Caricaturists on Square pay $29/month — $348/year. Over three years, that's $1,168. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 9.6 months. The median Caricaturist earns $42,000/year, so Square's annual cost is roughly 0.8% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
That's $1,168 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Caricaturists face unique challenges: Live-event caricatures are paid by the hour but priced against throughput, so a slow flattering drawing and a fast funny one is a constant speed-versus-quality tug with a line forming. Exaggerating a face for laughs without offending the subject or their family is a tightrope, and one customer who hates their drawing can sour a whole booth. Corporate gigs want a branded logo on every sheet and a digital file emailed after, while a kids' party wants fast and silly, so the deliverable changes the whole setup. Lighting and seating at venues are unpredictable, so a dim corner or no good chair for the subject wrecks the angles you need to draw fast and well. On top of all that, Square charges $29/month ($348/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median Caricaturist earns $42,000/year. Software at $348/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Markers, watercolor pencils, and graphite sets 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.
Square is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
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Your exact Square cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
| Feature | Square | Nexa |
|---|---|---|
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| CRM | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full Accounting | ✗ | ✓ (SIMPL) |
| Task Management | ✗ | ✓ |
| Price | $29/mo forever | $279 once or 3 × $99 |
| 3-Year Cost | $1,168 | $279 |
| Stop paying? | Lose everything | Keep everything forever |
Most caricaturists are fully switched before the weekend.
Go to Square Dashboard → Customers → Export. Also export transactions and item library.
15-minute setup. Import your customer list and service/product catalog.
Run both for 1-2 weeks. Test invoicing and booking through Nexa.
Cancel paid subscriptions. Keep free account for records access.
The day starts setting up the booth: easel angled to the light, the subject's chair placed where you can see the face clearly, markers and pencils laid out in order, and the drying rack ready because finished sheets can't smudge. The gig is a corporate party, so every sheet needs the company logo in the corner and a few clients want the digital file emailed afterward, which means shooting a clean photo of each drawing before it walks off. Then the line forms, and the whole job becomes throughput, you're paid by the hour but judged by how many people you got through, so every face is a fast read for the one feature worth exaggerating, the chin or the grin or the hairline, drawn warm enough that they laugh instead of bristle. That's the real tightrope: push the caricature far enough to be funny, not so far that someone feels insulted in front of their coworkers. You read each subject as they sit, joke while you draw, and keep the pencil moving because the line behind them is growing. Bad venue lighting is the enemy, a dim corner kills the speed, so you fight for a spot near a window or clip on your own light. The day ends emailing the corporate digital files, cleaning the markers, and restocking paper for tomorrow's birthday booth where the only rule is fast and silly.
Real caricaturists near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee. Are you a caricaturist? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time. Or browse every caricaturist on Nexa →
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. Square may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Square is $29/month — that's $1,168 over 3 years. Which is more? And if you'd rather split it, Nexa is also available as 3 payments of $99.
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.
30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.
Export your data from Square as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
The average solo operator there spends about $2,592/year on software — and Caricaturist face their own version of that math. CO state licensing requirements apply.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Lakewood metro. Your situation will vary.
Specific gaps Caricaturists run into with Square, and what Nexa does instead.
$1,168 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.
Get Nexa — $279 Once