Best Ticketing Platforms With Reserved Seating (2026): 8 Seat Map Tools

A reserved seating ticketing platform lets buyers pick their own seat from a map instead of joining a general-admission crowd, and the best one for most small and mid-size venues in 2026 is Eventist: the seat map builder, pricing zones and GA, VIP and reserved tickets in one event come on a flat CAD fee with no plan tier to unlock. Purplepass is the runner-up when accessible, companion and wheelchair seat types matter most, TicketSpice when you want seat holds and a GA floor on a flat fee, Humanitix when you want the cheapest percentage fee with seating included, and Ticketmaster when the venue contract decides. Every platform below was checked against its own website for a seating chart feature.

Key takeaways

• A reserved seat map only pays for itself when the platform lets you price by zone, hold seats for the artist and press, and sell a GA section in the same event.
• Several platforms put seating charts behind a plan tier or charge more per seated ticket, so the cheapest headline fee is not always the cheapest seated fee.
• Accessible seating is a seat type, not a note: look for wheelchair, companion and accessible seat categories the buyer can see on the map.
• Box office holds keep seats off the online map for walk-ups, sponsors and the artist without hiding them from your own staff.

Top picks at a glance

• Best overall: Eventist, an interactive seat builder with pricing zones, GA plus VIP plus reserved in one event, phone check-in and point-of-sale, on a flat CAD fee per ticket.
• Best for accessible seat types: Purplepass, with accessible, companion and wheelchair seat categories, seat-view photos and obstructed-view flags on the map.
• Best for holds and a GA floor on a flat fee: TicketSpice, 99 cents per ticket with seat holds, pool holds for groups and reserved plus GA in one chart.
• Cheapest percentage fee with seating on every plan: Humanitix, 2.1% + $0.99 CAD per ticket with the seating map builder included.

How we compared reserved seating ticketing platforms

• Seat map builder: self-serve drag-and-drop, with tables and booths alongside rows.
• Pricing zones: price by section, row or individual seat, and multiple ticket types on the same seat.
• Mixed events: GA, VIP and reserved seats sold in one checkout.
• Holds and box office: holds with expiry, box-office-only seats, and selling from the map at the door.
• Accessibility: dedicated accessible, companion and wheelchair seat types visible to the buyer.
• Fees on a seated ticket: any tier requirement or extra charge for seating on top of the base fee.

Pricing and features are as of September 2026, from each vendor's own website or our earlier fee comparison; where a vendor publishes no number, the model is described in words.

The 8 best reserved seating ticketing platforms compared

1. Eventist: seat builder, pricing zones and GA plus reserved on one flat CAD fee

Who it is for: Canadian theatres, concert promoters, galas and recitals seating roughly 200 to 5,000 who want the seat map, the ticketing and the door tools on one account.

What it does well: The interactive seat builder lays out sections, rows and pricing zones, and a single event sells GA standing room, VIP and reserved seats together, with ticket groups and tiers, early-bird and coupon discounts and promoter links on top. Buyers pick their seat through the embeddable checkout on your own website or on the free hosted event page, tickets transfer between attendees, QR check-in runs from any phone camera and the point-of-sale sells remaining seats at the door. Live dashboards show how the house is filling, payments run through your own Stripe or Square and pay out daily, weekly or monthly, the concert case study shows the seat builder on a real show, and a named Canadian support person is included.

What to watch: Seated events use the $4.99 CAD package rather than the $0.85 GA rate, which is a bigger share of a $15 community theatre ticket than of a $60 one. No seat-view photos per section, no resale marketplace, no native attendee app, no discovery marketplace, and the company is newer and smaller than the incumbents.

Pricing: Flat per ticket, never a percentage: $4.99 CAD per ticket for seated events with bulk pricing from $2.99, $0.85 CAD per ticket for general-admission-only events, free events free, no monthly or setup fee. The fee can be absorbed or passed to the buyer; processing is Stripe's or Square's own rate.

2. Purplepass: the deepest seat map for venues with accessibility needs

Who it is for: Theatres and performing arts venues that want true-to-scale maps, seat-view photos and proper accessible seat types.

What it does well: Maps are built true to scale with curves, aisles, rows, tables and vendor booths, colour-coded by price section. Organizers upload stage photos from each section, flag obstructed views, add notes to individual seats, and mark seats as accessible, companion or wheelchair spaces so buyers see them on the map. Box-office-only and on-hold notes keep seats off the online sale.

What to watch: The pricing page does not quote CAD, the company is US-based, and the fee is a percentage plus a fixed amount, so it grows with the ticket price.

Pricing: 2.5% + $0.99 per ticket for for-profit organizers and 2.0% + $0.99 for nonprofits, plus 3.0% online card processing; no map-building fees, no box office fees, free events free.

3. TicketSpice: holds, pool holds and a GA floor on a flat fee

Who it is for: Fairs, concert series and recurring shows that want a flat fee and a chart they build themselves.

What it does well: The interactive seating chart builder mixes reserved seating with open general-admission areas and VIP tables in one chart, sets senior, student and child price points on the same seat, and controls the order seats are sold in. Seat holds carry expiry dates, pool holds let a group's members sit together, seat-view preview images are supported per section, and reserved seating is included at no extra charge.

What to watch: Priced in US dollars, with email and text messaging sold as monthly add-ons, and fees are deducted from weekly payouts rather than billed separately.

Pricing: 99 cents per paid ticket (49 cents for tickets of $5 or less and at the box office) plus 2.9% + 30 cents processing, in USD; weekly payouts.

4. Humanitix: seating maps included on the cheapest percentage fee here

Who it is for: Community theatres, school shows and charity galas that want assigned seating without paying a higher tier for it.

What it does well: The seating map builder handles round and square tables, rows and open areas, maps ticket types to seats so a VIP or staff ticket only reaches its own section, and marks tables private for sponsors. Buyers pick seats at checkout or are auto-assigned, hosts can move attendees afterwards, saved maps become templates, and the Canadian pricing page lists seating on every plan. All profits go to charity.

What to watch: Still a percentage fee that grows with the ticket price, and we could not verify dedicated accessible seat types in the builder.

Pricing: 2.1% + $0.99 CAD per paid ticket, 1% + $0.99 for charities and schools, plus Stripe processing; free events are free.

5. Ticketleap: box office holds and a GA section drawn over your own venue map

Who it is for: Small US and Canadian theatres and venues that sell a mix of online and walk-up seats.

What it does well: You upload an image of the venue and layer seats, rows, blocks and tables over it, mark ADA seating, price by section or per seat, and build a general-admission section into the same chart. Named box office hold types keep seats off the online map while staff can still sell them, and reserved seating is included on every account.

What to watch: A percentage plus a fixed fee per ticket and a separate percentage per order, and payouts arrive four to seven business days after the event.

Pricing: $1 + 2% of the ticket price plus a 3% online transaction fee per order, $0.49 for tickets of $5 or less, ticketing fees capped at $20 per ticket; sells in USD, CAD and AUD; free events free.

6. Eventbrite: a seat map plus the biggest discovery marketplace

Who it is for: Seated shows that need Eventbrite's marketplace and app to find an audience.

What it does well: A drag-and-drop seating chart maker from templates, with sections, rows and tables, ticket tiers per section and a shoppable venue map for buyers. Real-time sales, promo codes and pre-event payouts are on the same account.

What to watch: The percentage fee makes a $75 seated ticket expensive, the buyer relationship is shared with the marketplace, and the reserved seating page does not say whether a GA section can share the event with reserved rows. Eventist vs Eventbrite covers the fee and ownership differences.

Pricing: 3.5% + $1.29 CAD per paid ticket plus 2.9% payment processing per order; free events free.

7. Showpass: Canadian assigned seating, but only on the Professional tier

Who it is for: Canadian venues that want CAD pricing, hardware scanners and a box office alongside their seat map.

What it does well: Assigned seating maps let you design the venue layout and link ticket types to seats, rows or sections, the box office attendance view shows who is in each seat and lets staff check in or exchange from the map, and maps download for front-of-house planning.

What to watch: Seating maps sit on the Professional tier, so the Essential rate does not apply to a seated show, and payouts are processed the Monday after the event ends.

Pricing: Essential 1% + $0.59, Professional 2.5% + $1.69 per paid item, Premium by custom quote, plus 2.9% + $0.30 CAD processing; no monthly fee, free events free.

8. Ticketmaster: interactive seat maps at arena scale, when the venue is contracted

Who it is for: Arenas, major theatres and any room already contracted to Ticketmaster.

What it does well: Interactive seat maps with seat views and real-time availability from the first minute of an on-sale, a queue built for demand spikes, and TM1 tools for venue staff to scale the house and allocate inventory.

What to watch: Not self-serve, fees negotiated per venue with no published rate card (roughly $10 to $15 on a $50 ticket if they run at the 20% to 30% regulators have measured), and buyer data that belongs to the venue relationship. Eventist vs Ticketmaster explains when an independent should stay away.

Pricing: Negotiated per venue and event, not published.

Comparison table

How to choose a reserved seating ticketing platform

Price a seated ticket, not the headline fee. Showpass needs its Professional tier for seating and Eventist charges its $4.99 package rate for seated events. Run your actual ticket through the event ticketing fees by platform comparison with the seated tier applied.

Decide whether GA and reserved share the event. A concert with a standing pit and a seated balcony, or a gala with tables and a standing bar, needs one checkout that sells both. Eventist, TicketSpice and Ticketleap do this in one chart; check the others before you announce.

Treat accessibility as a seat type. Wheelchair spaces, companion seats and accessible aisle seats should be visible and bookable on the map, not a note in the description. Purplepass and Ticketleap label them in the builder; on other platforms, plan a separate section and ticket type.

Plan holds before the on-sale. Artist comps, press, sponsors and walk-ups all need seats kept off the online map; holds with expiry dates release them back to sale automatically.

Sell from your own website. A seated checkout embedded on your own site keeps the buyer on your domain and the list in your hands. How to sell tickets on your own website covers the embed options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which ticketing platforms include reserved seating for free?

Purplepass, TicketSpice, Humanitix, Ticketleap, Eventbrite and Eventist include the seating chart builder in their standard fee with no tier or setup charge, based on each vendor's own site. Showpass requires its Professional tier. Ticketmaster is not self-serve, so seating comes with a negotiated venue contract.

Can I sell general admission and reserved seats in the same event?

Yes on Eventist, TicketSpice and Ticketleap, which draw a GA section into the same chart as reserved rows, and Humanitix supports open areas on its map. Eventbrite's reserved seating page does not spell this out, and Showpass links ticket types to seats or sections, so check how a GA pit is handled before you commit.

How do seat holds work on a reserved seating ticketing platform?

A hold keeps a seat off the online map without selling it, so you can reserve artist comps, press seats, sponsor tables and walk-up inventory. Ticketleap uses named hold types that stay sellable at the box office, TicketSpice attaches expiry dates and pool holds for groups, and Purplepass adds on-hold notes to seats. Release holds a week before the show so the map does not look sold out when it is not.

Do I need a seat map for a 200-seat theatre?

Only if the audience will pay more for the front rows or you sell subscriptions to the same seats. For a single-price community show, general admission with tiered early-bird pricing sells faster and needs no map. Once you price by zone, or regulars ask for their seats back, a seat map builder earns its keep.

For most Canadian venues under a few thousand seats, the deciding question is whether the seat map comes with the ticketing on a fee you can predict, or sits behind a tier. See how Eventist handles reserved seating for events, read the best event ticketing platforms of 2026 for the wider landscape, and if you promote shows, our concert ticketing platforms for independent promoters roundup picks up where this one leaves off.