Last Updated at: March 13, 2026
On a 200-ticket show at $25 a head, Eventbrite takes roughly $580 in platform fees alone. That's before Stripe even touches the money. For a local charity gala or a weekend pop-up market, $580 is the difference between breaking even and actually funding what you set out to do.
So we compared five platforms that charge less and, in some cases, give you more flexibility than Eventbrite does right now. Every fee in this article was pulled from official pricing pages in March 2026. If something has changed since, we'll update it.
What Eventbrite charges in 2026 (and why organizers are looking elsewhere)
Eventbrite's current US fee structure is 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, plus a 2.9% payment processing fee per order. On a $30 ticket, that works out to roughly $3.77 in total fees per ticket. Sell 200 of those and you're handing over $580 just in platform fees.
The Flex plan is gone. Free publishing is now available for all events. The optional Pro subscription ($15 to $100/month) only adds email marketing capacity. The ticketing fees stay the same whether you pay for Pro or not.
That pricing works for organizers who rely heavily on Eventbrite's built-in marketplace to drive ticket sales. If your events sell through your own marketing, social media, or word of mouth, you're paying marketplace rates for a feature you're not using.
Here are five platforms worth a serious look.
1. TixFox : $0.39 flat per ticket, no percentage fee
Fees: $0.39 per paid ticket ($0.30 for tickets under $5) + Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30). Free events are free. No monthly fees, no setup costs.
That flat fee is the thing. Eventbrite's percentage component means a $100 VIP ticket costs you $3.70 in service fees alone before the flat $1.79 kicks in. On TixFox, it's still $0.39. The math gets more dramatic as ticket prices go up.
Here's what the comparison looks like at scale:
TixFox | Eventbrite | |
|---|---|---|
Fee per $30 ticket | $0.39 | $2.90 |
200 tickets at $30 | $78 | $580 |
Savings with TixFox | $502 |
That $502 back in your pocket covers a lot. A paid social campaign, upgraded AV equipment, an extra staff member for the door.
Beyond the fees, TixFox gives you full branding control over your event page, a free mobile check-in app for iOS and Android with duplicate-scan blocking, real-time sales tracking, discount codes, and multiple ticket tiers. Revenue goes straight into your connected Stripe account as tickets sell. You control your own payouts.
TixFox won't be the right pick if you need reserved seating maps or if Eventbrite's discovery marketplace is a meaningful source of ticket sales for you. For everything else, the fee savings are hard to argue with.
Get your event live in about 10 minutes. Create a free TixFox account, no credit card required.
2. Ticket Tailor: flexible credits or pay-as-you-go
Fees: £0.60 per ticket on pay-as-you-go, or from £0.22 per ticket when you buy credits upfront. Payment processing is through your own Stripe, Square, or SumUp account.
Ticket Tailor uses a contract-free model where you pick how you want to pay. The credit system rewards organizers who know their volume in advance, since buying credits in bulk drops the per-ticket cost significantly. If your volume is unpredictable, the pay-as-you-go rate of £0.60 (roughly $0.76 USD) is still well under Eventbrite's fee.
You get unlimited ticket types, a free check-in app, custom branding on your event pages, and seating chart support. No monthly fees. The catch is that pricing is in GBP, and Ticket Tailor is UK-headquartered, so US-based organizers should factor in currency conversion on the credit purchases.
Best for: Organizers who run enough events to benefit from buying credits upfront, or anyone wanting a simple, no-contract option with UK-based support.
3. TicketLeap: full platform access with no paywalls
Fees: $1.00 + 2% per ticket (capped at $20 per ticket), plus 3% credit card processing. Tickets $5 and under get a reduced flat fee of $0.49. Free events are free.
TicketLeap's biggest selling point is that every organizer gets every feature from day one. No tiered plans, no paywalled upgrades. You get branded event pages, social promotion tools, a scanning app, questionnaires, sales reports, and donation options without paying extra for any of it.
On a $30 ticket, the fee comes to $1.60 in platform fees plus $0.90 in processing. That's $2.50 total, which is $1.27 cheaper than Eventbrite per ticket. Over 200 tickets, you'd save $254.
One thing to know: payouts go out after the event, not before. If you need pre-event cash flow for deposits or supplies, that timing can squeeze you.
Best for: Small to mid-sized event organizers who want straightforward pricing and a full feature set without worrying about which plan they're on.
4. TicketSource: strong free tier, especially for UK organizers
Fees: 7% per booking when using TicketSource's built-in processing, or 4.5% per booking + your own Stripe fees if you connect your Stripe account. Free events are free.
TicketSource started in the UK and it shows. The platform includes a telephone box office service where human agents take bookings by phone on your behalf. That's a genuinely unique feature for organizers whose audience prefers calling in.
The 7% bundled rate is simpler than most competitors since it rolls the service fee and payment processing into one number. For US organizers connecting their own Stripe, the 4.5% rate comes out to $1.35 on a $30 ticket. That's competitive, though still higher than TixFox's flat $0.39.
Payouts happen post-event (Monday after the event, arriving Wednesday), which creates the same cash-flow challenge as TicketLeap. Reserved seating, analytics, and mobile scanning are included at no extra cost.
Best for: UK-based organizers and anyone running free or low-cost events where the phone booking feature adds real value for their audience.
5. Humanitix: mission-driven ticketing with charity impact
Fees: 2.1% + $0.99 per ticket (standard), or 1% + $0.99 for verified charities and schools. Payment processing is 2.9% + $0.30 through Stripe.
Humanitix is a certified B Corp that puts 100% of platform profits toward children's education and other charitable causes. They've raised over $10 million to date. If your organization's values align with that mission, the slightly higher fees buy you a story to tell your attendees and a genuine social impact.
On a $30 ticket, Humanitix's standard fee is $1.62 in platform charges plus about $1.17 in Stripe processing. That's $2.79 total, which sits between Eventbrite and the cheaper options on this list.
Feature-wise, Humanitix punches above its weight: reserved seating, Canva integration for event pages, email campaigns, Salesforce and Mailchimp integrations, waitlists, gift cards, and merchandise sales. All included on every plan.
Best for: Nonprofits, schools, and values-driven organizers who want their ticketing fees to fund something meaningful. If pure cost savings is your priority, TixFox or Ticket Tailor will save you more per ticket.
Side-by-side: what 200 tickets at $30 actually costs you
Platform fees only (Stripe processing is roughly equal across all platforms):
Platform | Fee per ticket | Total on 200 tickets |
|---|---|---|
TixFox | $0.39 | $78 |
TicketSource (own Stripe) | $1.35 | $270 |
TicketLeap | $1.60 | $320 |
Humanitix | $1.62 | $324 |
Eventbrite | $2.90 | $580 |
The spread between cheapest and most expensive is $502 on just 200 tickets. Run that event four times a year and you're looking at over $2,000 in fee differences.
How to pick the right one for your event
Skip the feature checklists for a moment. Three questions matter most:
Where do your ticket sales come from? If Eventbrite's marketplace drives a meaningful share of your sales, the higher fees might be worth the built-in audience. If you're selling through Instagram, email lists, or at the door, you're overpaying for discovery you don't use. Move to a platform with lower fees and put the savings into your own marketing.
How important is pre-event cash flow? TixFox and Ticket Tailor both let you access revenue as it comes in through your own Stripe account. TicketLeap and TicketSource hold funds until after the event. If you've got venue deposits due before doors open, payout timing matters more than a 0.5% fee difference.
Do your attendees need special features? Reserved seating, phone-in booking, charity branding. If a specific feature is non-negotiable for your audience, that narrows the list fast. If you just need clean event pages, mobile check-in, and low fees, most of these platforms deliver.
Compare TixFox's fees against your current platform. See the full pricing breakdown and start your first event free.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Eventbrite alternative in 2026? TixFox has the lowest per-ticket fee at $0.39 flat with no percentage component. On a $30 ticket, that's $2.51 less than Eventbrite's $2.90 service fee. The savings increase on higher-priced tickets since TixFox never charges a percentage.
Are there free Eventbrite alternatives? Several platforms on this list are free for free events, including TixFox, TicketLeap, TicketSource, and Humanitix. For paid events, no platform is truly free, but TixFox's $0.39 flat fee is the closest you'll get to free on a paid ticket.
Can I switch from Eventbrite without losing my audience? Yes. Your past attendee data belongs to you. Export your attendee lists from Eventbrite, set up your events on the new platform, and redirect your existing links. Most of these platforms let you go live in under 15 minutes.
Which Eventbrite alternative has the best mobile check-in? TixFox, TicketLeap, Ticket Tailor, and TicketSource all offer free mobile scanning apps. TixFox's check-in app includes duplicate scan detection and supports multiple simultaneous scanners, which matters for events with more than one entrance.
Do any Eventbrite alternatives offer transparent, flat-rate pricing? TixFox is the only platform on this list with a true flat fee and no percentage component. Every other platform charges a percentage of the ticket price, which means your costs scale up as your ticket prices do.
