Eventbrite vs Event Smart (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 2.2.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Eventbrite grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Eventbrite
Ticketing and event marketplace, with fees usually paid by buyers
Event Smart
Event registration sites with no per-ticket fees
Which one is for you
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
Pick Event Smart if
- Fits if you run classes or workshops and want a flat fee, not a cut per ticket
- Works for nonprofits that can use the 15% to 20% discount
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need QR scanning, which is on Business at $100 a month
- Watch out: card payments are a separate $15 a month, and QR ticket delivery is $20 on lower plans
- Tight if you stay on Basic, with ads on your page and 25 emails an hour
- Watch out: the FAQ quotes $10 for the payment upgrade where the plans say $15
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAEventbriteVery good | 2.2GPAEvent SmartFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CPersonal is $50 a month, the category middle, but phone scanning needs Business at $100, and card payments add $15 on each plan. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CBasic is free with unlimited events, but it shows ads and caps email at 25 an hour. A 14-day Business trial needs no card. |
| Features | 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. | CTicket types, forms, promo codes and waitlists exist, but card payments and QR delivery are paid add-ons, so the basic job has gaps. |
| Ease of use | 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. | CNo store rating on record. You build the event page and forms yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net and Google Analytics. Phone scanning is a browser job, with no app listed. |
| Best for | getting found by buyers on a big marketplace | registration sites with a flat monthly fee |
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: Eventbrite and Event Smart. How we grade
Price against what you get
Eventbrite starts at $15 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Event Smart starts at $50 a month and scores 2.3.
Eventbrite scores higher and starts $35 a month lower. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Eventbrite for less, and 12 score higher than Event Smart 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
- Eventbrite also covers reports and email campaigns.
- Event Smart also covers forms and qR codes.
At a glance
| Eventbrite | Event Smart | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $15 per month and up, for Eventbrite Pro email sends | $50 per month |
| Free plan | 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. | Basic plan: unlimited events and multiple ticket types with no commission, but ads show on the event site and email is capped at 25 per hour. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of the Business plan, no card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Eventbrite, Inc. | Event Smart |
| Price read from | eventbrite.com | eventsmart.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Event Smart
- Taking card payments is a separate upgrade at $15 a month on each plan (the FAQ cites $10 for an online payment upgrade).
- Basic shows ads on the event website and caps email at 25 per hour.
- On Basic and Personal, QR code ticket delivery is a paid add-on of $20 a month.
- Gateway fees from Stripe, PayPal or similar still apply.
Key features
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.
Event Smart
- No commission or ticket fees
- The vendor charges only for subscriptions and upgrades, not per ticket; the payment gateway still charges its own transaction fees.
- Multiple ticket types
- Sell several ticket or registration types, with taxes, surcharges and required tickets on the Personal plan and above.
- Custom registration forms
- Ask custom questions and mark them required, and send custom registration emails (Personal plan and above).
- QR code tickets and scanning
- Email tickets with QR codes or barcodes and scan them with a phone or tablet at the door (Business plan).
- Waitlists and promo codes
- The Business plan adds a waitlist for sold-out events, discount codes and an event shopping cart.
- Event calendar and embeds
- Show events on a calendar and embed event listings on another site through an iframe.
Plans
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.
Event Smart
Basic$0
Unlimited events, offline invoice payment, attendee list download, 25 emails per hour and ads on the event site.
Personal$50
per month
No ads, multi-date events, custom registration emails, laptop check-in, 200 emails per hour.
Business$100
per month
Adds QR code tickets and phone scanning, promo codes, waitlists, custom CSS, analytics and 500 emails per hour.
Ways to pay less
Eventbrite
- Nonprofit
50% off Pro for qualifying nonprofits
Qualifying nonprofits get half off Eventbrite's Pro plans, and donation tickets carry discounted ticketing fees.
Event Smart
- Nonprofit
15% to 20% off for nonprofits
Nonprofit, NGO and charity organizations get 15% off the Personal plan and 20% off the Business plan.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Eventbrite or Event Smart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Eventbrite is cheaper to start with: $15 a month, against $50 a month for Event Smart. Eventbrite starts at $15 per month and up, for Eventbrite Pro email sends, and Event Smart starts at $50 per month.
Which has a free plan, Eventbrite or Event Smart?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Eventbrite and Event Smart have a free plan.
Which platforms do Eventbrite and Event Smart 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.