The verdict for custom sneaker painters: 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 custom sneaker painters 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.
Custom Sneaker Painters deal with unique challenges that generic software was not built for: Custom designs take 5-20 hours but customers compare to retail prices. Supply costs per pair ($15-30 in paint) not tracked carefully. Revision requests after paint is already applied. No-show on paid deposits when customers change their mind. Wave charges $16/month on top of these daily realities. The median custom sneaker painter earns $28,000/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 custom sneaker painters. You own it like you own your Angelus leather paints and supplies.
You have 4 custom pairs in the queue. Each takes 8-15 hours depending on complexity. A client wants a Dragon Ball Z themed pair of AF1s — you quoted $350 on a $110 retail shoe. Paint, prep, and finish supplies run $25. You're 6 hours in and the client wants to change Goku's pose. You also have 3 Instagram DMs asking for quotes and no system beyond screenshots to track orders.
Real custom sneaker painters near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a custom sneaker painter? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every custom sneaker painter on Nexa →
For solo custom sneaker painters 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 custom sneaker painters, 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