Billetto vs Explara (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Billetto grades higher than Explara: 3.0 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Billetto grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Explara
Event ticketing and membership groups with a free starter plan
Which one is for you
Pick Billetto if
- Fits if you run concerts, parties or festivals somewhere in Europe
- Works for Nordic events, with MobilePay, Swish and Vipps at checkout
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you sell in the US, where Billetto doesn't run
- Not for you if you sell under 1,000 tickets a year and need the money before the event
- Watch out: buyers see 3.99% + €0.90 plus VAT on each ticket unless you absorb it yourself
- Pricey if you sell at the door, as the Adyen terminal is €199 each and a ticket printer €270
- Watch out: the lower Growth fee is agreed case by case, so it isn't published
Pick Explara if
- Fits if you run about one event a month
- Makes sense if you want a paid membership group next to your events
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you run more than 1 event a month on Starter
- Pricey if you expect upgrading to cut fees, since the 4% fee stays on Growth and Pro
- Watch out: the 4% fee is stated as domestic only, and Stripe adds 1% a transaction
- Watch out: there is no annual billing option on the page
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABillettoVery good | 2.4GPAExplaraFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BBuyers pay by default, so you keep the ticket price. Billetto charges in euros: 3.99% + €0.90 a ticket plus VAT, €339.60 on 200 €20 tickets, with no separate card fee listed. You can absorb it instead, and the Growth plan, for 1,000+ tickets a year, can bring it down. | BGrowth is $9 a month, at the edge of the category's $15 cheaper quarter, but the 4% ticket fee is charged on every plan. |
| Free plan and trial | ANo monthly or setup fee on either plan, with the marketplace, email and text campaigns included. Essential covers up to 1,000 tickets a year, and above that Growth still has no monthly fee, with the ticket fee agreed case by case. | CStarter is free for 1 event a month and 1 membership group, with only 5 free transactions on your own Stripe or PayPal. |
| Features | BSeating charts, memberships, early bird tickets, email and text campaigns, check-in by zone and entrance, a point-of-sale system, and ads on Google and Meta you pay for only when tickets sell. Money before the event needs the Growth plan. | CBranded pages, membership groups, check-in, badges, forms and surveys. Higher plans mostly add event and group counts. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. An AI helper drafts event descriptions and suggests prices, but there are pages and tickets to build, and selling at the door needs an Adyen card terminal at €199. | CNo store rating on record. You set up event pages, forms and payments. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Adyen, PayPal, MobilePay, Vipps, Apple Pay and Google Pay, a public API and webhooks. But it runs only in 14 European countries, not the US, and there's no desktop app. | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal and WhatsApp connections. |
| Best for | European events that want help selling | small paid events and membership groups on a cheap plan |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Billetto and Explara. How we grade
Price against what you get
Billetto has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Explara starts at $9 a month and scores 2.3.
Billetto scores higher and starts $9 a month lower. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Billetto for less, and 7 score higher than Explara for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Billetto also covers email campaigns and sMS marketing.
- Explara also covers forms, surveys and reports.
At a glance
| Billetto | Explara | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $9 per month |
| Free plan | No monthly or setup fee for organizers. Buyers pay 3.99% + €0.90 per ticket plus VAT by default; organizers can choose to absorb it instead. | Starter plan at $0 a month: 1 event per month and 1 membership group, with a 4% fee on ticket value. |
| Free trial | None listed | Starter plan trial: 5 transactions free when using your own Stripe or PayPal. |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Billetto ApS | Signure Technologies Pvt. Ltd. |
| Price read from | go.billetto.com | explara.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Billetto
- Buyers pay 3.99% + €0.90 per ticket plus VAT by default; organizers can absorb it. Prices are shown in euros on Billetto's English pricing page.
- Billetto runs only in 14 European countries, including the UK and Ireland, and not in the US.
- Ticket money is paid out 3 to 5 working days after the event; money before the event comes only with the Growth plan.
- Billetto POS needs an Adyen terminal at €199 each, with an optional ticket printer at €270, both one-off purchases.
Explara
- The 4% fee applies on every plan, so the monthly plans only raise limits on events and groups.
- The 4% fee is stated as domestic only, and a further 1% applies per Stripe transaction.
- Starter allows 1 event a month; extra capacity needs Growth or Pro.
- Prices are shown in US dollars with no annual billing option on the page.
Key features
Billetto
- Marketplace and pay-per-sale ads
- Events appear on Billetto's map-based marketplace, and Billetto Advertising runs automated ads on Google, Meta and email that are charged only when a ticket sells.
- Email and text campaigns
- Email and SMS campaigns, automatic reminders and follow-ups, shareable links and QR codes, with no extra app or charge.
- Ticket options
- Early bird and blind bird tickets, seating charts, memberships, an AI helper for event descriptions with suggested prices, and a checkout widget for your own site.
- Check-in and access control
- Scan tickets with a phone or dedicated scanners, track arrivals by ticket type or entrance, and manage zones, roles and entry permissions for large venues.
- Billetto POS
- Sell at the door from any phone, tablet or computer paired with an Adyen card terminal, print tickets on demand, and keep in-person and online sales in one back office.
- Local payment methods and API
- Buyers pay by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, MobilePay, Swish, Vipps or iDEAL depending on country; developers get a public API and webhooks.
Explara
- Branded event pages
- Organizers can go live with a branded ticketing page and accept payments in multiple gateways and currencies.
- Membership groups
- Attendees can be turned into members of a group or club; the vendor says membership software is free for 1 group and 50 members.
- Check-in and badges
- QR-based or manual check-in, badge scanning and walk-in registration are listed for event day.
- Add-ons and forms
- Merchandise, stay options and custom data forms can be added to registration.
- Surveys and reports
- Post-event surveys, attendee data export and reports are built in, plus automated email sequences.
Plans
Billetto
Essential€0
Up to 1,000 tickets a year. The buyer pays 3.99% + €0.90 per ticket (ex VAT) unless the organizer absorbs it; includes the marketplace, email and SMS.
Growth€0
For 1,000+ tickets a year: a fee of 3.99% + €0.90 or less, agreed case by case, plus most revenue paid out before the event and a success manager.
Explara
Starter$0
per month
1 event per month and 1 membership group. 4% fee on ticket value (domestic only); 1% extra per transaction on Stripe.
Growth$9
per month
5 events per month and 2 membership chat groups. Same 4% ticket fee, with 3 admins.
Pro$25
per month
10 events per month and 5 membership groups. Same 4% ticket fee.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Billetto or Explara?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Billetto is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $9 a month for Explara. Billetto is free, and Explara starts at $9 per month.
Which has a free plan, Billetto or Explara?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Billetto and Explara have a free plan.
Which platforms do Billetto and Explara run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Billetto lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.