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Answering the simple question, "How much does Eventbrite cost? " has always been challenging. Not only because its fees are fairly complex, but also due to how frequently its pricing structure has changed over the years.
Since its rollout of price jumps in August 2023, they've issued yet another update. However, unlike some of their previous price hikes, it's not all bad news.
Most event planners immediately recognize the Eventbrite logo - and it's easy to see why. The software has become globally known thanks to its ease of use, integrated ticketing system, and robust feature set. These all serve to streamline the often complex process of event planning and have made Eventbrite the giant it is today.
However, Eventbrite's pricing shenanigans may cause event creators to question whether the platform's a good fit for their needs.
Despite its impressive reputation, Eventbrite is only one of many event ticketing software products in an expansive market. While it has certainly earned its place as an industry leader, it may not be the best fit for your business's needs. This is especially true concerning Eventbrite's considerable cost which often fluctuates, potentially making it too expensive for many use cases.
In this article, we'll clarify Eventbrite's new service pricing structure and what that means for you, providing a clear breakdown of potential costs and their origins. Our goal is to give you a balanced, detailed overview, enabling you to make an informed choice when it comes to your event management needs. We'll also give you a few Eventbrite alternatives to consider.
Given how expansive the event management industry has become, there are many other options at your disposal – platforms that cater to specific event niches, offer cheaper pricing structures, or have unique feature sets. Being aware of these alternatives equips you with the knowledge to select a platform that aligns best with your needs.
Without further ado, let's delve into the nuances of Eventbrite's new service fees & pricing, along with some viable alternatives!
With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, Eventbrite caters to events of all sizes and industries. Here are six key things you can do with Eventbrite:
Create professional and personalized event listings that showcase your event details, including date, time, location, and ticketing options. You can easily customize the layout, add images or videos, and provide essential event information to attract attendees.
Eventbrite offers flexibility in ticketing options, allowing you to create different ticket types, such as general admission, VIP, early bird, or group tickets. You can set different prices, quantities, and availability for each ticket type, giving attendees various choices to suit their preferences.
With Eventbrite, you can access integrated email and social media marketing tools to promote your event and reach a broader audience. Effortlessly send targeted marketing emails, create engaging social media campaigns, and track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts through comprehensive analytics.
The software provides robust attendee management features, allowing you to track registrations, collect attendee information, and communicate updates or important details. You can easily check in attendees using the Eventbrite Organizer App or printed tickets, ensuring a seamless and organized event experience.
Eventbrite's analytics capabilities provide valuable insights into your event's performance. Track ticket sales, monitor attendance patterns, and evaluate marketing campaigns to make data-driven decisions. These insights help you optimize your event strategies, identify areas for improvement, and measure the success of your event.
The platform prioritizes a smooth and hassle-free ticket-purchasing process for attendees. With a secure and user-friendly checkout experience, attendees can easily browse ticket options, select their preferred tickets, and complete the purchase quickly and securely.
While Eventbrite could be the right fit for your event, it's important to explore alternative solutions to ensure you choose the platform that best fits your needs. For example, Eventcube can do all of the above, and for a much cheaper price. In fact, it was already a more cost-effective solution before these pricing changes, and this has only increased.
By cross-referencing pricing and your desired features, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your specific event requirements. Whether you choose Eventbrite or an alternative platform, the key is to evaluate the features, pricing structures, and customization options to find the platform that maximizes your event's success.
Eventbrite has now shifted from a pricing model based on the number of attendees to one focused on marketing capabilities. This provides more flexibility for large event organizers (allowing them to grow their audience without worrying about ticket limits). However, some organizers may not need the email marketing features that determine the plan’s cost. For those who don’t rely heavily on email marketing, the focus on email limits might feel less relevant.
Eventbrite has discontinued the Flex plan. Yes, you heard right. This plan allowed organizers to pay a one-time fee based on the number of attendees, rather than a fixed monthly fee. This was ideal for occasional event hosts who didn’t need monthly subscriptions. The discontinuation affects smaller event organizers who benefited from this flexible pricing model, particularly those who don’t host events frequently enough to justify a monthly Pro plan.
To seemingly make up for this, Eventbrite now allows unlimited events to be published for free, regardless of event size.
If you were on the Flex plan, any remaining balance owed will still be deducted from ticket sales. For those who signed up within the last 14 days, you're eligible for a refund upon request.
Eventbrite’s pricing plans are structured around the Pro plan, which allows you to publish events for free with fees only applying when tickets are sold. The Pro plan offers three tiers (US pricing).
Nonprofits get a 50% discount, and annual subscribers receive a 20% discount.
*Brackets contain annual subscription savings
United Kingdom
Australia
Canada
Ireland
New Zealand
For large or complex events with paid tickets, Eventbrite offers customized plans to meet specific needs (similar to Eventcube's Enterprise service). To explore these options, you can contact their Sales Partnerships team for tailored solutions.
It's important to note that, while the ticket price might be refunded to attendees, Eventbrite's fees are non-refundable. This could be a drawback for organizers who face frequent cancellations or refunds, as it adds an extra layer of cost to managing these situations.
In addition to plans, Eventbrite will also charge service fees based on the ticket price and payout country. These fees are, by default, borne by attendees at checkout, but organizers can cover them during the ticket creation process. If your event only includes free tickets, no ticketing fees apply.
Every plan grants access to Eventbrite's comprehensive suite of marketing tools. However, advertising expenditure for features like Eventbrite Ads or Eventbrite Boost are separate services with their own pricing.
The Eventbrite pricing structure caters to different regions and currencies. By tailoring fees to individual countries, Eventbrite strives to provide fair, region-specific pricing. The aim is to enable organizers to align their ticket pricing with local market dynamics and optimize their event's financial performance. However, this does present issues.
While its region-specific pricing seeks to accommodate event organizers worldwide, those who use Eventbrite for their events have potential challenges to consider. As you can see from their service fees by country, there is significant variation from one Eventbrite service fee to another.
For example, in the US, the Eventbrite service fee is 3.7% + $1.79 per sold ticket. In the UK, the Eventbrite service fee is 6.95% + £0.59 per sold ticket. Finally, in Germany, the Eventbrite service fee is: 5.5% + €0.99 per sold ticket*.
To add to the complexity, the new pricing changes will affect some countries before others, and Eventbrite's Essentials package isn't available in the US or the UK, but it is available in Germany. Confused yet?
If you're planning events in multiple regions, navigating this pricing structure is going to require a lot more admin, and (potentially) money! It could result in higher fees for events held in certain regions, potentially impacting the profitability of said events. Ultimately, Eventbrite users need to make careful calculations and conduct market research on competitive pricing and financial viability in each specific market.
In comparison, Eventcube offers transparent, no-nonsense pricing that's the same across all regions. There are no hidden fees, and it ends up being thousands cheaper than Eventbrite - but more on that later!
Like most event platforms, Eventbrite charges a service fee for each paid ticket and add-on sold, while tickets with no cost do not incur Eventbrite ticketing fees. The specific fees vary based on the package, country, and currency. However, customers based in places like the US and UK will now have to factor in the added organizer charges.
To calculate your ticketing fees for an event you've already created, Eventbrite provides a straightforward process. By navigating to the "Tickets" section of your event's management page and selecting or creating a paid ticket type, you can access a breakdown of your ticketing fees, including any taxes and ticket revenue.
To better understand how Eventbrite's fees can impact your event's revenue, let's walk through an example. Imagine you are selling a ticket for $50, and Eventbrite's service fee for this ticket type is 3.7% plus $1.79. Using these figures, we can calculate the total fee associated with a $50 ticket*
First, we determine the Eventbrite service fee by multiplying the ticket price ($50) by the service fee percentage (3.7%): $50 x 3.7% = $1.85
Next, we add the flat fee of $1.79 to the Eventbrite service fee: $1.85 + $1.79 = $3.64
Thus, the total fee for a $50 ticket on Eventbrite would amount to $3.64.*
By factoring in Eventbrite service fees, you gain a clear understanding of the impact they have on your event's revenue. This example highlights the importance of considering every service fee when setting your ticket prices and estimating your expected earnings from each ticket sale.
Just remember to ensure you refer to the Eventbrite service fee structure for the country where your event will take place!
In most cases, attendees cover the ticketing fees on Eventbrite. However, as an event organizer, you have the option to absorb these fees and pay them out of your ticketing revenue. This flexibility allows you to decide how the fees will be managed and whether you want to offer a seamless experience to your attendees or adjust your pricing accordingly.
By default, the fees are paid by ticket buyers, but when creating a paid ticket type, you can opt to absorb the fees or pass them on to attendees. It's important to review Eventbrite's new pricing options for potential additional fees related to publishing events with more than 25 tickets, as these fees grant access to Eventbrite's comprehensive marketing tools.
Unfortunately, the fees don't stop there! Eventbrite also charges "At the door fees" for cash and credit cards.
When selling tickets on-site using the Eventbrite Organizer app, you'll need to ensure your event's currency is in either CAD, GBP, or USD. You can choose to either pass on or absorb the Service fee, but the Payment processing fee is automatically deducted from your payout, and it only applies to credit card sales made through the app.
For Canada, there's a C$1 service fee per paid ticket and a 2.9% payment processing fee.*
In the United Kingdom, it's a £0.50 service fee per paid ticket with no payment processing fee.*
For the United States, there's a $1 service fee per paid ticket and a 2.9% payment processing fee.*
In our view, Eventcube is currently the best alternative to Eventbrite, providing event organizers with a refreshing, user-friendly, and (most importantly) cost-effective experience. With its intuitive interface and customizable features, Eventcube empowers organizers to create, promote, and sell tickets for their events seamlessly.
The platform offers a range of powerful tools and features designed to enhance event promotion and attendee management. Integrated email and social media marketing tools enable organizers to effectively reach their target audience, while seamless attendee checkout experiences ensure a smooth ticket purchasing process. No wonder, Eventcube's powerful self-service ticketing system is one of the best in the industry.
The event management platform also provides detailed analytics and reporting, equipping organizers with valuable insights to measure event performance and make data-driven decisions. These analytical capabilities help optimize marketing strategies, identify trends, and maximize event attendance. Whether you're running an in-person, virtual, or hybrid event, Eventcube serves as a cheaper, hassle-free alternative to Eventbrite.
If you're looking save money on your event, RSVPify could be another viable alternative to Eventbrite. The platform stands out as a cost-effective event management solution with a pricing model designed to provide value to organizers of various scales. RSVPify offers a freemium model, providing basic features at no cost and only charging for advanced options or larger events.
A comparison of RSVPify to Eventbrite reveals notable differences in their fee structures that can lead to substantial cost savings over time. RSVPify's lower fees also mean less impact on ticket prices or your bottom line, providing a more economical option. If you're after an intuitive user experience combined with cost efficiency, RSVPify is an alternative worth considering!
Eventbrite charges a $1.79 per ticket fee, plus 3.7% service fees and 2.9% for payment processing, TicketSpice keeps it simple with a flat 99¢ per ticket and the same standard payment processing of 2.9% + 30¢.
This difference can add up quickly, especially for larger events or higher-priced tickets, making TicketSpice much more affordable. Not only do you save on fees, but TicketSpice also gives you more control over your branding and lets you keep 100% of any extra fees you add. Plus, there are no hidden costs, and they even offer weekly payouts, so you don't have to wait until after your event to get paid
Understanding Eventbrite service fees and pricing structure is crucial if you're thinking of committing to the platform. Doing so allows for strategic budgeting and helps avoid surprises in the form of unexpected costs. If you're looking for a cost-effective solution, or run a global events business (where one Eventbrite service fee can be vastly different from another) the software may not be the optimal choice.
So, carefully consider your specific needs, the nature of your events, and your budget. Keep in mind that while Eventbrite has been a popular choice, it's essential to explore alternatives like Eventcube. Not only does Eventcube match many of the services offered by Eventbrite, but (as we've shown) also provides a much more economical, user-friendly solution.
Remember, your choice of platform can significantly impact your event's success, and should be just one of many factors in your decision-making process. Weigh your options carefully, understand the ins and outs of the Eventbrite pricing structure, and explore what platforms like Eventcube have to offer. You might find that the best solution for your event planning needs is just a click away!
If you'd like to learn more about Eventcube, and why it's becoming a fast favorite of event planners, request a free demo today.
*All pricing was taken from the public pricing pages of the aforementioned companies/organisations and was accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing (10/01/2024). Pricing may have changed since the publish date.
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