Hi.Events vs pretix (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, pretix grades higher than Hi.Events: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hi.Events grades higher on the free plan. pretix grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hi.Events
Open-source event ticketing with a hosted or self-run option
pretix
Open-source ticket shop, hosted or on your own server
Which one is for you
Pick Hi.Events if
- Fits if you sell few tickets and want no monthly bill
- Makes sense if you can run your own server and want the open-source edition
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want your own branding, as removing the label costs $33.99 a month
- Skip it if you need reserved seating today, since it is early access
- Watch out: payouts go through your own Stripe account and Stripe's fees are charged on top
- Watch out: self-hosting is free, but seating, box office and SSO on your own server need a licence
Pick pretix if
- Fits if you run a business or non-profit and want a ticket shop you control
- Works for teams with a server who want the free Community edition
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are an individual: hosted is for businesses and similar bodies
- Tight if you sell many free tickets, as those past 500 a year cost €0.50 each
- Watch out: fees are in euros, billed monthly and quoted without VAT
- Pricey if you want paid modules on hosted, such as €25 per exhibitor for lead scanning
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAHi.EventsGood | 3.0GPApretixVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BNo monthly fee, but each paid ticket costs 1.25% + $0.60, Stripe's processing fees come on top, and removing branding is $33.99 a month. | BHosted has no monthly fee and the first 500 free tickets a year cost nothing. Self-hosted paid tiers start at €499 a year. Hosted per-ticket rates aren't on the listing. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe hosted account has every feature with no monthly fee, and free events cost nothing. A self-hosted edition is free too. | BHosted has no monthly fee, and the Community edition is free to run on your own server. But the hosted service refuses personal users. |
| Features | CTicketing, QR check-in, team access and an API. Reserved seating and the box office are marked early access. | BCustomisable shop, check-in, box office and kiosks, exhibitor lead scanning, reports and a REST API. Some extras, such as lead scanning, cost €25 per exhibitor. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect your own Stripe account to get paid. | CNo store rating on record. A shop has to be built, and the Community edition needs your own server. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, an API, and connections to Claude and ChatGPT. | AWeb, iPhone, Android, Windows and Linux, with PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, HubSpot and a REST API. |
| Best for | open-source ticketing with a hosted option | open-source ticket shop, hosted or your own |
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: Hi.Events and pretix. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hi.Events starts at $28 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. pretix starts at about $46.46 a month and scores 3.0.
pretix scores higher, and starts $18.46 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, 9 score higher than Hi.Events for less, and 1 scores higher than pretix 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
- pretix also covers reports.
At a glance
| Hi.Events | pretix | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $33.99 per month to remove branding, or $335.99 per year | €499 per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders a year |
| Free plan | Hosted account at no monthly fee with every feature; paid tickets cost 1.25% + $0.60 each, and free events cost nothing. | The hosted service has no monthly fee and no charge for the first 500 free tickets per calendar year; the Community edition is free open-source software you host yourself. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hi.Events Ltd. | pretix GmbH |
| Price read from | hi.events | pretix.eu |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hi.Events
- Paid-ticket payouts go through your own Stripe account, and Stripe's processing fees are charged on top.
- Reserved seating and the box office are marked early access, and company SSO is on request.
- Self-hosting is free, but reserved seating, box office and SSO on your own server need a licence.
- Removing the Powered by Hi.Events branding costs $33.99 a month or $335.99 a year.
pretix
- The hosted service is for businesses and similar entities such as non-profits and associations; the pricing page says personal users cannot use it.
- Free tickets beyond the 500-a-year quota cost €0.50 each on hosted, and the quota grows with every paid ticket.
- Hosted fees are billed monthly by invoice and are quoted excluding VAT; fees are in euros, and other currencies are converted.
- Paid modules on hosted: Peppol and Italy or Portugal e-invoicing at €0.20 per invoice, and lead scanning at €25 per exhibitor.
Key features
Hi.Events
- Ticketing and checkout
- Unlimited events and ticket types, an embeddable checkout widget, promo codes, affiliate tracking, and your own service fees and taxes.
- QR check-in
- Door staff check guests in with a link and no install, by camera scan, USB scanner or name search, with a live count per door list.
- Reserved seating
- Draw a venue once, price it by section, and let buyers choose their own seats. Marked early access on the pricing page.
- Box office
- Staff sell at the door from a browser, taking cash or cards on Stripe readers paid into your own Stripe account. Marked early access.
- AI assistant connection
- Connect Claude or ChatGPT to find attendees, resend tickets or pull sales figures by asking.
- Team access and API
- View-only and per-event team access, required two-factor sign-in, single sign-on on request, and a REST API.
pretix
- Customizable ticket shop
- A hosted or self-run shop with individual tickets, discount and voucher options and a choice of payment providers such as PayPal, Stripe and Mollie.
- Check-in and access control
- The pretixSCAN app runs on Android and iOS and works both online and offline, so scanning continues without a connection.
- Box office and kiosks
- pretixPOS is a cash register app for on-site sales and pretixKIOSK turns a device into a ticket vending machine.
- Exhibitor lead scanning
- pretixLEAD lets exhibitors scan attendees' badges for leads. The hosted service bills €25 per exhibitor who scans at least one lead.
- Reports and REST API
- Exports and full API access are included in every edition, and the company publishes REST API documentation.
- Hardware rental
- The company also rents event hardware for scanning and point of sale.
Plans
Hi.Events
Hosted$0
No monthly fee or contract. Fee of 1.25% + $0.60 per paid ticket, paid by the buyer by default or absorbed by you.
Branding removal$33.99
per month for the whole account ($335.99 billed yearly)
Removes the Powered by Hi.Events label from pages, checkout, widgets, tickets and emails. Plus tax where it applies.
Self-hosted (AGPL)$0
Open source edition you run on your own servers, with no platform fees.
Self-hosted licence€249
per year for the first €10k of ticket sales
Annual licence priced by ticket sales: €12 per €1,000 from €10k to €30k, falling to €5.50 above €1.5M.
pretix
pretix Hosted€0
No monthly fee. 2.5% of the ticket price excl. taxes, at most €15 per ticket, plus payment provider fees. Free tickets: first 500 a year are free.
Community€0
Free open-source edition under AGPLv3 with additional terms. You host it yourself, with unlimited ticket volume and email support.
Enterprise Starter€499
per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders and €30,000 revenue
Self-hosted license with 3 plugin license points. Price rises with volume: €2,000 for up to 50,000 orders and €150,000 revenue.
Enterprise Professional€750
per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders and €30,000 revenue
Self-hosted license with 10 plugin license points.
Enterprise Ultimate€950
per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders and €30,000 revenue
Self-hosted license with 20 plugin license points.
Ways to pay less
Hi.Events
- Annual discount
Branding removal cheaper when billed yearly
Removing the branding is $335.99 a year instead of $33.99 a month, the yearly price the pricing page lists.
- Nonprofit
Licence discounts for non-profits and education
The self-hosted licence page says discounts exist for non-profits, education, early-stage startups and PPP-eligible countries, on request.
pretix
- Nonprofit
Lower hosted fees for non-profits
Non-profit and charity organizations pay 2.0% of the ticket price (maximum €15) and €0.10 per free ticket on pretix Hosted, after contacting the company.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hi.Events or pretix?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hi.Events is cheaper to start with: $28 a month when paid by the year, against about $46.46 a month for pretix. Hi.Events starts at $33.99 per month to remove branding, or $335.99 per year, and pretix starts at €499 per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders a year.
Which has a free plan, Hi.Events or pretix?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Hi.Events and pretix have a free plan.
Which platforms do Hi.Events and pretix run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only pretix lists Windows, Linux, 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.