Purplepass 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 it grades higher too, 3.0 against 2.6.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ticket Tailor grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ticket Tailor
Event ticketing for a flat fee per ticket, with prepaid credits
Which one is for you
Pick Purplepass if
- Fits if you run a venue with assigned seating and a box office
- Works for events that sell printed tickets or wristbands
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell online: 3.0% card processing sits on top of the service fee
- Watch out: preprinted stock costs $0.06 to $0.12 a piece
- Tight if you sell at the door by card, at 2.5% + $0.25 a sale
- Not for you if you want the fee up front: the pricing page lists no tiers
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
| 2.6GPAPurplepassGood | 3.0GPATicket TailorVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo subscription. Online card processing is 3.0% on top of a service fee we could not see a figure for, and box-office card sales cost 2.5% + $0.25. | 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 | BNo sign-up fee, free events cost nothing and there is no cap on events or ticket types. Paid tickets carry a per-ticket fee. | 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 | BAssigned seating, a phone app and box-office terminals, reservations, recurring events and printed tickets. Nothing core is missing on the listing. | 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. Seating maps and box-office setup take work. | 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 | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Mailchimp, Constant Contact, WordPress and a few more. | 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 | per-ticket ticketing with box-office apps | 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: Purplepass and Ticket Tailor. How we grade
Where they differ
- Ticket Tailor also covers email campaigns.
At a glance
| Purplepass | Ticket Tailor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | Not published | Free |
| Free plan | No sign-up fee, no fee for free events, and no limit on events or ticket types. Paid tickets carry a per-ticket service fee instead of a subscription. | 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 | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Purplepass.com | Zimma Ltd |
| Price read from | purplepass.com | tickettailor.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Purplepass
- Online card processing is 3.0% on top of the service fee, and box-office card sales are 2.5% + $0.25 per transaction.
- Bulk preprinted ticket stock is extra: $0.10 per thermal ticket, $0.12 per full-color custom ticket, $0.06 per Tyvek wristband and $0.12 per vinyl wristband.
- The pricing page lists no tiers or contract terms; box-office, comp-ticket, map-building and free-event fees are all stated as none.
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
Purplepass
- Assigned seating maps
- Seat maps are built to scale with color-coded price sections, partial-view flags, custom notes on seats and venue photos from a seat. Rows, tables and vendor booths can all be sold.
- Phone app and box-office terminals
- A smartphone app for iOS and Android scans tickets with the camera, looks up orders and shows live admission counts. Wireless iPad terminals add a card reader and a ticket scanner.
- Reservations and add-ons
- Reservations mode lets guests hold tickets and pay at the event. An advanced-selling mode sells merchandise, food and drink tickets alongside admission.
- Recurring and multi-day events
- One event page can cover a weekend or a repeating schedule, such as every Friday or a custom list of dates.
- Printed tickets and wristbands
- Purplepass sells preprinted thermal ticket stock and wristbands in bulk, priced per piece on its pricing page.
- Email and survey syncing
- Buyer contacts can be synced to Mailchimp, Constant Contact and SurveyMonkey, and a WordPress plugin and widget put ticket sales on an organizer's own site.
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
Purplepass
Non-profit$0
No subscription. Online service fee of 2.0% + $0.99 per ticket, plus 3.0% card processing online. By default the buyer pays the fees; the organizer can absorb them or split them.
For-profit$0
No subscription. Online service fee of 2.5% + $0.99 per ticket, plus 3.0% card processing online. By default the buyer pays the fees; the organizer can absorb them or split them.
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
Purplepass
No public discounts listed.
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, Purplepass or Ticket Tailor?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Purplepass publishes no starting price, and Ticket Tailor is free.
Which has a free plan, Purplepass or Ticket Tailor?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Purplepass and Ticket Tailor have a free plan.
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.