Flat-Fee vs Percentage Ticketing: Which Pricing Model Saves You More?

When you're comparing ticketing platforms, the pricing page is often where the confusion starts. One platform charges a monthly fee. Another takes a percentage of every ticket. A third does both. And most of them layer payment processing fees on top.

Working out which model is cheapest for your specific situation isn't complicated, but it does require a few minutes with a calculator. Here's how to do it.

The two main models

Percentage per ticket

You pay a percentage of each ticket's face value to the platform. No monthly fee, no upfront cost, you only pay when you sell.

Works well when:

• You run occasional or irregular events
• Your ticket volumes are unpredictable
• You're just starting out and want to keep fixed costs low
• You have a mix of high and low-priced ticket types

Watch out for:

• The percentage compounds at high volumes, on a large event, even a small percentage adds up quickly
• Some platforms combine a percentage with a flat per-ticket fee, which changes the maths considerably

Monthly flat fee

You pay a fixed amount each month regardless of how many tickets you sell. In theory, the more you sell, the cheaper it gets per ticket.

Works well when:

• You run frequent, high-volume events
• Your ticket sales are consistent and predictable month to month
• You've outgrown the percentage model and the maths favours a subscription

Watch out for:

• You pay even in months where you run no events
• The break-even point is often higher than it first appears
• Plan tiers often come with caps that limit the upside

Running the numbers

The break-even point is the ticket volume at which a flat fee becomes cheaper than a percentage. Here's how to find it for your situation.

Example:

• Platform A: 5% per ticket, no monthly fee
• Platform B: £49/month flat, no per-ticket fee
• Average ticket price: £20

Platform A cost per ticket: £20 × 5% = £1.00 Platform B monthly cost per ticket: £49 ÷ number of tickets sold

Break-even: £49 ÷ £1.00 = 49 tickets per month

If you're selling more than 49 tickets a month at £20 average, Platform B is cheaper. Below that, Platform A costs less.

Change the average ticket price and the break-even shifts:

Higher ticket prices favour the percentage model at lower volumes. Lower ticket prices push the break-even point higher.

Ticket HQ's model

Ticket HQ's Standard plan charges 2% per ticket with no monthly fee. At £20 average ticket price, that's 40p per ticket, among the lowest percentage rates available.

The Pro plan at $99/month removes the per-ticket fee entirely and suits organisers selling consistently high volumes. The break-even between Standard and Pro at a £20 average ticket price is around 495 tickets per month, roughly 6,000 tickets a year.

Below that volume, Standard is cheaper. Above it, Pro pays for itself.

The hidden variable: payment processing

Every platform charges payment processing separately, this is the cost of accepting card payments and is largely unavoidable. It's typically around 1.4–2.9% plus a small fixed amount per transaction, depending on the payment processor and card type.

When comparing platforms, make sure you're comparing like for like:

• Is payment processing included in the quoted fee, or additional?
• Does the platform use Stripe, and if so, are you getting standard Stripe rates?
• Are there different rates for international cards?

Payment processing costs are broadly similar across platforms because they're mostly passed through from the same underlying processors. The platform fee is where the real difference lies.

Who absorbs the fee: you or your buyer?

Some platforms let you pass the platform fee on to buyers as a booking fee added at checkout. This means your payout is the full face value of the ticket, and the buyer pays slightly more.

Others absorb the fee into your payout, meaning you receive face value minus the platform percentage.

Neither approach is inherently better, it depends on your pricing strategy and how price-sensitive your buyers are. A clearly disclosed booking fee at checkout is generally well understood by buyers. What creates friction is a fee that appears as a surprise at the final confirmation step.

The simple rule of thumb

• Running occasional events or just starting out: percentage per ticket is almost always the right choice. No fixed costs, no risk.
• Running frequent, high-volume events consistently: run the break-even calculation. If you're above the threshold every month, a flat fee saves money.
• Unsure: start on percentage. You can always switch models as your volume grows and the data makes the decision obvious.

The best pricing model is the one that costs you least for your actual ticket volume, not the one that sounds simplest on a pricing page.