EntryTicket vs Eventbrite: Which Is Better for UK Events?

Eventbrite is the most recognised name in event ticketing. But recognition and value aren't the same thing. UK organisers increasingly look for alternatives as fees compound quickly — on a 200-ticket event at £30 each, Eventbrite takes £535 (its UK fee includes card processing). EntryTicket has emerged as a UK-native option built specifically for local and community events. This article gives an honest, side-by-side comparison of both platforms across fees, features, payouts, discovery, and check-in, so you can make an informed choice rather than defaulting to the biggest name.

At a Glance — EntryTicket vs Eventbrite

How Do the Fees Compare?

Eventbrite's fees in the UK (2026)

Eventbrite charges 6.95% of the ticket price plus £0.59 per ticket sold. There is no maximum fee per ticket — the cap that existed in earlier years was removed. The fee is either absorbed by the organiser (reducing your net revenue) or passed to the buyer (raising the price they see at checkout).

• £20 ticket → organiser nets £18.02 (or the buyer pays about £21.98 if the fee is passed on)
• £25 ticket → organiser nets £22.67 (or the buyer pays about £27.33 if the fee is passed on)
• £50 ticket → organiser nets £45.93 (or the buyer pays about £54.07 if the fee is passed on)
• £100 ticket → organiser nets £92.46 (or the buyer pays about £107.54 if the fee is passed on)

EntryTicket's fees

EntryTicket offers three pricing tiers: Starter at 49p + Stripe's 1.5% + 20p per ticket with no monthly fee, Growth (coming soon) at 29p per ticket plus £9.99/month, and Pro (coming soon) at 15p per ticket plus £24.99/month. Free events are completely free for both organisers and attendees. There's also a Charity plan at 25p + Stripe's 1.5% + 20p per ticket with no monthly fee. Stripe processing fees (1.5% + 20p for UK cards) apply separately on all plans — that's Stripe's standard fee, not EntryTicket's.

The real-world cost difference

The gap becomes stark when you run the numbers on real events. On a 100-ticket event at £20 each — a typical community gig, fitness workshop, or charity dinner — Eventbrite takes approximately £198 in fees, including card processing. EntryTicket Starter is 49p + Stripe's 1.5% + 20p (99p a ticket, £99 in total) — a saving of about £99. On a 200-ticket event at £30 each, Eventbrite takes roughly £535 while EntryTicket Starter plus Stripe costs about £228.

Features Comparison

Event page creation

Both platforms let you create a customised event page with a description, banner image, ticket types, and capacity settings. EntryTicket's setup process is faster and simpler — most organisers are live within 15 minutes. Eventbrite offers more advanced options: reserved seating maps, multi-event series management, and more granular ticket type configuration. For most community and mid-size events, the simpler setup wins.

Ticket types and pricing flexibility

Both platforms support free tickets, paid tickets, multiple tiers, early bird pricing, and discount codes. Eventbrite has an edge for truly complex configurations — reserved seating theatres, large-scale festivals with dozens of ticket categories. EntryTicket covers the requirements of 90% of UK community, charity, and mid-size events without the overhead.

QR code check-in

Both platforms include QR code check-in at no extra cost. The key difference is integration depth. EntryTicket is designed mobile-first — check-in is central to the product, not an afterthought. Multiple staff members can scan simultaneously from different devices, attendance counts update in real time, and the interface is clean enough that a volunteer can be trained in five minutes. Eventbrite's Organiser app is functional but feels like a secondary feature to the marketplace.

Attendee data ownership

This is one of the most significant differences. With EntryTicket, organiser owns all attendee data fully — names, emails, and purchase history belong to you and only you. With Eventbrite, attendee data is shared with Eventbrite for marketplace and marketing purposes. Your attendees may receive Eventbrite promotional emails and see competitor events. If building your own direct audience matters to you, this alone can decide the choice.

Third-party integrations

Eventbrite integrates natively with Mailchimp, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Zapier. EntryTicket focuses on the core ticketing workflow — integrations are lighter, but cover what most UK organisers need. If you run a sophisticated CRM-driven marketing operation, Eventbrite's ecosystem is more capable.

Discovery and Audience Reach

Eventbrite's marketplace — worth the premium?

Eventbrite has roughly 90 million registered users globally, and events listed on the platform can surface when people search "things to do in [city]" on Google. For a brand-new organiser with zero existing audience launching a major public event, this is a genuine advantage. However, it comes with a catch: your event page displays competitor events from other organisers, and Eventbrite's algorithm controls which events get prominent placement. Marketplace visibility is less reliable for niche or community events.

EntryTicket's discovery section

EntryTicket has a UK-focused event discovery section where attendees can browse local events by location and category. Being a newer platform, the absolute audience size is smaller than Eventbrite — but critically, your event isn't shown alongside competitor events. EntryTicket's focus on UK community events means discovery is more targeted even if the total volume is lower.

Which is better for getting found?

If you have an existing audience — email list, social following, community group — EntryTicket's discovery is sufficient and you keep significantly more revenue. If you're launching a brand-new event in a competitive city market with no prior audience, Eventbrite's marketplace provides a meaningful head start. Even then, the cost may not justify the benefit: consider listing on Eventbrite for free while selling tickets through EntryTicket (Eventbrite allows linking to external pages).

Payouts — When Do You Get Your Money?

Eventbrite payouts

Eventbrite issues payouts after your event ends, typically within 5 business days. For organisers with upfront costs — venue deposits, catering, performer fees, equipment hire — this creates a real cash flow problem. Many organisers end up using personal funds or short-term credit to cover pre-event expenses and wait weeks to be reimbursed from ticket revenue.

EntryTicket payouts

Payments process directly into your connected Stripe account as each ticket is sold. There's no holding period, no waiting until after the event. For a community organiser who needs to pay a venue deposit the week before the event, this is a material advantage — you can use early ticket revenue to fund your own costs.

Which Platform Is Right for You?

Choose EntryTicket if:

• You're organising any type of event in the UK — community, charity, sports, theatre, nightlife, festivals, kids' events, or conferences
• Cost efficiency matters — you want to keep more revenue from every ticket sold
• You want attendee data to belong exclusively to you
• Cash flow before the event is important (you have upfront costs to cover)
• You want a cleaner, faster setup process that works for any event size
• You value a mobile-first UK-native platform with payouts to your own Stripe and QR check-in

Consider Eventbrite only if:

• You're launching a large international conference with zero existing audience and need Eventbrite's global marketplace
• You need deep third-party CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot) that are critical to your workflow
• The 6.95% + £0.59 fee is a negligible proportion of your total event budget