How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Ticket Tailor and TicketSpice keep per-ticket costs low for independent organisers, while Eventbrite charges more but adds a large discovery audience.
- Zeffy is the strongest choice for registered nonprofits, since it charges no platform fee and runs on optional donor tips.
- Payout timing matters as much as the headline fee: TicketSpice pays weekly, Ticket Tailor sends money to your own payment account, and Eventbrite usually pays after the event.
- DICE and Showpass suit music and live entertainment best, while Tito suits conferences and developer events that need a clean embed.
- Free events are free on most platforms here, but check the paid ticket fee, the payment processing fee and any monthly plan before you commit.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Eventbrite | large public events with discovery | 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order | Yes, for free events |
 Ticket Tailor | low flat fees and data ownership | $0.85 per ticket pay as you go, from $0.30 with prepaid credits | Yes, for free events |
 TicketSpice | weekly payouts and branded pages | $0.99 per paid ticket | No |
 Humanitix | cause-led events and charities | 2.1% + $0.99 per paid ticket, plus payment processing | Yes, for free events |
 Tito | conferences and tech events | 3% per ticket, plus payment processing | No |
 Showpass | live entertainment and venues | See website | Yes, for free events |
 DICE | music fans and gig promoters | See website | No |
 Zeffy | nonprofits selling tickets | $0, funded by optional donor tips | Yes |
Is your product missing or out of date?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.
#1Eventbrite
Best for: large public events with discovery4.3/5 on
G2 (915 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit eventbrite.com
Starting price3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order
Free planYes, for free events
Eventbrite remains the default choice when discovery matters. People already browse it for concerts, classes, festivals and business events, so a public listing can pick up buyers who never saw your own site or social posts. The page builder is fast, the checkout is familiar, and the organiser app covers scanning, refunds and attendee lists without extra software.
The catch is cost and cash flow. On a low-priced ticket, the fixed $1.79 fee plus the percentage fee takes a visible share, and processing sits on top. If you absorb fees rather than passing them to buyers, model the total on your real ticket price before you publish. Eventbrite still makes sense for a first event, a tour with many dates, or any event where new buyers matter more than saving a dollar per ticket.
What we like- Large built-in audience
- Polished event pages
- Strong email and marketing tools
Watch out for- Higher total fees than flat-fee rivals
- Payouts usually arrive after the event
- Less control over buyer data
#2Ticket Tailor
Best for: low flat fees and data ownership4.8/5 on
G2 (198 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit tickettailor.com
Starting price$0.85 per ticket pay as you go, from $0.30 with prepaid credits
Free planYes, for free events
Ticket Tailor suits organisers who already have an audience and want to keep more of each sale. The flat fee model is easy to forecast, and prepaid credits bring the per-ticket cost down further for regular events. Because payments flow through your own account, you are not waiting for a platform payout cycle to release ticket income.
Setup is quick, and the box office can run without a separate website. You can customise colours, add your own domain touches, and use the free check-in app on the day. Charities get a discount, which makes it a practical pick for community groups and small festivals. The main trade-off is reach: you will need to drive traffic yourself, since buyers are less likely to stumble across your event inside Ticket Tailor.
What we like- Flat fee with no percentage
- Money goes to your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account
- Full export of buyer data
Watch out for- Smaller discovery audience than Eventbrite
- Prepaid credits need upfront planning
- Advanced marketing tools are lighter
#3TicketSpice
Best for: weekly payouts and branded pages4.8/5 on
G2 (422 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit ticketspice.com
Starting price$0.99 per paid ticket
Free planNo
TicketSpice is built for organisers who care about cash flow. Weekly payouts mean you can pay deposits, print costs and venue balances while tickets are still selling, rather than waiting until after doors close. The drag-and-drop page builder gives close control over branding, ticket types, add-ons and conditional questions, which helps attractions and recurring events with complex pricing.
Support is a clear selling point in public reviews, with fast replies and help for unusual setups such as timed entry, reserved seating and box office sales. The $0.99 flat fee keeps costs predictable, though card processing is extra. TicketSpice is less suited to a one-off free community event, since there is no free tier for paid events, but for paid events with real costs to cover early, it is hard to beat on payout timing.
What we like- Weekly payouts before the event
- Strong page customisation
- Fee control for organisers
Watch out for- No free plan for paid events
- Interface has more options to learn
- Smaller discovery reach
#4Humanitix
Best for: cause-led events and charities4.4/5 on
G2 (21 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit humanitix.com
Starting price2.1% + $0.99 per paid ticket, plus payment processing
Free planYes, for free events
Humanitix gives organisers a story that fits galas, fundraisers, school events and community festivals. The company states that 100 percent of booking fee profits support charitable causes, and registered charities and schools pay a lower rate. That positioning can help with sponsors and donors who want ticket income to do more than cover admin.
For buyers, the checkout is simple and the event discovery pages are attractive. For organisers, the tools cover the basics well: multiple ticket types, discount codes, attendee management and reporting. It is not the cheapest option on a straight fee comparison, and large conferences may want deeper registration or seating tools. If your event has a social purpose, the fee buys goodwill as well as software.
What we like- Profits go to charity
- Reduced rates for charities and schools
- Clean checkout
Watch out for- Total cost is higher than the cheapest flat-fee options
- Fewer enterprise conference features
- Payout details vary by region
#5Tito
Best for: conferences and tech events4.0/5 on
G2 (4 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit ti.to
Starting price3% per ticket, plus payment processing
Free planNo
Tito takes a different approach from the big marketplaces. It is designed to sit inside your own event website with a short embed, so the ticket flow feels like part of your brand rather than a detour to another site. Organisers praise how fast an event can go live, and the interface stays out of the way once tickets are on sale.
That focus means Tito is best for conferences, meetups and workshops where the organiser already controls promotion. It lacks the browsing audience of Eventbrite and the timed-entry tools of attraction platforms. On high-priced conference tickets, a 3 percent fee is worth comparing against a flat fee, since the total can pass Ticket Tailor or TicketSpice at scale. For a professional conference with a known audience, the clean experience often justifies it.
What we like- Very clean embed for your own site
- Simple setup
- Strong fit for developer and B2B conferences
Watch out for- No large public discovery marketplace
- Percentage fee adds up on expensive tickets
- Fewer attraction features
#6Showpass
Best for: live entertainment and venues4.2/5 on
G2 (43 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit showpass.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes, for free events
Showpass focuses on the live entertainment world, from concerts and comedy to festivals and venue series. Buyers can browse events, buy in the app and manage tickets on a phone, which fits last-minute gig decisions. Organisers get tools for hosting events, managing organisations and promoting shows, with support for partners such as Facebook, Google and Square.
The main question to settle before you commit is pricing. Showpass publishes pricing through its organiser pages rather than a single headline rate, so request a quote for your ticket price and volume and confirm who pays the fee. For a venue or promoter running a regular programme, the entertainment focus and app experience can matter more than a small fee difference. For a single community event, a flat-fee platform may be simpler to budget.
What we like- Strong live entertainment focus
- Mobile app for buyers
- Venue and promoter tools
Watch out for- Pricing is not published in a simple per-ticket form
- Smaller reach outside entertainment
- Organiser features vary by plan
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
DICE built its name on music, and that focus shows in the buyer experience. Prices are shown upfront, tickets live in the app, and recommendations are based on artists and venues a person already follows. For promoters, that means reaching people who actually go to gigs, rather than a general audience browsing every category.
DICE also works against touting and last-minute ticket problems with app-based tickets and waiting lists for sold-out shows. The trade-off is coverage: its strength is strongest in major music cities, and conference or workshop organisers will find fewer relevant tools here. Pricing for organisers is agreed directly, so ask for the full fee structure, including any buyer-facing charges, before you list a show.
What we like- Upfront all-in pricing for buyers
- Personalised recommendations
- Strong music venue network
Watch out for- Organiser pricing is not published as a simple rate
- Best in cities with a strong DICE presence
- Less suited to conferences
#8Zeffy
Best for: nonprofits selling tickets4.9/5 on
G2 (3,373 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit zeffy.com
Starting price$0, funded by optional donor tips
Free planYes
Zeffy is only for nonprofits, and within that limit it is unusually generous. There is no platform fee for tickets, donations, raffles, auctions or memberships, and the company earns money from optional tips that donors can add or remove at checkout. A small charity can therefore sell gala tickets, collect donations and manage donors without a monthly subscription or per-ticket charge.
The platform also includes a donor CRM, email tools and forms, which saves a small team from stitching together several products. The limit is scope: Zeffy is not a general ticketing marketplace for commercial promoters, and very large festivals may need deeper seating or access control tools. For a school, church, rescue charity or arts nonprofit, it removes the fee question entirely and keeps every ticket dollar with the mission.
What we like- No platform fee for nonprofits
- Tickets plus donations, raffles and memberships in one place
- Donor management included
Watch out for- Nonprofit only, so businesses cannot use it
- Optional tips can confuse some buyers
- Fewer large festival tools
How we chose
We compared pricing pages, product documentation and public reviews on G2, Capterra and Reddit, and checked each homepage to confirm the product still exists and matches its category. We favoured platforms with clear fee structures, usable check-in tools, buyer data export and support for both free and paid events. Where a vendor does not publish a simple rate, we wrote See website rather than guessing a number.
What to check before you sell your first ticket
Start with the total cost on your real ticket price, not the headline rate alone. A flat fee wins on cheap tickets, a percentage fee can win on free or very low-priced events, and processing fees apply on most platforms even when the platform fee is low. Ask who pays each fee, when payouts arrive, and whether refunds, chargebacks or cancelled events change the fee.
Then check the day-of-event tools. A free check-in app, offline scanning, box office sales and guest list search matter more on a busy door than a pretty event page. Confirm that you can export buyer names and emails, since that list is the base for your next event. Finally, test the buyer checkout on a phone before you announce sales, and set a clear refund policy on the page so your team is not answering the same question all week.
Fees and payouts
Model three cases: your cheapest ticket, your average ticket and your most expensive ticket. Compare the platform fee, the processing fee and any monthly plan together. If you need money before the event for deposits, favour weekly payouts or direct payment to your own account over post-event payouts.
Discovery or control
Choose a marketplace when you need new buyers, and choose a flat-fee or embed tool when you already have an audience. Marketplaces take a larger cut in exchange for reach, while control-focused tools leave promotion to you but keep costs lower and data in your hands.
Free and charity events
Free events are free on most platforms in this list, but confirm the limit and whether paid add-ons trigger fees. Nonprofits should compare Zeffy and Humanitix against a general platform, since the saving on fees can be larger than any feature gap for a gala or fundraiser.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest ticket selling platform?
For many independent organisers, Ticket Tailor has the lowest per-ticket cost, starting at $0.85 pay as you go and from $0.30 with prepaid credits, plus card processing. TicketSpice at $0.99 per ticket is close, and Zeffy costs $0 for nonprofits. The cheapest choice depends on your ticket price, since percentage fees behave differently on cheap and expensive tickets.
Does Eventbrite charge for free events?
No, Eventbrite does not charge a platform fee for free events, and the same is true for Ticket Tailor, Humanitix, Showpass and Zeffy for eligible events. If you add paid tickets, merchandise or donations to the same event, check whether those items trigger fees.
How do ticket payouts work?
Payout timing varies by platform. TicketSpice pays weekly, Ticket Tailor sends money to your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account as tickets sell, and Eventbrite usually pays after the event. Always confirm payout timing and any hold for new accounts before you rely on ticket income for venue costs.
Can I sell tickets on my own website?
Yes. Tito is built for embedding on your own site, Ticket Tailor offers a hosted box office you can link or embed, and TicketSpice lets you build a branded page that matches your site. Marketplaces such as Eventbrite and DICE also allow embeds, but buyers may still pass through the marketplace checkout.
Do I need a separate check-in app?
Most platforms here include a check-in app or scanning tool, and Ticket Tailor, TicketSpice and Eventbrite all offer organiser apps. Check whether scanning works offline, how many devices you can use at once, and whether you can search by name when a buyer cannot find a QR code.
What fee should buyers see at checkout?
That is your choice on most platforms, since you can usually absorb fees or pass them to buyers. Passing fees keeps your net income predictable but raises the price buyers see. Absorbing fees looks cleaner at checkout but means you must price tickets to cover the total cost.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.eventbrite.com
- https://www.tickettailor.com
- https://ticketspice.com/
- https://www.humanitix.com
- https://ti.to
- https://showpass.com/
- https://dice.fm/
- https://www.zeffy.com
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 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.