For a small business, event ticketing software needs to make buying a ticket clear for customers and running admission manageable for the team. Compare the full cost of a sale, the records available to staff and what happens when a booking changes. The right shortlist also depends on whether you sell standalone events, regular classes or both.
Choose the ticketing model your team will run
A single annual event needs ticket sales, admission and financial records. A business that also runs weekly teaching needs a separate answer for session capacity and prepaid return visits. The following products use different pricing and operating models.
Eventbrite: a marketplace with an organizer app
Eventbrite combines ticket sales with consumer discovery. For US paid events, its published service fee is 3.7% plus $1.79 per ticket, with payment processing of 2.9% per order. Free events have no ticketing fees. Paid-ticket fees normally pass to the buyer unless the organizer chooses to cover them; optional marketing services add their own costs.
The Organizer app handles check-in and on-site sales, with roles that limit individual staff access. Cash or other offline payments recorded in the app are money the organizer collects, not funds included in an Eventbrite payout. This distinction matters when the door team sells tickets as well as admitting prepaid guests.
Eventbrite belongs on the shortlist when marketplace discovery is part of the plan. Evaluate the extra sales that channel brings alongside the order cost; a marketplace listing alone does not establish demand.
Ticket Tailor: ticket usage plus a payment provider
Ticket Tailor charges for paid-ticket usage through prepaid credits or pay-as-you-go billing. Stripe, PayPal or Square charges separately for processing. A seated paid ticket uses a ticket credit and an additional seating credit. Refunds do not restore Ticket Tailor credits or its pay-as-you-go fee.
Its check-in app can work offline after the door list has been downloaded. Devices synchronize check-ins while online; offline devices cannot share their latest scans. A venue with unreliable connectivity therefore needs the list loaded before doors open and a plan for staff using separate devices.
This is a relevant option when the business wants a box office connected to its chosen payment provider. Ticket Tailor's billing credits pay for ticket issuance; they are not prepaid class visits held by customers.
Humanitix: currency-specific fees and event-day tools
Humanitix has no subscription or signup fee. Free tickets, imported tickets and manually issued tickets do not incur its booking fee; paid online tickets do. Its fee schedule varies by currency and payment route, with a nonprofit rate where applicable. The fee is passed to buyers by default, or the organizer can absorb it. Use the currency-specific schedule rather than treating one published rate as global.
The Humanitix for Hosts app can scan offline, but initial login, loading the event and selling tickets require connectivity. For a small door team, downloading the correct event beforehand is an operational requirement, not an optional rehearsal.
Humanitix directs its profits to charity. That can be part of the organizer's choice, alongside the actual fee and admission workflow.
Luma: paid events within a calendar community
Luma suits an organizer building a public calendar and returning community around events. Its free plan adds a 5% platform fee to paid events, plus Stripe processing. Luma Plus removes that platform fee in exchange for a subscription; processing remains. Compare the subscription with expected paid sales rather than treating a zero platform percentage as a zero-cost checkout.
Luma's event-change documentation explains that changes to the event name, time, duration or location notify registered guests and update their calendar. Description or theme changes do not trigger those notifications. Plus custom event URLs remain on luma.com; they are not an organizer-owned payment domain.
A calendar community is a different requirement from a prepaid balance that students redeem against eligible class sessions. Choose the model that matches what returning customers actually buy.
Gomry: regular classes alongside public events
Gomry uses Experiences for scheduled sessions, Bundles for eligible prepaid visits and Events for separately ticketed admission. A customer buys visits, then reserves eligible dates with available capacity. The pack does not reserve every future session or cover a separate Event.
Gomry has no monthly platform subscription. Its Standard USD online ticket fee is 3.9% of face value plus $0.79 per paid ticket, with payment processing additional. For an online Bundle purchase, the percentage and one fixed fee apply once to the total pack price. A booking fully covered by its credits adds no further service or processing charge.
Its online browser scanner flags tickets already checked in. Check-in Only staff can consult participants and manage entry without access to revenue, payments, settings or the team. For eligible Event tickets, the recipient signs in and accepts a transfer before becoming the holder. Service and processing charges are not returned under the published refund terms; the organization’s refund-fee arrangement affects what the participant receives. Payout availability and bank arrival remain separate from the sale.
Gomry belongs on the shortlist when a business wants bookable return visits and Event admission in one program. A venue depending on offline admission should retain that requirement in its choice.
Compare the same sale, not the headline fee
| Provider | Platform-cost model | Separate requirement to include |
|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | US service fee per ticket | Processing per order and optional marketing |
| Ticket Tailor | Paid-ticket usage; seating adds usage | Connected processor charges |
| Humanitix | Paid-ticket fee by currency and payment route | Applicable local fee schedule |
| Luma | Paid-event percentage or Plus subscription | Stripe processing |
| Gomry | Service charge on paid sales; no monthly platform fee | Processing, the refund-fee arrangement and applicable payout timing |
Use your own ticket price, typical tickets per order and sales volume. A per-order processing charge and a per-ticket service charge are not interchangeable. Add taxes, optional subscriptions and paid marketing only where they apply, then decide whether the buyer or organizer covers each amount.
A refund changes the calculation. Ticket Tailor does not return its usage charge. With Gomry, whether the participant receives a full or partial refund depends on who bears the refund fees. Returning the ticket price and recovering every original sale cost are separate questions.
Customer records and changing bookings
The person paying for several tickets is not necessarily every attendee. Keep the buyer's order and the individual admission records distinct, especially when a guest transfers a ticket or staff issue a refund. A platform's export should be evaluated against the records the team needs to reconcile, rather than a claim that it "owns" the customer.
Past attendance and future access are also different records. A successful workshop purchase does not establish a remaining class-pack balance. If the business sells both, preserve the relevant eligibility, remaining visits and expiry as well as the event order.
Organizer MCP and consumer commerce address different work. Gomry MCP supports documented staff tasks within account permissions; catalog-to-commerce access supports eligible public Event purchase journeys in connected applications. Neither is a reason to skip the underlying payment and admission requirements.
Rehearse one event before moving the calendar
Use the ticket types and staff devices intended for the next event. Complete one mobile purchase, inspect the buyer total and confirmation, then process a cancellation and check the financial record. At the door, try a valid ticket, a duplicate and an eligible transferred ticket. Confirm which staff role handles an exception and whether the available connectivity supports the chosen check-in workflow.
Keep that order, its admission record and the settlement together. After the event, reconcile the payout and note any manual handoffs before moving recurring sessions or other business lines.
Frequently asked questions
Which ticketing system has the lowest fees?
There is no single winner for every ticket price and country. Eventbrite combines ticket-level and order-level charges; Ticket Tailor separates platform usage from processor fees; Luma's subscription changes its platform percentage. Compare the actual number of tickets per order and include retained refund charges, not just the cheapest advertised percentage.
Is a free plan enough for paid events?
It can be, but free registration and paid-ticket sales have different costs. For example, Luma's free plan has a paid-event platform fee, while Gomry has paid-sale charges without a monthly platform fee. A free plan describes the subscription, not necessarily the final cost of a paid order.
Should a small business use a marketplace?
Use a marketplace when its discovery channel adds customers you would not otherwise reach. If most guests come from your own audience, compare the direct-sales experience, operating costs and returning-customer workflow more heavily. Keep the sales-channel decision separate from the admission system your staff will use.
Start with the offer your business sells
For a standalone event, choose the ticketing and check-in workflow the team can run. For regular sessions alongside public events, compare how the system handles eligible prepaid visits as well as admission. Start with one Gomry Event, or explore Experiences for the scheduled program.