pretix vs Ticket Tailor (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Ticket Tailor: it is first in our ranking of event ticketing platforms, and they share a 3.0 GPA.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
pretix grades higher on platforms. Ticket Tailor grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
pretix
Open-source ticket shop, hosted or on your own server
Ticket Tailor
Event ticketing for a flat fee per ticket, with prepaid credits
Which one is for you
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
Pick Ticket Tailor if
- Fits if you sell pricier tickets and want a flat fee rather than a percentage
- Works for venues and attractions with timed or recurring entry
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to open a Stripe, PayPal or Square account
- Pricey if you want your own branding, as white label costs $49 a month and a custom domain alone $8
- Tight if you sell lots of seated tickets, as each reserved seat uses an extra credit
- Watch out: tickets issued through the API or imported are charged even when free
- Watch out: HubSpot, ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact links carry a monthly fee
How we grade them
| 3.0GPApretixVery good | 3.0GPATicket TailorVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | B$0.85 a ticket as you sell, so 200 tickets at $20 is $170 a month plus VAT, and prepaid credits from $0.30 a ticket bring that down. You pay it unless you pass it on as a booking fee. Card processing through your own Stripe, PayPal or Square isn't counted. Among the lower fees here. |
| Free plan and trial | BHosted has no monthly fee, and the Community edition is free to run on your own server. But the hosted service refuses personal users. | ANo subscription and nothing to pay until you sell a paid ticket, and your first five are free. Free events cost nothing up to 5,000 tickets a year, a cap few people will reach, though seated free tickets still use a credit each. |
| Features | 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. | BEvent pages, embedded checkout, reserved seating, timed and recurring slots, memberships, gift vouchers, waitlists and a check-in app that works offline and takes Tap to Pay. It covers selling, the door and getting paid, since the money lands in your own account. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A shop has to be built, and the Community edition needs your own server. | CNo App Store rating on record. You connect your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account before you can take money, then build your event pages, so there's a bit to set up first. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, iPhone, Android, Windows and Linux, with PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, HubSpot and a REST API. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Mailchimp, HubSpot, Zapier, WordPress, a public API and an MCP connector for AI assistants. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | open-source ticket shop, hosted or your own | a flat fee per ticket instead of a percentage |
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: pretix and Ticket Tailor. How we grade
Price against what you get
pretix starts at about $46.46 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ticket Tailor has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
pretix scores higher, and starts $46.46 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, 1 scores higher than pretix for less, and none scores higher than Ticket Tailor 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 is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Ticket Tailor also covers email campaigns.
At a glance
| pretix | Ticket Tailor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | €499 per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders a year | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | No subscription. Free tickets cost nothing up to 5,000 a year; paid tickets cost $0.85 each as you sell, or from $0.30 each with prepaid credits, plus VAT and card processing. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | pretix GmbH | Zimma Ltd |
| Price read from | pretix.eu | tickettailor.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Ticket Tailor
- Paid tickets cost $0.85 each as you sell or from $0.30 with prepaid credits, plus VAT and processing (2.9% + $0.30 with Stripe in the US); organizers may pass fees to buyers.
- Reserved seats use an extra credit each, and tickets issued through the API or imported are charged even when free.
- Removing Ticket Tailor branding (white label) costs $49 a month and a custom domain alone $8; HubSpot, ActiveCampaign and Constant Contact links carry a monthly fee.
- You need your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account to take payments; Ticket Tailor never holds the ticket money.
Key features
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.
Ticket Tailor
- Box office and event pages
- Branded event pages with themes, colors and layouts, checkout embedded on your own site, password-protected private events and a cart that covers several events.
- Reserved seating
- Build seating charts for theaters, stadiums or dinner layouts so buyers choose their own seats; each seat reserved costs one extra credit.
- Check-in app with Tap to Pay
- The free iOS and Android app scans ticket QR codes with the phone camera or an external scanner, works without signal, and takes card sales at the door.
- Recurring events and memberships
- Repeating dates and time slots with a busy-times heat map, memberships and season passes, gift vouchers, waitlists and fee-free donations at checkout.
- Attendee email and reminders
- Free scheduled or instant email broadcasts by ticket type, plus text and WhatsApp reminders; buyers can add text reminders at checkout for a small fee.
- Integrations, API and MCP
- Direct links to Mailchimp, HubSpot, Constant Contact and ActiveCampaign, Zapier for other apps, a public API and an MCP connector for AI assistants.
Plans
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.
Ticket Tailor
Free events$0
No fee for issuing up to 5,000 free tickets a year; larger free events get a quote. Seated free tickets still use one credit each.
Pay as you go$0
A flat $0.85 per paid ticket plus VAT, charged to the organizer, who can pass it to buyers as a booking fee. The first five tickets sold are free.
Pay upfront$0
Prepaid ticket credits from $0.30 per ticket plus VAT, in packs of at least 100, that never expire; the per-credit price falls as the pack grows.
Ways to pay less
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.
Ticket Tailor
- Nonprofit
50% off fees for registered charities
Registered charities get half off Ticket Tailor's fees for good, applied from the billing page with proof of status; discounts are also offered to B Corps, PTAs and other nonprofits.
- Other savings
Half fee on tickets under $5
Tickets and products under $5, including booking fees and taxes, count as half a usage on application, so low-priced events pay half the normal fee.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, pretix or Ticket Tailor?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ticket Tailor is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $46.46 a month for pretix. pretix starts at €499 per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders a year, and Ticket Tailor is free.
Which has a free plan, pretix or Ticket Tailor?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both pretix and Ticket Tailor have a free plan.
Which platforms do pretix and Ticket Tailor run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only pretix lists Windows and Linux apps. Both list a web app and iOS and Android apps. 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.