Online ticketing for small events looks like a solved problem: pick a platform, set a price, share a link. The part that is not solved is the fine print: who pays the fee, when the money reaches your bank, and whether you can take the attendee list with you when you leave.
This guide compares the main options using each vendor’s own pricing and help pages as of October 2026, works the fees out on a $20 ticket so you can see the real difference, and says when you do not need a ticketing platform at all.
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The fees, vendor by vendor
- Eventbrite. Lists 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket plus 2.9% payment processing per order. Free events cost nothing.
- Ticket Tailor. Lists a flat per-ticket fee instead of a percentage: with the currency selector set to US dollars, $0.85 per ticket on pay-as-you-go, or from $0.30 per ticket with prepaid credits. Card processing by Stripe, PayPal or Square is charged separately. Up to 5,000 free tickets a year carry no fee, and registered charities get 50% off.
- Humanitix. Lists 2.1% + $0.99 per paid ticket (1% + $0.99 for charities and schools) plus 2.9% + $0.30 processing.
- Zeffy. For nonprofits only. Says it charges no platform or transaction fees and relies on optional donor tips.
- Givebutter. For nonprofits. Lists 0% platform fees with donor tips on, or 3% with tips off, plus 2.9% + 30¢ card processing. It does not break out a separate ticketing fee on that page.
- Stripe on its own. Lists 2.9% + 30¢ per successful domestic card transaction, with no setup or monthly fees on standard pricing. You supply the checkout page yourself (a payment link or a form).
What this costs on a $20 ticket
Using only the numbers above (our arithmetic, one ticket per order):
- Eventbrite: about $3.11 if you absorb the fees, or about $3.18 if the buyer pays them, because its fee help page applies processing to the total order. Roughly 16% of the price.
- Humanitix standard: about $2.29, around 11.5%. Charity rate: about $2.07.
- Ticket Tailor: $0.85 plus about $0.88 in Stripe processing, about $1.73 (8.7%), or about $1.18 with prepaid credits at $0.30.
- Stripe alone: about $0.88, roughly 4.4%.
On 400 tickets, that is about $1,244 to $1,272 for Eventbrite, $692 for Ticket Tailor on pay-as-you-go, and $352 for Stripe alone. For a small event, the gap is real money but not enormous. What you are paying the platform for is the checkout, the ticket delivery, the check-in tools and, on a marketplace like Eventbrite, an audience. If you already have an audience and a website, you may not need to pay for that last one. Flat per-ticket fees tend to favor higher-priced tickets, and percentage fees tend to favor very cheap ones. Do the math with your own ticket price.
Who pays the fee: you or the buyer?
There are three choices, and the right one depends on your audience:
- The buyer pays on top of the price. Eventbrite’s page says buyers pay by default. Ticket Tailor lets you add a booking fee so you keep the full face value. You net your listed price. Buyers see a higher total at checkout.
- You absorb the fee. The price looks clean. You receive less per ticket. Eventbrite lets organizers choose this when setting up ticket types.
- Split it, or round up the price to cover the average fee.
For community events, our advice is to show one all-in price. Buyers who see a $20 ticket become $23.18 at the last step can feel misled, whatever the platform’s reasons. Raise the price by the average fee instead, and say so honestly if asked.
When do you actually get paid?
This is a question small organizers often ask too late, when they need deposits for the band or the porta-potties.
- Eventbrite. Its help page says payout is sent three business days after the event ends, and a U.S. bank may take about two to three more business days. New organizers get their first payout only after the event, with no pre-event payouts. A custom schedule may become available after your first event.
- Ticket Tailor. Says ticket revenue appears in your connected Stripe, PayPal or Square account almost immediately, and may take about a week to reach your bank.
- Givebutter. Says direct deposit takes two to three business days.
- Stripe. Lets you choose rolling, weekly or monthly transfers on the standard schedule. Instant payouts cost 1.5% with a 50¢ minimum.
If you have up-front costs, choose a processor that pays you while you sell tickets, or plan a deposit from your own funds. Also keep a refund reserve in case of cancellation.
Owning your attendee data
Your attendees are your future audience, your sponsor pitch and, if you are lodging-tax funded, your evidence. Before choosing a platform, check three things:
- Export. Eventbrite, for example, documents attendee reports as CSV or Excel. Ask any vendor the same, and try it before your event.
- Custom questions. You can ask for home ZIP code and nights in paid lodging at checkout. In Washington, lodging tax recipients must report actual travelers (overnight stays in paid lodging, trips of 50 or more miles, trips from another state or country) under RCW 67.28.1816, so those two answers are worth collecting.
- Direct contact. Can you email your buyers yourself next year, or only through the platform?
A ticketing page on your own website, backed by a payment processor, keeps the relationship with you. Our tourism website design and nonprofit website design guides cover how the website and the data fit together.
When you do not need a ticketing platform
If you sell fewer than a couple hundred tickets, have no assigned seating and need no scanning at the door, a payment link and a spreadsheet will do. If the event is free, a form is enough. Platforms earn their fees when you need scannable tickets, multiple ticket types, capacity control, reminders and refunds handled for you.
The honest verdict
Use a platform if you are new to ticketing, your event is one-off or annual, and you value a working checkout over a couple of dollars per ticket. Ticket Tailor and Humanitix publish simple fee models; Eventbrite adds a discovery marketplace; nonprofits should price Zeffy and Givebutter alongside them. If your event is a festival with entrants and vendors as well as ticket buyers, compare festival registration software too.
Use a payment link or simple form if you have an audience, a small headcount and a volunteer who can manage a list.
Consider custom work if tickets are one part of a bigger system (vendors, volunteers, sponsors, reporting) and you are paying for several tools that do not talk to each other. That is the point where custom software for small business can pay back. If it is just tickets, you do not need us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to sell tickets online for a small event?
A payment link or simple form connected directly to a processor such as Stripe is usually cheapest, at about 2.9% plus 30 cents per card transaction as of October 2026. Ticketing platforms add a service fee in exchange for ticket delivery, scanning, capacity control and, on a marketplace like Eventbrite, an audience. On a $20 ticket the difference is roughly two dollars or less. Choose based on what you need, not only on the lowest figure.
Who should pay ticketing fees, the organizer or the buyer?
Platforms generally let you choose. Eventbrite passes fees to buyers by default and lets organizers absorb them, and Ticket Tailor lets you add a booking fee. For community events, a single all-in price tends to feel fairer than a surprise total at checkout. Raising the ticket price by the average fee gives buyers a clear number and leaves you with the amount you planned for.
How long does it take to get paid from an online ticket sale?
It varies by platform. Eventbrite says it sends payout three business days after the event ends, with a few more days for the bank, and first-time organizers cannot get pre-event payouts. Ticket Tailor deposits ticket revenue into your connected processor almost immediately, and it may take about a week to reach your bank. If you have deposits due before the event, check this first.
Do I own my attendee list when I use a ticketing platform?
You should be able to export it, and you should confirm that before the event. Check that the export includes custom question responses, that you can email buyers directly, and what happens to past events if you close your account. Read the vendor’s privacy terms for how the platform may use attendee data. A ticket page on your own site keeps the relationship with you.