TATTOO TRY-ON APPS, COMPARED
Most tattoo apps help you see a design on your body or generate a new one. We checked five popular ones against check.tattoo on 24 September 2026, using their App Store and Google Play listings and their own websites. The short version: several do live camera try-on or design generation, which check.tattoo does not. None of the five judges whether a design will still work at the size and spot you picked, which is the one thing check.tattoo is built to do.
Facts checked 24 September 2026. Prices are as listed that day and change often — follow the source links for current ones.
AT A GLANCE
| App | Platforms | Price | Account | Live AR | Generates designs | Judges the design |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| check.tattooScores a tattoo idea, plus a 2D preview on your own photo | Web (any browser, including Android and iPhone) | Free score and preview; optional $19 one-time report, $4 one-time HD download | No | No | No | Yes |
| InkhunterLive camera AR try-on; the listing now also mentions AI design generation | iPhone only (no longer listed on Google Play) | Free with in-app purchases from $6.99 to $59.99 (App Store) | Unverified | Yes | Yes | No |
| TatshipAll-in-one: live AR and photo try-on, AI design generator, artist finder with booking | iPhone, Android and web | Time-based passes, e.g. $12.99 a week, $17.99 a month, $33.90–$37.99 a year (App Store) | Unverified | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ink Studio AIAI design generator with stencil export and a 2D try-on | Web | One-time passes: $12.99 for 7 days, $16.99 for 14 days, $23.99 for 30 days; one free generation | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| TryonrGeneral AI try-on platform with a tattoo try-on on an uploaded photo | Web | Credit plans from $7.99 to $31.99 a month billed annually ($9.99–$39.99 regular) | Yes | No | Unverified | No |
| BlackInk AIAI tattoo design generator with placement previews on paid plans | Web | $15 a month, $39.99 a quarter or $72 a year; 3 free credits | Unverified | No | Yes | No |
"Judges the design" means the app says whether a design is likely to age well, suits the placement or holds up at its size — not just shows it.
WHICH ONE FITS WHAT YOU NEED
CHECK.TATTOO
Choose it if you already have a design, or an idea of one, and want to know whether it will still work in ten years at the size and spot you picked — before you book. It will not draw a design for you, and its preview is a flat overlay on a photo rather than live camera AR.
Source: check.tattoo/pricing
INKHUNTER
Choose it if you have an iPhone and want to see a design move with you through the camera in real time. It is well rated — 4.7 on the App Store across about 25K ratings — but its last update was September 2024, and recent reviews mention that uploading a photo was removed and that designs cannot be resized or rotated.
Source: apps.apple.com/us/app/inkhunter-try-tattoo-designs-in-augmented-reality/id991558368
TATSHIP
Choose it if you want one app that generates designs, tries them on through the camera and helps you find an artist. It is actively maintained and well rated on both stores. It does not tell you whether a design will age well at the size you chose.
Sources: apps.apple.com/us/app/tatship-tattoo-design-try-on/id6746807416 · play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tatship
INK STUDIO AI
Choose it if you do not have a design yet and want to generate options, turn a picture into tattoo line art, or export a stencil. Its own FAQ recommends refining AI designs with an artist, and it does not score a design for longevity.
Sources: inkstudioai.com · inkstudioai.com/tools/try-tattoo
TRYONR
Choose it if you want the most photo-realistic still image of a design on your body — it says it matches lighting and skin contours — and you may use its other try-ons for clothes or hair too. It is a subscription, and it does not assess the design itself.
Sources: tryonr.com/ai-tattoo-generator · tryonr.com/pricing
BLACKINK AI
Choose it if you want to generate many design variations with control over complexity and colour, and export a stencil. Placement previews come with the paid plan. It does not critique a design's longevity.
Sources: blackink.ai · blackink.ai/pricing
LOOKING FOR AN INKHUNTER ALTERNATIVE ON ANDROID?
Inkhunter is a long-established tattoo try-on app, with about 25K App Store ratings, but it is no longer listed on Google Play, and its iPhone app was last updated in September 2024. If you are on Android, or want to try a design without installing anything, check.tattoo's preview runs in any browser: upload a photo of the spot, drop the design on, and move, resize, rotate or flip it. It is a flat overlay on a still photo rather than live camera AR. If live AR matters more to you than a verdict on the design, Tatship offers camera try-on on Android.
ALREADY HAVE A DESIGN? GET IT CHECKED.
A score and a verdict on six dimensions, free, with no account. A prediction and a second opinion to bring to your artist, who has the last word.