The short answer
For a paint and sip studio, Painta is the better fit. It runs your booking website, classes, instructors, private parties, payments, and check-in in one connected system, with the Painta team helping you set it up one on one. Website design is available if you need a new site too. Occasion is worth a real look if Square payments, automatic abandoned-cart recovery emails, or slot-based private party bookings are a hard requirement for your studio.
You run a paint and sip studio and want an all-in-one place for your booking website, class calendar, instructors, private parties and payments, with a team that helps you get set up.
You need Square payments, automated abandoned-cart recovery or private parties that guests book into predefined time slots. Check those requirements before choosing.
Painta brings the guest-facing website and the day-to-day work of a paint and sip studio together. Occasion has additional payment and marketing options. We recommend Painta for running the studio; check Occasion if one of those specific options is a requirement.
One studio day
Follow the work, not the feature list.
Use this as a demo script. Ask each system to show the same workflow with your actual class rules.
Publish paint and sip classes through a branded studio storefront and calendar.
Publish one-time events, recurring classes, series, camps, and other experience listings.
Keep the inquiry, conversation, summary, scheduling, deposit, and final payment connected.
Offer predefined private-event listings that customers can book from available time slots.
Connect Stripe and receive customer payments directly through the studio's account.
Accept Square, Stripe, or cash and choose whether the business or customer pays Occasion's booking fee.
Sell gift cards, send booking reminders and request reviews after class. Show recent bookings on your class page as guests decide whether to book.
Use built-in abandoned-cart recovery, review requests, referrals, coupons, CRM, and ad tracking.
$19 USD per month plus $1 USD per ticket on Studio, before Stripe processing.
$19 USD per month plus a 4% booking fee on Start, with no fee cap.
Is Painta a real alternative to Occasion?
Yes. Guests book classes, buy gift cards, and ask about private parties from your studio's own page. Your team handles the calendar, instructors, payments, and guest list in the same system—no jumping between five tools to get one class night running.
Before you schedule anything, check your instructor's availability. When a party inquiry lands in your inbox, keep the quote, messages, deposit, and final payment together instead of scattered across texts and a spreadsheet. On the night, pull up the guest list on your phone and check people in at the door. That's the daily job Painta is built around.
Is Painta cheaper than Occasion?
It depends on how big your groups usually are—the fee structures aren't apples-to-apples. Painta Studio is $19/month plus $1 per ticket, before Stripe processing. Occasion lists Start at $19/month plus 4% per booking with no cap; Grow at $99/month plus 2%, capped at $10; Maximize at $299/month plus 1%, capped at $5; and Enterprise at $1,499/month plus 0%. Occasion's pricing FAQ describes the caps differently from its plan cards, so confirm the cap for your plan in writing.
Here's the catch most people miss: Occasion charges per transaction or booking, while Painta charges per ticket. A single booking for a party of six is one Occasion transaction but six Painta tickets. A big group booking can flip which one costs less. Do the math with your actual group size, monthly volume, payment processing, and any separate tools before deciding. Recheck both companies' pricing pages before you sign. Prices checked September 21, 2026.
Who helps you get set up?
The Painta team works with you personally to set up your studio. We'll review upcoming classes, locations, instructors, and prices, agree what needs to move from your old system, and check everything together before you go live. If you need a new website, that's available for a separate, agreed fee.
Occasion advertises seven-day support and a dedicated account manager for businesses switching over. Whichever team you go with, get clear in writing on which records will move and what support is included before you touch your booking link.
When would Occasion actually make more sense?
Be honest with yourself about these three things:
- You specifically need Square for payments. Painta connects through Stripe.
- You want automated abandoned-cart recovery emails built in.
- You want customers to book private parties into fixed time slots, rather than starting with an inquiry your team responds to.
If any of those are true, ask Occasion to show the feature with your real class and party rules—don't take it on faith. And don't rule out Painta just because you have multiple locations. Pro supports unlimited locations too.
Why Painta is still the pick for a paint and sip studio
Painta covers you from the first booking through class night and the follow-up review, all in one place. Guests get one page to book from. Instructors can see their schedule and availability. A private-party inquiry becomes a confirmed, paid booking without piecing it together from three apps.
Use your Painta page as your whole website, connect it to one you already have, or have our team design something new for a separate fee.
Source dossier
What this decision file is based on.
Product claims come from official sources checked on the date shown. Practical judgment is labelled as Painta operator guidance.
- 01Occasion pricing
Occasion
Current plan prices, booking-fee caps, trial terms, processors, listing types, marketing, CRM, multi-location, roster, and check-in capabilities.
Checked: 2026-09-21 - 02Switch to Occasion
Occasion
The advertised dedicated account-manager offer for switching businesses; not an independently measured support outcome.
Checked: 2026-09-05 - 03Understanding booking fees
Occasion Knowledge Base
How Occasion calculates booking fees and lets a business absorb or pass them to customers.
Checked: 2026-09-05 - 04Add new time slots
Occasion Knowledge Base
Occasion's individual, repeating, and series scheduling options, including private-party time slots.
Checked: 2026-09-05 - 05Painta pricing
Painta
Painta plan prices, per-ticket fee, direct Stripe payments, location limits, and included studio capabilities.
Checked: 2026-09-21 - 06Painta setup and website help
Painta
Personal setup help, review of what can move, a standalone booking website and website design as a separately priced service.
Checked: 2026-09-05 - 07Painta product overview
Painta
Painta's public booking, calendar, instructor, private-event, payment, check-in, and reporting workflow.
Checked: 2026-09-05
FAQ
Questions operators ask next.
Is Painta an Occasion alternative for paint and sip studios?
Yes. Painta is built around the paint and sip workflow, while Occasion serves a broader range of experience-based businesses.
Is Painta always cheaper than Occasion?
Not always. Occasion charges per booking and Painta charges per ticket, so average group size matters. Run the numbers with your own bookings.
Can Occasion use Square as well as Stripe?
Yes. Occasion supports Square, Stripe, and cash. Painta currently connects through Stripe only.
Which system is better for private events at a paint and sip studio?
Painta keeps the inquiry, quote, conversation, deposit, and final payment together. That fits parties booked through a conversation. Occasion offers bookable private-event time slots if your packages are fixed in advance.
What should I test before switching from Occasion?
Run a full private-party inquiry and a full class booking through Painta with your real pricing and instructor schedule before you commit. Don't rely on a sales demo alone.