Event Ticketing Platforms Compared (2026): Fees, Payouts, and Ticket Types

Choosing the right ticketing platform comes down to four things: how much you actually pay per ticket, how quickly you get your money, what ticket types and pricing tiers you can offer, and how smoothly payments flow from buyer to your bank account.

This guide compares Eventbrite, Ticket Tailor, Universe, and GuestlistOnline across all four, so you can choose the one that fits your event type and budget.

What to look for in a ticketing platform

Before diving in, here are the criteria that matter most for event organisers selling tickets:

• Ticket fees: Flat fee, percentage, or both — and who pays them (you or your attendees)?
• Payout speed: Do you get paid before the event, after, or via connected Stripe?
• Refund policy: Can you issue refunds, and does the fee come back to you?
• Ticket types: Free tickets, paid tiers, early bird pricing, donations — which platforms support them natively?
• Payment gateways: Which processors are supported, and what are the implications for your cash flow?

Quick comparison

Ticket fees explained

Every ticketing platform makes money somewhere — the question is how and who pays. There are three common models:

Attendee-paid fees: The platform adds a service charge on top of your ticket price. Your attendees see a higher total at checkout, but you receive your full ticket price. Eventbrite uses this model.

Organiser-paid fees: You absorb the fee, which is deducted from payouts. Your attendees see a clean price with no checkout surprises. Ticket Tailor, Universe, and GuestlistOnline all use organiser-paid models.

All-in processing: Some platforms roll payment processing into a single fee — meaning no separate Stripe or payment gateway charges on top. GuestlistOnline's €0.25 + 5% covers all payment processing with no additional per-transaction fees.

Payout speed matters more than you think

For most organisers, the time between ticket sale and money-in-bank is critical for event cash flow — venue deposits, catering, and marketing often need to be paid before the event.

Direct Stripe Connect: Ticket Tailor, Universe, and GuestlistOnline all use Stripe Connect to send payments directly to your Stripe account as tickets are sold. There is no intermediary holding period — you receive funds in real time (subject to Stripe's standard payout schedule, typically 2–7 business days to your bank).

Platform-managed payouts: Eventbrite holds funds and disburses them according to its payout schedule. Pre-event payouts are available for eligible organisers, but the default is post-event settlement. This can create cash flow gaps for smaller organisers.

Refund policies: what happens to your fee?

Refunds are an underappreciated cost. When an attendee cancels, most platforms keep the transaction fee — even though the ticket was returned.

• Eventbrite: The platform service fee is typically non-refundable to the attendee when a ticket is cancelled.
• Ticket Tailor: Per-ticket credits are consumed at the point of sale and are not returned on refund.
• Universe: The service fee is not returned when a ticket is cancelled.
• GuestlistOnline: If you refund a ticket, the €0.25 + 5% fee is not charged. You pay nothing for a ticket that is returned — making it the most refund-friendly option for events with higher cancellation rates.

Ticket types and pricing tiers

Not all events need a single price point. Here is how each platform handles ticket type flexibility:

Eventbrite

Eventbrite supports free tickets, paid tickets, and donation tickets. You can run multiple ticket types per event (e.g. General Admission + VIP) and set quantity limits per tier. Early bird pricing requires manual date management — you create an early bird tier and set its end date, then activate the standard price tier manually.

Ticket Tailor

Ticket Tailor has strong multi-tier support. You can create:

• Free tickets (no charge for up to 5,000 per year)
• Paid tickets (flat price per tier)
• Early bird tickets with automatic tier switching when a date or quantity limit is reached
• Donation tickets (pay what you want)
• Membership and season tickets for repeat attendance

Pricing changes between tiers are automatic — when your early bird allocation sells out, the next tier activates without manual intervention.

Universe

Universe supports free, paid, and tiered ticket types. Early bird pricing is available but requires manual end-date configuration. The platform allows quantity limits per tier and percentage-based group discounts via promo codes. There is no native donation or pay-what-you-want ticket type.

GuestlistOnline

GuestlistOnline supports free, paid, tiered, and early bird ticket types with automatic tier switching. Early bird tickets can be configured to close automatically based on either a date or a sold quantity — whichever comes first. Additional ticket types include:

• Capacity-gated tiers: Close a ticket type automatically when a set number of tickets is sold
• Approval-required tickets: RSVP tickets that require organiser approval before confirmation
• Mixed events: A single event can include both ticketed guests (via Stripe) and non-ticketed guests (invited directly to the guest list), tracked in one unified list

Payment gateway integrations

Payment gateway choice affects your payout speed, currency support, and per-transaction costs.

Important: Ticket Tailor and Universe both route payments through Stripe Connect, which means you also pay Stripe's transaction fee (typically 1.4% + 25p for European cards, 2.9% + 30¢ for US cards) on top of the platform fee. GuestlistOnline's €0.25 + 5% is all-inclusive — there is no separate Stripe charge.

Currency support: All four platforms support multi-currency ticketing. Eventbrite has dedicated local payment methods in some markets. Stripe Connect (used by the other three) supports 135+ currencies with local payment methods via Stripe's native integrations.

How to choose

Choose Eventbrite if you are running large public events and want the platform's built-in audience to drive ticket sales. The attendee-paid fee model works well when your buyers are accustomed to service charges and you value Eventbrite's marketing and discovery tools. Pre-event payouts are available for eligible organisers.

Choose Ticket Tailor if you promote your own events and want the lowest per-ticket cost. The credit pack model rewards organisers who plan ahead and sell consistently. Strong early bird and multi-tier support is a plus, though you will also pay Stripe's transaction fee on top.

Choose Universe if you want to embed ticketing directly on your website and sell tickets at mid-range prices. The percentage model with a per-ticket cap is predictable for higher-priced events. Note that Stripe's transaction fee applies separately.

Choose GuestlistOnline if you want all-in pricing with no payment processing surprises, a refund-friendly fee structure, and flexible ticket tier management. The platform is particularly well suited to events that mix ticketed and non-ticketed guests — corporate events, nightclub nights, weddings, and brand events where the invited guest list and paid ticketing need to work together in one system.

Try GuestlistOnline free for your next ticketed event

GuestlistOnline's free plan includes one event with up to 50 guests. For paid events, the fee is €0.25 + 5% per ticket — all payment processing included, no monthly subscription required. Create your first event and see how ticketing, guest lists, and early bird pricing work together in one place.

Frequently Asked Questions