Two options artists often weigh are Inky and Booksy. Both can help you run the business side of tattooing, but they're built from very different starting points - and the one that fits depends on whether you want a general-purpose booking tool or one purpose-built for a freelance tattoo artist.
Booksy is a marketplace booking platform with a big consumer app - clients search, discover and book barbers, beauty pros and tattoo artists. It has an active tattoo category, so it can genuinely bring you clients you've never met. That discovery is the product; everything else is there to support it.
What are the advantages of Booksy?
- A real consumer marketplace with a tattoo discovery category - new clients can find and book you in the app.
- Polished mobile booking experience clients already know how to use.
- Subscriptions, reminders and payments handled in one system.
How does Inky compare?
Inky doesn't run a marketplace - your clients come to you, and the tool makes that path effortless:
- Booking built around tattooing - placement, size, design references and a deposit in one flow, not a generic service menu.
- A client 360 that fits tattooing - past pieces, session notes, references and aftercare per client.
- Portfolio as a first-class citizen - style-organised galleries that sell the next booking, not an afterthought tab.
- Consent and intake forms - digital, signed before the session, stored against the appointment.
Booksy costs $29.99/month + tax, plus $20/month for each additional team member, with a 14-day free trial (verified 25 Sep 2026 against Booksy's own pricing page, biz.booksy.com/pricing). The monthly cost is similar to Inky's Professional plan at $29/artist/month - and Inky's base plan is free, paid by a client-side booking fee instead of a subscription. Fairness note: Booksy itself doesn't charge commission on clients who find you online or book through your profile link. The marketplace fee only applies if you turn on Boost - a one-time 30% commission on a Boost client's first visit - and payment processing (2.49–2.69% + a fixed fee per transaction) runs through Booksy either way. With Inky every client is yours, from your link, with no marketplace layer - and on the Free plan, the only fee is a 10% booking fee your client pays on the deposit (Professional removes it).
What are the disadvantages of Booksy for tattoo artists?
It's a generalist. There's no tattoo-native portfolio, no design-reference capture, no consent-form workflow - the things that make tattooing different from a haircut. And if your clients come from your own Instagram (most freelance artists' do), you're paying for a discovery channel you don't use.
Potential downsides of Inky
Inky is newer and tattoo-first, which is also its main limitation: it does not try to be a POS, a retail inventory system, or a multi-staff salon suite. If you run a large shop with a front desk, retail stock, and a dozen chairs, a broader platform may cover more ground. Inky is built for the artist who wants the boring stuff handled so they can get back to tattooing.
Which is better for freelance tattoo artists?
There's no universal winner - it depends on what you'd rather not deal with.
Booksy may suit artists who want:
- You want marketplace discovery of new clients
- You also cut hair or offer beauty services
- You want a consumer app your clients already know
Inky may suit artists who want:
- Your clients come from your own Instagram and referrals
- You want tattoo-first booking, consent forms and portfolio
- You want no marketplace between you and your clients
For a freelance artist who'd rather tattoo than tend to software, Inky takes more of the business off your plate - booking, clients, deposits, portfolio and consent forms in one place, built around how tattooing actually works.
