Updated October 2026: rewritten with TicketSource's current UK and US fees, checked against its pricing pages on October 8, 2026.
TicketSource is free for organisers, and it means it. Free events cost nothing, recording in-person bookings costs nothing, and there are no contracts or paid tiers. It makes its money from a booking fee on paid online sales.
That fee is 7% plus VAT per booking in the UK, with a 25p + VAT minimum, and 3.5% plus 99 cents per ticket in the US. On a £30 ticket, that's £2.52. TixFox charges £1.03 on the same ticket, card processing included. Here's the math at different prices, when TicketSource pays you, and the tickets where it costs less.
How much does TicketSource charge? In the UK, TicketSource charges 7% + VAT per paid booking, with a minimum of £0.25 + VAT, card processing included. In the US, it charges 3.5% + $0.99 per paid ticket. With your own Stripe account, it's 4.5% + VAT per booking in the UK or $0.99 per ticket in the US, plus Stripe's fees. Free events and in-person bookings are free.
How TicketSource's pricing works
TicketSource lists these terms on its pricing page:
- UK: 7% + VAT per paid booking, minimum £0.25 + VAT, card processing included
- UK with your own Stripe account: 4.5% + VAT per paid booking, plus Stripe's fee
- US: 3.5% + $0.99 per paid ticket, card processing included
- US with your own Stripe account: $0.99 per paid ticket, plus Stripe's fee
- Free events and in-person bookings: no fees
- No contracts or access tiers, with seating plans and email, phone and live chat support included.
You can include the fee in your ticket price or pass it to the buyer. Its UK calculator puts a £10 ticket at a £0.84 booking fee, which is 7% plus 20% VAT. Its US calculator puts a $10 ticket at $1.34.
One detail matters in the UK: the 7% is per booking, not per ticket. A family buying four £20 tickets pays one fee of £6.72 on the £80 booking.
What a ticket costs in the UK
TixFox charges £0.38 per ticket plus Stripe's 1.5% + 20p per order for standard UK cards. TicketSource's figures include VAT. TixFox's pricing page lists £0.38 without saying whether VAT is included, so we used it as listed.
On a one-ticket booking, with you absorbing the fees:
- £10 ticket: £0.84 on TicketSource, £0.73 on TixFox
- £20 ticket: £1.68 against £0.88
- £30 ticket: £2.52 against £1.03
- £50 ticket: £4.20 against £1.33
- £100 ticket: £8.40 against £2.08
TixFox costs less on any single ticket over about £8.41. For bookings of four, the line drops to about £6.23 a ticket, because Stripe's 20p is charged once per order. Below those prices, TicketSource costs less. A £5 ticket carries a 42p fee on TicketSource and 66p on TixFox.
What a ticket costs in the US
In the US, TixFox charges 39¢ per ticket ($0.30 under $5) plus Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢. That comes in under TicketSource's 3.5% + $0.99 at every ticket price.
- $10 ticket: $1.34 on TicketSource, $0.98 on TixFox
- $25 ticket: $1.87 against $1.42
- $50 ticket: $2.74 against $2.14
- $100 ticket: $4.49 against $3.59
What a season adds up to
A UK pantomime selling 3,000 tickets at £15 in 750 bookings of four would pay £3,780 in TicketSource fees and £1,965 on TixFox. A US theater selling 1,000 tickets at $25, one per order, would pay $1,870 on TicketSource and $1,420 on TixFox.
When you get paid
With TicketSource handling payments, you get a statement once your event is over. TicketSource then sends the money "on the Monday after your event, and it should arrive by Wednesday." For a Saturday show, that's the following Wednesday, or Thursday after a bank holiday. Deposits and suppliers you pay before the show have to be covered some other way.
If you want the money as people book, TicketSource points you to Stripe. In the UK, that option costs 4.5% + VAT per booking plus Stripe's fee. In the US, it's $0.99 per ticket plus Stripe's fee.
Against that Stripe option, TixFox costs less on any UK ticket over about £7.04, and at least 60¢ less on every US ticket. On TixFox, each sale goes into your own Stripe account as it happens, and TixFox never holds the money. Our guide to selling tickets with Stripe explains how Stripe payouts work.
What one organizer says about TixFox
Fast answers matter too, especially in the week before a show. A reviewer named Jo wrote this on Trustpilot in August 2026: "John was spectacular about answering all of my questions."
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 TicketSource is the better choice
- Most of your UK tickets cost under about £8, like school shows, quiz nights and village halls.
- You need reserved seating now. TicketSource includes seating plans for every organiser. TixFox's reserved seating is coming soon.
- You want telephone and live chat support for you, and a help desk for your ticket buyers.
- You want Gift Aid on donations, for a UK charity.
- You like its refund guarantee: if an event is cancelled or postponed, TicketSource refunds buyers the ticket price and its booking fee.
When TixFox costs less
- UK tickets over about £8.41, or about £6.23 in bookings of four.
- Every US ticket: 39¢ (30¢ under $5) plus Stripe's 2.9% + 30¢ still comes in under TicketSource's 3.5% + $0.99.
- Money before the show: compared with TicketSource's Stripe option, TixFox costs less on UK tickets over about £7.04 and on every US ticket.
- Higher prices: TicketSource's fee is a percentage, so it rises with your ticket price. TixFox's platform fee stays flat, and only Stripe's processing rises.
If you're weighing a switch, here's what switching from TicketSource to TixFox looks like. We've done the same math for Ticket Tailor and TryBooking.
To try TixFox, create a free account, connect Stripe and put your first event on sale. Free events cost $0, and paid tickets are £0.38 or 39¢ each, plus Stripe's card processing. See TixFox pricing.
FAQ
How much is the TicketSource booking fee?
In the UK, 7% + VAT per paid booking, with a minimum of £0.25 + VAT, card processing included. In the US, 3.5% + $0.99 per paid ticket. A £10 ticket carries £0.84, and a $10 ticket carries $1.34.
Is TicketSource free?
For organisers, yes. Free events cost nothing, and so does recording in-person bookings. Paid online bookings carry the booking fee, which you can pass to the buyer or absorb.
When does TicketSource pay you?
With TicketSource payment processing, after your event. It sends the money on the Monday after the event, and it should arrive by Wednesday, or Thursday after a bank holiday. With your own Stripe account, the money goes to you as people book.
How much is TicketSource with Stripe?
4.5% + VAT per paid booking in the UK, or $0.99 per paid ticket in the US, plus Stripe's own fees.
Does TicketSource refund booking fees?
If your event is cancelled or postponed, TicketSource says it refunds your buyers in full, including its booking fee.
Is TicketSource cheaper than TixFox?
In the UK, on single tickets under about £8.41. Above that, and on every US ticket, TixFox costs less. On a £30 ticket, the fees are £2.52 on TicketSource and £1.03 on TixFox.
Sources
- TicketSource: Pricing, UK and Pricing, US, including the booking fee calculators and payout terms. Checked October 8, 2026.
- Stripe: Pricing, UK, Pricing, US and Payouts.
- Trustpilot: TixFox reviews, screenshot taken October 8, 2026.
- TixFox: Pricing and FAQ. Dashboard screen from the TixFox demo account, October 2026.
