For most self-employed tattoo artists in the UK, the best booking app in 2027 is Taddoo: requests, calendar, deposits, digital consent with medical history, link in bio with flash, Tap to Pay and bookkeeping in one app, from £14 per month with no revenue commission. Treatwell and Booksy bring marketplace clients but take a large share of each new client's first booking.
- Best for independent artists: Taddoo, from £14 per month, with deposits, digital consent, Tap to Pay and bookkeeping in one app.
- Marketplaces cost more than they look: Treatwell takes 35 percent plus VAT of a new client's first booking.
- Council licence conditions often require a signed consent form with medical history, kept for at least 3 years.
- Tattooing anyone under 18 is an offence in the UK, so your booking flow should record age.
- Clients can pay big pieces with Klarna in three payments up to £2,000 while you are paid in full.
Contents
- The best tattoo booking apps in the UK at a glance
- 1. Taddoo: the best booking app for UK tattoo artists
- 2. Treatwell: marketplace clients at a price
- 3. Square Appointments: if you already use Square
- 4. Booksy and 5. Fresha: beauty platforms with tattoo pages
- 6. venue.ink and 7. InkDesk: tattoo apps from North America
- UK rules your booking system has to support
- Payments: deposits, Tap to Pay and Klarna
- Which tattoo booking app fits you?
UK tattoo artists usually end up with one of three things: a beauty marketplace like Treatwell or Booksy, an American tattoo app, or Instagram DMs and a paper consent folder. Each works until the diary is full. Below are the seven options UK artists compare most, with prices in pounds and the council rules your booking system has to support.
The best tattoo booking apps in the UK at a glance
| Rank | App | Price per month | Fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taddoo | from £14 (App Pro £25) | No commission; App Pro 0% Taddoo fees | Independent artists |
| 2 | Treatwell | £9.99 to £59 plus VAT | 35% plus VAT on new marketplace clients | Marketplace clients |
| 3 | Square Appointments | Free, Plus £29, Premium £69 per location | Card fees from 1.6% | Square POS users |
| 4 | Booksy | Monthly fee plus per team member | Boost commission on new clients | Marketplace discovery |
| 5 | Fresha | Per bookable team member | 20% one-time on new marketplace clients | Tattoo plus beauty |
| 6 | venue.ink | Free, Solo Pro $50 | 10% client fee, 5% with Pro | Flash without a monthly fee |
| 7 | InkDesk | from $25 billed yearly | No platform fee on deposits | One shared inbox |
1. Taddoo: the best booking app for UK tattoo artists
Taddoo is built for the single artist, whether you rent a chair, run your own studio or do guest spots. Clients send a structured request through your link in bio with idea, placement, size and reference photos. You answer personally on Instagram, WhatsApp, text or email, or send a booking link with a deposit. The account belongs to you, so clients, consent forms and receipts stay with you when you move studios.
- Consent that passes an inspection: digital consent forms with medical history, signed on the client's phone by QR code or link, stored as PDF per client.
- Deposits and payments: deposits through your own Stripe account in pounds, Klarna for clients, Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android with no card reader.
- Reminders: confirmation, reminder and aftercare emails in every plan; in App Pro the reminder also goes by text.
- Self-employed bookkeeping: a receipt after every appointment, expenses captured from a photo of the receipt, exports for your Self Assessment or accountant.
- Several studios in one account: home studio, guest spots and conventions in one calendar.
2. Treatwell: marketplace clients at a price
Treatwell is a hair and beauty marketplace with its own salon software. Connect Freelancer costs £9.99, Connect Advanced £24.99 and Expert £59 per month, all plus VAT. On a new client's first booking through the marketplace Treatwell takes 35 percent plus VAT; repeat and direct bookings are commission-free, online prepayments cost 2.5 percent plus VAT. Best for: studios that also do beauty and want new walk-ins. On a £400 piece, one new client costs you £140 plus VAT.
3. Square Appointments: if you already use Square
Square Appointments is free for one location, Plus costs £29 and Premium £69 per location per month, with unlimited staff and no booking commission. Card fees in the UK start at 1.6 percent. It is built for any appointment business, so flash pages, projects over several sessions and tattoo consent are not its focus. Taddoo vs Square.
4. Booksy and 5. Fresha: beauty platforms with tattoo pages
Booksy and Fresha are large beauty booking platforms with a client marketplace. Booksy charges a monthly fee plus one per team member, and its Boost programme takes a commission on new marketplace clients. Fresha charges per bookable team member and takes a one-time 20 percent on new marketplace clients. Both are useful if you offer beauty services too. See Taddoo vs Booksy and Taddoo vs Fresha.
6. venue.ink and 7. InkDesk: tattoo apps from North America
venue.ink is free for artists and strong on flash. It is paid for by a 10 percent fee on deposits and card payments, by default charged to your clients, 5 percent with Solo Pro at $50 per month; its payment terminal works in the US and Canada only (Taddoo vs venue.ink). InkDesk puts email, Instagram and WhatsApp in one inbox per client, from $25 per month billed yearly, with data stored in North America (Taddoo vs InkDesk).
UK rules your booking system has to support
- Licence or registration: outside London, tattooists and premises register with the council under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and its byelaws; Buckinghamshire, for example, charges £250 for premises and one practitioner.
- London special treatment licence: borough conditions, such as Croydon's, require a signed consent form with medical history, name, address and age for every client, kept on the premises for at least 3 years.
- Age: under the Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 it is an offence to tattoo anyone under 18.
- VAT: registration is required once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in the last 12 months.
- Records: HMRC wants self-employed records kept for at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the tax year.
A digital consent form helps with all of this: it is legible, dated, signed and findable per client in seconds. In Taddoo the form includes health questions, your own extra questions and the client's signature, and the PDF stays with the client record.
Payments: deposits, Tap to Pay and Klarna
With Klarna through Stripe, UK clients can pay in three instalments from £1 to £2,000 or use financing from £250 to £5,000, while you are paid in full straight away. In Taddoo, deposit links, gift vouchers and the payment link at checkout show Klarna automatically when it is active on your Stripe account. More in Klarna for tattoo artists.
Which tattoo booking app fits you?
| Your situation | Our pick |
|---|---|
| Self-employed artist, wants one app | Taddoo App or App Pro |
| Many online deposits and gift vouchers | Taddoo App Pro (0% Taddoo fees) |
| Chair renter or guest spots in several studios | Taddoo (several studios in one account) |
| Studio that also does beauty and wants walk-ins | Treatwell or Fresha |
| Studio already on Square POS | Square Appointments |
| No monthly fee, clients may pay 10% | venue.ink |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best tattoo booking app in the UK?
For most self-employed tattoo artists in the UK, Taddoo is the best booking app in 2027 because it combines requests, calendar, deposits, digital consent with medical history, link in bio with flash, Tap to Pay and bookkeeping in one app, from £14 per month with no revenue commission.
How much commission does Treatwell take from tattoo artists?
Treatwell takes 35 percent plus VAT of a new client's first booking through its marketplace. Repeat bookings and bookings through your own channels are commission-free, and online prepayments cost 2.5 percent plus VAT.
Do I need a consent form for every tattoo in the UK?
Council licence conditions usually require it. Croydon's special treatment licence conditions, for example, require a signed consent form with medical history, name, address and age for every tattoo client, kept for at least 3 years. Check your own council's conditions.
Can UK clients pay for a tattoo in instalments?
Yes. With Klarna through Stripe, UK clients can pay in three instalments up to £2,000 or use financing up to £5,000, and you receive the full amount at once. Taddoo shows Klarna on deposit links and at checkout.
Does Taddoo charge in pounds?
Yes. In the UK Taddoo costs from £14 per month billed yearly, and deposits and card payments go to your own Stripe account in pounds.
By the Taddoo team, built by artists and booking managers for artists. Published November 4, 2026, last updated November 4, 2026.
