For a nonprofit, event registration software is not just a way to sell tickets. Every registration is also a donor, a volunteer prospect and a line in a report to a funder. The tool you pick decides who owns that information, what fraction of every ticket leaves your budget, and whether next year’s event starts from zero.
Several vendors now compete specifically for nonprofit events, and their pricing models are very different: discounted fees, flat fees, and “free” tools funded by optional donor tips. This guide compares them using each vendor’s own pages as of October 2026, explains what to ask before you commit, and says when a custom system is worth considering.
Already know what you need? Request an estimate and we will reply with scope and a price range for a sensible first phase.
Three pricing models you will meet
Almost every option falls into one of three shapes. Knowing which you are looking at matters more than comparing percentages.
- Per-ticket fees with a nonprofit discount. You pay the vendor a percentage and/or a flat amount per ticket, reduced for registered charities.
- Subscription form tools. You pay a monthly plan, sometimes at half price for nonprofits, and a separate payment processor takes its cut.
- Tip-funded “free” platforms. The nonprofit pays no platform fee. The vendor asks your supporters to add an optional tip at checkout.
What the vendors say, as of October 2026
Ticket Tailor. Its pricing page, with the currency selector set to US dollars, shows a flat fee of $0.85 per ticket on pay-as-you-go, or from $0.30 per ticket with prepaid credits. It lists no fees for up to 5,000 free tickets a year, and 50% off its fees for registered charities that send proof of charitable status. Card processing is separate: it gives Stripe’s US example as 2.9% + $0.30. You can add a booking fee so buyers cover fees.
Humanitix. Humanitix lists a standard fee of 2.1% + $0.99 per paid ticket and a charities and schools rate of 1% + $0.99, plus 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing under both. Free events carry no fee. The page says all of its profits go to charity.
Jotform. Jotform offers approved nonprofits 50% off annual plans, and its pricing page lists a free Starter plan with 100 submissions a month (only 10 of them can be payments) and paid plans beginning at $39 a month on monthly billing, before the discount. You connect your own payment processor. It is a general form tool, so you build the event experience yourself.
RunSignup. Lists no subscription, with a processing fee per cart total (6% + $1 under $250, dropping to 4% + $1 at $1,000 and up), and a flat 4% processing fee on donations to nonprofit accounts. Donors may choose to pay the fee. It supports donations collected during registration and peer-to-peer fundraising pages. It is designed for races, walks and similar events.
Zeffy. Describes itself as free for nonprofits, with zero platform and transaction fees, funded by optional donor tips (it says about two of three donors tip). Its ticketing page lists multiple ticket types, early-bird pricing, discount codes and QR check-in. These are the vendor’s own claims. Look at how the tip prompt appears to your supporters before you decide.
Givebutter. States a 0% platform fee when donor tips are enabled, or a flat 3% platform fee with tips off, plus card processing of 2.9% + 30¢, and a free plan with a built-in contact manager. Its pricing page does not list a separate ticketing fee, so confirm what applies to events.
Stripe, directly. If you build on Stripe, standard pricing is listed at 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction. Stripe offers discounted processing to registered nonprofits only when at least 80% of their Stripe volume is tax-deductible donations, and ticket sales and registration fees do not count toward that, so an events-heavy nonprofit may not qualify. It does not publish the discounted rate.
We did not include Eventbrite in the discount list: we found no nonprofit discount on its pricing page, which lists 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket plus 2.9% processing, paid by buyers unless you absorb it.
Donation plus registration in one checkout
A useful nonprofit-specific feature is letting a registrant add a donation in the same transaction. Several of the platforms above offer some version of this; confirm how each one receipts it. Two details to get right:
- Receipts must separate the ticket from the gift. Under IRS rules, a charity that receives a payment of more than $75 that is partly a contribution and partly for goods or services (a dinner ticket, say) must give the donor a written disclosure with a good-faith estimate of what they received. The IRS gives the example of $100 for a $40 concert ticket, with $60 deductible. Failing to disclose carries a penalty of $10 per contribution, capped at $5,000 per fundraising event or mailing. Your tool should show the value of the benefit on the receipt. Ask your accountant to confirm your specific case.
- The donation should land in your donor list. If registrations and donations sit in different systems, you will rekey at year-end.
For donation page design specifically, see our nonprofit website design guide.
Data ownership: ask these questions first
The tool will hold your supporters’ names, emails, addresses and sometimes children’s details. Before you sign up, get plain answers:
- Can you export everything? Eventbrite, for example, documents attendee reports in CSV or Excel. Whatever tool you use, test the export before the event, and check that custom question responses are included.
- Can you email your registrants yourself, or only through the platform?
- What happens if you leave? Are past events kept, or does the data vanish with the account?
- Who else uses it? Read the platform’s privacy terms to see what it may do with attendee data itself.
Free tools are not automatically worse for data ownership, but their business model is different, so ask the same questions of them.
When custom is worth it for a nonprofit
Rarely, but not never. It is worth a conversation when your events, volunteers, members and donors are all tied together in ways no single product models; when your funders require reports the tools cannot produce; or when your data is split across three platforms and keeping them in sync is a part-time job. It is not worth it because a vendor’s buttons are the wrong color, or because a free tool is a little awkward. Our guide to custom software for small business sets out the questions to answer first. The Mercy House Ministry case study is a look at a real mission-driven build.
The honest verdict
Buy off the shelf for almost every single event. For a ticketed gala, a charity-discounted ticketing platform or a tip-funded nonprofit tool covers it. For a run or walk, a race platform. For simple RSVPs, a form tool with 50% off.
Be careful with “free.” Tip-funded tools can be a good deal. But remember that the cost has moved to your supporters’ goodwill, so test the checkout yourself.
Consider custom work if you run recurring events that must tie to a donor, volunteer and member database you control, and a board member or staff person will own it. If so, request an estimate and we will tell you if an existing tool fits better.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest event registration software for a nonprofit?
Tip-funded platforms advertise zero platform fees, and some ticketing tools halve their fees for registered charities. Card processing, typically about 2.9% plus 30 cents, still applies on most paid tickets. The cheapest option on paper is not always cheapest in practice, because tip prompts, reconciliation time and missing features cost something too. Compare total cost on a typical ticket and your actual workflow.
Do nonprofits get discounts on event ticketing?
Often. As of October 2026, Ticket Tailor lists 50% off its fees for registered charities, Humanitix lists a lower rate for charities and schools, and Jotform lists 50% off its plans for nonprofits. Eligibility usually requires documentation of your status, such as an official document showing charitable status. Eventbrite did not list a nonprofit discount on its pricing page. Always confirm the current terms on the vendor’s own site.
How should a nonprofit handle donations and tickets together?
Let registrants add a donation in the same checkout, and make sure the receipt separates the ticket from the gift. For payments over $75 that are partly a contribution, IRS rules require a written disclosure of the value received, and only the excess is deductible. Confirm that donations flow into your donor list automatically, and ask your accountant to review the receipt wording.
Who owns the attendee data in an event registration tool?
You should, in practice as well as in the contract. Before choosing a tool, confirm you can export every field including custom questions, email your registrants directly, and keep past events if you leave. Read the vendor’s privacy terms for how the platform may use attendee data. Test an export before the event instead of discovering a limitation afterward, when it is too late to switch.