Software & Comparisons
Tattoo business management platforms compared: who includes what
A feature-by-feature comparison of tattoo business management platforms: forms, deposits, commissions, websites, pricing models and trials, checked November 2026.
Tattoo business management platforms compared: who includes what
Most tattoo business management platforms can book an appointment. Where they differ is the paperwork around it: whether consent forms are included, how deposits are collected, whether commissions are tracked, whether a website is included, and how the price grows when you add artists. This page lines those differences up side by side so you can rule platforms in or out before you start a trial.
It is a feature comparison, not a ranking. If you want our shortlist with a pick for each shop size, read best tattoo shop software. If you only need the booking piece, start with our tattoo booking software page. Every competitor detail below was checked on each company’s public pricing page on November 8, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on their site before you sign up.
The Four Things That Separate Platforms
Before the table, it helps to know what actually moves the decision for a tattoo shop:
- Consent and intake forms. A tattoo release is not a salon intake form. Look for a signed, stored record per client and per visit, not a generic contract or a link to a third-party form tool.
- How deposits work. Some platforms collect deposits through your own card processor. Others add a percentage on top of every payment. Over a year, that difference is often bigger than the subscription.
- Team pay. If you run commission artists, you want commission and tip reporting in the same place as the sales, not in a spreadsheet at the end of the month.
- How the price scales. Per-user pricing, per-calendar pricing, per-location pricing and percentage-of-payment pricing all look cheap at one artist and very different at six.
Side-by-Side: Pricing Model and Trial
| Platform | Built for | Starting price | How the price grows | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tattoo Studio Pro | Tattoo studios and artists | From $29/mo | By how many team members are active at once; every plan has every feature | 30 days |
| Porter | Tattoo artists and shops | $35/mo (Artist Essentials) | $65/mo Artist Pro, $250/mo Studio Pro (unlimited artists), multi-location on request | 30 days on artist plans; 14 days on Studio Pro |
| DaySmart Body Art | Tattoo and piercing shops | $29/mo (1 user) | $69/mo for 3 users (+$9 per extra user), $149/mo, $199/mo for 6 users | 14 days, no card |
| Venue | Tattoo artists and studios | $0/mo | Free plans add 10% to card deposits and payments; $50/mo and $150/mo plans drop it to 5% | First month free for studios |
| Booksy | Barbers and beauty pros | $29.99/mo | +$20/mo per additional user | 14 days, no card |
| Vagaro | Salons and spas | $23.99/mo for the first 6 months ($30 list) | +$10/mo per bookable calendar, up to 7 | 30 days |
| Fresha | Beauty and wellness | $19.95/mo (1 member) | Team plan is $14.95/mo per bookable team member | 7 days |
| Square Appointments | Any appointment business | $0/mo | $49/mo or $149/mo per location, lower card rates on higher plans | 30 days on paid plans |
Side-by-Side: What Each Platform Includes
| Platform | Consent or intake forms | Deposits | Commission tracking | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tattoo Studio Pro | Digital intake and consent forms with signature, saved as a PDF on the client profile | Online deposits by text link through your own Stripe account | Commission, tip, and payout reports. Flat, cash and card, or sliding scale. Artists see their own numbers in My earnings. | Included with your subscription. The studio owner claims it. Hosting without a subscription is $10/mo or $100/yr. |
| Porter | Waivers and consent forms on Artist Pro and Studio Pro | Yes, all plans | Automated commission splits on Studio Pro | Custom shop website on Studio Pro |
| DaySmart Body Art | Digital forms from Deluxe ($69) up. Not on Basic. | Online deposits listed on Basic and up | Sliding-scale commission on Premium Growth only | Website builder is an add-on on every plan |
| Venue | Custom booking form | Yes, with a 10% or 5% fee on card payments | Not described as commission tracking or payroll on the pricing page we opened | Link-in-bio booking page |
| Booksy | Customizable intake forms or liability waivers | Upfront deposits | Commission tracking and reporting | Booking site and portfolio |
| Vagaro | Forms listed as a synced feature | Integrated payments | Payroll listed | Branded website (MySite) |
| Fresha | Consultation forms | Upfront payments | Sales commissions on the Team plan only | Marketplace profile and booking links |
| Square Appointments | Generic contracts with e-signature, sent when the client books (not tattoo consent forms) | Deposits and prepayments on every plan | Commission tracking on paid plans only | Square Online site builder |
“Listed” means the feature appears on the company’s pricing page. It does not tell you how well it works for a tattoo shop, which is what a trial is for.
Tattoo-Built Platforms
Tattoo Studio Pro
Tattoo Studio Pro is built around the way a tattoo shop actually runs a day: clients check in, sign their consent form, go into the queue, and get checked out. Completed forms are saved as PDFs in a searchable Forms Archive and on the client’s profile, which is the part a health inspector asks for. A supply log records the ink and needle lot numbers used on each client and prints them on the consent PDF.
Deposits go through your own Stripe account. The client gets a text with a link and pays on a hosted checkout page. If you turn on “require a deposit to confirm,” the appointment confirms when that payment lands. You can send a booking-confirmation text, plus up to 5 reminder texts per appointment. Reports cover sales, taxes, deposits, commissions, tips, and payouts, and you can filter by artist and export CSV.
You can set a flat commission, separate cash and card rates, or a sliding scale for a pay period. An artist sees their own sales, commission, tips, and payout in My earnings. The studio owner can open the same view on a team member’s profile. Other managers cannot. It calculates what is owed. It does not pay anyone.
You can also message a client from a booking request in Inbox. The reply goes by email, and the client can answer by email or on a private chat page. Until the owner confirms who on the team can read messages, only the owner can.
Every plan includes every feature. Plans differ only by how many team members can be active at the same time. Yearly billing costs less than paying monthly. Pricing starts from $29/mo. The trial is 30 days. It asks for a payment method. You are not charged until it ends, and you can cancel before then. New studios can read the new-studio offer. Your Tattoo Studio Pro subscription includes a website and hosting. Only the studio owner can claim it. We will move your client data over for free from your old system.
What it does not do: the supply log is not an inventory count. Nothing is deducted when you log a client. Tattoo Studio Pro does not send marketing campaigns to your clients. Booksy, Fresha, and Square list waitlists on their pricing pages. If that is the tool you need, start with those pages.
Porter
Porter is tattoo-specific and splits its plans between independent artists and full studios. Artist Essentials ($35/mo, 30-day trial) covers calendar, deposits and payments, reminders, and follow-ups. Artist Pro ($65/mo, 30-day trial) adds automated waivers and consent forms, plus email and SMS marketing (100 free marketing SMS a month and 250 free marketing emails a month). Studio Pro ($250/mo, 14-day trial) adds unlimited artists and staff, automated commission splits, 1099s for artists, and a custom shop website. Multi-location is a separate Studio Ultimate plan, with no published price. Our Tattoo Studio Pro vs Porter comparison goes deeper.
DaySmart Body Art
DaySmart Body Art sells tattoo and piercing software. On November 8, 2026 the pricing page showed Basic at $29/mo for 1 user (online booking and online deposits, no digital forms), Deluxe at $69/mo for 3 users, Deluxe Growth at $149/mo for 3 users, and Premium at $199/mo for 6 users. Extra users on Deluxe, Deluxe Growth, and Premium are $9/mo each. Premium Growth is unlimited users and contact-for-price. Digital forms start at Deluxe. Sliding-scale commission, commission exceptions, and overtime rules are on Premium Growth only. The website builder is an add-on on every plan. The trial is 14 days, with no credit card. See Tattoo Studio Pro vs DaySmart Body Art.
Venue
Venue is free to start: the Solo and Studio plans cost $0/mo, and Venue adds 10% to card deposits and payments (charged to the client by default, with a $2.50 minimum on deposits under $25). The $50/mo Solo Pro and $150/mo Studio Pro plans drop that to 5%. You can set that booking fee to the client, the artist, or an even split. Studio Pro includes up to 5 residents or guests a month, then $35/mo per extra active artist, plus monthly reporting. Its booking presence on the pricing page is a link-in-bio page. See Tattoo Studio Pro vs Venue.
General Salon and Beauty Platforms
These platforms also serve other industries. Their pricing pages list waitlists, inventory, and marketing tools.
Booksy costs $29.99/mo plus $20/mo per additional user, with every feature included. Its pricing page lists intake forms or liability waivers, upfront deposits, commission tracking, an automated waitlist, inventory and text and email marketing. An optional Boost feature charges 30% of a new client’s first visit when they book through the marketplace. See Tattoo Studio Pro vs Booksy.
Vagaro shows $23.99/mo for the first 6 months against a $30 list price, plus $10/mo per bookable calendar up to seven. It has a 30-day free trial. See Tattoo Studio Pro vs Vagaro.
Fresha charges $19.95/mo for one person or $14.95/mo per bookable team member on the Team plan. It lists consultation forms, waitlists and inventory, but sales commissions, wages and timesheets are Team-plan features. New clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace carry a one-time 20% commission (minimum $6), and online card payments are 2.79% + $0.20. See Tattoo Studio Pro vs Fresha.
Point-of-Sale-First: Square Appointments
Square Appointments is free for the base plan, then $49/mo or $149/mo per location, with a 30-day trial on the paid plans. Deposits, prepayments and contracts with e-signature are on every plan, including Free. Waitlists, multi-staff booking, tip pooling and commission tracking need a paid plan. In-person card payments are 2.6% + 15¢ on the Free plan. Its contracts are generic documents, not a tattoo release with a health questionnaire. See Tattoo Studio Pro vs Square Appointments.
How to Use This Comparison
- Solo artist, mostly Instagram bookings: compare what deposits actually cost you per year. A 10% fee on deposits can outgrow a flat monthly plan quickly.
- Shop with 3 or more artists: price the plan at your real team size, and check that commission reporting is on the plan you would buy.
- Shop that gets health inspections: test the consent form flow end to end, including how fast you can find last March’s signed form.
- Shop that wants a listed waitlist: Booksy, Fresha, and Square’s paid plans list one. Read that row before you assume another tool includes it.
If you are weighing free options specifically, see best free tattoo booking platforms. For a scheduling-only comparison, see best scheduling apps for tattoo artists, and for a tattoo-built tattoo scheduling app, see our booking page. If you want the whole shop in one system, start with tattoo studio software built for tattoo shops.
Common Questions About Tattoo Business Management Platforms
Which tattoo business management platforms include consent forms and client records?
Tattoo Studio Pro saves every signed intake and consent form as a PDF on the client’s profile and in a searchable archive. Porter includes waivers and consent forms on Artist Pro and Studio Pro. Booksy lists intake forms or liability waivers, and Fresha lists consultation forms. Square’s contracts are generic e-signature documents, not tattoo consent forms.
What is the best software for a tattoo shop with 3 or more employees?
Price each platform at your real team size. At three or more artists, per-user and per-calendar pricing adds up fast, and some platforms keep commission tracking on higher tiers only. Tattoo Studio Pro plans are priced by active team members with every feature on every plan. Our best tattoo shop software guide has picks by shop size.
Which platforms handle scheduling, commissions and client tracking in one place?
Tattoo Studio Pro, Porter (commission splits on Studio Pro), Booksy, Fresha (Team plan) and Square (paid plans) all combine scheduling, client profiles and commission tracking. Check that commissions are on the plan you would actually pay for.
Do tattoo platforms include inventory and marketing tools?
The general platforms do: Booksy, Fresha and Square all list inventory and marketing tools. Porter includes email and SMS marketing on Artist Pro and Studio Pro. Tattoo Studio Pro does not count inventory or send marketing campaigns. Its supply log tracks ink and needle lot numbers per client for health records instead.
Which tattoo software has a waitlist?
Booksy and Fresha list waitlists, and Square includes one on its paid plans. Tattoo Studio Pro help does not describe a client waitlist.
Is there free tattoo business management software?
Venue and Square Appointments both have $0/mo plans. Venue charges a percentage on card payments. Square charges card processing fees. Compare the yearly cost at your real deposit volume, including those fees. Our best free tattoo booking platforms guide covers the catches.
How hard is it to switch platforms?
Most platforms can export your client list as a CSV or Excel file. Tattoo Studio Pro imports it for you for free, usually within one business day. That covers client data, not stored files like old consent form PDFs, so download those from your old system before you cancel.
Related
- Best Tattoo Shop Software
- Best Free Tattoo Booking Platforms
- Best Scheduling Apps for Tattoo Artists
Sources (checked 2026-11-08): Porter pricing, DaySmart Body Art pricing, Venue pricing, Booksy pricing, Vagaro pricing, Fresha pricing, Square Appointments pricing.