You're Switching from Booksy. Here's Why Tattoo Artists Choose Nexa.
Booksy
$40/mo
$480/year — every year, forever
Nexa
$279
Once. Own it forever.
or 3 payments of $99
Break even in 7.0 months. Then it's free forever.
"Switched from Booksy after the last price increase. Nexa does everything I needed for $279. Wish I'd done it sooner."
— Verified tattoo artist, former Booksy customer
The Bottom Line
Tattoo Artists on Booksy pay $40/month — $480/year. Over three years, that's $1,610. Nexa is $279 once. Break-even runs about 7.0 months. The median tattoo artist earns $42,000/year, so Booksy's annual cost is roughly 1.1% of typical revenue — every year, forever.
Key Numbers
$42,000
Median tattoo artist income
2.5%
Typical SaaS spend as % of revenue
7.0 mo
Break-even vs Booksy
$1,331
3-year savings switching to Nexa
What Booksy Is Costing You
The Damage
Booksy monthly$40/mo
Annual drain$480/yr
Year 2 (11.4% SaaS inflation)$535
Year 3$596
3-year total$1,610
That's $1,610 gone. And you don't own anything. Stop paying, lose access.
Your Booksy subscription has cost you $0.00 since you opened this page.
Why Tattoo Artists Leave Booksy
✗Per-staff pricing adds up quickly ($20/staff)
✗5-person team = $110+/month before processing
✗Boost marketing 30% commission cuts profits
✗Customer support complaints
✗Desktop experience inferior to mobile
✗Cost is a little higher than I'd like it to be
✗The 30% ($10 minimum, $100 maximum) boost feature commission makes it hard to offer affordable offers to first time clients
✗Boost marketing delivers no results - had account boosted for 2 weeks, not one new client
Tattoo Artists are leaving Booksy every week.
You're not the only one who's had enough.
Why This Matters for Tattoo Artists
You spent 4 hours drawing a custom sleeve design. The client hasn't responded in a week — no deposit was collected. Your noon appointment is a 3-hour session on a back piece, third session. You need to track the running total, collect today's payment, and schedule the next session. A walk-in wants a small piece but you're booked. You're managing bookings through Instagram DMs, deposits through Venmo, and pricing through a mental calculator. Nothing is connected.
Tattoo Artists face unique challenges: Deposit collection on custom pieces that take hours to design. Clients ghosting after you've spent 5 hours on their custom flash. Managing consultations, design approvals, and session scheduling for large pieces. Tracking shop rent, supply costs, and actual per-session income. On top of all that, Booksy charges $40/month ($480/year) — money that comes directly from your revenue. The median tattoo artist earns $42,000/year. Software at $480/year is a meaningful percentage of that income, every year, forever. And you do not own anything.
Your Tattoo machines (coil and/or rotary, multiple) is yours. You bought it once. Nexa works the same way — $279 once for invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, and full accounting. All connected. All offline-capable. You own it like you own your tools.
Your Full Stack Cost
Booksy is just one piece. What else are you losing money on?
Want this breakdown emailed to you?
Your exact Booksy cost, full stack total, and what switching saves. 10 seconds.
"I was paying Booksy $40/month and didn't question it until I did the math. $1,610 over 3 years for tools I don't even own. Nexa was $279. Once. Done."
— Tattoo artist business owner
What You Get Instead
Feature
Booksy
Nexa
Invoicing
✓
✓
Scheduling
✗
✓
CRM
✗
✓
Time Tracking
✗
✓
Full Accounting
✗
✓ (SIMPL)
Task Management
✗
✓
Price
$40/mo forever
$279 once or 3 × $99
3-Year Cost
$1,610
$279
Stop paying?
Lose everything
Keep everything forever
Switching Takes 1-2 Days
Most tattoo artists are fully switched before the weekend.
1
Export your data
Go to Settings → export your client list and appointment history as CSV.
2
Set up Nexa
15-minute setup. Import your client list and recreate your service menu.
3
Update your booking
Replace your Booksy link on social media, Google Business, and your website.
4
Cancel Booksy
Cancel subscription. Notify clients of your new booking link.
✓ Run both in parallel. Cancel Booksy when you're confident. Zero risk.
What tattoo artists actually deal with
Deposit collection on custom pieces that take hours to design
Clients ghosting after you've spent 5 hours on their custom flash
Managing consultations, design approvals, and session scheduling for large pieces
Tracking shop rent, supply costs, and actual per-session income
A day in the life of a tattoo artist
You spent 4 hours drawing a custom sleeve design. The client hasn't responded in a week — no deposit was collected. Your noon appointment is a 3-hour session on a back piece, third session. You need to track the running total, collect today's payment, and schedule the next session. A walk-in wants a small piece but you're booked. You're managing bookings through Instagram DMs, deposits through Venmo, and pricing through a mental calculator. Nothing is connected.
The tools a working tattoo artist actually owns
Tattoo machines (coil and/or rotary, multiple)
Power supply and foot pedal
Ink sets (hundreds of colors)
Autoclave and sterilization equipment
Why tattoo artists leave the big platforms
square: Good for swiping cards but can't manage multi-session projects, design deposits, or client consultation notes.
booksy: The marketplace sends my potential clients to other shops. I don't need a directory — I need a booking system.
vagaro: Monthly fee plus booking fees for appointment-based work. Tattoo sessions are custom — cookie-cutter booking software doesn't fit.
Where tattoo artists actually talk shop
r/tattoo (Reddit)
r/tattooartists (Reddit)
r/TattooDesigns (Reddit)
r/tattoos (Reddit)
TattooDo.com Community (Forum)
Big Tattoo Planet Forum (Forum)
Fireside Tattoo Network (YouTube)
Tat Chat Podcast (YouTube)
Local tattoo artists on Nexa
Real tattoo artists near you who run their business on Nexa — book directly, no platform fee.
Are you a tattoo artist? Post your business and get found in your area — $2.99 one-time.
Or browse every tattoo artist on Nexa →
FAQ
Is Nexa really a Booksy replacement for tattoo artists?
For solo operators and small teams (1-5), yes. Nexa includes invoicing, scheduling, CRM, time tracking, task management, and full accounting. Booksy may be better if you have a large team (10+) or need enterprise-specific features.
$279 seems like a lot.
It's $7.75/month over 3 years. Booksy is $40/month — that's $1,610 over 3 years. Which is more? And if you'd rather split it, Nexa is also available as 3 payments of $99.
Can I pay in installments?
Yes. Nexa is $279 as a one-time payment, or 3 payments of $99 ($297 total). Either way it's a one-time purchase — no subscription, no recurring fees ever.
What if I don't like it?
30-day money-back guarantee. Full refund. If Nexa doesn't save you $500 in year one, you get every penny back.
Can I import my Booksy data?
Export your data from Booksy as CSV, import into Nexa in about 5 minutes.
Tattoo Artists in Tijuana
The average solo operator there spends about $2,100/year on software — and tattoo artist face their own version of that math. Mexico requires CFDI electronic invoicing for all formal businesses. ISR and IVA apply. Requirements vary by country and locality. Check local regulations.
Border economy — businesses serve both MX and US markets. Need bilingual tools.
Numbers reflect typical solo operators in the Tijuana metro. Your situation will vary.
If You Need These — Nexa Has Them
Specific gaps Tattoo Artists run into with Booksy, and what Nexa does instead.
✗
Booksy gapInvoicing
✓
NexaInvoicing built in — send unlimited, accept cards.
✗
Booksy gapFull financial suite
✓
NexaBuilt into Nexa’s $279 once purchase — no separate add-on.
✗
Booksy gapTime tracking
✓
NexaBuilt into Nexa’s $279 once purchase — no separate add-on.
Where Tattoo Artists Talk Shop
If you want to compare notes or see how other tattoo artists are running their tools, here's where the conversation happens.
Fireside Tattoo Network, Tat Chat Podcast, Electric Linda
Podcasts
Books Closed Podcast, Tattoo Talk Show
"Booksy raised prices again and I was done. Found Nexa — $279 once. I own it. No more 'we're updating our pricing' emails. Best business decision this year."
— Tattoo artist, switched from Booksy
Stop Losing $480/Year to Booksy
$1,610 over 3 years. Or $279 once (or 3 × $99). Own your tools.