the short version
- 2kinds of apps: booking tools run the clients you have. marketplaces find you new ones.
- onceis when marketplaces like goodwork and tattoodo charge you: the first booking of a new client.
- 15%is what goodwork takes on that first booking. repeat clients and your own link are 0%.
fees checked on each company's own pages, october 9, 2026. they change, so check before you sign up.
the difference
most tattoo apps help you book clients. only a few help you find them
when people say "tattoo booking app" they usually mean two different things. it's worth knowing which one you're looking at.
a booking tool makes the people already in your DMs easier to handle. it won't put your work in front of someone who's never heard of you. a marketplace does that part, and charges for it when it works.
how they charge
marketplaces charge once, when they bring you someone new
goodwork, tattoodo and booksy's boost all work the same basic way. you don't pay to be listed on goodwork or tattoodo. you pay a cut of the first booking with a client they found for you. after that, that client is yours.
- 1a new client finds you on the appthey saw your work there, not on your instagram.
- 2they book and get tattooedthe app takes its cut of that first booking.
- 3they come backevery booking after that is fee-free on all three.
all three also let your own clients book you through your own link without a fee. on goodwork it's your goodwork link, on tattoodo it's your tattoodo booking link, on booksy it's your profile link.
side by side
what each one takes on a new client
the cut on a new client's first booking
goodwork and tattoodo also charge the client a fee on top: 6% on goodwork, $10 on tattoodo. neither comes out of your price.
tattoodo's rate, by paid tattoodo bookings that month
from tattoodo's artist rewards page (updated october 2025). only bookings paid through tattoodo count toward the level.
the math
on a $400 tattoo, here's what you keep
same piece, same new client, booked through each app.
and when that client comes back for a second tattoo, you keep all $400 on every one of them.
tattoodo bookings a month? goodwork's 15% costs less than tattoodo's 18 to 20%.
that's most artists. at 10 to 19 a month it's a tie at 15%.
tattoodo bookings a month? tattoodo's 10% costs less than our 15%.
on a very big piece, booksy's $100 cap can also come out lower per booking.
the other differences
a few things that aren't the percentage
what about booking tools' fees?
booking tools usually charge a monthly plan, card processing, or both, and the plans change often. they don't take a cut for finding clients because finding clients isn't what they do. check each one's own pricing page for today's numbers.
so which one?
use both kinds. they do different jobs
what to do with this
- keep a booking tool (or your goodwork page) for your regulars, so deposits and reminders run themselves.
- add a marketplace for new people. you only pay when someone new actually books.
- put your own booking link in your instagram bio, so your own followers never cost you a fee.
- in socal? goodwork is free to list, and the 15% only happens once per new client.
want to see how the money works on goodwork with your own prices? the rate calculator shows what you keep on a new client and a repeat one. or see how goodwork works for artists.
on goodwork
try the one that finds you new clients
free to list, no monthly fee. 15% only on the first booking of a new client goodwork finds for you. repeats and your own link are 0%.
list free on goodwork