Eventbrite

Overview

Eventbrite is an event publishing and ticketing service for organizers and attendees, with tools for promoting events and managing attendance. It is best suited to organizers who want public event discovery alongside ticket sales and check-in. Free events are particularly compelling; paid-ticket fees are the main cost to weigh.

Its scope spans classes, concerts and festivals, while attendees can discover events, register and access tickets in a separate mobile app. Organizers can also use reporting to review event results.

Key features

Publishing and promotion

Event pages bring event information and ticket sales together. Organizers can seek visibility in Eventbrite’s marketplace, run email campaigns, use Facebook and Instagram ad tools, and distribute promo codes. Smart audiences and reporting add tools for targeting and reviewing promotion. AI event creation is also among the ticketing tools. Advanced form customization may suit organizers with more involved registration needs.

Attendee access and on-site operations

The attendee app offers discovery, registration and ticket access on iPhone and Android. On the organizer side, the iOS and Android app scans QR tickets, checks in attendees and supports on-site ticket sales. Check-in and badge printing are supported, making Eventbrite a broader option than a ticket checkout alone.

Integrations, security and support

The app marketplace includes more than 100 apps, and documented integrations include Mailchimp and Zoom. Zoom is a qualified fit: the integration requires an online, non-recurring event and excludes government Zoom accounts. Eventbrite states that it complies with PCI DSS 4.0.1 Level 1 as both merchant and service provider; organizers can also enable authenticator-app multi-factor authentication. Support includes a Help Center and email, with 24/7 chat for paid events.

Pricing

Free event publishing

The free publishing plan costs nothing. It allows unlimited event publishing, free tickets without ticketing fees, and free events of any size. That is a strong fit for organizers whose events do not charge admission; it does not remove the fees on paid tickets.

Premium and Pro

Eventbrite Premium costs $69 a month, billed $69 per month or $708 per year (save $120). It is an optional subscription with up to 2,000 marketing emails per day and $20/month in EB Ads credits; availability varies by country. It suits organizers who can use the added email capacity and ad credits, but it is a recurring cost on top of paid-ticket fees.

Eventbrite Pro is $15 a month, starting at $15/month, and is no longer available to new subscribers. Existing subscribers keep their plan and email limits; the pricing page describes up to 10,000 daily marketing emails. It is therefore relevant to current subscribers, not a lower-cost entry point for new customers.

Paid ticket fees

Paid ticketing has no listed subscription price, but US fees are 3.7% plus $1.79 per paid ticket and 2.9% per order for payment processing. Fees apply only to paid tickets. Buyers pay by default, or organizers can absorb the charges; organizers should account for the per-ticket component as well as the order fee when setting prices.

Platforms

Eventbrite is available on web, Android and iOS, and offers an API. The attendee and organizer apps extend the service to mobile event discovery and on-site operations.

Who it's for

Eventbrite suits organizers who want event pages, marketplace promotion, ticket sales and mobile check-in in one service, especially those running free events or varied public events. It is less attractive when paid-ticket fees are a priority to minimize, or when an organizer needs Zoom integration for a recurring event or a government account.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Unlimited free event publishing and no fees on free tickets make it practical for events without paid admission.
• Pros: Promotion tools, attendee ticket access and organizer QR check-in cover several stages of running an event.
• Pros: More than 100 marketplace apps and documented Mailchimp and Zoom integrations give organizers options to connect workflows.
• Cons: Paid tickets incur both a per-ticket service charge and an order processing fee, even when the organizer chooses to pass them to buyers.
• Cons: Premium adds a monthly or annual subscription cost, and its availability varies by country.
• Cons: Zoom support excludes recurring events and government Zoom accounts.
• Cons: Pro is closed to new subscribers, so new organizers cannot choose its higher stated email limit at the starting price.

Alternatives

• Humanitix is worth comparing for organizers weighing per-ticket charges: its free events have no ticket fee, while its Standard plan is $0.99 a month per paid ticket with a 2.1% booking fee.
• Zoho Backstage may suit smaller events that can work within its free caps of 100 attendees, 300 RSVP invites, three sessions, three speakers and one event day per event; it also offers a free trial.
• AlignMint is aimed at eligible organizations with up to $100K in annual donations, with a free plan limited to one user and 10 GB of storage.
• Kindest Events offers a free Kickstart plan with three admin seats and a 5% platform fee, waived for the first $50K of the first year.
• RunSignup is another event registration option with a free event tier and no processing fee for a $0 cart.
• RegFox has a $0/month Standard plan with a $0.99 plus 1% fee per paid registration, capped at $4.99 per registrant; free events carry a $0.99 fee.
• Zeffy is a free service spanning event ticketing and fundraising, alongside donation forms, donor management and email tools.
• Enthuse offers a Mass Participation plan at £0.00/month with a 0% platform fee, plus a 1.9% + 30p payment provider fee and 5% Gift Aid fee.

For broader comparisons, see nonprofit event management software, event management software, event registration software, event website builders and event badge printing software.

Verdict

Choose Eventbrite if you want event publishing, promotion, ticketing and mobile check-in under one roof, particularly for free events or public events that benefit from marketplace visibility. Its strongest case is the combination of free publishing and operational coverage; look elsewhere if paid-ticket charges undermine your pricing or your Zoom setup falls outside its supported use.