Best Photo Booth Booking Software in 2026, Compared
Booking software handles your enquiries, contracts, deposits and reminders. Pick the wrong one and you do that admin by hand, or pay a fee on every booking for the privilege.
This post compares BoothZen with five other platforms, from booth-specific tools to general event and creative-business software. The figures come from each platform's own pricing page.
Quick picks
- Most photo booth operators: BoothZen, built for booths, a free plan with no time limit, and no platform fee on paid plans.
- A booth-only tool with crew features: BoothBook, staff job sheets and GPS clock in/out on every plan; no free plan.
- Automation across several kinds of event business: Check Cherry, workflow automation you configure yourself; charges a fee on card payments.
- Photography or planning work alongside the booth: HoneyBook or Dubsado, general creative-business systems with polished client documents.
- One all-inclusive plan for a small business: 17hats, one plan for coaches, photographers and event businesses alike, no booth features.
Price and fees at a glance
| Platform | Starting Price | Free Plan | Fee on client payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| BoothZen | Free, then from £9.99/month | Free for your first 10 bookings | No platform fee on paid plans (Free: 2% on BoothZen Payments) |
| BoothBook | $39.99/month, or $29.99/month billed annually (Newbie plan) | No free plan; 14-day free trial, no card required | None stated beyond your payment provider's standard fees |
| Check Cherry | $39/month, or $29/month billed annually ($348 a year) | No free plan; 14-day free trial, no card required | 2.9% + 30c per card transaction |
| HoneyBook | $29/month billed yearly, or $36 month to month (Starter plan) | No free plan; 30-day free trial, no card required | From 2.7% + 10c per card transaction in its payments FAQ, 2.9% + 25c in its plan table; 1.5% for bank transfers |
| Dubsado | $335/year (Starter plan) | No free plan; 21-day free trial of the Premier plan | 2.9% + 30c per US card payment through Dubsado Payments (1.5% + 20p for UK cards), from its help centre |
| 17hats | $60/month, $600/year, or $800 for two years | No free plan; 7-day free trial | Not published beyond Stripe or Square's own processing rates |
Every competitor figure above was read from that platform's own pricing page on 2026-10-26. Competitor prices are quoted in the currency each platform publishes. BoothZen's own price and free-plan limit come from the plan catalogue this site bills from, in the currency this page is priced in. Every plan, and what each one adds, is on our photo booth software pricing page.
BoothZen
Our Top PickBoothZen is built for photo booth operators. Guided setup imports your existing branding and pricing, so a new account can be configured in about 30 seconds. Paid plans have no platform fee: what your client pays goes to you, less Stripe's card fees. On Free, BoothZen Payments takes 2%, which keeps the Free plan free.
It covers a booking from the first enquiry to the day: online booking forms with live availability, e-contracts sent automatically, card payments through BoothZen Payments, a client portal, staff scheduling and reports. The free plan has no time limit, so a smaller operator can run on it.
More on each part: how bookings are automated, from quote to balance reminder; the photo booth CRM for enquiries and proposals; and photo booth scheduling for availability, date pricing and attendants.
Pros
- Free plan with no time limit
- No platform fee on paid plans
- Guided setup in about 30 seconds
- Purpose-built for photo booths
- E-contracts included
- Client portal included
- Card payments through BoothZen Payments
Cons
- Newer platform, smaller community
- Fewer third-party integrations vs HoneyBook
Pricing: Free, then from £9.99/month. Free for your first 10 bookings. No platform fee on paid plans.
BoothBook
BoothBook is photo booth software, like BoothZen, with staff auto-assignment, inventory tracking and job sheets built in. It costs $39.99 a month, or $29.99 a month billed annually, and adds no extra fee on client payments. It has no free-forever tier.
What it does well
- Built for photo booth crews from the start
- GPS clock in/out and staff job sheets on every plan
- Unlimited bookings on every plan, including its entry tier
Not published on 2026-10-26: a booking site on your own domain, a self-serve export.
Pricing: $39.99/month, or $29.99/month billed annually (Newbie plan). No free plan; 14-day free trial, no card required. Fee on client payments: None stated beyond your payment provider's standard fees. Checked 2026-10-26.
Check Cherry
Check Cherry is booking and CRM software for event businesses, photo booth operators among them. It costs $39 a month, or $29 a month billed annually, and charges 2.9% + 30c per card transaction. It publishes staff scheduling and a mobile app, but no run sheet for booth crews.
What it does well
- Workflow automation you can configure for many kinds of event business
- A 60-day money-back guarantee on top of its 14-day trial
- Checklists for each booking, built automatically or by hand
Not published on 2026-10-26: a booking site on your own domain.
Pricing: $39/month, or $29/month billed annually ($348 a year). No free plan; 14-day free trial, no card required. Fee on client payments: 2.9% + 30c per card transaction. Checked 2026-10-26.
HoneyBook
HoneyBook is a small-business CRM for creative businesses. Its Starter plan is $29 a month billed yearly, or $36 month to month. Its pricing page gives card fees of 2.7% + 10c in one place and 2.9% + 25c in another. It has no photo-booth-specific features, and its own team imports your existing documents instead of a self-serve tool.
What it does well
- Well-designed, branded proposals and invoices for clients
- Many integrations with creative-business tools, and a large user base
- A 30-day trial with no card required
Not published on 2026-10-26: an attendant app or run sheets.
Pricing: $29/month billed yearly, or $36 month to month (Starter plan). No free plan; 30-day free trial, no card required. Fee on client payments: From 2.7% + 10c per card transaction in its payments FAQ, 2.9% + 25c in its plan table; 1.5% for bank transfers. Checked 2026-10-26.
Dubsado
Dubsado is project and client-management software for creative businesses. It is priced from $335 a year, with no free plan and a 21-day trial. Its help centre gives a card fee of 2.9% + 30c on US cards through Dubsado Payments. It does not publish a photo-booth feature set or an own-domain option.
What it does well
- Branded client workflows started by form and email triggers
- Long-established add-ons for multi-brand and multi-user setups
- Legally binding contracts on every plan
Not published on 2026-10-26: an attendant app or run sheets, a booking site on your own domain, a self-serve export.
Pricing: $335/year (Starter plan). No free plan; 21-day free trial of the Premier plan. Fee on client payments: 2.9% + 30c per US card payment through Dubsado Payments (1.5% + 20p for UK cards), from its help centre. Checked 2026-10-26.
17hats
17hats is small-business CRM software with one plan, at $60 a month or $600 a year, and a 7-day trial. Its pricing page no longer shows a free tier. It has no photo-booth-specific features and does not publish an own-domain option beyond a custom subdomain.
What it does well
- One all-inclusive plan rather than tiers
- Small-business automation for coaches, bookkeepers and photographers as well as event businesses
- Contracts with electronic signature
Not published on 2026-10-26: an attendant app or run sheets, a self-serve export.
Pricing: $60/month, $600/year, or $800 for two years. No free plan; 7-day free trial. Fee on client payments: Not published beyond Stripe or Square's own processing rates. Checked 2026-10-26.
Which one to choose
For most photo booth operators in 2026, we think BoothZen is the best fit. You can start on the free plan without paying anything, guided setup brings in your branding and pricing, and on a paid plan there is no platform fee, so your software bill stays the same however many bookings you take.
If you want broad workflow automation across several kinds of event business, Check Cherry is the closest runner-up. If you run photography or planning work alongside the booth, HoneyBook and Dubsado are general creative-business systems and will suit that better than any booth-specific tool. If you want one all-inclusive small-business plan and do not need booth features, 17hats has one, with a 7-day trial.
Three of the six publish a percentage of the money your client pays when it goes through their payments: Check Cherry 2.9% + 30c per card transaction; HoneyBook from 2.7% + 10c, with 2.9% + 25c in its plan table; and Dubsado 2.9% + 30c on US cards, in its help centre. BoothBook states none beyond your own provider's rate, and 17hats publishes no figure beyond Stripe or Square's own rates. The sums are worked through on no booking fees, and what else to check before you sign up is in our guide to hidden fees in booking software. Every figure on this page was read from each platform's own pricing page on 2026-10-26.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best photo booth booking software in 2026?
BoothZen is built for photo booth operators. It has a free plan, guided setup, no platform fee on paid plans, online booking forms, e-contracts, Stripe payments and a client portal. Check Cherry suits established US-based operators, and HoneyBook suits anyone who wants a general creative-business platform.
Is there free photo booth management software?
Yes. BoothZen has a Free plan with no time limit (ten upcoming bookings) that includes online booking, lead management and basic CRM. None of the other five publishes a free plan: they offer free trials of 7 to 30 days. Checked 2026-10-26.
What should I look for in photo booth software?
Online booking with an availability calendar, e-contract signing, payment processing, a client portal, automated emails, staff assignment and a dashboard that works on your phone. Check whether the platform takes a fee on each booking: over a season those fees add up.