Free Ticketing Fee Comparison Calculator: What Will Your Platform Really Cost in 2026?

Ticketing fees for the same event can differ by thousands of dollars depending on the platform, because most platforms charge a percentage of your ticket price plus a flat fee per ticket. The fastest way to see what you would actually pay is to run your own numbers — so we built a free calculator that compares published 2026 per-ticket pricing across the major platforms in CAD.

How do ticketing platform fees work?

Almost every ticketing platform charges one of two models: a percentage of the ticket price plus a flat per-ticket fee (Eventbrite, Humanitix, Dice), or a flat per-ticket fee alone (Ticket Tailor, Eventist). Percentage-based fees grow with your ticket price — a 3.7% fee costs you $1.11 on a $30 ticket but $3.70 on a $100 ticket. Flat fees stay the same no matter what you charge, which is why they win for tickets above roughly $40. We break down the full fee math in our guide to what it costs to sell tickets online.

What do the major platforms charge in 2026?

As of mid-2026, per published pricing, the base per-paid-ticket fees look like this (payment processing is typically extra at around 2.9% + $0.30):

• Eventbrite — about 3.7% + $1.79 CAD per ticket
• Ticketmaster — service fees commonly land between 20% and 30% of face value; our calculator uses a typical $15.75 flat service charge
• Dice and Humanitix — around 5% of the ticket price
• Ticket Tailor — a flat $0.65 per ticket on prepaid credits
• Luma — around 3% for paid events
• Eventist — a flat $0.85 CAD per ticket, capped at $2.99, with free events always free

Why does a flat capped fee matter?

A flat capped fee makes your costs predictable and keeps them from scaling against you as you grow. If you sell 1,000 tickets at $60, a 3.7% + $1.79 platform takes about $4,010 before processing, while a flat $0.85 fee takes $850 — a difference of over $3,000 on a single event. That difference is why Reddit threads about ticketing consistently steer organizers toward flat-fee platforms; we cover that sentiment in what Reddit says about ticketing fees.

Who should pay the fee — you or the buyer?

Either can work, but show the all-in price early no matter what you choose. Passing a small flat fee to buyers is widely accepted; passing a 25% stack of percentage fees is what creates checkout abandonment and fee rage. With a capped fee there is less to pass on in the first place, and many Eventist organizers simply absorb it into the ticket price.

Ready to keep more of your revenue? Eventist has no setup costs and no monthly minimums — book a call and we will walk through your event's numbers with you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this calculator accurate for my exact event?

It uses each platform's published base pricing as of mid-2026 and excludes payment processing, taxes, and negotiated enterprise rates. Treat it as a close estimate for independent events, and verify final pricing on each platform before committing.

Does the calculator include payment processing fees?

No — processing (typically 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) applies on nearly every platform, so it roughly cancels out in a comparison. The differences you see come from the platform fees themselves.

What is the cheapest way to sell tickets online in 2026?

For free events, platforms that charge nothing for free tickets (including Eventist) are effectively free. For paid events over about $40, flat-fee platforms are almost always cheapest — see the cheapest ways to sell tickets according to Reddit.

Can I embed ticket sales on my own website instead?

Yes — Eventist includes an embeddable checkout widget with theme customization, so buyers never leave your site. Here is how to sell tickets on your own website.