Eventbrite alternatives: lower-fee ticketing platforms and when to build your own
Short answer: The main Eventbrite alternatives are Humanitix, Ticket Tailor, Tito, Luma and Zeffy. As of October 2026, Eventbrite charges a service fee of 3.7% plus $1.79 per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order. Most alternatives charge less per ticket, and Zeffy is free for nonprofits. If you run many recurring events, sell memberships or need deep links to your own systems, your own booking site can cost less over time.
You're tired of Eventbrite's per-ticket fee eating into small events and want to see the real fee comparison.
I'm Ranjit, and I run Blur Studio: 15+ years building software, 120 apps taken live, and clients who have gone on to raise $10M+. I build AI systems and processes that help businesses do a lot more with a lot less time. I also work differently from most of what else is out there, more on that further down this page. Say hello.
Why do people look for an Eventbrite alternative?
The most common reason is the fee on each paid ticket. Eventbrite's pricing page lists a service fee of 3.7% plus $1.79 per paid ticket. It also lists payment processing of 2.9% per order. On a $25 ticket, the service fee alone comes to about $2.72.
Eventbrite sets buyers to pay these fees by default. You can choose to absorb them yourself. Either way, someone pays them, and a high fee on a cheap ticket can put buyers off.
Free events cost nothing on Eventbrite. Its page says you can publish unlimited free events at no cost. So if all your events are free, the fee question may not matter to you.
Other reasons people move include:
- Branding: Some organizers want the ticket page to feel like their own brand.
- Repeat events: Weekly classes or monthly meetups need a simpler way to rebook the same people.
- Data and tools: Some want attendee data to flow straight into their own CRM or email tool.
What are the best Eventbrite alternatives?
Each tool below suits a different kind of organizer. Card processing is extra on most of them, usually through Stripe. Stripe's standard US rate for domestic cards is 2.9% plus 30 cents per successful charge.
Blur Studio (best value)
A ready-built, well-tested core with a different pricing model: no per-seat fees, and it covers almost all the features you'd actually need, usually working out to the best value for money. On top of that, Blur Studio builds owned customizations, meaning you can ask for it to be modified to your exact specifications, and you own those modifications outright. Learn more over a quick call with me, Ranjit.
- Best for: Businesses that need software that works without barriers, no unnecessary fees and options to customize it to their needs.
Humanitix
Humanitix is a ticketing platform that gives 100% of its profits to charity. Its US page lists a fee of 2.1% plus $0.99 per paid ticket. Charities and schools pay 1% plus $0.99. Payment processing of 2.9% plus $0.30 is listed separately. Free events cost nothing.
On a $25 ticket, the Humanitix fee is about $1.52. That is lower than Eventbrite's service fee on the same ticket.
Best for: Organizers who want lower fees and like that the profits fund charity.
Ticket Tailor
Ticket Tailor charges a flat fee per ticket with no percentage. Its pricing page shows fees in pounds. Pay as you go costs £0.60 per ticket sold, plus VAT. Prepaid credits start from £0.22 per ticket, plus VAT, and get cheaper as you buy more. Free tickets carry no fee up to a yearly limit, so check the current limit on its page if you run large free events.
Card fees go to your payment provider, such as Stripe, PayPal or Square. Registered charities get 50% off Ticket Tailor's fees.
Best for: Organizers selling higher-priced tickets, since a flat fee costs the same on a $20 ticket and a $200 ticket.
Tito
Tito charges 3% per paid ticket. Charity, community and non-profit events can apply for 2.5%. Free events have no Tito fee. Tito caps its fee at €25 per ticket. Card processing runs through Stripe at Stripe's rates.
Best for: Conferences and tech events that want a clean checkout and no fixed fee per ticket.
Luma
Luma's free plan has no monthly cost. It takes a 5% platform fee on paid events, plus Stripe's card fee. Luma Plus costs $59 a month, billed yearly, and drops the platform fee to 0%. The free plan already includes unlimited events, guest check-in, coupons and email and SMS reminders.
Best for: Community groups, meetups and startup events. Luma Plus suits groups that sell enough tickets for the monthly fee to cost less than 5%.
Zeffy
Zeffy is built for nonprofits. Its pricing page says Zeffy costs $0, with no platform, transaction or card fees for the nonprofit. Zeffy asks donors for an optional tip at checkout. If a donor says no, the nonprofit still keeps the full amount.
Best for: Nonprofits, schools, churches and sports clubs running fundraising events.
Staying on Eventbrite
Eventbrite still makes sense for some organizers. It offers its own ads tool in select markets and an email marketing tool, Eventbrite Pro, that starts at $15 a month. If you rely on those tools to find new buyers, weigh that against the fee savings elsewhere.
How do the fees compare?
This table uses each vendor's own pricing page, as of October 2026. "Per ticket" fees apply to paid tickets only.
| Platform | Platform fee per paid ticket | Monthly plan | Free events | Card processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | 3.7% + $1.79 | Pro email tool from $15/month | No fee | 2.9% per order |
| Humanitix | 2.1% + $0.99 (charities 1% + $0.99) | None | No fee | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Ticket Tailor | £0.60 + VAT, or from £0.22 + VAT prepaid | None | No fee up to a yearly limit | Your provider's rate |
| Tito | 3% (non-profits 2.5%) | None | No fee | Stripe's rate |
| Luma | 5% on free plan, 0% on Plus | Plus $59/month, billed yearly | No fee | Stripe's rate |
| Zeffy | $0 for nonprofits | None | No fee | $0 for nonprofits |
Run your own numbers before you switch. Take your average ticket price and the number of tickets you sold last year. Work out the total fee on each platform. A flat fee wins on expensive tickets. A percentage fee often wins on cheap ones.
How do you choose the right ticketing platform?
Start with what your events look like. Then check these points:
- Who pays the fee: Check whether you can pass fees to buyers, absorb them, or split them.
- Payouts: Ask when you get your money. Some platforms pay after the event and some pay sooner.
- Check-in: Make sure the door app works on your phones and works with a weak signal.
- Refunds: Check who handles refunds and whether fees come back.
- Data export: Make sure you can download your attendee list at any time.
- Links to your tools: Check whether it connects to your email tool, CRM or website.
Try two platforms with a small test event before you move everything. You learn a lot from one real sale and one real check-in.
When should you build your own event booking site?
Most organizers should use one of the tools above. They are cheap to start and they work. A custom booking site makes sense in a few cases:
- High volume: You sell thousands of paid tickets a year, and the fees on a platform cost more than a site of your own.
- Recurring bookings: You run weekly classes, courses or tours, and people book again and again.
- Memberships and passes: You sell season passes, class packs or member pricing that standard tools handle poorly.
- Many tools: Your bookings need to update a CRM, a waitlist, staff schedules and accounting, all at once.
- Your own data: You want every attendee record in a system you control.
A custom site still has costs. You pay for hosting and card processing, and someone has to keep it secure and updated. Weigh those against the fees you save. My guide on whether to build or buy software walks through that choice. If you run classes or appointments, my page on reservation systems covers the booking side in more detail.
How would Blur Studio approach a custom booking site?
I would start by looking at last year's sales and fees. If a ticketing tool still costs less, I would tell you to stay on it. If a custom site makes sense, I build the smallest version first. That usually means the event page, checkout, tickets by email and a check-in screen. After that, I connect it to the tools you already use, such as your CRM, email list and accounting. The site, its code and its accounts belong to you. I can also look after the site once it is live, so you are never stuck with software nobody maintains.
Need something completely custom?
Everything above is a path to get it running quick and cheap. But sometimes the honest answer is that none of those quite fit, and what you actually need is something custom that you own, built uniquely for your business from the ground up, with AI thoughtfully designed into the parts of it that your processes actually benefit from. An asset that grows in value, not a generic, one-size-fits-all boilerplate that's an expense with a lock-in. This is a complete bespoke build, and it's something I do very well. Get in touch to know more.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest Eventbrite alternative?
For nonprofits, Zeffy is the cheapest, because its pricing page says it costs $0 for the nonprofit. For other organizers, the cheapest depends on ticket price. Ticket Tailor's flat fee per ticket suits expensive tickets, while a low percentage fee can suit cheap ones.
Does Eventbrite charge for free events?
Eventbrite does not charge for free events. As of October 2026, its pricing page says you can publish unlimited free events at no cost. Its fees apply only to paid tickets.
Can I pass ticket fees on to buyers?
Yes, on most platforms. Eventbrite sets buyers to pay fees by default and lets organizers absorb them instead. Check each alternative's settings, since the options differ.
Is it worth building my own ticketing site?
It is worth it if you sell a large number of paid tickets, run recurring bookings or need your bookings linked to your other systems. For a few events a year, a ticketing platform costs less and takes less work.
Which Eventbrite alternative is best for nonprofits?
Zeffy is free for nonprofits. Humanitix charges charities and schools 1% plus $0.99 per paid ticket. Tito and Ticket Tailor also offer lower rates for charity events.
Is Zeffy actually free, or is there a catch?
Zeffy is genuinely free for nonprofits, it covers its costs through optional buyer-paid tips at checkout rather than charging the organizer a platform fee. It is worth checking it specifically if you run a registered nonprofit, since none of the other tools on this list match that.
Roughly what does this cost?
As a broad reference, fixes and finishes start at around $1,500, and new builds start higher, always a fixed price agreed in writing before I start, never an hourly rate. My AI app cost guide explains what actually drives a quote up or down.
Is my project too small for this?
No. Most of the owners I work with have no tech team at all, that is the whole point. If the smarter move is a cheap software subscription instead of custom software, I will tell you that on the first call, even though it means I do not get paid.