Two options artists often weigh are Inky and Setmore. 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.
Setmore is a straightforward, affordable scheduler with a clean UI, a free tier, and integrations with Square and Stripe. It's a reasonable "just give me a booking page" choice. Like the other schedulers here, it's general-purpose.
What are the advantages of Setmore?
- A generous free tier (up to 4 staff, no card required) and simple per-user pricing on Pro (~$12/user/month, or ~$5 annual).
- Clean, easy booking page that's quick to set up.
- Integrations with Square and Stripe for payments.
How does Inky compare?
Inky is built for the full tattoo workflow, not just the calendar:
- Booking with placement, size, references and deposit built in.
- Client records that hold past work and aftercare, not just contact details.
- A portfolio in the same place as the business.
- Digital consent and intake forms, stored per client.
Setmore will hand you a booking; Inky hands you a client relationship that remembers the last piece.
What are the disadvantages of Setmore for tattoo artists?
It's a scheduler. No portfolio, no client 360, no tattoo-specific intake or consent. For a tattooer, that means Setmore plus a portfolio app plus a notes app plus a paper consent form - which is the patchwork you were trying to escape.
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. If "free and simple" is the priority and you're happy to cobble the rest together, Setmore is a fine starting point.
Which is better for freelance tattoo artists?
There's no universal winner - it depends on what you'd rather not deal with.
Setmore may suit artists who want:
- A free, simple booking page
- Low cost to start
- Square and Stripe integrations
Inky may suit artists who want:
- Tattoo-native booking, clients and deposits
- Portfolio and consent forms in one place
- One tool instead of a patchwork
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.
