Updated · 2026

Coil vs Porter.
Two products. Different jobs.

Both are flat-monthly tattoo software with no cut on deposits or tips. That's where the similarity ends. Porter is a tattoo POS — its center of gravity is the card terminal at the front desk, the payroll line item at the end of the month, the inventory count on the needle cabinet. Coil is the operating system the tattooer runs their day on — qualified inquiries, drawing time you actually get paid for, healed-photo follow-up, the AI that handles the eleven-PM 'is this peeling normal' texts, and a URL that follows the artist to any shop for life. Same price band. Different bets.

The honest read

Coil is the specialist for custom tattooers.

Booking deposits, AI healing watch, cancellation waitlist, healed-photo bounty, apprentice mode, portability moat. Built for the working-tattooer day, not the front-desk day.

Porter is the all-in-one for shops with a card terminal.

POS hardware, payroll with 1099 generation, inventory, customer segmentation, smart day-stacking. Stronger if your shop does heavy walk-ins or jewelry sales.

Both are flat monthly, no skim on deposits or tips.

Neither takes a cut of client payments. The pricing argument is per-chair math at 4+ chairs, where coil ($49/chair) crosses Porter's $250 flat at about 5 chairs.

Pricing

The price difference.

CoilPorter

Solo artist · entry tier$29/mo$35/mo
Solo artist · pro tier$59/mo$65/mo
Shop · 2 chairs$98/mo$250/moCoil: $49/chair × 2. Porter: flat for any size studio.
Shop · 4 chairs$196/mo$250/mo
Shop · 6 chairs$294/mo$250/moPorter wins on flat per-chair math from 6 chairs up. Coil wins below 5.
Cut taken on deposits, tips, balances0%0%
Stripe card-processing feeStripe standardStripe standardBoth let you pass the processing fee to the client at checkout.

Feature by feature

What ships on each side.

FeatureCoilPorter

Public artist site + URL
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Custom domains
Coil: included on Pro tier only.
◐ Partial✓ Ships
Qualified inquiry form (body location, refs, budget)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Stripe-Connect deposits + tips + balances
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Pass card processing fee to client
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Digital consent + signed waivers
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Aftercare drip (day-of, day-3, day-14, six-week)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Public reviews (auto-publish on 4★+)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Two-stage drawing deposit
Coil only. Refundable consult deposit covers drawing time before the booking deposit.
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Cancellation waitlist — auto-fills the slot
Coil texts top 5 waitlisted clients; first deposit wins.
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Healed-photo bounty (auto-issues credit on submit)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Touch-up credit ledger
✓ Ships— Doesn't
AI healing watch (read client photos, auto-reply / escalate)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
AI style-fit score + AI pricing coach
Coil trains on your own past jobs.
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Per-artist Twilio number for client SMS
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Apprentice mode (mentor approval queue)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Portability moat — URL stays yours when you leave a shop
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Convention booth QR + lead capture
Porter supports guest-spot travel booking but no booth-specific capture flow.
✓ Ships◐ Partial
Referral code system (auto-issued, redemption tracking)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
60-second IG sync (OAuth → site auto-generated)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Roster + commission splits (multi-chair)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Monthly payout sheet for shops
✓ Ships✓ Ships
1099 form generation for contractors
Porter ships this. Coil tracks commissions + cuts a payout sheet but doesn't issue tax forms.
— Doesn't✓ Ships
Full payroll (run paychecks)
— Doesn't✓ Ships
In-person POS card terminal hardware
Porter's hardware is a real edge for walk-in / merch-heavy shops.
— Doesn't✓ Ships
Inventory management (needles, ink, jewelry)
— Doesn't✓ Ships
Customer segmentation by visit + spend
Coil has Client Profile, no cohort builder.
◐ Partial✓ Ships
Day-stacking scheduling optimization
— Doesn't✓ Ships

When Porter fits you better

If your shop is mostly walk-ins, your front desk takes ten card swipes a day, and you sell jewelry / merch alongside tattoos and piercings, Porter is built for you. The POS hardware, the inventory tracking, the 1099 generation, the day-stacking scheduler — those compound for a shop where the in-person transaction is the center of gravity. Coil doesn't ship hardware and won't pretend otherwise. If you're a 6+ chair shop and the flat $250 is more attractive than coil's per-chair math, Porter wins on price math too.

When coil is the right call

If you do custom work, most clients come in through inquiry forms or DMs, and your day is mostly drawing + sessions + healed-photo follow-ups, coil is built for you. The auto-fill cancellation waitlist alone catches what's likely $400-1,200 a month per chair in slot-saves. The AI healing watch returns your evenings. The portability moat means an artist on your roster who leaves keeps their URL and clients — and that's the thing that gets the good ones to say yes to your shop in the first place. Below 5 chairs, coil is cheaper too.

Common questions

What people ask.

Does coil have a card terminal like Porter does?: Not yet. Coil composes deposit + tip + balance requests via Stripe Checkout links and Venmo / Zelle / Cash App / PayPal handles. Clients tap and pay from their phone. If you need a physical card terminal at the front desk today, Porter ships that and coil doesn't. We're deliberate about not chasing hardware until the rest of the working-tattooer day is rock solid.
Does Porter have AI features like coil's healing watch?: No. Porter's marketing doesn't mention AI; the product surface confirms it — no vision-model photo reads, no style-fit scoring, no pricing-coach feature trained on your past jobs. Coil's AI features are the biggest single product-philosophy difference between the two.
Can I run a piercer or a piercing chair on either?: Coil supports piercers at the shop tier with a discipline-aware inquiry form (helix, septum, nostril vocabulary), jewelry-material consent forms, and a stretched aftercare cadence (weeks-to-months instead of weeks). Porter's piercer support isn't documented on their feature page; check with their team directly.
What happens to my data if I leave my shop?: On coil, everything follows you — yourname.coil.tattoo, your portfolio, your inquiry history, your deposit records, your reviews, your waitlist, your touch-up credits, your referral codes. The day a shop removes you, your public site stays live and you get 30 days to pick a solo plan. Porter's data-portability story isn't publicly documented; ask their team before signing.
Are the prices in this comparison current?: Last verified June 2026 directly from each company's pricing page. Coil's Solo Artist is $29/mo and Shop is $49/chair. Porter's Artist Essentials is $35/mo, Artist Pro $65/mo, and Studio Pro $250/mo flat for unlimited artists. Both pricing pages can change without notice — verify directly before deciding.
Can I migrate from Porter to coil?: Yes — sign in with Instagram and coil auto-generates your site from your IG posts. Client records, deposit history, and review history can be imported via CSV. The fastest path: keep Porter running for in-person work and use coil for the inquiry / aftercare / healed-photo half until you decide which one is doing more for you.

Try coil free.

Sign in with Instagram, watch coil build your site in 60 seconds, decide for yourself. No card up front, no trial-clock theater.

Needs a Business or Creator IG · free, 30 seconds to switch

Upload your portfolio instead

Drop 8–12 pieces · works without IG · same result

We build your site, draft a starter bio, and ship it live the day you sign up. New IG posts auto-sync if you connect later.

Free preview. Card at checkout.

Full pricing →All 26 features →Other comparisons →

coil

Coil vs Porter.
Two products. Different jobs.

The price difference.

CoilPorter

Solo artist · entry tier$29/mo$35/mo
Solo artist · pro tier$59/mo$65/mo
Shop · 2 chairs$98/mo$250/moCoil: $49/chair × 2. Porter: flat for any size studio.
Shop · 4 chairs$196/mo$250/mo
Shop · 6 chairs$294/mo$250/moPorter wins on flat per-chair math from 6 chairs up. Coil wins below 5.
Cut taken on deposits, tips, balances0%0%
Stripe card-processing feeStripe standardStripe standardBoth let you pass the processing fee to the client at checkout.

What ships on each side.

FeatureCoilPorter

Public artist site + URL
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Custom domains
Coil: included on Pro tier only.
◐ Partial✓ Ships
Qualified inquiry form (body location, refs, budget)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Stripe-Connect deposits + tips + balances
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Pass card processing fee to client
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Digital consent + signed waivers
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Aftercare drip (day-of, day-3, day-14, six-week)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Public reviews (auto-publish on 4★+)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Two-stage drawing deposit
Coil only. Refundable consult deposit covers drawing time before the booking deposit.
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Cancellation waitlist — auto-fills the slot
Coil texts top 5 waitlisted clients; first deposit wins.
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Healed-photo bounty (auto-issues credit on submit)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Touch-up credit ledger
✓ Ships— Doesn't
AI healing watch (read client photos, auto-reply / escalate)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
AI style-fit score + AI pricing coach
Coil trains on your own past jobs.
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Per-artist Twilio number for client SMS
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Apprentice mode (mentor approval queue)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Portability moat — URL stays yours when you leave a shop
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Convention booth QR + lead capture
Porter supports guest-spot travel booking but no booth-specific capture flow.
✓ Ships◐ Partial
Referral code system (auto-issued, redemption tracking)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
60-second IG sync (OAuth → site auto-generated)
✓ Ships— Doesn't
Roster + commission splits (multi-chair)
✓ Ships✓ Ships
Monthly payout sheet for shops
✓ Ships✓ Ships
1099 form generation for contractors
Porter ships this. Coil tracks commissions + cuts a payout sheet but doesn't issue tax forms.
— Doesn't✓ Ships
Full payroll (run paychecks)
— Doesn't✓ Ships
In-person POS card terminal hardware
Porter's hardware is a real edge for walk-in / merch-heavy shops.
— Doesn't✓ Ships
Inventory management (needles, ink, jewelry)
— Doesn't✓ Ships
Customer segmentation by visit + spend
Coil has Client Profile, no cohort builder.
◐ Partial✓ Ships
Day-stacking scheduling optimization
— Doesn't✓ Ships

What people ask.

Does coil have a card terminal like Porter does?

Not yet. Coil composes deposit + tip + balance requests via Stripe Checkout links and Venmo / Zelle / Cash App / PayPal handles. Clients tap and pay from their phone. If you need a physical card terminal at the front desk today, Porter ships that and coil doesn't. We're deliberate about not chasing hardware until the rest of the working-tattooer day is rock solid.

Does Porter have AI features like coil's healing watch?

No. Porter's marketing doesn't mention AI; the product surface confirms it — no vision-model photo reads, no style-fit scoring, no pricing-coach feature trained on your past jobs. Coil's AI features are the biggest single product-philosophy difference between the two.

Can I run a piercer or a piercing chair on either?

Coil supports piercers at the shop tier with a discipline-aware inquiry form (helix, septum, nostril vocabulary), jewelry-material consent forms, and a stretched aftercare cadence (weeks-to-months instead of weeks). Porter's piercer support isn't documented on their feature page; check with their team directly.

What happens to my data if I leave my shop?

On coil, everything follows you — yourname.coil.tattoo, your portfolio, your inquiry history, your deposit records, your reviews, your waitlist, your touch-up credits, your referral codes. The day a shop removes you, your public site stays live and you get 30 days to pick a solo plan. Porter's data-portability story isn't publicly documented; ask their team before signing.

Are the prices in this comparison current?

Last verified June 2026 directly from each company's pricing page. Coil's Solo Artist is $29/mo and Shop is $49/chair. Porter's Artist Essentials is $35/mo, Artist Pro $65/mo, and Studio Pro $250/mo flat for unlimited artists. Both pricing pages can change without notice — verify directly before deciding.

Can I migrate from Porter to coil?

Yes — sign in with Instagram and coil auto-generates your site from your IG posts. Client records, deposit history, and review history can be imported via CSV. The fastest path: keep Porter running for in-person work and use coil for the inquiry / aftercare / healed-photo half until you decide which one is doing more for you.

Try coil free.

Sign in with Instagram, watch coil build your site in 60 seconds, decide for yourself. No card up front, no trial-clock theater.

Needs a Business or Creator IG · free, 30 seconds to switch

Upload your portfolio instead

Drop 8–12 pieces · works without IG · same result

We build your site, draft a starter bio, and ship it live the day you sign up. New IG posts auto-sync if you connect later.

Free preview. Card at checkout.

Coil vs Porter.Two products. Different jobs.

The price difference.

What ships on each side.

What people ask.

Try coil free.

Coil vs Porter.Two products. Different jobs.

The price difference.

What ships on each side.

What people ask.

Try coil free.

Coil vs Porter.
Two products. Different jobs.

Coil vs Porter.
Two products. Different jobs.