Eventbrite vs Zeffy
We give Eventbrite a 3.0 GPA and Zeffy a 3.2, out of 4.0. Eventbrite grades higher on ease of use. Zeffy grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features 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
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAEventbriteVery good | 3.2GPAZeffyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | ANothing for the nonprofit: no platform, ticket or card fees, so 200 tickets at $20 pays out the full $4,000. Buyers are asked for an optional tip to Zeffy and can set it to zero. Free and substantial, which is an A, though only nonprofits can have it. |
| 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. | AOne free plan with every feature on it, and no cap a nonprofit would hit. The tip at checkout is the buyer's choice, not yours. |
| 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. | BTicket forms with group and members-only rates, add-ons, tax receipts, QR check-in and Tap to Pay at the door, with donations, raffles, auctions and a donor database alongside. No reserved seating on record, but selling, the door and payouts are covered. |
| 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 App Store rating on record. You build ticket forms with types, dates and limits, and volunteers can check people in on the app or a shared web page. |
| 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, iPhone and Android, with Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. No API or app integrations on record and no desktop app, and it serves nonprofits only in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia. |
| Best for | getting found by buyers on a big marketplace | nonprofits that want to keep every dollar |
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 Zeffy. 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. Zeffy has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Eventbrite scores higher, and starts $15 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, none scores higher than Eventbrite for less, and none scores higher than Zeffy 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 starts at $15 per month and up, for Eventbrite Pro email sends. Zeffy is free.
- Eventbrite also covers reports.
- Zeffy also covers forms.
At a glance
| Eventbrite | Zeffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $15 per month and up, for Eventbrite Pro email sends | Free |
| 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. | Every feature is free for nonprofits, with no platform, ticket or card processing fees. Zeffy is paid by optional tips that buyers can add at checkout or decline. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Eventbrite, Inc. | Zeffy, Inc. |
| Price read from | eventbrite.com | zeffy.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Eventbrite
- Organizers who want buyers to find their events through a marketplace
- Free community events, which pay no fees
- Promoters who want email and ad tools beside ticketing
Zeffy
- Nonprofits, schools and charities running galas, concerts or walks
- Groups that want to keep the full ticket price
- Fundraisers that combine tickets, auctions, raffles and donations
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.
Zeffy
- Zeffy is only for nonprofits, and serves organizations in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia.
- Checkout asks every buyer for an optional contribution to Zeffy, which is how the service is paid for; buyers can set it to zero.
- Sales tax on tickets can be charged only by organizations in the US or Canada.
- Ticket money reaches the nonprofit in a weekly payout from Zeffy, with no card fees taken out.
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.
Zeffy
- Event ticket forms
- Branded ticket forms with several ticket types and dates, group and members-only rates, capacity and per-buyer limits, pay-what-you-can and free registration.
- Check-in and Tap to Pay
- Scan e-tickets or check in whole orders in the Zeffy app, share a web check-in page with volunteers, and take card payments at the door on an iPhone or Android phone.
- Add-ons and receipts
- Sell apparel, meals or parking in the same form, redeem add-ons with a QR coupon, and send tax receipts that separate a ticket's deductible portion.
- Fundraising beyond tickets
- Donation forms, raffles, silent auctions, memberships, peer-to-peer campaigns and an online store, all reporting into one dashboard.
- Donor CRM and email
- Every ticket buyer becomes a donor record with full giving history; send reminders, thank-you emails and free newsletters to attendee lists.
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.
Zeffy
Free$0
One plan with every feature. No fees for the nonprofit; buyers are asked for an optional tip to Zeffy, and a $40 ticket pays out $40 either way.
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.
Zeffy
No public discounts listed.
