WhatsAppBuyer's guide
Best booking platforms for tattoo studios in 2026
Tattoogenda, Porter, Booksy, Fresha, Square Appointments, Timely and Believe Websites compared for UK tattoo studios, on published prices, deposits and consent forms, what a marketplace takes from a £300 first session, and who gives you a website of your own.
·11 min read
The short answer
- Tattoogenda, built for tattoo and piercing studios, costs €45 a month on Expert or €89 on Ultimate, with unlimited users, plus €0.11 per SMS.
- Porter, built for tattoo artists and studios, costs US$35 or US$65 a month per independent artist, or US$250 a month for a whole studio with unlimited artists; its pricing page is in US dollars only.
- Booksy costs £40 a month plus £5 for each additional team member, plus VAT, and takes 30% of a new client's first visit, minimum £5, only when its Boost feature is switched on.
- Fresha costs £14.95 a month for one person or £9.95 per bookable team member, excluding VAT, and takes 20% of a new marketplace client's first visit, which is £60 on a £300 first session.
- Square Appointments is free for a single location, £29 a month on Plus and £69 on Premium, with no limit on staff calendars; a booking website on your own domain needs Square Online Plus at £20 a month, billed annually.
- Timely starts from £4, £7 or £9 a week with unlimited team members, and the bill adjusts with the bookings you take.
- Tattoogenda, Porter, Fresha, Square and Timely list card deposits or prepayments on their pricing pages, and Booksy lists no-show protection with its payments; Believe Websites' card payments are built but not switched on, so it cannot take a deposit yet.
- Believe Websites costs £49 a month flat for any number of artists, takes 0% commission, and designs and builds a bespoke website on your own domain for £0 upfront.
Tattoo studios do not book like salons. A piece starts as a conversation and a reference image, becomes a consultation and a design, and only then turns into one or more long sessions. Deposits are normal and they matter, because a no-show on a five-hour session is a lost day. Consent forms are a legal necessity, not a nice extra. Guest artists come and go. And people choose an artist by looking at their work, which lives on a portfolio, not on a price list.
This guide compares seven options on what decides it for a studio: what you pay each month for four artists, whether it takes deposits and handles consent, what a marketplace takes from a first session, and whether you end up with a website of your own. Every figure was read from each company's own website on 27 October 2026.
The quick answer
- Software built for tattoo studios, priced in euros, whole team included: Tattoogenda, €45 a month on Expert.
- Software built for tattoo studios in the US: Porter, US$250 a month for a studio, or US$35 to US$65 per independent artist.
- A big consumer marketplace: Fresha at £9.95 per artist, or Booksy at £40 plus £5 per extra artist, both plus VAT, with commission on some new clients.
- Paying nothing for the booking system: Square Appointments Free, for a single location.
- Unlimited artists with texts included: Timely, from £4 a week.
- A studio that wants its own website, built for it, and to keep every penny of every booking: Believe Websites, £49 a month flat for any number of artists.
The price, side by side
Booksy and Fresha quote prices excluding VAT. Tattoogenda, Porter, Square and Timely do not state VAT treatment on their pricing pages. Tattoogenda prices in euros and Porter in US dollars; we have not converted them. Prices change; check each source before you decide.
| Platform | Published price | Extra artists | New-client commission | Website on your own domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | £49 a month flatbuild is £0 | Unlimited, free | 0% | Yes, built for you |
| Tattoogenda | €45 or €89 a monthor €495 / €979 a year, + €0.11 per SMS | Unlimited users | None stated | Nobooking links and plugins for your own site |
| Porter | US$250 a month per studioor US$35 / US$65 per artist | Unlimited on Studio Pro | None stated | Custom shop website on Studio Proown domain not stated |
| Booksy | £40 a monthplus VAT | £5 each | 30% of first visit with Boost on£5 minimum, plus VAT | No, a Booksy profile |
| Fresha | £14.95 solo, or £9.95 per team membera month, excluding VAT | £9.95 each | 20% of first visitmarketplace clients, £4 minimum | Smart Website add-on£12.95 a month; own domain not stated |
| Square Appointments | £0 / £29 / £69 a monthper location | Unlimited calendars | None stated | With Square Online Plus£20 a month, billed annually |
| Timely | From £4 / £7 / £9 a weekadjusts with bookings taken | Unlimited, free | No new client fees | Free mini-websiteown domain not stated |
Two of these are built only for tattooing. Tattoogenda prices in euros: Expert at €45 a month covers the calendar for resident and guest artists, tattoo project management, deposits collected and chased automatically, consent forms, reminders and aftercare messages; Ultimate at €89 adds one inbox for email, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook. Porter prices in US dollars, and its studio plan lists sales-tax collection and 1099s for artists, both American; its pricing page does not say whether it serves UK studios, so ask before you book a demo.
What a four-artist studio pays each month
one location; no own-domain site
£4 a week; rises with bookings
per location
4 × £9.95, plus VAT
bespoke site on your own domain, built and changed for you
£29 + £20 billed annually, for your own domain
£40 + 3 × £5, plus VAT
Prices read on 27 October 2026. Tattoogenda (€45 or €89 a month) and Porter (US$250 a month for a studio) do not publish sterling prices, so they are left off the chart rather than converted. Timely's figure is its weekly starting price × 52 ÷ 12. Card fees, SMS and website add-ons are not included unless stated.
Deposits and consent forms
For a tattoo studio these two decide more than the subscription does. Here is what each pricing page says.
| Platform | Deposits | Consent and forms |
|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | Not yetcard payments built, not switched on | No |
| Tattoogenda | Yes, collected and chased automaticallyStripe or Mollie | Consent forms and Ink Passports |
| Porter | Yes, deposits and payments | Automated waivers and consent formsArtist Pro and Studio Pro |
| Booksy | No-show protection1.29% + 20p + VAT per mobile payment | Custom forms included |
| Fresha | Upfront deposits1.40% + £0.25 online | Consultation forms |
| Square Appointments | Prepayments on every plan1.4% + 25p online for UK cards | Contracts sent automatically on booking |
| Timely | Online deposits on every plan1.85% + 30p | Consult app; forms before appointments on Boost |
What a marketplace takes from a first session
Tattoo sessions are long and expensive, which is exactly where percentage commission hurts. Fresha takes 20% of a new marketplace client's first visit, with a £4 minimum, plus VAT; returning clients are free. Booksy takes 30% of a new client's first visit, minimum £5, plus VAT, but only if you switch Boost on; otherwise its marketplace bookings are free. Timely says no new client fees. Tattoogenda, Porter and Square list no commission. We take 0% on every booking.
Fresha's and Booksy's rates exclude VAT. Booksy charges only while Boost is switched on, and only for clients who first book through it.
| Platform | Commission | On a £300 session |
|---|---|---|
| Believe Websites | 0% | £0 |
| Timely | No new client fees | £0 |
| Fresha | 20%, £4 minimum | £60 + VAT |
| Booksy, Boost on | 30%, £5 minimum | £90 + VAT |
Your website, your portfolio, and being found
People pick a tattoo artist by their work and by what they read about the studio: styles, artists, aftercare, how booking and deposits work, where you are. A lot of that lives on Instagram, which is fine for browsing and poor for answering questions. More people now also ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI overview which studio to go to for fine line or blackwork in their town, and those systems answer from what they can read on the open web.
Of the seven, Porter lists a custom shop website on its studio plan, Fresha sells a Smart Website for £12.95 a month, Square includes a booking site and connects your own domain on Online Plus, and Timely includes a mini-website. Tattoogenda gives you booking links and plugins to put on a site you already have, and Booksy gives you a profile. We design and build a bespoke website on your own domain, with a page for each artist and style, structured data, clear business details and a new article each month about your town and your work, and your dashboard shows an AI Search Readiness score. The full offer is on our home page.
Where we lose
- No deposits yet. Card payments are built but not switched on. Every other platform here takes card payments today.
- No consent forms or tattoo project tools. Tattoogenda and Porter are built around the tattoo workflow, from first message to aftercare. We are a website with booking.
- No text reminders yet. Confirmations and reminders go by email today. Timely includes texts, Booksy's reminders are free, and Tattoogenda sends SMS at €0.11 each.
- No marketplace. Fresha and Booksy list you where people browse. We do not send you strangers.
- A 12-month minimum term. Booksy, Fresha and Timely all say there is no long-term commitment. Ours is 12 months because we build the site for nothing up front, then it goes month to month.
- Not the cheapest. Square Free costs nothing and Timely starts from £4 a week.
So which one should you pick?
- A studio that wants the whole tattoo workflow in one place, deposits to aftercare: Tattoogenda, and check what VAT and the euro price come to.
- A studio in the US, or one happy to buy American software: Porter.
- A studio that wants marketplace bookings: Fresha or Booksy, with the commission on a long first session factored in.
- A studio watching every pound: Square Appointments Free, or Timely from £4 a week.
- A studio that wants its own website built and kept up to date for it, with nothing taken from any booking: Believe Websites, £49 a month flat, alongside a deposit and consent tool until our card payments are switched on.
For a closer look at one of these, read Believe Websites vs Timely, Believe Websites vs Square Appointments or Believe Websites vs Booksy. Running a barbershop as well? See the best booking platforms for barbers.
Common questions
- What is the best booking system for a tattoo studio in the UK?
- It depends on what you need most. Tattoogenda is built for tattoo studios, with deposits, consent forms and project management, at €45 a month. Fresha and Booksy add a consumer marketplace. Square Appointments has a free plan and Timely starts from £4 a week. Believe Websites builds a bespoke studio website on your own domain with booking inside it, for £49 a month flat and 0% commission, but cannot take deposits yet.
- How much does Tattoogenda cost?
- Tattoogenda's pricing page, read on 27 October 2026, lists Expert at €45 a month or €495 a year and Ultimate at €89 a month or €979 a year, each with unlimited users, plus €0.11 per SMS. Both have a 14-day free trial with no card needed. The page does not state whether prices include VAT.
- Is Porter available for UK tattoo studios?
- Porter's pricing page, read on 27 October 2026, shows prices in US dollars only: US$35 or US$65 a month per independent artist and US$250 a month for a studio. Its studio plan lists sales-tax collection and 1099s, both American. The page does not say whether it serves UK studios, so ask Porter directly.
- Which tattoo booking apps take deposits?
- Tattoogenda, Porter, Fresha, Square Appointments and Timely list card deposits or prepayments on their pricing pages, read on 27 October 2026, and Booksy lists no-show protection features with its integrated payments. Believe Websites' card payments are built but not switched on, so it cannot take a deposit yet.
- Does Fresha take commission from tattoo artists?
- Only on new clients who find you through the Fresha marketplace: 20% of their first visit, with a £4 minimum, excluding VAT. On a £300 first session that is £60 plus VAT. Returning clients are free. Booksy takes 30% of a new client's first visit, minimum £5, plus VAT, only while Boost is switched on. Believe Websites takes 0% on every booking.
- Do tattoo studios need a website if they have Instagram?
- Instagram is good for showing work and poor at answering questions such as styles, prices, deposits, aftercare and where you are. Search engines and AI assistants answer from what they can read on the open web, and a clear website on your own domain gives them that. Believe Websites builds one for £0 upfront as part of £49 a month; it does not guarantee any ranking or recommendation.
Sources
- Tattoogenda pricing — checked 27 October 2026
- Porter pricing — checked 27 October 2026
- Booksy UK pricing — checked 27 October 2026
- Fresha pricing — checked 27 October 2026
- Square Appointments UK pricing — checked 27 October 2026
- Square Online UK plans — checked 27 October 2026
- Timely pricing — checked 27 October 2026
- Believe Websites pricing and terms — checked 27 October 2026
Competitors' prices change. Every figure here was read from the company's own public pricing page on the date shown. If something is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.