Starting and running a photo booth business

How to start a photo booth business: pick a booth type, check demand, register and insure the business, choose software and test before a first booking.

Bottom line: To start a photo booth business, decide which events you will serve, check local demand, add up startup costs, register and insure the business, then buy a booth and software that match those events. Test everything at home first. This site has no earnings data and makes no income claims.

Cost to start a photobooth business: published hardware and software prices, the cost categories with no fixed price, and the SBA method for adding them up.

Bottom line: The cost to start a photobooth business depends on booth type. Published prices read today: iPad booth shells at $2,499 and $2,999 without the iPad, and software subscriptions from $17 a month to $399 a month for top tiers. Printer, insurance and license costs vary, so this site gives no single total.

What equipment is needed for a photo booth: capture device, stand, lighting, optional printer, software and a case, with what vendors say their kits include.

Bottom line: A photo booth needs a capture device (an iPad, or a camera with a computer), a stand or enclosure, lighting, booth software, power and a way to deliver photos. A printer is optional and depends on the software. Backdrop, props and a travel case complete a kit for hire.

The best software for photo booth business owners depends on events, hardware and licensing. Published prices and limits for eight booth apps, compared.

Bottom line: No single app is the best software for every photo booth business. LumaBooth has the lowest published price and a wide platform list. Darkroom Booth suits a Windows print booth with no subscription. Snappic and Touchpix cover 360. MoveBooth fits iPad lead capture at corporate events and little else.

Is a photo booth business a good idea? The documented costs and commitments, the questions to answer locally, and why this site gives no earnings figures.

Bottom line: A photo booth business can be a reasonable idea if local demand exists and you accept the costs: hardware, recurring software, insurance, and weekend work. This site has no earnings data, so it cannot tell you what you would make. Test demand cheaply before you buy a full kit.