Brushfire vs Eventbrite (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Eventbrite: it is second in our ranking of event ticketing platforms, and it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Eventbrite grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Brushfire
Ticketing and registration for attractions, schools and churches
Eventbrite
Ticketing and event marketplace, with fees usually paid by buyers
Which one is for you
Pick Brushfire if
- Fits if you run an attraction or school and sell season passes or group tickets
- Works for churches that want ticketing tied to their church management system
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: card processing is charged on top, and Square online is 2.9% + $0.30
- Pricey if you are a church under 1,500 weekly attendance and sell few tickets, as the flat fee is $299 a month
- Tight if you sell lots of tickets, because fees are per ticket and rise with volume
- Not for you if you want one flat rate: the fee changes with the industry you pick
- Skip it if you need a trial, as none is listed
Pick Eventbrite if
- Fits if you want people browsing a marketplace to find your event
- Works for free community events, which pay no fees at all
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if your buyers balk at fees, as 3.7% + $1.79 a ticket plus 2.9% processing is the most here
- Not for you if you email a big list, since free sends stop at 250 a day and Pro starts at $15 a month
- Skip it if you're outside the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK or Ireland, where its plans aren't offered
- Watch out: ad spend on Eventbrite Ads, Facebook and Instagram is extra, and Ads run only in select markets
- Watch out: phone support needs a sales partnership, and 24/7 chat covers paid events only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPABrushfireGood | 3.0GPAEventbriteVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$0.75 a ticket for attractions and schools, $1.50 + 1% for other events, plus 2.9% + $0.30 card fees. Churches under 1,500 weekly pay $299 a month. Per-ticket pricing can't be set against the monthly figures, so it sits in the middle. | CBuyers pay by default, so you keep the ticket price, but the fee is the dearest here: 3.7% + $1.79 a ticket is $506 on 200 $20 tickets, with 2.9% processing per order on top that we haven't counted. Absorb it and it's yours. More than 250 emails a day needs Pro from $15 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree tickets cost nothing on the Attractions and Education plans and there is no monthly fee to start. Paid tickets carry a fee, and no trial is listed. | BFree to publish as many events as you like, and free events carry no fees at all. The free account sends 250 marketing emails a day, and more needs Pro from $15 a month. A small series could run on it for good. |
| Features | BTicketing, registration, season passes, group tickets, a box office app, embedded checkout, lead capture and reports. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | BMarketplace listing, ticket types, add-ons, waitlists, reserved seating, timed entry, email campaigns, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok promotion, a check-in app with Tap to Pay, and payouts before the event. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You set up events and pick an industry plan, and a few plans come with a customer success manager. | A4.79 from 32,637 App Store ratings, and that's for the Eventbrite Organizer app, the one you use to run the door. Making an event is guided, with AI help to write it up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, plus a mobile box office app, with Square, Stripe and church management links. No desktop app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Mailchimp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and a public API. No desktop app, which an A needs, and its pricing plans are offered only in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland. |
| Best for | ticketing for attractions, schools and churches | getting found by buyers on a big marketplace |
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: Brushfire and Eventbrite. How we grade
Price against what you get
Brushfire starts at $299 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Eventbrite starts at $15 a month and scores 3.3.
Eventbrite scores higher and starts $284 a month lower. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, 4 score higher than Brushfire for less, and none scores higher than Eventbrite 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
- Brushfire also covers forms.
- Eventbrite also covers email campaigns.
At a glance
| Brushfire | Eventbrite | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $299 per month for churches under 1,500 weekly attendance | $15 per month and up, for Eventbrite Pro email sends |
| Free plan | No charge for free tickets on the Attractions and Education plans; paid tickets carry a per-ticket fee plus card processing. | Free to publish unlimited events. Free tickets carry no fees; paid tickets carry a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee and 2.9% processing per order, paid by buyers by default. Up to 250 marketing emails a day. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Brushfire | Eventbrite, Inc. |
| Price read from | brushfire.com | eventbrite.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Brushfire
- Card processing is charged on top of the Brushfire fee; Square online is 2.9% + $0.30.
- Fees depend on the industry you pick, so the same event can cost different amounts under each plan.
- Fees are listed per ticket, and total cost rises with ticket volume.
- A $299 monthly option applies only to churches under 1,500 weekly attendance.
Eventbrite
- Paid tickets carry a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee and 2.9% processing per order; buyers pay them by default, or the organizer can absorb them.
- The free account sends up to 250 marketing emails a day; more needs Pro from $15 a month, and ad spend for Eventbrite Ads, Facebook and Instagram is extra.
- Eventbrite says its pricing plans are offered in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, and Eventbrite Ads only in select markets.
- 24/7 chat support covers paid events; phone support and a strategic advisor come with the sales partnership.
Key features
Brushfire
- Ticketing and registration
- Sells tickets for attractions and performances and runs registration for conferences, camps and classes.
- Mobile box office app
- In-person sales are listed on every industry plan, alongside season passes and group ticketing.
- Fee options
- Organizers can pass fees to attendees, absorb them for all-in pricing, or set a custom fee structure.
- Payments through Square and Stripe
- Card processing runs on Square or Stripe; the page lists online rates of 2.9% + $0.30 on both.
- Integrations and revenue tools
- Event app and embedded checkout options, mobile lead capture and optional refund protection for attendees.
- Reporting
- Sales and attendance reporting across events.
Eventbrite
- Events marketplace
- Events are listed on Eventbrite's own discovery marketplace, where buyers browse local events, so organizers can reach people beyond their own following.
- Ticketing and registration
- Custom event pages, several ticket types, add-ons, custom registration forms, waitlists, promo codes, embedded checkout and AI-assisted event creation.
- Reserved seating and timed entry
- Seat maps that let buyers pick seats, and timed-entry ticketing for attractions and exhibitions that admit people in time slots.
- Marketing tools
- Email campaigns to segmented lists of past buyers, Facebook and Instagram ad tools, TikTok promotion and paid Eventbrite Ads placements on the marketplace.
- Organizer app and Tap to Pay
- The iOS and Android Organizer app scans QR-code tickets, tracks live attendance and sales, and takes payment for tickets and merchandise at the door.
- Payouts before the event
- Eventbrite Payment Processing pays out before the event, with Instant Payouts in minutes or a custom schedule, and sales and fee reports.
Plans
Brushfire
Attractions$0
to start; $0.75 per ticket plus card fees
Includes season pass, group ticketing and the mobile box office app; free tickets cost nothing.
Education$0
to start; $0.75 per ticket plus card fees
Same per-ticket fee as Attractions, with a dedicated customer success manager.
Churches under 1,500 weekly$299
per month, plus card processing fees
Flat fee for churches under 1,500 weekly attendance; covers ticketing, registration and ChMS integrations.
Churches over 1,500 weekly$0
to start; $1 + 1% per ticket plus card fees
Per-ticket pricing for churches and ministries over 1,500 weekly attendance.
Other Events$0
to start; $1.50 + 1% per ticket plus card fees
For events outside the other industries; includes a dedicated customer success manager.
Eventbrite
Free$0
No subscription. Each paid ticket carries 3.7% + $1.79 plus 2.9% processing per order, paid by the buyer unless the organizer absorbs it; free events cost nothing.
Pro$15
per month and up
A subscription add-on for marketing email that raises the daily limit from 250 sends to between 2,000 and 10,000. Ticket fees still apply.
Sales partnershipCustom
For large or complex events: a strategic advisor, Eventbrite-sponsored marketing, and priority phone and 24/7 chat support.
Ways to pay less
Brushfire
No public discounts listed.
Eventbrite
- Nonprofit
50% off Pro for qualifying nonprofits
Qualifying nonprofits get half off Eventbrite's Pro plans, and donation tickets carry discounted ticketing fees.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Brushfire or Eventbrite?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Eventbrite is cheaper to start with: $15 a month, against $299 a month for Brushfire. Brushfire starts at $299 per month for churches under 1,500 weekly attendance, and Eventbrite starts at $15 per month and up, for Eventbrite Pro email sends.
Which has a free plan, Brushfire or Eventbrite?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Brushfire and Eventbrite have a free plan.
Which platforms do Brushfire and Eventbrite run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Eventbrite 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.