How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Ticketing is the core purchase: Eventbrite charges 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket (plus 2.9% processing), while TicketSpice charges a flat $0.99 per ticket. For most festivals, the fee math decides the winner.
- Free tools are common in ticketing: Eventbrite, Purplepass and several others cost organizers nothing for free events, with fees only on paid tickets.
- No single tool covers the whole festival: Prism.fm handles booking, offers and settlements with artists, while the ticketing platforms handle sales. Most festivals run two systems.
- Ticketmaster and Tixr dominate large-scale festivals and tours, while Showpass, Posh, Afton Tickets and TicketSpice give independent festivals more control over branding, data and payouts.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Eventbrite | Festivals that want the biggest event discovery marketplace behind their ticket sales | 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order | Free for free events (no platform fees) |
 Ticketmaster | Large festivals and tours that need proven scale and fan reach | See website (custom pricing negotiated per event) | No |
 Tixr | Festivals that sell an experience, not just admission | See website (custom pricing) | No |
 Showpass | Independent festivals that want straightforward, transparent ticketing | See website (custom pricing) | No |
 TicketSpice | Festivals that want predictable flat fees and control over their data | $0.99 per paid ticket (plus standard payment processing) | No |
 Purplepass | Festivals that want to start with zero upfront cost | Free to start (per-ticket fees apply to paid tickets) | Yes (free for free events) |
 Posh | Curators and promoters who sell through community and SMS marketing | See website (custom pricing) | No |
 Afton Tickets | Festivals that want a ticketing partner on-site, not just software | See website (custom pricing) | No |
 See Tickets | Established festivals, especially those with UK or European audiences | See website (custom pricing) | No |
 Prism.fm | Promoters and venues managing artist booking, offers and settlements | See website (custom pricing) | No |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best festival management software
Picture a festival director in April, three months out from the gates opening. Tickets are on sale, artists are half-confirmed, and the spreadsheet holding the whole event together is starting to crack. The software below is what replaces that spreadsheet: ticketing platforms that sell and scan, operations tools that manage artists and settlements, and a few specialists in between.
#1
Eventbrite
Best for: Festivals that want the biggest event discovery marketplace behind their ticket sales
Visit eventbrite.com
Starting price3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order
Free planFree for free events (no platform fees)
Eventbrite is the default starting point because it removes every barrier to entry: create an event free, sell tickets, and pay only when paid tickets sell. The published fee is 3.7% plus $1.79 per ticket plus 2.9% payment processing. For a $100 festival pass, that is roughly $8.40 in fees per ticket. Organizers can absorb fees or pass them to buyers.
The marketplace matters for festivals: Eventbrite's discovery pages drive real ticket sales from people who were not looking for your event. The honest catch is the fee math at scale, which is why large festivals often graduate to negotiated platforms. Setup is self-serve and fast, and support runs email for all organizers with 24/7 chat for paid events.
What we like- Publishing and running free events costs nothing, and the fee structure is published upfront
- Huge built-in audience discovering events on the marketplace
- Organizer app with mobile check-in, waitlists and automated reminders
Watch out for- Per-ticket fees add up fast at festival scale
- Your attendee data lives in Eventbrite's ecosystem, and marketing add-ons like Eventbrite Pro ($15/month and up) cost extra
#2
Ticketmaster
Best for: Large festivals and tours that need proven scale and fan reach
Visit ticketmaster.com
Starting priceSee website (custom pricing negotiated per event)
Free planNo
Ticketmaster is the 800-pound gorilla: when a festival sells tens of thousands of tickets in hours, Ticketmaster's infrastructure is built for exactly that. High-demand onsales get queue management instead of crashed pages, and the brand carries trust that smaller platforms have to earn. Everything is negotiated, from fees to payout schedules, so the deal depends on your event's size and bargaining power.
The catch is obvious: this is not a self-serve tool for a 2,000-person food festival. Buyers come to Ticketmaster with scale, and the fee complaints that follow Ticketmaster attach to your event in fans' minds. For large established festivals, the reach is worth it. For independents, the tools below give you more control.
What we like- Unmatched distribution and fan trust for major events
- Proven tooling for high-demand onsales, including queue management
- Deep integrations with venue box offices
Watch out for- Pricing is entirely negotiated, so smaller festivals have no public starting point
- Fee structures are a frequent source of fan complaints, which reflects on your event
#3
Tixr
Best for: Festivals that sell an experience, not just admission
Visit tixr.com
Starting priceSee website (custom pricing)
Free planNo
Tixr pitches itself as the modern alternative to legacy ticketing, and its real differentiator is commerce. Where most platforms sell a ticket, Tixr sells the ticket plus the VIP upgrade, the merch bundle, the payment plan and the hotel package in one flow. For festivals where per-fan revenue beyond the ticket matters, that checkout design is the selling point.
The platform powers hundreds of partners across music festivals, venues and sports, with all-in pricing that reduces fee sticker shock. The honest catch: Tixr is a partner platform, not a discovery marketplace, so marketing is your job. Expect a sales-led onboarding and a custom commercial deal.
What we like- Unified commerce for tickets plus merch, upgrades, payment plans and add-ons in one checkout
- Modern fan-facing design that suits music festivals and nightlife
- Transparent all-in pricing shown to buyers upfront
Watch out for- Custom pricing only, so you are in a sales process from the start
- Smaller marketplace than Ticketmaster or Eventbrite, so you bring most of your own audience
#4
Showpass
Best for: Independent festivals that want straightforward, transparent ticketing
Visit showpass.com
Starting priceSee website (custom pricing)
Free planNo
Showpass has grown by being the anti-giant: transparent fees, no surprise charges, and tools that cover the full event lifecycle. It handles ticketing, marketing, operations and analytics in one system, and its footprint in Canadian festivals, sports leagues and multi-sport events like the Canada Games shows it can handle real scale.
For independent music, food and community festivals, the pitch is simplicity and fair fees without the Eventbrite marketplace tax. The tradeoff is discovery: fewer casual browsers will stumble onto your event than on Eventbrite. Pricing is custom, so get the fee schedule in writing and compare it line by line against Eventbrite's published rates.
What we like- Transparent pricing positioning with lower fees than the giants
- Strong in Canada and growing across North America, including sports and multi-sport events
- Full event lifecycle tools from ticketing to marketing to analytics
Watch out for- Smaller discovery marketplace than Eventbrite
- Pricing details require a conversation rather than being published
#5
TicketSpice
Best for: Festivals that want predictable flat fees and control over their data
Visit ticketspice.com
Starting price$0.99 per paid ticket (plus standard payment processing)
Free planNo
TicketSpice's pitch is arithmetic: $0.99 per paid ticket, you set and keep any convenience fees you charge, and payouts land weekly instead of after the event. For a festival selling 5,000 tickets at $75, that is $4,950 in TicketSpice fees versus roughly $25,000 under Eventbrite's percentage model. The vendor makes the comparison itself on its pricing page.
The catch is what you give up: no marketplace means no organic discovery, and no percentage fees means the platform has less incentive to market your event. Organizers keep full control of their attendee data, which TicketSpice treats as a privacy promise. If you already have an audience and a marketing plan, the fee math is hard to beat.
What we like- Flat $0.99 per ticket is the simplest fee math on this list, and you keep the fees you set
- Drag-and-drop ticketing page builder with full branding control
- Weekly payouts so cash flow does not wait until after the event
Watch out for- No meaningful discovery marketplace, so marketing is entirely on you
- The platform markets aggressively against competitors, which can make comparisons noisy
Starting priceFree to start (per-ticket fees apply to paid tickets)
Free planYes (free for free events)
Purplepass is built for organizers that want to start selling with no upfront commitment. There are no setup or monthly fees, free events are free, and the platform covers the full box office: online sales, reserved seating, season passes, kiosk ticketing and on-site point of sale. It suits recurring festivals and venues that run a season of events.
The honest catch is fee transparency: Purplepass does not publish its per-ticket fees, so the "free to start" pitch needs a fee schedule before you can compare it to Eventbrite's or TicketSpice's numbers. Get that in writing. Once you have it, the feature set competes well above its price.
What we like- No setup fees, no monthly contracts, and free for free events
- Full box office toolkit with reserved seating, season passes and on-site POS
- 24/7 customer support cited by organizers
Watch out for- Per-ticket fees are not published, so you must ask for the schedule before budgeting
- The brand is less recognized by fans than Eventbrite or Ticketmaster
#7
Posh
Best for: Curators and promoters who sell through community and SMS marketing
Visit posh.vip
Starting priceSee website (custom pricing)
Free planNo
Posh grew out of the nightlife and party scene, and it shows in the feature set. The standout is the SMS CRM: organizers build a contact list of past attendees and blast them about new events, with Posh reporting strong conversion from text campaigns. Event pages are white-labeled, payouts are instant, and referral kickbacks help organizers turn attendees into promoters.
For a music festival with a community following, that toolkit is genuinely useful. For a 30,000-person multi-stage festival with reserved seating, artist settlements and vendor management, Posh is not the operations platform; it is the marketing and ticketing front end. Pricing is custom, so ask early.
What we like- Built-in SMS CRM and marketing tools, with organizers reporting a large share of sales from text blasts
- White-label event pages that carry your brand, not the platform's
- Instant payouts instead of post-event settlement
Watch out for- Best suited to nightlife, parties and community events
- Less proven for large multi-day festivals with complex logistics
#8
Afton Tickets
Best for: Festivals that want a ticketing partner on-site, not just software
Visit aftontickets.com
Starting priceSee website (custom pricing)
Free planNo
Afton Tickets sells service as much as software. The company shows up: on-site staff at your event, state-of-the-art scanners, thermal ticket printing and box office equipment. Organizer reviews consistently praise the human support, including last-minute fixes on event day. For a festival team that is short-staffed on operations, that is worth real money.
The tradeoff is scale and self-service depth. Afton is a smaller company than the platforms above, and its tooling is more relationship-driven than self-serve. If your festival needs a partner that answers the phone at 2 a.m. during load-in, that is the point. Pricing is custom.
What we like- On-site staff, scanners and box office equipment provided at events, which most platforms leave to you
- 24/7 client support with a reputation for fast, human responses
- Low and transparent service fees marketed to fans
Watch out for- Smaller company with a regional footprint, so references outside its core markets are thinner
- Fewer self-serve tools than the big platforms
#9
See Tickets
Best for: Established festivals, especially those with UK or European audiences
Visit seetickets.com
Starting priceSee website (custom pricing)
Free planNo
See Tickets is a veteran: more than 30 years in ticketing, tens of millions of tickets sold a year, and a client list that includes some of the world's biggest festivals. For European festivals especially, it is a known quantity with local offices, local payment methods and local support. The platform handles the full ticketing operation plus marketing.
US festivals should note the geography: the European operation is the heart of the business, and the US arm is smaller. If your audience is transatlantic or your festival has European editions, See Tickets is a natural fit. Pricing is negotiated per event, as with all the enterprise platforms here.
What we like- Decades of festival experience, including major festivals like Glastonbury and Tomorrowland as clients
- Strong European presence with offices across the continent
- Full-service ticketing with marketing support
Watch out for- US presence is smaller than European
- Custom pricing only, with the deal shaped by event size and history
#10
Prism.fm
Best for: Promoters and venues managing artist booking, offers and settlements
Visit prism.fm
Starting priceSee website (custom pricing)
Free planNo
Prism.fm is the odd one out, and deliberately so. While everything else on this list sells tickets, Prism manages the deals behind the event: making offers to artists, advancing shows, settling the night, and reporting the financials. It replaces the spreadsheets promoters and venue talent buyers live in, and its Insights product draws on real box office data from across the industry to inform what an artist is worth in a given market.
The catch is scope: Prism does not sell tickets, so it pairs with a ticketing platform rather than replacing one. For a festival, that means Prism for the artist business and Eventbrite or Tixr for sales. Promoters consistently call it the best money they spend on operations. Custom pricing, sales-led onboarding.
What we like- Purpose-built for the business side of live events: booking, offers, advancing, settlements and financials
- Prism Insights uses real shared box office data to inform offers
- Trusted by thousands of venues and promoters
Watch out for- It is not a ticketing platform, so you still need one of the tools above
- Pricing is custom and the product is built for professionals, not first-time organizers
Ticketing is only half the job: the festival operations stack
A festival needs more than a checkout page. The ticketing platform handles sales, scanning and payouts. Prism.fm or an equivalent handles artist booking, offers and settlements. Everything else, staffing, vendors, sponsors, schedules, credentials, often lives in a third system or, too often, in spreadsheets.
When evaluating, map your real workflow before choosing software. A single-day food festival with 3,000 attendees can run on Eventbrite or TicketSpice plus a shared drive. A three-day music festival with 40 artists needs a real operations tool for advancing and settlements, or your production manager will drown in email threads. The tools on this list split cleanly: Eventbrite through See Tickets sell tickets, Prism.fm runs the business behind them, and Afton Tickets bridges the gap with on-site humans.
The other half is point of sale. Festivals sell food, drink and merch on-site, and the ticketing platform's POS matters. Purplepass and TicketSpice both offer on-site sales tools; Eventbrite has its own POS hardware. If on-site revenue is a big share of your event's income, evaluate the POS as seriously as the ticketing fees.
How festival ticketing fees really work
Ticketing fees are the real price of these platforms, and they come in three shapes. Percentage fees (Eventbrite's 3.7% + $1.79) scale with your ticket price, which punishes expensive festivals. Flat fees (TicketSpice's $0.99) favor high ticket prices and punish cheap ones: on a $10 ticket, $0.99 is nearly 10%. Custom fees (Ticketmaster, Tixr, most enterprise deals) are negotiated, which rewards festivals with bargaining power.
Then there is the question of who pays. Most platforms let you pass fees to the buyer or absorb them. Passing fees to buyers is standard in the US and keeps your margins clean, but fee-heavy checkouts hurt conversion: fans abandon carts when a $75 ticket becomes $95. Some festivals advertise "all-in pricing" and absorb fees into the ticket price, which Tixr and Showpass both support.
Payment processing sits on top of all of it, usually around 2.9% per order. When comparing platforms, build a simple model: your ticket price, your expected volume, and the full fee stack for each candidate. The cheapest platform at 1,000 tickets is rarely the cheapest at 20,000.
How we chose
We started with the searches buyers use: festival management software, festival ticketing platform, music festival ticketing, and event ticketing software. For each candidate we opened the vendor's own homepage and pricing pages, checked prices against public reviews on G2 and Capterra, and read practitioner discussion on Reddit. Where a price could not be verified on the vendor's own page we wrote "See website" rather than guessing. We excluded Lyte, which shut down in 2024, and replaced it with TicketSpice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does festival ticketing software cost?
It depends on the fee model. Eventbrite charges 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket plus 2.9% processing; TicketSpice charges a flat $0.99 per ticket. Enterprise platforms like Ticketmaster negotiate custom deals. Model your ticket price and volume against each fee schedule before choosing.
Is Eventbrite free for festivals?
Publishing events and selling free tickets costs nothing. For paid tickets, Eventbrite charges a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket plus 2.9% payment processing per order. Free events get email support; paid events get 24/7 chat support.
Can one platform handle ticketing, artist booking and on-site operations?
Not really. Ticketing platforms handle sales and scanning; Prism.fm handles artist booking, offers and settlements. Most festivals run at least two systems. Afton Tickets is the exception that bundles human on-site support with its ticketing.
What happens if it rains and we have to cancel?
Check the refund policy before you sign. Most platforms process refunds but charge fees on them, and some pass refund costs to the organizer. Ask each vendor how cancellations, postponements and partial refunds are handled, and who pays for them.
How do payouts work?
Payout timing varies widely. TicketSpice pays weekly during the sales period, which helps cash flow for deposits and production costs. Most other platforms pay on a schedule that can stretch to after the event. If you need money before gates open, ask about payout timing explicitly.
Do I need a contract to use festival ticketing software?
Self-serve platforms like Eventbrite and TicketSpice need no contract. Enterprise platforms like Ticketmaster, Tixr and See Tickets negotiate deals per event or per season. Mid-size platforms like Showpass and Purplepass sit in between, with flexible terms but custom pricing.
Sources we checked (13)
- https://www.eventbrite.com/
- https://www.eventbrite.com/pricing/
- https://www.ticketmaster.com/
- https://tixr.com/
- https://www.showpass.com/
- https://www.ticketspice.com/
- https://www.purplepass.com/
- https://posh.vip/
- https://aftontickets.com/
- https://seetickets.com/
- https://prism.fm/
- https://www.g2.com/categories/event-management-platforms
- https://www.capterra.com/event-management-software/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.