The verdict for chainsaw carvers: Wave is solid software, but at $16/month it costs $644 over 3 years. Nexa does most of what Wave does for $279 once. For solo chainsaw carvers and small teams, Nexa is the better deal.
Nexa: $279. Once. You keep $365. And you own it — no more "we're updating our pricing" emails.
| Feature | Wave | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $16/mo | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Total | $644 | $279 |
| You own it? | No — stop paying, lose access | Yes — forever |
Wave plus whatever else you're paying for:
Email yourself this comparison?
The math doesn't lie.
Chainsaw Carvers deal with unique challenges that generic software was not built for: Quoting one-off custom work with no list price: a 6-foot eagle with a fish in its talons is a different beast than a plain bear, and detail level and species push the same height to wildly different numbers. Green-wood gamble: a log carved this week keeps drying and can develop deep checks for a year, so tracking which carvings were sealed, when, and whether the buyer was told to re-oil it is a paperwork mess. Festival cash chaos: quick-carve auctions, walk-up booth sales, and same-day commissions all hit in a weekend of dust and noise, then reconciling cash, cards, and 'I'll pick it up next week' holds against a table of inventory. Commission deposits and the dead season: a carver takes a deposit on a custom totem, seasons the log, then waits, and winter kills the foot traffic that funds gas and rent. Wave charges $16/month on top of these daily realities. The median chainsaw carver earns $36,000/year — $192/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 chainsaw carvers. You own it like you own your Powerhead saws in two roles: a heavy roughing saw for stock removal and a lighter detail saw fitted with a 12-inch dime-tip carving bar for tight noses and fine cuts.
It starts at the wood. You walk the yard checking which white pine and cottonwood butts have seasoned enough and which are still wet, then wrestle a 200-pound log onto the stand with the hoist. Chaps on, face shield down, muffs on, the roughing saw screams and chips fly as you block out a bear: ears here, shoulders there, cutting away everything that isn't bear. Bar oil and two-stroke smoke hang in the cold air. Switch to the detail saw with the dime-tip bar to plunge the snout and undercut the paws, then the angle grinder with a chain disc to rough the fur before burrs and a torch lay in the grain. A customer texts mid-cut wanting a price on a memorial eagle from their fallen oak; you wipe sawdust off the phone and try to remember what you charged for the last one. Afternoon is finishing: sand the face smooth, brush on a linseed-and-spirits cut so the green wood doesn't check, then spar urethane the pieces headed outdoors. You load three carvings for Saturday's fair, chase a deposit on a totem that's been sitting blanked-out for a month, and sweep a shop floor ankle-deep in chips. Tomorrow the bear gets a face.
Real chainsaw carvers near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a chainsaw carver? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every chainsaw carver on Nexa →
For solo chainsaw carvers and small teams, yes. invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting — all for $279 once. Wave may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
Wave has features like Free accounting software and Unlimited invoicing that some businesses rely on. For most solo chainsaw carvers, these aren't dealbreakers.
At $16/month, Nexa pays for itself in 17.4 months. After that: $192 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