Acuity Scheduling vs Nexa The Real Comparison for Float Tank Operators
Acuity Scheduling
$34/mo ($408/yr)
VS
Nexa
$279 once — own forever
or 3 payments of $99
Break even: 8.2 months at Acuity Scheduling's current price.
Does Acuity Scheduling Fit Float Tank Operators? Our Read
What float tank operators need from their software, from sources outside Acuity Scheduling and outside Nexa:
Public float centers in Washington State are regulated as special use pools. A new or modified center needs a construction permit, which is handled by the state Department of Health (or by Clark, King or Pierce County health departments). The application package has nine documents, including operation plans, a safety and efficacy statement, a user advisory statement and a laboratory agreement. The state advises submitting it at least 60 days before construction starts. Operators therefore need somewhere to keep permit paperwork, plan documents and lab agreements, and a way to track permit and review dates. (doh.wa.gov)
The Washington permit page links to a form for reporting bacteriological test results and to a procedure for handling a high bacterial result. Operators in jurisdictions like this need to record water test results per tank, keep lab reports, and document what they did after a failed sample. (doh.wa.gov)
Some health codes set a minimum water turnaround between customers. Utah's rule text, which was proposed for deletion in 2013 when the state decided not to regulate float tanks, set a standard of clarifying and disinfecting tank water within 15 minutes, with the total volume turned over at least twice between patrons. Where a rule like this applies, the booking schedule has to leave a buffer between sessions, and each tank's filtration cycle between sessions needs a record. (rules.utah.gov)
Rules for float tanks differ by state, and some states do not regulate them. The Utah rule states "This rule does not regulate float tanks," while Washington requires permits and plan review. A 2021 University of Wisconsin poster described a survey of 53 US float tank operators about how they treat, test and replace tank water, because little was known about typical practice. An operator's records and compliance tracking therefore depend on the local rules, and many have to set their own testing routine. (minds.wisc.edu)
Acuity Scheduling covers the booking side of a float center well. It has online booking, packages, subscriptions, memberships, gift certificates, deposits, cancelation policies, intake forms, and text reminders and a waitlist on the plan that does the core job. It also has Stripe, Square and PayPal payments and a long integration list that includes Google Calendar. It does not cover the compliance side. Its feature list has no place for permit paperwork, per-tank water test results, lab reports or a record of what was done after a failed sample. Nor does it log filtration between sessions. Where a rule requires a turnaround buffer, you have to schedule that gap yourself.
Nexa covers more of the paperwork-adjacent work. It has a public booking page with intake forms, group-class capacity, and reschedule and cancel links. It also has notes that can be checklists tied to a client, jobs with photos and recurring jobs, and bookkeeping, and it works offline. Those could serve as a home for a testing routine, but Nexa has no built-in water-test log or permit tracker. It has no text messages, no waitlist, no recurring booking series and no Google Calendar sync (calendar export is an .ics file). Its automated emails, including booking and review reminders, send only while Nexa is open on one of your devices. It is software you run yourself, with no hosted support desk or vendor-run onboarding.
Over three years Acuity costs $1,224 at $34 a month ($408 a year). Nexa costs $279 once, or $458.64 with optional Cloud Sync at $4.99 a month. If you sell gift certificates and memberships, rely on text reminders or a waitlist, or need your bookings in Google Calendar, stay with Acuity and keep water tests and permit documents in a separate record. Consider Nexa only if you run one device, can keep it open for the automated emails, and mainly want one low-cost tool for invoices, jobs and books.
Our read for float tank operators: Stay with Acuity Scheduling if you depend on its text reminders, waitlist, memberships, gift certificates or Google Calendar, since Nexa lacks the first, second and last of those; neither tool tracks water tests or permits.
Read on each linked page in October 2026. Check them again before you decide; vendors change plans often.
Bottom Line
Acuity Scheduling costs float tank operators $408/year at today's list price. Nexa is $279 once for invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking and accounting in one suite — so after 8.2 months it has cost less than Acuity Scheduling, and you own it after that. What it is not: hosted-for-you software with a support desk and a roadmap you can lobby. That is the trade, and the rest of this page is the detail behind it.
Can it pay for itself?
Nexa is $279 once, about $23 a month over its first year. Its Drain Guard reads your expenses (from a linked bank, an imported statement, or ones you type in), finds the charges that repeat, and adds them up by the month. Keep or Cut then walks you through them one at a time. Cancel $23 a month of charges you'd forgotten about and Nexa has paid for itself inside the first year, before you count the Acuity Scheduling bill you'd stop paying.
It depends on what you find and what you cancel, so we don't promise a number. In our demo data, Drain Guard finds 5 subscriptions adding up to $110.13 a month. That is sample data, not a customer's.
The verdict for float tank operators: Stay with Acuity Scheduling if the needs in our read above apply to you. If they don't, Nexa covers the core invoicing, scheduling and books for $279 once against $1,224 for Acuity Scheduling over three years.
Choose Nexa if:
You're done paying monthly forever
You're a solo operator or small team (1-5)
You need scheduler, connect crm and invoicing in one tool
You're tired of price increases
You want to own your tools like you own your equipment
Choose Acuity Scheduling if:
You have a large team (10+) needing enterprise features
You're deeply invested in Acuity Scheduling's specific workflow
You need a feature Nexa doesn't have yet
Sound Familiar?
He starts by testing each tank: specific gravity with the hydrometer, pH, peroxide level, making sure the thousand pounds of dissolved Epsom salt is dense enough to float a body effortlessly. Between every client the water has to run a full filtration cycle, so he can't just turn a tank like a massage table; the schedule is built around those cycles. First float of the day is a regular on a monthly membership who knows the routine and disappears into the dark for ninety minutes. Then a nervous first-timer arrives worried about being closed in; the operator walks her through the door staying unlocked, the light she can leave on, getting out anytime she wants, and the earplugs and neck halo. He sets the soft entry lighting and lets her settle. While tanks run their cycles he tests water again, doses peroxide, checks salt levels, and orders more Epsom salt before the drum runs low. A walk-in wants to try it, so he sells an intro three-float package and books the next two. He answers a text about whether someone's package has floats left, rinses down a finished pod, and keeps the room hushed so the next person drifts off easy.
Scheduling 60-90 minute floats plus the mandatory filtration cycle and water testing between every single client so a tank is never double-booked
Tracking Epsom salt, peroxide, and filter costs and reorders to keep tanks at the right specific gravity
Selling intro 3-float packages and monthly memberships while converting one-time curiosity floaters into regulars
Coaching first-timers through claustrophobia and the no-show anxiety that comes with a 90-minute solo commitment
Scheduling, client records and invoicing are the pieces of that day. Some tools rent you each piece separately. A few — Nexa among them — bundle the lot and carry their own booking link, with no per-appointment cut. The sections below price both routes honestly.
None of that is a software problem you can buy your way out of in one click — it is why the tool you pick matters more than what it costs. Acuity Scheduling solves some of it. So does Nexa. The difference is what you are left holding in three years.
What Acuity Scheduling Actually Costs Float Tank Operators
Today's list price is $34/month — $408 a year, from Acuity Scheduling's own pricing page. Every figure below is that price, multiplied. Nothing is projected.
Three years at today's price
Year 1$408
Year 2$408
Year 3$408
Three years of Acuity Scheduling$1,224
Nexa: $279 once (or 3 × $99). Over the same three years, that is $945 less.
If Acuity Scheduling raises its price, the three-year cost goes up; if it cuts it, the cost comes down. We don't guess which. Add-ons, extra seats and card-processing fees are not included, on either side.
Feature-by-Feature
Feature
Acuity Scheduling
Nexa
Invoicing
✗
✓
Scheduling
✓
✓
CRM
✗
✓
Time Tracking
✗
✓
Full Accounting
✗
✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management
✗
✓
Works offline
—
✓
Price
$34/mo
$279 once or 3 × $99
3-Year Total
$1,224
$279
You own it?
No — stop paying, lose access
Yes — forever
✓ and ✗ for Acuity Scheduling come from its own published feature list. — means the feature isn't in that list, which is not the same as Acuity Scheduling lacking it: check with them. Three years is at today's price.
What "$279 Once" Does And Doesn't Buy
It buys the software, not a service contract. You install Nexa and it runs on your machine. There is no seat count, and nothing stops working if you stop paying, because there is nothing to stop paying.
Acuity Scheduling's monthly fee is not only rent. It pays for their hosting, their support desk, and their engineers shipping changes every week. If those matter to how you work, that is a real thing you would be giving up.
Cross-device sync is the one optional extra — $4.99/month if you want your data mirrored between machines. Skip it and Nexa still works; you just sync manually.
The honest risk of buying once: you are betting on us still being here to improve it. The honest risk of renting: the price is theirs to raise, and the graveyard section below is a record of tools that did exactly that.
What Acuity Scheduling Does Better
Straight from Acuity Scheduling's own feature set. If one of these is the reason you pay them, that reason does not disappear because Nexa is cheaper.
Intake forms
Package and subscription billing
Gift certificates
HIPAA compliance (Powerhouse)
Squarespace integration
A smaller bill up front: plans start at $20/month, against $279 paid once for Nexa.
Acuity Scheduling is the better call if you need intake forms specifically, or if your team is large enough that per-seat pricing still beats buying software outright.
What Acuity Scheduling Is Built For
Acuity says it is for "anyone in the business of time," from solo practitioners to multi-location teams. It lists beauty, business services (consulting, coaching), wellness, fitness, visual and performing arts, and education. (acuityscheduling.com)
The Starter plan costs $16/month billed annually ($20 monthly) and includes 1 calendar, client self-scheduling, email reminders, custom client forms and automatic time zone conversion. (acuityscheduling.com)
Payments run through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo on all plans. The Standard plan ($27/month annual, up to 6 calendars) adds text reminders, an appointment waitlist, memberships and packages, and gift certificates. (acuityscheduling.com)
The Premium plan ($49/month annual, up to 36 calendars) adds an AI Booking Assistant, a Business Associate Agreement for HIPAA compliance, removal of the Acuity logo, multiple time zones for staff or locations, and custom API and CSS access. Unlimited calendars require the Enterprise team. (acuityscheduling.com)
All plans have a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. There is no free plan beyond the trial. (acuityscheduling.com)
The site lists 15 integrations, including Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Stripe, Square, PayPal, QuickBooks, Zoom, Google Meet, Zapier, Mailchimp and Squarespace. (acuityscheduling.com)
Named features include online booking, class scheduling, packages, subscriptions, gift certificates, coupons, deposits, custom intake forms, cancelation policies, a mobile app and a website builder. The site is offered in 6 languages. (acuityscheduling.com)
What people outside Acuity Scheduling and outside Nexa say:
Software Finder shows a 4.5 rating from 25 reviews, with category scores of 9/10 for ease of use, value for money, customer support and functionality. The most-cited strengths are ease of use, integrations, automated email and text reminders that reviewers credit with reducing no-shows, and customizable emails and calendar views. (softwarefinder.com)
Software Finder reviewers also raise drawbacks. Some small businesses find it expensive, and one reported unresolved booking issues and slow support replies. Booking form appearance is limited, and add-ons are checkboxes only, so customers can't choose quantities. Stripe refunds need a separate login to Stripe. One business said it lacked features as its staff and resources grew, and a healthcare reviewer said it isn't suited to HIPAA-regulated practices. (softwarefinder.com)
Secret's page has no user reviews. Its editorial text calls the product user-friendly, customizable and affordable. It also lists as cons that pricing may be expensive for tight budgets, advanced features are limited, and some third-party integrations may be lacking. (joinsecret.com)
Read on each linked page in October 2026. Check them again before you decide; vendors change plans often.
Where business tools fit — for a float tank operator
Software doesn't do your clients — it automates the business around it. And that part is the same for every float tank operator: find the work, manage it, bill for it, get paid. Each step has a tool — and the right single tool runs the whole loop, so the handoffs are automatic and you get back to your clients. Tap a step to see what gets automated.
1
Find the work
Get booked
↓
A new client finds you and books a time — no phone tag, no double-booking.
CRM / contacts
Estimates & proposals
Booking / scheduling
then ↓
2
Manage the work
Deliver the service
↓
The session itself — with the client history, notes, packages, and add-ons right there instead of in three different places.
Job / project tracking
Time tracking
Expenses, materials & add-ons
then ↓
3
Bill for it
Send the bill
↓
The work becomes the invoice — the hours, the add-ons, the materials, the deposit credited — totaled and sent, instead of re-typed at 9pm.
Invoicing
Deposits & credits
then ↓
4
Get paid
Collect payment
↓
Paid by card or link, the deposit credited, and what's overdue chased — without you doing it by hand.
Card / online payments
Automatic reminders
You can stitch four separate subscriptions across these four steps, or run one tool that does the whole flow so a booking becomes a job becomes an invoice becomes a payment without re-typing. Either way the goal is the same: less time on the business of the business, more on your clients. (Nexa is built to be the one — but the honest options for each step are above and below.)
Calculate Your Full Stack
Acuity Scheduling plus whatever else you're paying for:
Email yourself this comparison?
Switching from Acuity Scheduling
1
Export your data — Go to Settings → Export. Download your client list and appointment history.
2
Set up Nexa Scheduler — 15-minute setup. Import clients and recreate your appointment types.
3
Update your links — Replace your Acuity booking link everywhere — website, email, social.
4
Cancel Acuity — Cancel Squarespace subscription. Download a final backup of your data.
✓ 30-day money-back guarantee. Zero risk.
What This Means for Float Tank Operators
The median Float Tank Operator earns $35,000/year. At $408/year, Acuity Scheduling is a recurring slice of that — paid again every year, whether the year was good or not. Owning the same jobs outright is $279 once, and the slice stops.
Nexa is $279 once. Invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, accounting — all connected, built for float tank operators. You own it like you own your Sensory-deprivation float tanks/pods with 1,000+ lbs Epsom salt solution.
Is Nexa actually right for a float tank operator?
An honest fit check — because the wrong tool is worse than no tool.
Right for you if
You run solo or a small team — like the 20,000 float tank operators in the US who do, and you wear every hat.
You're tired of paying every month for a monthly subscription stack and a pile of apps that don't talk to each other.
You want invoicing, scheduling, and client tracking in one place — not scattered across five apps.
You'd rather own your software once, the way you own your Sensory-deprivation float tanks/pods with 1,000+ lbs Epsom salt solution.
Look elsewhere if
You have a large team that needs enterprise seats, granular roles, and dedicated admin staff — Nexa is built for solo and small operators (1–5), and a bigger platform will serve you better.
You need full payroll for a large team or deep, SKU-level inventory — that's not what Nexa is for.
You're genuinely happy paying monthly and don't mind stitching tools together. No tool fixes a workflow you already like.
The honest fit: if you're a solo or small float tank operators business that owns its tools and is sick of renting software, Nexa replaces your whole stack for $279 once. If you're scaling into a large team with dedicated admin staff, a bigger platform may fit better — and we'd rather tell you that now than sell you the wrong thing.
Scheduling, client records and invoicing are the pieces of that day. Some tools rent you each piece separately. A few — Nexa among them — bundle the lot and carry their own booking link, with no per-appointment cut. The sections below price both routes honestly.
What float tank operators actually deal with
Scheduling 60-90 minute floats plus the mandatory filtration cycle and water testing between every single client so a tank is never double-booked
Tracking Epsom salt, peroxide, and filter costs and reorders to keep tanks at the right specific gravity
Selling intro 3-float packages and monthly memberships while converting one-time curiosity floaters into regulars
Coaching first-timers through claustrophobia and the no-show anxiety that comes with a 90-minute solo commitment
A day in the life of a float tank operator
He starts by testing each tank: specific gravity with the hydrometer, pH, peroxide level, making sure the thousand pounds of dissolved Epsom salt is dense enough to float a body effortlessly. Between every client the water has to run a full filtration cycle, so he can't just turn a tank like a massage table; the schedule is built around those cycles. First float of the day is a regular on a monthly membership who knows the routine and disappears into the dark for ninety minutes. Then a nervous first-timer arrives worried about being closed in; the operator walks her through the door staying unlocked, the light she can leave on, getting out anytime she wants, and the earplugs and neck halo. He sets the soft entry lighting and lets her settle. While tanks run their cycles he tests water again, doses peroxide, checks salt levels, and orders more Epsom salt before the drum runs low. A walk-in wants to try it, so he sells an intro three-float package and books the next two. He answers a text about whether someone's package has floats left, rinses down a finished pod, and keeps the room hushed so the next person drifts off easy.
The tools a working float tank operator actually owns
Sensory-deprivation float tanks/pods with 1,000+ lbs Epsom salt solution
Water filtration, UV, and hydrogen-peroxide sanitation system
Specific-gravity hydrometer and water-testing kit
Earplugs, neck halos, and post-float rinse showers
pH and salinity dosing supplies
Quiet-room timer and soft-entry/exit lighting
Local float tank operators on Nexa
Real float tank operators near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a float tank operator? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every float tank operator on Nexa →
The kit a working float tank operator owns
The tools of the trade — each a one-time buy that earns its keep for years.
Sensory-deprivation float tanks/pods with 1,000+ lbs Epsom salt solution
Water filtration, UV, and hydrogen-peroxide sanitation system
Specific-gravity hydrometer and water-testing kit
Earplugs, neck halos, and post-float rinse showers
pH and salinity dosing supplies
Quiet-room timer and soft-entry/exit lighting
You paid for these once because good tools last. That's the bar your software should clear too — priced like a tool you own, $279 once, not a subscription that costs more than your kit every year.
How To Read This Page
We make Nexa. It is one of the two options compared here, so read this with that in mind. We have tried to make Acuity Scheduling's case the way we would want ours made — their strengths above are their own published feature list, not our summary of it.
The prices are Acuity Scheduling's published list prices, checked on the date shown in the sources below. Plans change; check theirs before you decide.
No customer quotes appear on this page because we do not have any from float tank operators we can verify. For user testimony, read the independent reviews — Acuity Scheduling on G2 and on Capterra — where the reviewers are not selling you anything.
Check the price yourself:Acuity Scheduling's own pricing page is the source for every figure above, read on the date shown in the sources section below.
We are not neutral about subscriptions, and that is the argument, not a hidden assumption: software you pay for once is cheaper over three years than software you rent, unless you need something only the rented one does.
How we put this guide together
We build a float tank operator's guide the same way every time, and we'd rather you trust it than take it on faith. Nexa is our product, so the test we hold ourselves to is simple: a tool only "wins" a job here when it genuinely does that job better for a float tank operator — and where something free, open-source, or buy-once does it better, we say so and link you to it. Where Nexa falls short (payroll is the honest example), we name the alternative outright.
Where the numbers come from
Vendor pricingVagaro $600/yr, Acuity Scheduling $408/yr, Square, HoneyBook $432/yr — taken from each company's published plans, last verified September 2026. Pricing moves; each name above links straight to that vendor’s own pricing page so you can confirm it before you decide.
Income contextThe $35,000 median we cite for the typical float tank operator is occupational median annual pay from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics), compiled April 2026. We use it only to show software spend as a share of real income — your own numbers will differ.
Three-year mathMulti-year totals are today's list price multiplied by the number of years. No price rise is projected, so the figure can be checked against the vendor's own pricing page; if they raise it, the real cost is higher.
Found something out of date? Prices change and we don't catch every move the day it happens. This guide is published and maintained by the Nexa team; if a figure here is wrong, tell us and we'll fix it — getting it right matters more to us than the sale.
FAQ
Is Nexa really a Acuity Scheduling replacement?
For solo float tank operators and small teams, yes. invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting — all for $279 once. Acuity Scheduling may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
What does Acuity Scheduling do that Nexa doesn't?
Acuity Scheduling has features like Intake forms and Package and subscription billing that some businesses rely on. For most solo float tank operators, these aren't dealbreakers.
How fast does Nexa pay for itself?
At $34/month, Nexa pays for itself in 8.2 months. After that: $408 saved every year.
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.