Ticketing fee calculator
What does your ticketing platform actually cost?
Every platform publishes its fees differently — percentages, flat per-ticket charges, "the fans pay it, not you." This calculator puts them on one line: what you (and your fans) actually give up per event. Defaults are vendor-published rates as of July 2026 — every field is editable, so match it to your exact case.
Edit platform rates (published defaults, July 2026)
Eventbrite: % + $/ticket + % processing
Luma: % platform fee
Posh: % service fees (paid by fans)
DICE: % booking fees (paid by fans)
Ticket Tailor: $/ticket + Stripe
Stripe processing: % + $
showhatch plan: $/month
| Platform | Platform fees/mo | Processing/mo | Software/mo | You + fans keep |
|---|
Model: monthly gross = price × tickets × events. "Platform fees" includes fan-paid service/booking fees (money your market pays that isn't your revenue). Processing estimated at Stripe-equivalent rates for comparability. Simplified — verify current vendor terms.
Reading the table honestly
Two things usually jump out. First, percentage fees scale with your success — double your gross and the platform's cut doubles with it, while flat subscriptions don't move. Second, "fans pay the fees" is still your money: it's price headroom you can't capture and conversion you lose at checkout. A $40 ticket with $4.50 of fees competes against your $40 ticket that costs $40.
Live in ~3 minutes · setup fee waived
Keep the fees. Own the audience.
Branded storefront, tickets + VIP tables, QR check-in, promoter links. $0 platform fee — payouts to your own Stripe.
Frequently asked
Where do the default rates come from?
Vendor-published pricing as of July 2026: Eventbrite 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket plus 2.9% processing (fee caps removed in 2026); Luma 5% on paid tickets; Posh roughly 10% fan-paid service fees; DICE fan-paid booking fees commonly ~25–35%; Ticket Tailor's flat per-ticket credits. Every field is editable — set your own numbers.
Why count fan-paid fees against the platform?
Because it's money your market spends on your event that neither you nor your fans keep. It's price headroom you can't capture and a conversion penalty at checkout.
Why does every row include Stripe processing?
Card processing exists everywhere; we normalize it at Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ so platforms are compared on their actual take, not on hiding processing inside bundled fees.
What's the showhatch row?
$0 platform fees, your chosen flat plan (founding $25–100/month), and Stripe processing on your own account. That's the whole model.
Related reading
- Eventbrite Alternative for Independent Artists & Promoters ($0 Per-Ticket Fees)
- No-Fee Ticketing: Sell Tickets Without Platform Fees (Own Stripe Payouts)
- DICE Alternative for Independent Promoters: Stop Charging Fans ~30% Booking Fees
- Luma (lu.ma) Alternative for Nightlife: Own the Storefront, Skip the 5%
Comparisons reflect vendor-published pricing and capabilities as of July 2026 and simplify plan variations — verify each vendor's current terms. showhatch charges a flat monthly subscription and $0 per ticket; card processing runs on your own Stripe account at Stripe's standard rates.