The verdict for ghostwriters: 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 ghostwriters 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.
Ghostwriters deal with unique challenges that generic software was not built for: Books take 3-6 months with milestone-based payment schedules. Per-word vs. flat rate vs. royalty share pricing models. Client feedback cycles can stall projects for weeks. NDAs and confidentiality make referral marketing impossible. Wave charges $16/month on top of these daily realities. The median ghostwriter earns $48,000/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 ghostwriters. You own it like you own your Writing software (Scrivener, Google Docs).
You're ghostwriting a business book — $15,000 project, 50,000 words over 4 months. You're on chapter 6 of 12, 2 months in. The client hasn't reviewed chapters 4-5 yet, which blocks your progress. You also have a memoir client ($8,000, 6 months) and 3 blog post retainers ($500/month each). Milestone payments are delayed when clients delay their reviews. Your project tracking is chapter titles in a Google Sheet.
Real ghostwriters near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a ghostwriter? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every ghostwriter on Nexa →
For solo ghostwriters 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 ghostwriters, 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