FTA Booking vs Vagaro: an honest comparison for tattoo shops
Vagaro is a broad booking platform for many kinds of businesses. FTA Booking is built only for tattoo shops. Here’s how they line up, based on Vagaro’s own public pages as of Nov 4, 2026.
| Topic | FTA Booking | Vagaro (public info) |
|---|---|---|
| Artist / calendar pricing | Live Studio is a flat $200/mo with unlimited artists | Pricing FAQ: each bookable calendar license costs $10 (US), up to seven; more employees after seven at no extra cost [source] |
| Online booking | Live Shop and per-artist booking pages, EN/ES | Online booking and social media integrations [source] |
| Intake forms and waivers | Live Consent, medical, minor/guardian, photo, aftercare forms, e-signed as PDFs | Automated intake and liability waivers [source] |
| Deposits | Coming soon Deposits at booking into your own Stripe account | Tattoo software page describes managing deposits [source] |
| Switching help | Coming soon Assisted Vagaro migration | Says it will help you switch for free; onboarding team migrates requested data [source] |
| Free trial | Not offered Book a demo first; no self-serve sign-up | 30-day free trial [source] |
| Built only for tattoo shops | Live Yes, tattoo shops and tattoo artists only | Serves many business types; has a tattoo studio software page [source] |
| Marketplace and salon services | Not offered Not offered; FTA Booking is tattoo-only | Vagaro lists studios on its Marketplace and covers many business types. If you want that, Vagaro may fit better. [source] |
Vagaro is a trademark of its owner. This comparison is based on public information on vagaro.com as of Nov 4, 2026. Features and prices change; check Vagaro’s site for current details.