Eventbrite fees: A complete guide for 2026

Eventbrite fees depend on a few key factors: whether tickets are free or paid, where your event is located, and how payments are processed. While Eventbrite is free to use for free events, selling paid tickets triggers service and payment processing fees that can add up quickly at scale.

This guide breaks down how Eventbrite pricing works today, including what percentage is taken per ticket, how fees are calculated in the US and UK, and when optional subscription plans apply. You’ll also see real world examples on how the fees affect your bottom line.

Later in the guide, we look at which types of events Eventbrite’s pricing model suits best, and why some organizers selling event tickets start comparing flat-fee alternatives as ticket volume grows.

Eventbrite pricing at a glance

The table below shows the standard Eventbrite ticketing fees in 2026 for both free and paid events, using pricing for event organizers in the United States and the United Kingdom.

How Eventbrite fees are calculated

For paid events, Eventbrite applies a combination of per-ticket service fees and payment processing fees. The exact amount depends on where the event is based, the ticket price, and whether the organizer chooses to pass fees on to attendees or absorb them.

At a high level, Eventbrite calculates fees in two steps:

1. A service fee is applied to each ticket sold
2. A payment processing fee is applied to the total order

These fees are shown to buyers at checkout by default, but organizers can choose to include them in the ticket price instead.

Eventbrite fee formula (US)

Total Eventbrite fees =
(Ticket price × 3.7%) + $1.79 per ticket
+ (Order total × 2.9%)

Where:

• Ticket price is the base ticket cost
• Order total includes the ticket price plus service fees
• The 2.9% processing fee is charged once per order, not per ticket

Example scenario: $40 ticket sold in the US

• Ticket price: $40.00
• Service fee: 3.7% of $40 = $1.48
• Fixed service fee: $1.79
• Subtotal (ticket + service fee): $41.79
• Payment processing fee: 2.9% of $41.79 = $1.21

Total Eventbrite fees: $4.52
Effective fee rate: Approx. 11.3% of the ticket price

How this changes in the UK

In the UK, Eventbrite applies a combined ticketing fee rather than separating service and payment processing fees.

• A single fee of 6.95% + £0.59 per ticket is applied
• There is no separate payment processing line item

This makes UK pricing simpler to calculate, though the effective fee still increases as ticket prices rise.

Who pays the fees?

By default:

• Attendees pay Eventbrite’s fees at checkout

Organizers can instead:

• Absorb the fees themselves, which increases the effective cost of using Eventbrite but keeps ticket prices cleaner for buyers

This choice doesn’t change how fees are calculated, only who pays them.

Why ticket price matters

Because Eventbrite’s fees are partly percentage-based, the effective cost per ticket increases as prices rise. For low-priced or free events, this may be negligible. For higher-priced or higher-volume events, the same percentage can become a meaningful operating cost.

Later in this guide, we’ll look at common scenarios to show how this plays out in practice as events scale.

Additional fees to be aware of

Eventbrite’s headline fees don’t tell the full story. Depending on how and where you sell tickets, additional rules and regional variations can meaningfully affect your total cost.

On-site vs at-the-door ticket sales

Selling tickets in person introduces extra fees, even if the ticket price is the same as online.

United States & Canada

• $1.00 service fee per ticket
• 2.9% payment processing fee per order
• Applies to both card and cash transactions

United Kingdom

• £0.50 service fee per ticket
• No additional payment processing fee

These fees are charged on top of standard online ticketing fees, making door sales disproportionately expensive for high-volume events.

Discounts and special pricing

Eventbrite offers limited discounts, but they apply only to subscription plans, not ticketing fees.

Nonprofit discounts

• Eligible nonprofits can receive discounted Pro plan pricing
• Requires approval via Eventbrite’s application process
• Ticketing fees still apply to paid tickets

Annual Pro plan savings

• Annual billing provides a 20% discount compared to monthly plans
• This affects email marketing capacity only, not per-ticket costs

Eventbrite ticketing fees in different countries

Eventbrite pricing varies significantly by region, both in structure and effective rate.

• Some countries use combined ticketing fees
• Others separate service and payment processing fees
• Fixed per-ticket charges mean low-priced tickets are hit harder
• Currency differences can obscure true percentage costs

For organizers selling tickets internationally, this can add complexity especially when forecasting margins.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the fee differences per country for sellers considering ticket sales in multiple regions.

Eventbrite pricing structure: pros and cons

When Eventbrite makes sense

Eventbrite’s marketplace pricing model works best when you benefit directly from its marketplace visibility.

It’s often a good fit for:

• One-off or occasional events
• Local events relying on Eventbrite’s discovery traffic
• Free or low-revenue events
• Organizers without an existing audience or email list

In these cases, the fees can be seen as a distribution cost rather than just software pricing.

When to consider an Eventbrite alternative

As events grow, Eventbrite’s model can become increasingly expensive.

Common tipping points include:

• Higher ticket prices (percentage fees scale upward)
• Recurring or high-volume events
• Selling primarily to your own audience (email, social, community)
• Needing full control over branding and attendee data

At this stage, organizers often realize they’re paying marketplace-level fees without marketplace-level value.

That’s typically when creators start looking for Eventbrite alternative platforms tools designed for owned audiences and scalable revenue, rather than discovery-driven platforms.

Marketplace fees vs direct ticketing platforms: what you’re really paying for

At its core, Eventbrite’s pricing reflects its role as a discovery and marketplace-first platform.

This distinction matters as it explains the justification of the higher fees that are applied by marketplace platforms.

Marketplace pricing (Eventbrite)

With Eventbrite, fees act as a distribution tax:

• You pay per ticket sold
• Fees scale as ticket prices increase
• Eventbrite controls the checkout, branding, and much of the attendee relationship

This model makes sense when Eventbrite is actively helping to extend your reach, make you more easily discoverable and find interested buyers for your event tickets.

Direct ticketing platforms

Independent direct ticketing platforms take a different approach. They tend to offer:

• Flat or predictable software costs without per ticket fees
• No penalty for higher ticket prices
• Much more comprehensive control over checkout, branding, and data
• Optimized for selling to an existing audience

Here, pricing reflects the benefits of the tool, rather than gaining you traffic.

Real-world fee scenarios (US-based)

Let’s take a look at some different scenarios where we’ll be able to see the different total cost outcomes across the different platform types.

Scenario 1: One-off local event

• Ticket price: $30
• Tickets sold: 100
• Gross revenue: $3,000
• Approximate Eventbrite fees: ~$330

In this case, the fees may be reasonable if Eventbrite contributes meaningful discovery and ticket sales.

Scenario 2: Recurring workshops

• Ticket price: $40
• Tickets per event: 150
• Events per month: 2
• Monthly revenue: $12,000

With ~11% total fees, Eventbrite costs can exceed $1,300/month, before marketing spend.

At this scale, organizers are often no longer paying a reasonable cost for discovery. It starts to feel more like a success tax.

Scenario 3: Scaling course creator

• Ticket price: $75
• Monthly ticket volume: 300
• Monthly revenue: $22,500

Eventbrite fees can exceed $2,400/month, rising automatically as revenue grows.

Understandably, this is the point where creators start questioning whether a percentage-based model still makes sense.

Comparing direct ticketing with marketplace platforms

Direct ticketing platforms are designed for organizers who sell primarily to their own audience, rather than relying on a marketplace for discovery. These platforms focus on:

• Predictable pricing (often flat monthly fees instead of per-ticket fees)
• Branded checkout pages that match your website and event identity
• Full control over attendee data, including emails, demographics, and custom fields
• Flexible ticket types and add-ons, such as VIP access, early-bird pricing, and donations
• Fast payouts with minimal delay

Unlike marketplace platforms like Eventbrite, these tools don’t charge a percentage per ticket. Instead, your cost is fixed, which can make planning and scaling easier for recurring events or higher-priced tickets.

How Eventbrite compares to direct ticketing platforms

Eventbrite vs Checkout Page: Example cost scenarios

Let’s revisit one of the scenarios from earlier, and this time look at the fees associated with listing on Eventbrite side by side with selling on Checkout Page, which is an independent checkout solution.

Scenario:

• Ticket price: $40
• Tickets per event: 150
• Events per month: 2
• Monthly revenue: $12,000

Eventbrite fees (US):

• Service fee: 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket → ~$330 per event
• Payment processing: 2.9% per order → ~$110 per event
• Total monthly fees: ~$880

Checkout Page costs (US)

• Monthly subscription: $83 (Grow plan, up to $10k sales/month; assume $83 + small overage)
• Transaction fees: $0 per ticket
• Total monthly fees: ~$83

Takeaway: For higher-volume or recurring events, direct ticketing platforms keep far more revenue in the organizer’s pocket while providing full control over branding and attendee data. Marketplace platforms like Eventbrite are still useful for one-off or discovery-driven events, but costs scale with ticket price and sales volume.

Conclusion and next steps

Eventbrite works well for one-off or discovery-driven events, offering marketplace visibility and built-in promotion tools. However, as events scale or rely more on your own audience, per-ticket fees and limited control over branding and attendee data can make costs grow quickly.

Direct ticketing platforms provide an alternative approach designed for organizers who want:

• Predictable, flat-rate pricing with no per-ticket fees
• Fully branded, single-page event and checkout experiences
• Flexible ticket types, add-ons, and discounts
• Instant payouts and quick setup with no coding required
• Full ownership of attendee data and check-in tools

For recurring events, high-volume workshops, or creators selling primarily to their own audience, these features make planning, scaling, and optimizing your events much easier.

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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. How much does Eventbrite charge to sell tickets?

Eventbrite charges a service fee per ticket plus a payment processing fee. In the US, this is typically 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, plus 2.9% per order. UK fees differ, with 6.95% + £0.59 per ticket. Free tickets incur no Eventbrite fees.

2. Does Eventbrite charge a fee for free events?

No, Eventbrite does not charge fees on free tickets. You can publish unlimited free events without any per-ticket charges.

3. How can I calculate Eventbrite fees?

Use a simple Eventbrite fees calculator:
Total fees = (Ticket price × 3.7%) + $1.79 per ticket + (Order total × 2.9%) for the US. Adjust percentages for other regions. This helps you estimate costs before selling.

4. What are Eventbrite’s pricing plans?

Eventbrite offers free publishing for all events. Paid features, like expanded email marketing, are available through Pro plans starting at $15/month in the US. Nonprofits and annual subscribers may receive discounts.

5. How much is Eventbrite for paid events?

For paid events, the effective fee can reach 11% or more per ticket depending on price, volume, and region. Additional fees apply for on-site or at-the-door ticket sales.