Eventbrite alternative: fees compared (2026)
Espeya is one Eventbrite alternative for community events. On 27 September 2026, Eventbrite’s organizer pricing page listed no fee for free events, a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket, and a 2.9% payment processing fee per order. Ticket fees are paid by buyers by default, or the organizer can absorb them. Espeya’s published platform fee is 5% on paid tickets (0% on Espeya Plus) and free events stay free. Which costs less depends on the ticket price. This page is published by Espeya.
Espeya vs. Eventbrite at a glance
| Feature | Espeya | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Free events | Free, unlimited events and guests | No fee; unlimited free events |
| Paid ticket fees | 5% platform fee (0% on Espeya Plus, $59/month billed annually or $69 monthly). Espeya pricing does not list a separate per-ticket service fee. | 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order. Fees on that page can differ by country. |
| Ticket types, coupons, group purchase | Included free | Available; varies by plan |
| Email & SMS reminders | Included free (500 invites/week) | Email tools; limits vary by plan |
| Guest check-in | Included free | Via organizer app |
When Espeya is the better fit
- Community-scale events. Meetups, workshops, socials — where you want a beautiful page, RSVPs, and reminders without enterprise tooling in the way.
- One platform percentage. 5% on paid tickets, nothing on free events, 0% with Espeya Plus. On a $20 ticket that platform fee is $1.00. Eventbrite’s published service fee on the same ticket is 3.7% × $20 + $1.79 = $2.53, before the 2.9% processing fee. The service-fee lines cross near $138: above that, 5% is larger than 3.7% + $1.79, still before processing.
- Recurring communities. Calendars let people subscribe once and catch every future event.
When Eventbrite may suit you better
Large ticketed events that rely on marketplace discovery, reserved seating, or established promoter workflows are Eventbrite’s home turf. If you depend on Eventbrite’s buyer marketplace for a meaningful share of sales, factor that in before switching.
Switching from Eventbrite
- Export attendees from your Eventbrite dashboard as CSV.
- Recreate the event on Espeya — ticket types, coupons, and capacity included.
- Import the CSV and send a blast with the new page link.
Related comparisons
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Eventbrite is a trademark of Eventbrite, Inc. Espeya is not affiliated with or endorsed by Eventbrite. Fee figures were copied from Eventbrite’s organizer pricing page and from Espeya pricing on 27 September 2026. The $20 and $138 examples are arithmetic on those published rates, not a quote from Eventbrite. Check the vendor’s page again before you switch — rates differ by country.