Event ticketing fees compared: Eventbrite, Ticket Tailor and a free option
Event ticketing platforms charge in different places, so their headline rates do not compare directly. One charges buyers by default, one charges the organizer a flat amount per ticket, and one adds nothing to PayPal's or Stripe's fee. This guide puts all three on the same tickets, counts card processing in every total, and says who pays each fee.
Three ways to charge for a ticket
These are the US rates for one paid ticket, and who pays by default.
| Eventbrite | Ticket Tailor | Payly | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee per paid ticket | 3.7% + $1.79 | $0.85 pay as you go | $0 |
| Who pays it by default | The buyer | The organizer | Not applicable |
| Card processing | 2.9% of the order, charged by Eventbrite | PayPal, Stripe or Square, paid by the organizer | PayPal or Stripe, paid by the owner |
| Where the money goes | Paid out after the event by default | Straight to your account | Straight to your account |
| Free tickets | $0 | $0 up to 5,000 a year | $0 |
None of the three needs a monthly plan. Ticket Tailor charges per ticket sold and needs a card on file for its fees. Its price calculator also shows prepaid credits, one per paid ticket: 1,000 credits cost $540 ($0.54 each) and 2,000 cost $1,000 ($0.50 each). You can add a booking fee or a transaction fee by hand so buyers cover it.
If you absorb every fee
Here the buyer pays the listed price and you cover the fees. Each cell is what you receive per ticket, with card processing in every row. PayPal Checkout is 3.49% + $0.49 and Stripe is 2.9% + $0.30; see PayPal vs Stripe for how they differ.
| Setup | $10 | $25 | $50 | $100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payly + PayPal Checkout | $9.16 | $23.64 | $47.76 | $96.02 |
| Payly + Stripe | $9.41 | $23.97 | $48.25 | $96.80 |
| Ticket Tailor + PayPal Checkout | $8.31 | $22.79 | $46.91 | $95.17 |
| Ticket Tailor + Stripe | $8.56 | $23.12 | $47.40 | $95.95 |
| Eventbrite, Absorb fees ticked | $7.55 | $21.55 | $44.91 | $91.61 |
Ticket Tailor's rows add its $0.85 to the processor's fee. Eventbrite uses its own processing, so there is no processor to choose.
If buyers pay the fees
Now you keep the full listed price and the fees go on top. Each cell is what the buyer pays for one ticket.
| Setup | $10 | $25 | $50 | $100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite default | $12.51 | $28.52 | $55.20 | $108.55 |
| Ticket Tailor + PayPal Checkout | $11.75 | $27.29 | $53.20 | $105.00 |
| Ticket Tailor + Stripe | $11.48 | $26.93 | $52.68 | $104.17 |
| Payly + PayPal Checkout, price raised | $10.87 | $26.41 | $52.32 | $104.12 |
| Payly + Stripe, price raised | $10.61 | $26.06 | $51.80 | $103.30 |
Eventbrite does this by default. Ticket Tailor has no automatic setting, so you add the booking and transaction fees by hand. Payly has no fee line to pass on: its rows show the price an owner would set to keep the full amount after PayPal's or Stripe's fee. That is a pricing choice, not a Payly setting.
A 100-ticket event at $25
This event sells 100 single-ticket orders, $2,500 in ticket sales.
| Setup | Fees if you absorb | You receive | Buyers pay if fees go on top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payly + PayPal Checkout | $136 | $2,364 | $2,641 |
| Payly + Stripe | $103 | $2,397 | $2,606 |
| Ticket Tailor + PayPal Checkout | $221 | $2,279 | $2,729 |
| Ticket Tailor + Stripe | $188 | $2,312 | $2,693 |
| Eventbrite | $345 | $2,155 | $2,852 |
With Stripe as the processor, Payly leaves $85 more than Ticket Tailor on these 100 tickets, and $242 more than Eventbrite with fees absorbed. Order size matters too. PayPal and Stripe charge their fixed part once per payment, so the same 100 tickets sold as 50 orders of two cost less: the fees you absorb with Payly and Stripe drop from $103 to $87.50. Eventbrite barely moves ($345 to $344.50), because its $1.79 repeats for every ticket.
Where a competitor is free or cheaper
- Free events. All three cost $0. Ticket Tailor covers up to 5,000 free tickets a year, though a free ticket on a seating chart costs one usage ($0.85).
- Eventbrite's default. You pay no fee yourself, because buyers do. A $25 ticket costs the buyer $28.52, which is 14.1% more.
- Ticket Tailor in bulk. On a 2,000-credit pack with Stripe, a $100 ticket leaves $96.30, more than Payly with PayPal Checkout ($96.02). Compare the same processor to be fair.
What a refund costs
A refund does not always give the fees back. Eventbrite keeps its Ticketing Fees by default, with exceptions such as a canceled or postponed event. Ticket Tailor does not return its ticket fee. PayPal and Stripe do not return the processing fee they took on the original payment. On Payly a refunded ticket costs you only that processor fee, and a full refund puts the tickets back on sale.
What Eventbrite and Ticket Tailor have that Payly does not
Both offer reserved seating, promo codes, waitlists, reminders and a free check-in app. Ticket Tailor's app works offline, and Eventbrite runs a marketplace of ticket buyers. Payly's event tickets do not support assigned seats, promo codes, waitlists or reminder emails. Its check-in runs in a browser, so there is no app to install, but it needs an internet connection. The date and place are not printed on the ticket, so write them in the event description, and you share the event's link or QR code yourself.
Payly does let you charge guests in monthly payments that stop by themselves, as its Conference and Charity gala templates do. See Ticket types and limits and Check guests in at the door, or create a free Payly account.
Questions
What is the cheapest way to sell event tickets?
For a free event, all three cost $0. For paid tickets, compare totals on the same processor. Payly adds no ticket fee, so only PayPal's or Stripe's fee remains.
Can I pass the ticket fees on to buyers?
Eventbrite does it by default. On Ticket Tailor you add a booking fee and a transaction fee by hand. Payly has no fee line to pass on, so raise the ticket price instead.
Do I need a monthly plan?
No, none of the three needs one to sell tickets. Eventbrite and Ticket Tailor sell optional extras, such as Ticket Tailor's $49 a month add-on that removes its branding.
Prices as published by each company for the US in November 2026. Prices can change; check each company's own pricing page.
