Luma vs Universe
We give Luma a 3.2 GPA and Universe a 2.6, out of 4.0. Luma grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Universe grades higher on 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.
Luma
Event pages and calendars for community events, free or paid
Universe
Self-service ticketing from the Live Nation and Ticketmaster group
How we grade them
| 3.2GPALumaVery good | 2.6GPAUniverseGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe free plan keeps 5% of each paid ticket, $200 on 200 $20 tickets. Luma Plus cuts that to 0% for $59 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly), the smallest fee here at this size bar Zeffy's for nonprofits. You pay either way, as fees can't go on buyers, and Stripe's fee isn't counted. | C2% + $0.79 a ticket on Starter, $238 on 200 $20 tickets, with processing on top that we haven't counted. You absorb it or pass it to buyers. Standard's 2.5% + $1.99 makes the same month $498. Middle of the pack here. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree for unlimited events and guests, with check-in, ticket types, coupons and reminders by email, text and WhatsApp. The caps are 500 invites or newsletters a week and 3 calendar admins, and the API and Zapier need Plus. | ANo setup fee, free events cost nothing, and Starter and Standard have no subscription: you only pay per paid ticket. Only the custom Pro plan costs more, and most organizers won't need it. |
| Features | CApproval and token-gated sign-ups, sliding-scale tickets, wallet passes, Zoom and hybrid events, even crypto payments. But there's no multi-session event type, so recurring sessions mean cloning events, and no seating or door sales on record. | CTicket types, add-ons, presales, payment plans, tiered tickets, a waiting room for busy onsales and a door app. But it's built for general admission and timed entry, with no reserved seating on record, and selling on Ticketmaster needs Pro. |
| Ease of use | A4.9 from 19,103 App Store ratings. Putting up an event page is quick, and guests get tickets in Apple or Google Wallet without needing the app. | CNo App Store rating on record. Setting up tickets and add-ons is self-service, but sales tax is yours to handle, since Universe doesn't remit it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Zoom, Google Meet, Apple and Google Wallet, plus Zapier and an API on Plus. No desktop app, which an A needs. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier, Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel and a GraphQL API. Ticketmaster's marketplace needs Pro, and there's no desktop app. |
| Best for | community events and calendars people follow | general admission nights and timed-entry attractions |
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: Luma and Universe. How we grade
Where they differ
- Luma also covers email campaigns.
- Universe also covers reports.
At a glance
| Luma | Universe | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $59 per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly) | Not published |
| Free plan | Unlimited events and guests, check-in, ticket types and coupons, reminders by email, text and WhatsApp, 500 invites or newsletters a week and 3 calendar admins. Paid tickets carry a 5% platform fee. | No setup fee and free events cost nothing. Paid tickets carry a service fee of 2% + $0.79 on Starter, capped at $19.95 a ticket, plus processing; organizers can pass it to buyers. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Luma Labs, Inc. | Universe Experiences Inc. |
| Price read from | luma.com | universe.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Luma
- Community organizers running meetups, clubs and free events
- Groups that want a calendar people can subscribe to
- Hosts of paid events who sell enough to cover Luma Plus
Universe
- Clubs, attractions and other general admission or timed-entry events
- Organizers who may later want to sell through Ticketmaster
- Free events, which carry no fees
Worth knowing
Luma
- On the free plan Luma keeps 5% of each paid ticket on top of Stripe's fee; fees cannot be added at checkout, so organizers build them into the price.
- Free calendars send 500 invites or newsletters a week; Plus sends 5,000, and more costs $50 to $800 a month. Extra admins cost $12 a month ($9 billed yearly).
- The API and Zapier need Luma Plus, which applies to one calendar and cannot be moved to another.
- There is no multi-session event type; Luma suggests cloning an event, up to 30 copies at a time, for recurring sessions.
Universe
- Paid tickets cost 2% + $0.79 on Starter or 2.5% + $1.99 on Standard, capped at $19.95 a ticket, plus processing; buyers can be made to pay both.
- Selling on Ticketmaster, dynamic pricing, RFID and account management come only with the custom-priced Pro plan.
- There is no free trial of paid plans, though accounts and event pages are free to create.
- Universe does not remit taxes: organizers who add sales tax at checkout must handle it themselves.
Key features
Luma
- Event pages and calendars
- Themed event pages and calendars that people subscribe to, with event discovery on Luma, referrals that show who shared the event, and hidden locations for approved guests.
- Registration and tickets
- Paid, free and sliding-scale ticket types, approval or token-gated registration, group purchases, coupons and unlock codes, waitlists and custom registration questions.
- Reminders and newsletters
- Blasts and automatic reminders by email, text, push notification and WhatsApp, plus newsletters to calendar subscribers within the weekly send limit.
- Check-in and wallet passes
- Scan guests' QR codes at the door or check them in by name; tickets go into Apple Wallet or Google Wallet and work without the Luma app.
- Online and hybrid events
- Luma can create Zoom meetings or webinars for an event and track who attended, and supports Google Meet and hybrid events with both kinds of location.
- Payments
- Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and regional methods such as iDEAL, Konbini and PayNow through Stripe, plus crypto payments in SOL and USDC.
Universe
- Ticket types and add-ons
- Unlimited ticket types including password-protected, discounted and donation tickets, add-ons with pictures, custom checkout questions and ticket transfers.
- Sales channels
- Sell on your own website, on Facebook and on Universe's own event listings; Pro adds Ticketmaster's marketplace and partner affiliate channels.
- Presales and payment plans
- Standard adds cardholder presales, payment plans (not offered in Europe), tiered tickets that open when another type sells out, and team permissions.
- BoxOffice app
- The BoxOffice app for iOS and Android scans tickets and sells at the door; RFID access control, paper tickets and badges cost extra.
- High-demand onsales
- A waiting room queues buyers during busy onsales, and Universe submits chargeback evidence for disputes on Universe Payments.
- API and integrations
- A GraphQL API and webhooks for event and sales data, plus Mailchimp, Zapier, Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.
Plans
Luma
Free$0
Unlimited events and guests. Luma keeps 5% of each paid ticket on top of Stripe's fee (typically 2.9% + 30¢), taken from the organizer's sales.
Luma Plus$59
per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
0% platform fee, 5,000 invite and newsletter sends a week, 5 admins, tax collection, custom URLs, a check-in manager role, Zapier and the API.
EnterpriseCustom
Organization accounts with single sign-on, security restrictions, more integrations and APIs, and custom-built features.
Universe
Starter$0
2% + $0.79 per paid ticket, capped at $19.95, plus VAT and processing; absorbed or passed to buyers. Ticket types, add-ons, door sales and analytics.
Standard$0
2.5% + $1.99 per paid ticket, capped at $19.95, plus processing. Adds team permissions, cardholder presales, payment plans and tiered tickets.
ProCustom
An a la carte plan with selling on Ticketmaster, dynamic pricing, RFID access control, an account manager, onsite and contact center support.
Ways to pay less
Luma
- Annual discount
Save 14% on Luma Plus with yearly billing
Luma Plus costs $59 a month billed yearly instead of $69 billed monthly, which the pricing page shows as a 14% saving; send add-ons save up to 11% yearly.
Universe
- Nonprofit
Special pricing for registered nonprofits
Registered nonprofits and charities can request special pricing; once approved they get a referral code to enter on each event page.
