Eventbrite is usually the first place people go when they need to sell tickets, and that makes sense. Everyone knows it, people trust the checkout, and if your event is free it doesn't cost you anything. It's when you start charging for tickets that you notice the fees.
On a $25 ticket, Eventbrite takes about $3.45, which is close to 14% of the price. If you run one big event a year, you might shrug that off. If you run a pottery class every Thursday or a monthly supper club, it adds up pretty fast.
So we went through seven alternatives and worked out what each one actually costs on the same $25 ticket. All the prices come from each company's own pricing page. We checked them on October 12, 2026, for events in the US.
The short answer
If you just want the lowest fee per ticket, look at Ticket Tailor or Hi.Events. If you're a nonprofit, Zeffy doesn't charge anything at all. Tito works well for conferences and tech events, Luma is aimed at community meetups, and Humanitix gives its profits to charity.
If a lot of your buyers find you through Eventbrite's own marketplace, though, it might be worth staying where you are.
What Eventbrite costs
Eventbrite charges two fees on paid tickets:
- a service fee of 3.7% plus $1.79 on every ticket;
- a 2.9% payment processing fee on each order.
By default your buyers pay these on top of the ticket price, but you can choose to cover them yourself. Free events don't cost anything. That's all from Eventbrite's pricing page.
The $1.79 is the bit to keep an eye on. It's the same whether your ticket is $10 or $500, so it takes a much bigger share of cheaper tickets:
| Ticket price | Service fee | Processing (2.9%) | Total per ticket | Share of the ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $2.35 | $0.44 | $2.79 | 18.6% |
| $25 | $2.72 | $0.73 | $3.45 | 13.8% |
| $50 | $3.64 | $1.45 | $5.09 | 10.2% |
| $100 | $5.49 | $2.90 | $8.39 | 8.4% |
The 3.7% works the other way around. It goes up with your ticket price, so a $100 ticket pays $3.70 for the same checkout that costs a $10 ticket 37 cents.
If you want the full breakdown, we've written a separate post on Eventbrite fees. There's also an Eventbrite fee calculator if you'd like to plug in your own numbers.
Seven Eventbrite alternatives at a glance
Here's what each one costs on a $25 ticket. We've added card processing at Stripe's standard US rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents, which is $1.03 on a $25 ticket. Eventbrite and Zeffy already include processing, so we haven't added anything for them.
| Platform | Platform fee | Total on a $25 ticket | Free events | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | 3.7% + $1.79, plus 2.9% processing | $3.45 | Free | Reaching Eventbrite's marketplace |
| Ticket Tailor | $0.85 per ticket (from $0.30 prepaid) | $1.88 ($1.33 prepaid) | Free up to 5,000 a year | Low flat fees, any event |
| Hi.Events | 1.25% + $0.60 | $1.94 | Free | Low fees that buyers pay |
| TicketSpice | $0.99 per ticket ($0.49 at $5 or less) | $2.02 | Free | Flat fee, lots of add-ons |
| Tito | 3% (2.5% for charity and community) | $1.78 | Free | Conferences and tech events |
| Humanitix | 2.1% + $0.99 (1% + $0.99 for charities and schools) | $2.54 | Free | Fees that fund charity |
| Luma | 5% (0% on Luma Plus, $59 a month billed annually) | $2.28 ($1.03 on Plus) | Free | Community events and meetups |
| Zeffy | $0 (nonprofits only) | $0 | Free | Registered nonprofits |
These totals assume you're covering the fees yourself. If your buyers pay them, processing is worked out on a slightly bigger total, so it'll be a few cents more. Your processor's rate can also vary with the card and the country.
The alternatives in more detail
Ticket Tailor
Ticket Tailor charges a flat $0.85 for each paid ticket if you pay as you go. If you buy credits in bulk ahead of time, it comes down to as little as $0.30 a ticket.
Your first 5,000 free tickets each year don't cost anything, and registered charities get half off. You connect your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account, so their processing fees come on top. If you'd like buyers to cover your costs, you can add your own booking fee.
It's a good fit if you sell tickets every week or every month and like knowing exactly what each ticket will cost you. The main downside is that the really low price means paying for credits up front.
Hi.Events
Hi.Events charges 1.25% plus 60 cents per paid ticket, which is the lowest platform fee on this list. Free events are free.
The thing to know is that, by default, the fee gets added at checkout and your buyer pays it. You can switch it so you cover the fee instead. If you leave it as it is, though, your $25 ticket will cost people a bit more than $25.
They also sell yearly licences if you want to run the software yourself, which is mostly something venues and agencies care about.
TicketSpice
TicketSpice charges a flat 99 cents per paid ticket, or 49 cents if the ticket is $5 or less. Card processing is 2.9% plus 30 cents on top of that.
They have a lot of optional extras, priced separately:
- email campaigns from $9 a month, plus 2 cents per person you send to;
- text messages from $19 a month;
- a custom domain for $150 a year.
It suits attractions and regular events that want a flat fee and might use the marketing tools. If you need several of the extras, though, the monthly costs add up.
Tito
Tito charges 3% per paid ticket, or 2.5% if you're a charity, non-profit or community group with no commercial ties. There's no monthly fee, free events are free, and the fee is capped at €25 per ticket.
One nice thing about Tito is that your money goes straight from Stripe or PayPal into your bank account, so Tito never holds onto it. Tito says Stripe usually pays out on a rolling two to seven days.
It's a really good fit for conferences, meetups and workshops. Because it's a percentage, though, the fee goes up with your ticket price. On a $100 ticket you'd pay $3, plus processing.
Humanitix
Humanitix charges 2.1% plus 99 cents per paid ticket, or 1% plus 99 cents for charities and schools. Card processing is listed separately at 2.9% plus 30 cents, and free events are free.
What makes Humanitix different is that all of its profits go to charity. If you like the idea of your ticket fees going somewhere good, it's worth a look.
It's not the cheapest, though. On a $25 ticket it works out to $2.54, the most of any alternative here.
Luma
Luma is aimed more at community events and meetups. Free events are free, and on the free plan Luma takes 5% of each paid ticket. Upgrading to Luma Plus, which is $59 a month billed annually, removes that fee completely. Stripe's processing fees are on top either way.
That 5% is the highest platform fee on this list. If you sell paid tickets regularly, it's worth doing the math on Plus. It pays for itself once you're selling about $1,180 worth of tickets a month.
Zeffy
If you're a nonprofit, Zeffy is free. It doesn't charge anything, and it even covers card processing.
It makes money by asking your buyers and donors whether they'd like to leave an optional tip at checkout, and nobody has to. It's only for nonprofits, though, so if you're running a business it isn't an option.
Which one should you pick?
It really depends on what kind of events you run.
Free events. Pretty much any of these will work. Just go with whichever event page and checkout you like the look of.
Cheaper tickets. A flat fee saves you more. On a $15 ticket, Eventbrite's fees come to $2.79, while Ticket Tailor's 85 cents plus Stripe processing works out to about $1.59.
Something every week. It's worth doing the math over a whole year.
- Say you teach a pottery class on Thursday nights, with 12 seats at $25. That's 624 tickets a year.
- If you cover the fees yourself on Eventbrite, you'll pay about $2,150 a year.
- On Ticket Tailor's pay-as-you-go rate plus Stripe, it's about $1,175.
- That's a difference of nearly a thousand dollars, from one class.
Nonprofits. Start with Zeffy. Humanitix, Tito and Ticket Tailor all have charity rates too.
If a lot of people find you on Eventbrite, think about that before you leave.
- Eventbrite's marketplace is really the main thing you're paying for. If it's bringing you a good number of buyers, the fees might be worth it.
- If most of your sales come from your Instagram, your newsletter or people who already know you, you're paying for exposure you're not really using.
- Check where your sales are actually coming from first.
Big corporate conferences, with sponsors, schedules and name badges. You probably want proper conference software instead. That's where something like Cvent fits.
Moving off Eventbrite
If you do decide to switch, here's what we'd do:
- Export your attendee and order history before you go. You'll want that list.
- Decide who's paying the fees, and check the exact price your buyers will see at checkout.
- Connect your payment processor and find out when it pays out.
- Set up your ticket types again, such as early bird, group or member prices, along with your refund policy.
- Buy a ticket yourself on your phone, and read through the confirmation email.
- Update the links in your bio, your newsletter and your website, and let your regulars know where to find you.
- Try a small event first, before you move your big one over.
Frequently asked questions
Is Eventbrite a free service?
It's free if your event is free.
For paid tickets, Eventbrite charges 3.7% plus $1.79 per ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing on each order. By default your buyers pay those fees.
There's also an optional plan called Eventbrite Pro, from $15 a month, which adds email marketing. You don't need it to sell tickets.
What is the best ticketing site?
There isn't really one best site. It depends on your events:
- Ticket Tailor and Hi.Events have the lowest per-ticket fees.
- Zeffy is the best option for nonprofits.
- Tito suits conferences, and Luma suits community events.
- Eventbrite is the one to pick if you want its marketplace.
The table above compares them all on the same $25 ticket.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Eventbrite?
Yes. On a $25 ticket, every alternative on this list costs less than Eventbrite's $3.45. They range from nothing at all with Zeffy, if you're a nonprofit, up to $2.54 with Humanitix.
Is Cvent like Eventbrite?
Not really. Cvent is event management software for corporate conferences and large organizations. Eventbrite and the other tools here are mostly for selling tickets to public events.
Where Ticketsmith fits
We're building Ticketsmith for people running workshops, pop-up dinners, small venues and regular classes. We think selling tickets online should be pretty boring: you put your page up, people pay, and their names end up on your list.
It'll cost up to 99 cents per paid ticket, plus card processing. Your buyers won't pay a fee at checkout, and free tickets will be free.
To be fair to everyone else on this list, though:
- On a $25 ticket, that's about the same as TicketSpice.
- Ticket Tailor's prepaid credits and Hi.Events are cheaper right now.
- Ticketsmith isn't open yet, so it won't help with the event you're planning this week.
If you'd like to try it when it opens, you can join the waitlist below.