Explara vs Yapsody (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Yapsody grades higher than Explara: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Yapsody 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.
Explara
Event ticketing and membership groups with a free starter plan
Yapsody
Per-ticket event ticketing with seat maps and white-label pages
Which one is for you
Pick Explara if
- Fits if you run about one event a month
- Makes sense if you want a paid membership group next to your events
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you run more than 1 event a month on Starter
- Pricey if you expect upgrading to cut fees, since the 4% fee stays on Growth and Pro
- Watch out: the 4% fee is stated as domestic only, and Stripe adds 1% a transaction
- Watch out: there is no annual billing option on the page
Pick Yapsody if
- Fits if you run events with seat maps and want to pay per ticket
- Works for venues that want white-label pages and a box office app
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you use reserved seating: 98 cents + 2.49% against 59 cents + 1.75%
- Watch out: fees passed on make a $100 ticket cost the buyer $102.34
- Watch out: the fee calculator offers USD, GBP, CAD and AUD only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAExplaraFair | 2.8GPAYapsodyGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BGrowth is $9 a month, at the edge of the category's $15 cheaper quarter, but the 4% ticket fee is charged on every plan. | B59 cents + 1.75% a ticket for general seating, with no subscription. Reserved seating is 98 cents + 2.49%. |
| Free plan and trial | CStarter is free for 1 event a month and 1 membership group, with only 5 free transactions on your own Stripe or PayPal. | BFree events cost nothing, with no setup cost and no cap on events. Paid tickets carry a per-ticket fee. |
| Features | CBranded pages, membership groups, check-in, badges, forms and surveys. Higher plans mostly add event and group counts. | BReserved seating, white-label pages, a box office app, ticket scanning, payments and payouts, reports and add-ons. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You set up event pages, forms and payments. | CNo store rating on record. Seat maps and white-label pages take building. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal and WhatsApp connections. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, PayPal, Google Analytics, Mailchimp and Infor HMS. |
| Best for | small paid events and membership groups on a cheap plan | per-ticket ticketing with seat maps |
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: Explara and Yapsody. How we grade
Where they differ
- Explara also covers forms and surveys.
- Yapsody also covers barcode scanning.
At a glance
| Explara | Yapsody | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per month | Not published |
| Free plan | Starter plan at $0 a month: 1 event per month and 1 membership group, with a 4% fee on ticket value. | Free events cost nothing, and there is no setup cost or limit on the number of events. Paid tickets carry a per-ticket fee instead of a subscription. |
| Free trial | Starter plan trial: 5 transactions free when using your own Stripe or PayPal. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Signure Technologies Pvt. Ltd. | Yapsody |
| Price read from | explara.com | yapsody.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Explara
- The 4% fee applies on every plan, so the monthly plans only raise limits on events and groups.
- The 4% fee is stated as domestic only, and a further 1% applies per Stripe transaction.
- Starter allows 1 event a month; extra capacity needs Growth or Pro.
- Prices are shown in US dollars with no annual billing option on the page.
Yapsody
- Reserved seating costs more per ticket than general admission: 98 cents + 2.49% against 59 cents + 1.75%.
- The pricing page's calculator shows a $100 ticket with fees passed on costing the attendee $102.34 under general seating.
- The pricing page's fee calculator offers USD, GBP, CAD and AUD.
Key features
Explara
- Branded event pages
- Organizers can go live with a branded ticketing page and accept payments in multiple gateways and currencies.
- Membership groups
- Attendees can be turned into members of a group or club; the vendor says membership software is free for 1 group and 50 members.
- Check-in and badges
- QR-based or manual check-in, badge scanning and walk-in registration are listed for event day.
- Add-ons and forms
- Merchandise, stay options and custom data forms can be added to registration.
- Surveys and reports
- Post-event surveys, attendee data export and reports are built in, plus automated email sequences.
Yapsody
- Reserved seating
- Organizers design seat maps so attendees choose their own seats, with a feature to avoid leaving single orphaned seats between groups.
- White-label ticketing
- Tickets, emails and event pages can carry the organizer's branding, and event widgets can be embedded on an existing site.
- Box office app
- Staff can issue tickets to walk-ins, refund a whole order or single tickets, and exchange tickets for another event or seating section.
- Ticket scanning
- The YapScan app for iOS and Android scans tickets, works without a signal, and flags duplicate entries. An external scanner can be paired with it on iOS.
- Payments and payouts
- Payment gateways include Stripe, PayPal and a further 14 or more, and the pricing page says payouts go directly to the organizer's own account.
- Reports and add-ons
- Custom reports and the YapStats app track sales, and an online store sells add-ons such as merchandise or parking.
Plans
Explara
Starter$0
per month
1 event per month and 1 membership group. 4% fee on ticket value (domestic only); 1% extra per transaction on Stripe.
Growth$9
per month
5 events per month and 2 membership chat groups. Same 4% ticket fee, with 3 admins.
Pro$25
per month
10 events per month and 5 membership groups. Same 4% ticket fee.
Yapsody
General seating$0
No subscription. Fee of 59 cents + 1.75% per ticket sold; the organizer can pass it on to attendees or absorb it.
Reserved seating$0
No subscription. Fee of 98 cents + 2.49% per ticket sold; the organizer can pass it on to attendees or absorb it.
Ways to pay less
Explara
No public discounts listed.
Yapsody
- Nonprofit
50% rebate for non-profit events
The pricing page offers a 50% rebate on ticketing fees for non-profit events.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Explara or Yapsody?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Explara starts at $9 per month, and Yapsody publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, Explara or Yapsody?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Explara and Yapsody have a free plan.
Which platforms do Explara and Yapsody run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Yapsody 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.