How much does it cost to start a photo booth business?

Congratulations on taking the first step in starting your own photo booth business! Lets discuss the most asked question . . . how much does it cost?

Price is important. There’s a lot of variables out there that will dictate the cost to start a photo booth business. Some are obvious factors such as cost of the actual photo booth, but there are also many hidden costs.

While it’s impossible to give a firm price, the outline below gives a very accurate range.

Photo Booth Equipment

iPad based photo booth shell – $800 – 2000

     iPad – $400 – $1000

                       OR

DSLR based photo booth shell – $1200 – 3500

     Computer – $500 – 1000

     DSLR Camera – $300 – 700

     USB hub, assorted cables and power supplies – $100

Printer – $600 – 1200

Additional Gear and Supplies

Props – $100 – 500

Backdrop(s) $300 – 500

Scrapbook Supplies – $20 – 50 per event

Printer media (paper and ink) $100/box (800 prints)

Software

One-time fee (typically DSLR software) $200 – 500

Subscription (typically iPad software) $20/month to $150/month

Digital Scrapbook & Sharing Station Software – $30/event to $500/year

General Business Expenses

Insurance – $400 – 2000 a year

Marketing/advertising – $0 – 5000

Let’s synthesize the above numbers into a few real world examples on what you can expect to spend in your first year in business.

*The prices set below are retail cost — keep in mind, items frequently go on sale.

Most Basic Option

Roaming Photo Booth (MobileMax) – $1099

Refurbished iPad – $400

Basic iPad software – $20/month

Insurance – $400

Marketing – Word of mouth

Total: $2139

Mid-Level Option

Hybrid Roaming / Stationary Booth (CurveMax Duo) – $2099

Refurbished iPad – $400

Upgraded iPad Software – $100/month

Backdrop – $300

Props – $100

Insurance – $400

Marketing – $50/month

Total: $4899

High-End Option

DSLR Booth and Printer Stand (CurveDSLR) – $2998

Refurbished Computer – $600

DSLR Camera – $300

Booth Software – $300

Scrapbook Software (CaptureBook) – $30/month

Printer – $750

Printer Media (paper & ink) – $500

USB Hub and cables – $100

Backdrop – $300

Props – $100

Insurance – $400

Marketing – $100/month

Total: $7908

While the above options are a very good estimate on typical startup costs to start a photo booth business, you need to keep in mind that prices and business plans vary greatly. Maybe for you, marketing is much more important and you’d want to increase the budget on that. Also, you could easily save $1000 or more by waiting for a sale. 

Hopefully this blog article has answered some of your questions on starting a photo booth business. Feel free to comment below with any questions that you might have and be sure to check out the full line of photo booths offered on our website.

Danny Max

Max Photo Booth Design