You're Switching from Wave.
Here's Why Ghostwriters Choose Nexa.

Wave
$19/mo
$228/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 14.7 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from Wave after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified ghostwriter, former Wave customer

The Bottom Line

Ghostwriters on Wave pay $19/month — $228/year. Over three years, that's $684. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 14.7 months. The median ghostwriter earns $48,000/year, so Wave's annual cost is roughly 0.5% of typical revenue — every year, forever.

Key Numbers

$48,000
Median ghostwriter income
2.5%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
14.7 mo
Break-even vs Wave
$405
3-year savings switching to Nexa

What Wave Is Costing You

The Damage

Wave monthly $19/mo
Annual drain $228/yr
Year 2 (at today's price) $228
Year 3 $228
3-year total $684

That's $684 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.

Your Wave subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.

Why Ghostwriters Leave Wave

✗Higher payment processing fees than competitors
✗Limited features compared to QuickBooks
✗Support limited on free plan
✗No mobile invoicing on free
✗Acquired by H&R Block - future uncertain
✗Wave wins for freelancers who don't need inventory, but payment processing fees are slightly higher.

See the full history of Wave price changes in the SaaS Graveyard →

Ghostwriters are leaving Wave every week.

You're not the only one who's had enough.

Why This Matters for Ghostwriters

By 8 I'm listening back to yesterday's interview with my business-book client, a founder who talks in stories, not chapters. I transcribe the good parts, pull the lines that sound like him, and build an outline for chapter 6 of 12: the opening anecdote, the framework, three examples, and a close that leads into chapter 7. The book is 50,000 words over four months, and I'm two months in. The problem is that chapters 4 and 5 have been sitting with him for three weeks unreviewed, and my next milestone payment is tied to his sign-off, so I send a polite nudge with a date and the short list of questions I need answered. Midmorning I write, about 2,000 words, keeping his verbal habits and cutting mine. After lunch I switch to my memoir client, an 80-year-old woman whose recordings I'm working through for her childhood chapter. I check dates and names with her daughter, because memory blurs. At 3 I write three blog posts for my monthly retainer clients, each in a different voice. Late afternoon is the business side: updating my chapter tracker with word counts and review status, sending an NDA to a new prospect, and writing a quote where I have to choose between per-word, a flat fee, or a lower fee plus a royalty share. I can't show that prospect my best work, since none of it has my name on it, so I send redacted samples.

Ghostwriters face unique challenges: 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. On top of all that, Wave charges $19/month ($228/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median ghostwriter earns $48,000/year. Software at $228/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.

Your Writing software (Scrivener, Google Docs) 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.

Your Full Stack Cost

Wave is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?

Want this breakdown emailed to you?

Your exact Wave cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.

"I was paying Wave $19/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $684 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Ghostwriter business owner

What You Get Instead

Feature Wave Nexa
Invoicing ✓ ✓
Scheduling ✗ ✓
CRM ✗ ✓
Time Tracking ✗ ✓
Full Accounting ✓ ✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management ✗ ✓
Works offline ✗ ✓
Price $19/mo forever $279 once
or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost $684 $279
Stop paying? Lose everything Keep everything forever

Switching Takes 1-2 Days

Most ghostwriters are fully switched before the weekend.

1

Export your data

Go to Settings → Data Export. Download customers, invoices, transactions, and accounts.

2

Set up Nexa

15-minute setup. Import your client list and bank transactions from CSV.

3

Parallel run

Run both for 1-2 weeks. Re-create recurring invoices in Nexa and check your bank imports.

4

Cancel Wave

Cancel paid features. Your free account data stays accessible for records.

✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel Wave when you're confident. Zero risk.

What ghostwriters actually deal with

A day in the life of a ghostwriter

By 8 I'm listening back to yesterday's interview with my business-book client, a founder who talks in stories, not chapters. I transcribe the good parts, pull the lines that sound like him, and build an outline for chapter 6 of 12: the opening anecdote, the framework, three examples, and a close that leads into chapter 7. The book is 50,000 words over four months, and I'm two months in. The problem is that chapters 4 and 5 have been sitting with him for three weeks unreviewed, and my next milestone payment is tied to his sign-off, so I send a polite nudge with a date and the short list of questions I need answered. Midmorning I write, about 2,000 words, keeping his verbal habits and cutting mine. After lunch I switch to my memoir client, an 80-year-old woman whose recordings I'm working through for her childhood chapter. I check dates and names with her daughter, because memory blurs. At 3 I write three blog posts for my monthly retainer clients, each in a different voice. Late afternoon is the business side: updating my chapter tracker with word counts and review status, sending an NDA to a new prospect, and writing a quote where I have to choose between per-word, a flat fee, or a lower fee plus a royalty share. I can't show that prospect my best work, since none of it has my name on it, so I send redacted samples.

The tools a working ghostwriter actually owns

Why ghostwriters leave the big platforms

Where ghostwriters actually talk shop

Local ghostwriters on Nexa

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 →

FAQ

Is Nexa really a Wave replacement for ghostwriters?

For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. Wave may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.

$279 seems like a lot.

It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Wave is $19/month — that's $684 over 3 years. Which is more? And if you'd rather split it, Nexa is also available as 3 payments of $99.

Can I pay in installments?

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.

What if I don't like it?

30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.

Can I import my Wave data?

Export your data from Wave as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.

Ghostwriters in Green Bay

The average solo operator there spends about $2,112/year on software — and ghostwriter face their own version of that math. WI state licensing requirements apply.

Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Green Bay metro. Your situation will vary.

If You Need These — Nexa Has Them

Specific gaps Ghostwriters run into with Wave, and what Nexa does instead.

✗
Wave gapScheduling
✓
NexaBuilt-in scheduling and booking — no separate tier.
✗
Wave gapCRM
✓
NexaFull CRM module included in $279.
✗
Wave gapTime tracking
✓
NexaBuilt into Nexa’s $279 once purchase — no separate add-on.

Where Ghostwriters Talk Shop

If you want to compare notes or see how other ghostwriters are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.

Reddit
r/ghostwriting, r/freelanceWriters, r/writing
Forums
Absolute Write Water Cooler
YouTube
The Ghostwriting Business
Podcasts
The Ghostwriter Podcast
"Wave raised prices again and I was done. Found Nexa — $279 once. I own it. No more 'we're updating our pricing' emails. Best business decision this year."
— Ghostwriter, switched from Wave

Stop Losing $228/Year to Wave

$684 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.

Get Nexa — $279 Once
or 3 payments of $99
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee — save $500 or full refund

Still want Wave?

We think Nexa is the better deal at $279 once vs $19/mo. But if you've decided on Wave, here's the link. No hard feelings.

Wave — $19/mo →

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