TicketSpice vs Zeffy
We give TicketSpice a 2.6 GPA and Zeffy a 3.2, out of 4.0. Zeffy 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.
TicketSpice
Ticketing for events and attractions at a flat 99¢ per ticket
How we grade them
| 2.6GPATicketSpiceGood | 3.2GPAZeffyVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CA flat 99¢ a ticket, so 200 tickets at $20 costs $198 a month, plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing that we haven't counted. You pay it unless you pass it on to buyers. Middle of the pack here, and email at $9 a month + 2¢ a recipient and text messages are extra. | ANothing for the nonprofit: no platform, ticket or card fees, so 200 tickets at $20 pays out the full $4,000. Buyers are asked for an optional tip to Zeffy and can set it to zero. Free and substantial, which is an A, though only nonprofits can have it. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo subscription, setup or support fees, so nothing to pay until you sell. But free events are free only if you also run paid ones, otherwise free tickets cost 99¢ each, and email and text marketing are paid add-ons. | AOne free plan with every feature on it, and no cap a nonprofit would hit. The tip at checkout is the buyer's choice, not yours. |
| Features | BA drag-and-drop page builder, reserved seating, timed entry, an offline scanning app, a box office with cash drawer reports, iPad kiosks, merch and upgrades, and weekly payouts before the event. It covers the whole job. | BTicket forms with group and members-only rates, add-ons, tax receipts, QR check-in and Tap to Pay at the door, with donations, raffles, auctions and a donor database alongside. No reserved seating on record, but selling, the door and payouts are covered. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. The page builder has conditional logic and custom CSS, which is powerful but means a fair bit of building before you sell. | CNo App Store rating on record. You build ticket forms with types, dates and limits, and volunteers can check people in on the app or a shared web page. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Stripe, Authorize.net, NMI, Cybersource and Paya as payment gateways, plus an API and webhooks. No desktop app, which an A needs. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. No API or app integrations on record and no desktop app, and it serves nonprofits only in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia. |
| Best for | festivals and attractions selling online and at the gate | nonprofits that want to keep every dollar |
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: TicketSpice and Zeffy. How we grade
Price against what you get
TicketSpice has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zeffy has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, none scores higher than TicketSpice for less, and none scores higher than Zeffy 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
- TicketSpice is free. Zeffy is free.
- TicketSpice also covers reports and sMS marketing.
- Zeffy also covers forms.
At a glance
| TicketSpice | Zeffy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | No subscription, setup or support fees. Each paid ticket costs 99¢ (49¢ under $5 or at the box office) plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing, which the organizer can pass to buyers. | Every feature is free for nonprofits, with no platform, ticket or card processing fees. Zeffy is paid by optional tips that buyers can add at checkout or decline. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Webconnex | Zeffy, Inc. |
| Price read from | ticketspice.com | zeffy.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
TicketSpice
- Festivals, fairs and attractions selling both online and at the gate
- Venues with seating charts or timed entry slots
- Organizers who want a flat fee and weekly payouts before the event
Zeffy
- Nonprofits, schools and charities running galas, concerts or walks
- Groups that want to keep the full ticket price
- Fundraisers that combine tickets, auctions, raffles and donations
Worth knowing
TicketSpice
- Each paid ticket costs 99¢ (49¢ under $5 or on site) plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing; organizers can absorb it, pass it on or add their own fee.
- Free events are free only for organizers who also run paid events; otherwise free tickets cost 99¢ each.
- Email marketing ($9 a month + 2¢ per recipient), text messaging ($19 a month + 2¢) and a custom domain ($150 a year) are paid add-ons.
- Using your own gateway, such as Stripe or Authorize.net, instead of Webconnex Payments adds 1% + 25¢ per transaction.
Zeffy
- Zeffy is only for nonprofits, and serves organizations in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia.
- Checkout asks every buyer for an optional contribution to Zeffy, which is how the service is paid for; buyers can set it to zero.
- Sales tax on tickets can be charged only by organizations in the US or Canada.
- Ticket money reaches the nonprofit in a weekly payout from Zeffy, with no card fees taken out.
Key features
TicketSpice
- Ticketing page builder
- A drag-and-drop builder for branded ticketing pages with custom CSS, conditional logic for workflows and dynamic pricing, donations and social sharing incentives.
- Reserved seating and timed entry
- Seating charts, layouts and pods, plus recurring, daily and timed-entry tickets for attractions, tours and venues.
- Scanning app that works offline
- iOS and Android apps scan QR codes from phones or printouts, check in groups at once, sync across devices within 60 seconds and keep scanning offline.
- Box office and kiosks
- Sell at the gate by card, mobile wallet or cash with cashier tracking and cash drawer reports, or turn an iPad into a self-service kiosk.
- Add-ons, upgrades and merch
- Sell merchandise and experiences with tickets, upgrade existing orders, and send tickets by text message.
- Weekly payouts and reports
- Ticket money is paid out weekly before the event, with bank reconciliation reports, an attendee CRM, conversion tracking, exports, an API and webhooks.
Zeffy
- Event ticket forms
- Branded ticket forms with several ticket types and dates, group and members-only rates, capacity and per-buyer limits, pay-what-you-can and free registration.
- Check-in and Tap to Pay
- Scan e-tickets or check in whole orders in the Zeffy app, share a web check-in page with volunteers, and take card payments at the door on an iPhone or Android phone.
- Add-ons and receipts
- Sell apparel, meals or parking in the same form, redeem add-ons with a QR coupon, and send tax receipts that separate a ticket's deductible portion.
- Fundraising beyond tickets
- Donation forms, raffles, silent auctions, memberships, peer-to-peer campaigns and an online store, all reporting into one dashboard.
- Donor CRM and email
- Every ticket buyer becomes a donor record with full giving history; send reminders, thank-you emails and free newsletters to attendee lists.
Plans
TicketSpice
Online tickets$0
99¢ per paid ticket (49¢ for tickets of $5 or less) plus 2.9% + 30¢ processing, deducted from payouts; the organizer absorbs it or passes it to buyers.
On-site box office$0
Tickets sold on site through the box office app cost 49¢ each plus processing, by card, mobile wallet or cash.
Zeffy
Free$0
One plan with every feature. No fees for the nonprofit; buyers are asked for an optional tip to Zeffy, and a $40 ticket pays out $40 either way.
Ways to pay less
TicketSpice
- Other savings
49¢ fee on tickets of $5 or less
Tickets priced at $5 or less, and tickets sold on site through the box office app, cost 49¢ each instead of 99¢.
Zeffy
No public discounts listed.
