Billetto vs Howler (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Billetto grades higher than Howler: 3.0 against 2.0 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 value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Howler
South African ticketing, RFID cashless payments and access control
Paid
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 Howler if
- Fits if you run a South African festival that wants cashless wristbands
- Works for organisers who want tickets sent over WhatsApp
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a price first, since none is published
- Not for you if you sell outside South Africa, as the buyer site is centred there
- Skip it if you have no hardware budget, since access control and cashless need event hardware and are quoted separately
- Watch out: full branding overhauls and custom pages are for premium customers only
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABillettoVery good | 2.0GPAHowlerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo price is published; organisers sign up or ask for a quote. |
| 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. | FNo free plan or trial on record anywhere on its pages. |
| 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. | BTicketing, WhatsApp ticket delivery, promotion tools, RFID cashless and RFID access control. The listing shows no gap in the core work. |
| 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. Wristband and access systems need event hardware. |
| 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 WhatsApp, Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel connections. |
| Best for | European events that want help selling | South African festivals with cashless wristbands |
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 Howler. How we grade
Where they differ
- Billetto also covers email campaigns and sMS marketing.
- Howler also covers marketing automation and reports.
In commonWebTicketing
At a glance
| Billetto | Howler | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | Not published |
| 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Billetto ApS | Afeleton Limited (trading as Howler) |
| Price read from | go.billetto.com | Not confirmed |
| 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.
Howler
- Pricing is not published; organizers sign up or ask for a quote.
- Access control and cashless are quoted separately and need event hardware.
- The buyer site lists prices in rand and is centered on South African events.
- Full branding overhauls and custom pages are limited to premium customers.
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.
Howler
- Branded event pages and widget
- Organizers create an event page with custom colors and ticket types, or embed a widget so buyers purchase from the organizer's own site.
- Ticket delivery over WhatsApp
- Tickets can be sent to buyers directly through WhatsApp, and each ticket can be assigned to a named customer to limit scalping.
- Promotion tools
- Promo codes, group discounts, unlimited complimentary tickets, affiliate links with per-ambassador tracking, and email mailers with custom filtering.
- RFID cashless payments
- A separate cashless product runs on-site spending on RFID wristbands, which the vendor says have processed over 10 million transactions.
- RFID access control
- Wristbands or lanyards carry access rules for zones, crew and exhibitors, with live reporting of entries and an offline mode.
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.
Howler
Pricing could not be confirmed. See howler.co.za.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Billetto or Howler?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Billetto is free, and Howler has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Billetto or Howler?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Billetto has a free plan. Howler does not.
Which platforms do Billetto and Howler 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.