Competitor Comparison
The Best Alternative to Porter for Tattoo Shops
A Porter alternative for tattoo shops. Plan prices, trials, and consent forms, checked on Porter's pricing page November 8, 2026.
The Best Alternative to Porter for Tattoo Shops
Porter is tattoo software with separate artist plans and a shop plan. Studios look at something else when the shop price is a jump, or when they want consent forms on a lower monthly bill. This page quotes Porter’s pricing page as checked on November 8, 2026, and Tattoo Studio Pro’s help for our product.
The longer comparison is Tattoo Studio Pro vs Porter.
Quick comparison
| Feature | Tattoo Studio Pro | Porter |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $29/month (Solo, 1 team member) | $35/month (Artist Essentials) |
| Trial | 30 days. A payment method is required. You are not charged until it ends. | 30 days on the artist plans. 14 days on Studio Pro. |
| Consent forms | Every plan | Artist Pro ($65) and the studio plans. Not on Artist Essentials. |
| Shop price | Other team sizes are on the pricing page. | Studio Pro is $250/month, unlimited artists and staff. Studio Ultimate has no published price. |
| Website | Included with the subscription | Custom shop website on Studio Pro |
| Built for tattoo studios | Yes | Yes |
Prices on Porter’s card
Artist Essentials is $35/month, 30-day trial. Calendar, deposits and payments, reminders, post-appointment follow-ups, an optional POS, chat, and reports. No automated waivers on this card.
Artist Pro is $65/month, 30-day trial. It adds waivers and consent forms, plus email and SMS marketing: 100 free marketing SMS a month and 250 free marketing emails a month. The card says “One Location.”
Studio Pro is $250/month, 14-day trial. Unlimited artists and staff, automated commission splits, 1099s, waivers, marketing, general shop booking requests, and a custom shop website. The card does not say payroll. It does not say the plan is limited to one location.
Studio Ultimate is the multi-location plan. No published price.
An older draft of this page said Porter’s trial was 30 days across the board, and that Studio Pro included payroll. The card we opened does not say that. It also does not describe a separate walk-in queue. This page does not treat that as included or as missing.
Where a shop usually compares the two
Consent forms. Porter’s waivers start at Artist Pro, $65/month. Tattoo Studio Pro includes them on every plan, including Solo at $29/month. A signed form is stored on the client and in the Forms Archive.
The shop step. Porter’s published shop plan is Studio Pro at $250/month for unlimited artists and staff. Tattoo Studio Pro’s Solo plan is $29/month for 1 team member. Larger teams are priced on the pricing page. Yearly billing costs less than paying monthly. Price the plan that matches the roster. A flat $250 looks different at 3 artists than at 20.
Commission. Studio Pro lists automated commission splits and 1099s. Tattoo Studio Pro help documents a flat percentage, a cash rate and a card rate, or a sliding scale. My earnings shows a person their own numbers. The owner can see other people’s earnings. Other managers cannot. A shared PIN hides them. This is a report of what is owed. It does not pay people. Details are in tracking artist commissions.
Texts. Artist Essentials lists reminders. Artist Pro lists a marketing allowance of 100 SMS a month. Tattoo Studio Pro sends a confirmation text when an appointment is booked and up to 5 reminder texts. Help does not state a per-text price. Porter’s Artist Essentials card also lists post-appointment follow-ups. This page does not describe an equivalent automated follow-up from Tattoo Studio Pro.
More than one shop. Porter lists Studio Ultimate, with no price on the page. This article does not assign Tattoo Studio Pro’s larger plans a location count. Read the pricing page.
Switching
Export what Porter will give you. Tattoo Studio Pro’s client import can bring a client list, and appointments if the export includes them. Old signed-form PDFs do not come over. Update the booking link on your site and your Instagram bio when you are ready to send new clients to the new page. There is no published number of days that fits every shop.
The switch page has a Porter section.
FAQ
Does Studio Pro include payroll?
The card we opened lists automated commission splits and 1099s. It does not list payroll. Tattoo Studio Pro’s commission tools are reports. They do not pay people.
What is the trial?
Porter’s artist plans list 30 days. Studio Pro lists 14 days. Tattoo Studio Pro is 30 days, asks for a payment method, and does not charge you until it ends.
Does Porter include consent forms at $35?
No. Waivers start on Artist Pro at $65/month. Tattoo Studio Pro includes them on Solo at $29/month.
Does the Porter page list a walk-in queue?
Studio Pro lists general shop booking requests. It does not describe a separate walk-in queue. Tattoo Studio Pro’s help documents a queue that can hold walk-ins and appointments. This page does not rank the two.
What happens to booking links?
You change the links you already published: site, Instagram, anywhere else the old URL sits. Tell clients who are mid-booking. This page does not promise that the change takes under an hour.
How does yearly billing work on Tattoo Studio Pro?
Yearly billing costs less than paying monthly. Solo is $29/month or $239/year. Other prices are on the pricing page.
For the scheduling workflow, see the appointment scheduling chapter.