Updated October 2026: rewritten with Ticketbud's current fees, checked against its pricing page and help center on October 8, 2026.
Ticketbud doesn't charge organizers anything up front. No subscription, no contract, no pricing tiers. Its fee lands on your attendees instead: 2% + 99¢ per ticket, plus 2.9% + 30¢ for card processing.
Ticketbud's own earnings calculator shows what that means at checkout. A $15 ticket costs the buyer $17.10, so $2.10 goes to fees and you keep $15. On TixFox, the same ticket costs the buyer $16.16. Here's how Ticketbud's pricing works, what it adds up to over a season, and where it's still the better fit.
How much does Ticketbud charge? Ticketbud charges attendees 2% + $0.99 per ticket, or 1.75% + $0.99 for nonprofits and schools, plus a payment processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30. Organizers pay nothing if the fees are passed on, and you can choose to absorb them instead. Free events are free, and there's no subscription or contract.
How Ticketbud's pricing works
Ticketbud's pricing page lists one plan for everyone, with every feature included:
- Paid events: attendees pay 2% + 99¢ per ticket, unless you absorb it
- Nonprofits and schools: attendees pay 1.75% + 99¢ per ticket
- Payment processing: 2.9% + 30¢, through Stripe or PayPal
- Free events: $0
- Tickets under $10: a discounted rate, which you have to contact Ticketbud to get
- Custom and white label: priced on request
There's no credit card needed to sign up, no subscription and no contract. Ticketbud doesn't publish its under-$10 rate, so we haven't compared tickets below $10 here.
What Ticketbud's fees cost your buyers
TixFox charges 39¢ per ticket ($0.30 under $5) plus Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢. To keep it fair, we've passed the fees to the buyer on both platforms, so you keep the full ticket price either way, and counted card processing on both. Ticketbud's own $15 example comes out within a cent of this method.
For a one-ticket order:
- $10 ticket: $1.83 in fees on Ticketbud, $1.81 at its nonprofit rate, $1.01 on TixFox
- $25 ticket: $2.59, $2.53 and $1.46
- $50 ticket: $3.85, $3.73 and $2.20
- $100 ticket: $6.37, $6.12 and $3.70
The gap is the platform fee. Ticketbud's 99¢ on its own is more than TixFox's 39¢, and the 2% keeps growing with the ticket price. On a $50 ticket, Ticketbud's fee is $1.99 before card processing. TixFox's is still 39¢.
You choose who pays on TixFox, ticket type by ticket type. Pass the fee to the buyer, or absorb it and show one all-in price.
Ticketbud's nonprofit and school rate
Ticketbud's 1.75% + 99¢ rate for nonprofits and schools takes a quarter point off the percentage. The 99¢ stays the same, so the saving is small: 6¢ on a $25 ticket, with card processing counted.
Say a school sells 1,500 tickets a year at $12 for its plays and concerts, one ticket per order. At Ticketbud's nonprofit rate, families would pay $2,850 in fees. On TixFox, they'd pay $1,605. A promoter selling 1,000 tickets at $30 would see $2,840 in Ticketbud fees against $1,610 on TixFox.
How Ticketbud collects its fee with PayPal
Ticketbud lets you take payments through Stripe or PayPal, and the two work differently. With PayPal, Ticketbud's help center says its fees "are not collected automatically." You collect the Ticketbud fee with each sale, and Ticketbud invoices you for it after the event is over.
To set that up, Ticketbud requires a credit card on file, which it charges for the invoice. If the invoice goes unpaid, Ticketbud says it deactivates your account until it's paid. To take card payments through PayPal, you'll also need a Business or Premier PayPal account.
TixFox uses Stripe only. Each sale goes into your own Stripe account as it happens, TixFox never holds the money, and you move it to your bank on your own schedule.
What one organizer says about TixFox
Fees aside, it helps when the team behind your ticketing listens. Sydney Finley left TixFox a five-star review on Trustpilot in August 2026, calling it "very responsive to adding new features" and "a great addition to our event."
Watch how selling on TixFox works
The video shows the setup in under six minutes: connecting Stripe at 0:26, ticket types and the pass-or-absorb fee setting from 1:35, and what your buyers see at checkout from 3:49.
When Ticketbud is the better choice
- Your buyers want to pay with PayPal. TixFox takes cards through Stripe.
- You need reserved seating now. TixFox's reserved seating is coming soon.
- You run a larger event that needs RFID or NFC access, credentialing or rentable hardware from your ticketing company.
- You want a white label setup under your own brand.
- Most of your tickets cost under $10, and Ticketbud's discounted rate, which it doesn't publish, works out lower for you. Ask for it before you decide.
When TixFox costs less
- Every ticket price Ticketbud publishes: on a $25 ticket, $1.46 in fees on TixFox against $2.59 on Ticketbud.
- Nonprofits and schools too: $1.46 against $2.53 at Ticketbud's nonprofit rate.
- Cheap tickets without asking: TixFox's $0.30 rate for tickets under $5 is on its pricing page, so there's no one to contact to get it.
If you're thinking about moving your events, here's what switching from Ticketbud to TixFox looks like. We've also run the numbers for TicketLeap and SimpleTix.
To try TixFox, create a free account, connect Stripe and put your first event on sale. Free events cost $0, and paid tickets are 39¢ each ($0.30 under $5) plus Stripe's card processing. See TixFox pricing.
FAQ
How much does Ticketbud charge per ticket?
2% + $0.99 per ticket, paid by attendees unless you absorb it, plus 2.9% + $0.30 for payment processing. Nonprofits and schools pay 1.75% + $0.99.
Is Ticketbud free for organizers?
Yes, if you pass the fees on to your buyers. There's no subscription or contract, and free events cost nothing.
Does Ticketbud have a nonprofit rate?
Yes. Nonprofits and schools pay 1.75% + $0.99 per ticket instead of 2% + $0.99, plus the same 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee.
Does Ticketbud work with PayPal?
Yes. Ticketbud works with Stripe and PayPal. With PayPal, its fees aren't collected automatically. Ticketbud invoices you after the event and charges the card you keep on file.
Does Ticketbud charge less for cheap tickets?
Ticketbud says it offers a discounted rate for tickets under $10, but you have to contact it to get the rate. It isn't listed on the pricing page.
Is Ticketbud cheaper than TixFox?
Not at the prices Ticketbud publishes. On a $25 ticket with the fees passed on, buyers pay $2.59 on Ticketbud and $1.46 on TixFox. Ticketbud's under-$10 rate isn't public, so ask for it if you sell cheap tickets.
Sources
- Ticketbud: Pricing, including the earnings calculator, and its help center articles on payment processor options and PayPal fee invoices. Checked October 8, 2026.
- Stripe: Pricing (US cards).
- Trustpilot: TixFox reviews, screenshot taken October 8, 2026.
- TixFox: Pricing and FAQ. Ticket screens from the TixFox demo account, October 2026.
