Ticket HQ vs Eventbrite: Which Is Better for Small Events?

Eventbrite is the name most people think of when they think of online ticketing. It's been around since 2006, it's well-known, and for a long time it was the obvious starting point for anyone selling tickets online.

But obvious isn't the same as best, especially for small and independent organisers who don't need a platform built for stadium tours and corporate conferences. Here's an honest look at how Ticket HQ and Eventbrite compare.

The fee question

Fees are where most organisers start, and for good reason, they directly affect your margin on every ticket sold.

Eventbrite's fee structure has changed repeatedly over the years and varies by plan, country, and event type. The pattern has generally been toward higher fees and more restrictions on free-tier access. It's worth checking their current pricing directly, but as a rule of thumb: costs add up faster than you might expect, particularly when service fees, payment processing, and any plan costs are combined.

Ticket HQ's Standard plan charges 2% per ticket sold. No monthly fee, no plan cost, no surprises. On a £20 ticket that's 40p. Payment processing is separate, as it is on any platform, but the platform fee itself is straightforward.

For small events, say, 50–200 tickets at £10–£30 each, the fee difference between platforms can meaningfully affect whether an event breaks even or turns a small profit.

Who each platform is built for

This is the more important question, and it's where the two platforms diverge most clearly.

Eventbrite is a marketplace as much as it is a ticketing tool. Your event gets listed on Eventbrite's platform, which can bring discovery traffic, but it also means your event page lives on someone else's website, surrounded by their branding, their recommended events, and their upsells. For large events with broad public appeal, marketplace discovery is valuable. For smaller events where your audience already knows you, it adds little and costs control.

Ticket HQ is a tool for organisers, not a marketplace. Your event page is yours. Your attendee data is yours. There's no Eventbrite logo on your checkout, no competitor events suggested alongside yours, no platform inserting itself between you and your audience.

Feature comparison

Both platforms cover the fundamentals: event creation, ticket types, QR code check-in, sales reporting, and buyer confirmation emails.

Where they differ for smaller organisers:

Attendee data: Ticket HQ gives you full access to your attendee list at any time, exportable as CSV. On Eventbrite, access to your own attendee data has historically been tied to your plan tier.

Customisation: Ticket HQ is focused on giving organisers a clean, configurable event page without platform noise. Eventbrite's pages are recognisably Eventbrite, regardless of your branding.

Pricing transparency: Ticket HQ publishes its pricing simply and doesn't change it based on event size or type. Eventbrite's pricing has enough variables that working out your actual cost per ticket requires some calculation.

Scale: Eventbrite has features built for large-scale events and enterprise organisers that most small operators will never use. You're paying (in fees and complexity) for infrastructure you don't need.

When Eventbrite makes more sense

It's worth being honest: Eventbrite isn't the wrong choice for everyone.

If your events are large and public-facing, Eventbrite's marketplace discovery can genuinely drive ticket sales you wouldn't otherwise get. If you're running a conference or festival where buyers actively search Eventbrite for things to attend, being listed there has real value.

For most small and independent organisers, community events, club nights, workshops, venue programming, recurring local events, that marketplace value is minimal. Your audience finds you through your own channels: social media, email, word of mouth. You don't need Eventbrite's discovery. You need a clean, affordable way to take payment and manage your door.

The bottom line

Eventbrite is a capable platform that has served a lot of organisers well. It's also a platform that has consistently moved toward higher fees, more restrictions, and a marketplace model that serves its own growth as much as it serves yours.

Ticket HQ is built for organisers who want a straightforward tool: transparent pricing, full data ownership, and no platform getting between them and their audience. If that's what you're looking for, it's worth trying.