Tattoo booking software compared: nine tools in 2026

Edited illustration based on a photograph by Romain Noiry / RamOne Tattoo.

First question: how do your clients book?

If clients mostly pick a flash or a fixed service, a salon booking tool with online slots does the job. If most of your work is custom, look at how the tool handles a request with references before a date exists. Some tools let the client pick a slot after the request is approved; others leave the scheduling to you. This choice matters more than any feature list.

Built only for tattoo studios

Linework says it is built by tattooers for tattooers. Its free plan takes 6% of each transaction; Pro removes that fee, leaving Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢. It covers tattoo requests, consultations, deposits, signed consent forms, flash and aftercare (pricing). Porter is aimed at artists and studios, with intake forms that collect reference and placement photos and an approval step before the booking is confirmed. Its plans run from $35 to $250 a month (pricing).

Tattoogenda works in the browser and handles multi-session projects, an “Ink Passport” listing the inks used, aftercare and guest-artist periods. Text messages are charged per message (pricing). needlz keeps each request, its references, deposit, sessions and consent form in one project, on iPhone and Android. Clients cannot pick their own slot: they send a project request and you set the date. Deposit links go through your own Stripe account with no needlz commission, and reminders are drafted by the app and sent from your own phone. It also records ink batches and expiry dates for each session.

Salon booking tools with a tattoo page

Square Appointments has a free plan with online card fees of 3.3% + 30¢, and paid plans at $49 and $149 a month with lower fees; deposits and prepayments work on every plan (pricing). Vagaro and Fresha both have tattoo pages with consultations and inspiration photos (Vagaro, Fresha). Fresha charges a one-time fee on new clients who find you through its marketplace. Goldie has a free plan for up to 20 appointments a month, aftercare texts and multi-session follow-ups (pricing). Zolmi adds tattoo history and design preferences to client records (pricing).

These tools are strong at filling a calendar with fixed services, and several bring new clients through their own marketplace. Check how they handle a sleeve that takes four sessions, and where the references end up.

Consent forms

Linework includes digitally signed consent and health forms on both plans. Tattoogenda sends forms by text, email or QR code. Porter sends waivers before the appointment from its Artist Pro plan. Square sends contracts at booking, Vagaro has intake forms and liability waivers, Fresha stores signed waivers, and Goldie and Zolmi keep online forms for their higher plans. In needlz the client signs on their own phone from a text, and the form stays linked to the session. Our consent form template lists what to ask.

Look at the fees on deposits

The subscription is only part of the cost. A free plan can take a share of each payment: 6% on Linework Free, 3.3% + 30¢ on Square’s free plan for online cards. Add the card processor’s own fees, and any per-message charge for reminders. Work it out on a month of real deposits before you compare prices. Our deposit policy guide helps you set the amount first.

Three checks before you choose

1. Take a real custom project and follow it from request to final payment: references, deposit, every session and the balance.
2. Sign a consent form as a client would, on a phone, and find it again from the artist’s side.
3. Price a normal month: subscription, payment fees, text messages and each extra artist.

Frequently asked questions