Tan-Link or MeetScarlet: tanning software, or an app with your name.
For a tanning salon that wants clients booking beds, checking their minutes and buying plans in an app with its own name, MeetScarlet is the better pick; we found no such app on Tan-Link's pages, where clients use a customer portal shared as a link, on Ultimate ($179 a month) and Pro. Tan-Link starts lower, at $129 a month; MeetScarlet is $349 a month plus $999 setup on monthly billing, or $3,490 a year. We make MeetScarlet; every Tan-Link fact here comes from Tan-Link's own pages.
Which should you pick?
Who wrote this: the team that makes MeetScarlet. We compare from each vendor's own public pages, read on November 1, 2026, not from a hands-on test of the rival. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say so rather than guess.
Pick MeetScarlet if the thing you want most is an app with your salon's name on your clients' phones, where they book beds, see their minutes and buy plans, which we did not find on Tan-Link's pages; Tan-Link clients use a customer portal shared as a link. Our team sets the app up and submits it under your own Apple and Google accounts, for $349 a month plus $999 setup on monthly billing, or $3,490 a year.
Tan-Link may suit you if you want lower prices and software that runs the beds: T-Max bed and timer control, skin typing, a point of sale, and 24-hour kiosk tanning on Pro.
Why tanning salons pick MeetScarlet over Tan-Link
- An app with your salon's name for your clients, in every plan; we found no such app on Tan-Link's pages, where clients use a customer portal shared as a link
- Clients book beds and booths by the time slot, see their minute balance and buy plans and packs in that app
- Your app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, set up and submitted by our team
Side by side
| Tan-Link | MeetScarlet | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, billed monthly | Essential Salon $129 a month, Ultimate Salon $179, Pro Salon $199; no contracts to start | $349 a month, or $499 on MeetScarlet Pro (20 staff logins, text reminders for appointments, coming soon, to clients who opt in); plus $999 setup |
| Price, billed yearly | Pro Salon $179 a month paid annually ($2,148 a year); annual prices for Essential and Ultimate are not shown | $3,490 a year, with no setup fee |
| Where clients book | The Customer Portal (TL App), shared as a link after sign-up, from their profile or on your website, plus online booking and a branded online shop; on Ultimate and Pro | An app with your salon's name in the App Store and Google Play, plus a web app |
| Developer accounts | None needed for a portal link, as described | Your own Apple and Google accounts ($99 a year to Apple, $25 once to Google) |
| Bed booking | Clients book equipment, services and staff, and can add services such as airbrush sessions; SMS or email reminders (online booking on Ultimate and Pro) | Bed and booth booking by the time slot, with bed levels per plan |
| Bed control | Direct T-Max bed and timer control, with lamp-hour tracking | None; staff run the beds |
| Skin type and forms | A Fitzpatrick skin-type assessment on each profile; digital waivers and agreements per package or service | Your own notice, such as skin-type guidance, shown before a bed booking; a waiver you can require, signed at the desk |
| Plans | Memberships and packages with automated renewals; clients can freeze their account for a month in the portal (Ultimate and Pro) | Unlimited plans and minute packs, with the balance shown in the app |
| Point of sale and stock | A built-in point of sale with an Apple Pay card terminal, and retail inventory | No retail products or stock tracking; the in-app shop sells memberships and packs, and you can sell gift cards and take tips |
| Unattended hours | 24-hour unattended access with kiosk check-in and secure card access, on Pro | None |
From tan-link.com: its home and pricing pages and its customer portal, online booking, members, self-service kiosk, multi-location, TMAX, waivers and online store pages, read November 1, 2026; in US dollars.
Where Tan-Link may fit better
- Lower prices: from $129 a month billed monthly
- Direct T-Max bed and timer control with lamp-hour tracking, and a Fitzpatrick skin-type assessment on every client profile
- A point of sale with inventory, and a self-service kiosk for 24-hour unattended tanning (Pro)
- Unlimited staff accounts on every plan (MeetScarlet has 5 logins, or 20 on Pro), and several locations
Questions to ask on a Tan-Link demo
Tan-Link's public pages leave these open, so ask before you sign:
- Which plan includes the customer portal and online booking for my salon?
- Can clients install the portal as an app, and does it carry my salon's name?
- Which tanning beds and timers does T-Max control work with?
- What do the card terminal, kiosk and card-access hardware cost, and who processes card payments?
- If you leave, can you export your client list, and what comes with it?
Ask us the same questions about MeetScarlet; our prices are on the homepage.
Moving to MeetScarlet
We import your client list from a spreadsheet or CSV export, then set up your beds, levels, hours and plans as part of setup. About 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's enrollment. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan. They keep the same account when the store apps launch.
Questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask us on a demo.
Does Tan-Link have an app with my salon's name? #
We didn't find one. Tan-Link's clients use its Customer Portal (TL App), shared as a link after sign-up, from a profile link or on your website; its pricing page lists a branded online shop, but no app with your salon's name in the App Store or Google Play (read November 1, 2026).
How much does Tan-Link cost? #
Billed monthly, Essential Salon is $129 a month, Ultimate Salon $179 and Pro Salon $199; Pro Salon is $179 a month paid annually ($2,148 a year). Its pricing page says there are no contracts to start.
Is Tan-Link cheaper than MeetScarlet? #
On price, yes, though MeetScarlet's price includes an app with your salon's name, and we found no such app in Tan-Link's plans on its pages (read November 1, 2026). Tan-Link's plans run $129 to $199 a month billed monthly; MeetScarlet is $349 a month plus $999 setup on monthly billing, or $3,490 a year.
Is this comparison independent? #
No. We make MeetScarlet, and we recommend it to tanning salons that want clients booking beds in an app with their own name. Every Tan-Link fact comes from Tan-Link's own pages, dated, and we say where Tan-Link may fit better.
Keep reading
- Best tanning salon software (2026)Six tanning salon software options compared on price, bed booking, timer control and plans, with MeetScarlet as our pick for an app with your salon's name.
- Tanning salonsA tanning salon app under your own name: clients book beds, see which bed levels their plan covers, and use unlimited or minute packs. Set up for you.
- MeetScarlet vs SunLyncMeetScarlet gives your tanning salon a ready-made app with its own name, set up by our team; SunLync's client apps are custom-built on its open API.