may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
Vagaro has features like Affordable for salon/spa industry and Online booking marketplace that some businesses rely on. For most solo martial arts instructors, these aren't dealbreakers.
At $50/month, Nexa pays for itself in 5.6 months. After that: $600 saved every year.
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.
Own your tools. Stop renting your software.
Get Nexa — $279 Once