Tattoo Booking and Deposit App (2026)
Tattoo work runs on the deposit and the calendar — a booked half-day lost to a no-show is a day's revenue, and often a drawing already done. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) holds a non-refundable deposit at booking with a stated cancellation window, credits it to the final balance, bills hourly or as a flat session, and takes card payment before the client leaves the chair.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the independent tattoo artist's workflow — non-refundable deposits, hourly vs flat-session billing, design-time and touch-up lines, and getting paid on site — not on multi-artist studio floor management, retail counter sales, or front-desk staffing built for a shop with employees.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Solo tattoo artists: non-refundable deposits, hourly or flat sessions, card on site |
| Square Appointments | Free / $29/mo+ | Simple booking tied to Square card processing |
| Booksy | $29.99/mo+ | Booking with a consumer marketplace and reminders |
| Vagaro | $23.99/mo+ | Studio-style booking with a marketplace attached |
| Setmore | Free / $9/mo+ | Bare-bones appointment booking on a budget |
The chair is the calendar
A booked half-day is exactly that — half a day. Lose it to a no-show and no walk-in fills the hole, and if you’d already drawn the piece, that time’s gone too.
Everything about running this well comes back to protecting the slot with a real deposit.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Non-refundable deposit held at booking, credited to the balance, hourly or flat-session billing, design-time and touch-up lines, payment taken in the chair.
2. Square Appointments — Free / $29/mo+
Simple booking tied to Square’s card processing.
3. Booksy — $29.99/mo+
Booking with a consumer marketplace and automated reminders.
4. Vagaro — $23.99/mo+
Studio-style booking with a marketplace attached.
5. Setmore — Free / $9/mo+
Bare-bones appointment booking for a tight budget.
The lines a tattoo invoice needs
- Session — hourly × hours, or flat session rate
- Design / drawing time — included amount stated
- Deposit applied — credited to the balance
- Touch-up — $0 inside the window
- Supplies / setup — if itemized
- Additional session — for multi-session pieces
The deposit is the whole game
A non-refundable deposit, taken at booking and credited to the balance, is what turns a “maybe” into a booking. Everything else — reminders, marketing, promos — is what artists do instead of just holding the slot.
Frequently asked questions
How much should the deposit be?
Enough to cover a lost slot — commonly a flat $50–$200 by size, or 20–30% of the estimated total for larger pieces, and non-refundable. A deposit smaller than a session's worth of your time is a formality, and clients treat it that way.
Can I bill hourly and flat-rate from the same tool?
You should be able to. Large pieces bill by the hour; small defined work bills as a flat session. A solo artist needs both on the same invoice without switching platforms — and the deposit credited either way.
Do I need a full studio platform as a solo artist?
Not the multi-artist kind. A solo artist needs booking with a non-refundable deposit, hourly or flat billing, and payment in the room — front-desk staffing and retail counter tools are built for a shop with employees you don't have.
How do I handle touch-ups and guest spots?
Put the touch-up window on the invoice — one free inside a stated period, billed after — and invoice guest-spot work as its own booking with its own deposit. Both are just saved lines you reuse, not a reason for separate software.