Event Smart vs TicketSpice (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, TicketSpice grades higher than Event Smart: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
TicketSpice 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.
Event Smart
Event registration sites with no per-ticket fees
TicketSpice
Ticketing for events and attractions at a flat 99¢ per ticket
Which one is for you
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
Pick TicketSpice if
- Fits if you sell at the gate as well as online and want one system for both
- Works for venues with seating charts or timed entry slots
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you only run free events, as free tickets then cost 99¢ each
- Pricey if you want to email and text buyers on Standard, at 2¢ an email and $19 a month plus 4¢ a text, or $1.49 a ticket on Premium to get them included
- Tight if you sell a lot at the gate on Standard, as box office card sales cost 49¢ a ticket
- Watch out: the plan cards call box office sales free on Premium and Pro, but the comparison table lists 25¢ and 10¢
- Watch out: a white-label domain is $150 a year, and 2.9% + 30¢ processing comes on top of the ticket fee
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAEvent SmartFair | 2.6GPATicketSpiceGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPersonal is $50 a month, the category middle, but phone scanning needs Business at $100, and card payments add $15 on each plan. | C99¢ a ticket on Standard, so 200 tickets at $20 costs $198 a month, plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing that we haven't counted. You pay it unless you pass it on to buyers. Middle of the pack here, but on Standard emails are 2¢ each and texts $19 a month plus 4¢, and Premium, which includes them, is $1.49 a ticket. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | BNo subscription, so nothing to pay until you sell. But free events are free only if you also run paid ones, otherwise free tickets cost 99¢ each, and on Standard email and texts cost extra. |
| Features | CTicket types, forms, promo codes and waitlists exist, but card payments and QR delivery are paid add-ons, so the basic job has gaps. | BA drag-and-drop page builder, reserved seating, timed entry, an offline scanning app, a box office with cash drawer reports, iPad kiosks, merch and upgrades, and daily payouts before the event once approved. It covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build the event page and forms yourself. | CNo App Store rating on record. The page builder has conditional logic and custom CSS, which means a fair bit of building before you sell. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net and Google Analytics. Phone scanning is a browser job, with no app listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Authorize.net, NMI, Cybersource and Paya as payment gateways, plus an API and webhooks. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | registration sites with a flat monthly fee | festivals and attractions selling online and at the gate |
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: Event Smart and TicketSpice. How we grade
Price against what you get
Event Smart starts at $50 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. TicketSpice has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
TicketSpice scores higher and starts $50 a month lower. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, 12 score higher than Event Smart for less, and none scores higher than TicketSpice 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
- Event Smart also covers forms and qR codes.
- TicketSpice also covers reports, email campaigns and sMS marketing.
At a glance
| Event Smart | TicketSpice | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $50 per month | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | No subscription. Each paid ticket costs 99¢ on Standard, $1.49 on Premium or $1.99 on Pro (49¢ for tickets of $5 or less), plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing, which the organizer can pass to buyers. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Business plan, no card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Event Smart | Webconnex |
| Price read from | eventsmart.com | ticketspice.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
TicketSpice
- Each paid ticket costs 99¢ on Standard, $1.49 on Premium or $1.99 on Pro (49¢ for tickets of $5 or less) plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing; organizers can absorb it or pass it on.
- Free events are free only for organizers who also run paid events; otherwise free tickets cost 99¢ each.
- On Standard, emails cost 2¢ each (drip emails $9 a month plus 2¢) and texts $19 a month plus 4¢ each; Premium and Pro include them. A white-label domain costs $150 a year.
- Box office card sales cost 49¢ a ticket on Standard; the plan cards call them free on Premium and Pro, while the comparison table lists 25¢ and 10¢.
Key features
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.
TicketSpice
- Ticketing page builder
- A drag-and-drop builder for branded ticketing pages with custom CSS, conditional logic for workflows and dynamic pricing, donations and social sharing incentives.
- Reserved seating and timed entry
- Seating charts, layouts and pods, plus recurring, daily and timed-entry tickets for attractions, tours and venues.
- Scanning app that works offline
- iOS and Android apps scan QR codes from phones or printouts, check in groups at once, sync across devices within 60 seconds and keep scanning offline.
- Box office and kiosks
- Sell at the gate by card, mobile wallet or cash with cashier tracking and cash drawer reports, or turn an iPad into a self-service kiosk.
- Add-ons, upgrades and merch
- Sell merchandise and experiences with tickets, upgrade existing orders, and send tickets by text message.
- Payouts and reports
- Ticket money can be paid out daily before the event once approved, with an attendee CRM, sales analytics, custom exports, an API and webhooks.
Plans
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.
TicketSpice
Standard$0
99¢ per paid ticket (49¢ for tickets of $5 or less) plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing; box office card sales cost 49¢ a ticket and email and SMS are paid extras.
Premium$0
$1.49 per paid ticket plus processing; adds payment plans, branding removal, a self-service kiosk, wristband printing and included email and SMS sending.
Pro$0
$1.99 per paid ticket plus processing; adds a white-label domain, full user permissions and the lowest box office and chargeback protection rates.
Ways to pay less
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.
TicketSpice
- Other savings
49¢ fee on tickets of $5 or less
Tickets priced at $5 or less cost 49¢ each instead of the plan's per-ticket fee.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Event Smart or TicketSpice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, TicketSpice is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $50 a month for Event Smart. Event Smart starts at $50 per month, and TicketSpice is free.
Which has a free plan, Event Smart or TicketSpice?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Event Smart and TicketSpice have a free plan.
Which platforms do Event Smart and TicketSpice run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only TicketSpice 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.