Ticketing platforms for independent venues, compared.
Each platform’s own published terms, read on the date shown and linked, including the two that are cheaper than us. Where a company publishes no organiser rate, the table says so instead of guessing.
| Platform | Platform fee | Processing | Fixed cost | Money reaches you | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gatehouse | $1.00 a paid ticket | Your own Stripe, not marked up | $49.99 a month or $449.99 a year | When the card clears, before the show | Our own prices |
| Eventbrite | 3.7% + $1.79 a ticket | 2.9% per order | None | Sent three business days after the show; earlier with a 20% reserve | 26 September 2026 |
| DICE (self sign-up) | 13% of face value, on top | Included | None | Within five business days of the show | 26 September 2026 |
| Ticket Tailor | $0.85 a ticket, from $0.30 prepaid | Your own Stripe, PayPal or Square | None | Straight to your processor | 26 September 2026 |
| VenuePilot | $0.75 an online ticket; door and walk-up sales free | Stripe, at its published rate | None | Daily payouts available | 26 September 2026 |
| Prekindle | 3% + $1.59 a ticket | +3%, or bring your own | None | The Monday after the show | 8 October 2026 |
| Ticketmaster | Not published | Bundled | Contract | Not published | 20 September 2026 |
| Tixr | Not published | Bundled | Contract | Not published | 20 September 2026 |
| See Tickets | Not published | Bundled | Contract | Not published | 20 September 2026 |
Two platforms are cheaper than us
Ticket Tailor charges $0.15 less a ticket than we do and has no subscription. VenuePilot charges $0.75 an online ticket, nothing on door sales, and no subscription, and it has a box office app for walk-ups, which we do not. If the fee is the deciding question, either is the better answer, and the affordable ticketing guide works through why.
For the platforms that publish nothing, no comparison is possible, and none is offered. You get a number after a sales call, and it depends on your room and how well you negotiate.
Sources
- Eventbrite, DICE and Ticket Tailor: see each comparison below.
- VenuePilot pricing, read 26 September 2026: venuepilot.com/pricing
- Prekindle pricing and seller agreement, read 8 October 2026: prekindle.com/pricing, prekindle.com/seller-agreement
Full comparisons
An Eventbrite alternative for venues that want the money before the show.
What a venue keeps on a ticket there and here, when each pays out, the 20% reserve on early payouts, and the volume below which you should stay with Eventbrite.DICE or your own box office: what a venue keeps on each ticket.
DICE’s published US self sign-up rate is 13% on top of face value, paid out after the show. The arithmetic at three prices, and where DICE is the better deal.Eventbrite vs Ticket Tailor for a venue, worked through, with a third option.
A percentage against a flat fee, at three ticket prices. Ticket Tailor wins on price, and this page shows by how much before it says anything about us.A Prekindle alternative for music venues that want to keep the service fee.
Prekindle is free to the venue and charges the fan $1.59 + 3%, paid out the Monday after the show. What a room keeps each way, and where Prekindle is the better fit.Eventbrite, DICE, Ticket Tailor, VenuePilot, Prekindle, Ticketmaster, Tixr and See Tickets are trademarks of their respective owners. Gatehouse is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Figures are each company’s own published terms, read on the date shown; if one has changed, tell us and we will correct it and note the change.