The pretix Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about pretix in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
pretix
The Insider’s Guide
Open-source ticket shop, hosted or on your own server
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among event ticketing platforms, read from pretix’s own pages.
Made by pretix GmbH · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from pretix’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on pretix’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.0
GPA, above 36 of the 45 other event ticketing platforms we grade
pretix is a ticketing system for conferences, festivals, exhibitions and similar events. It is available as a hosted service billed per ticket sold, as a free open-source Community edition you run yourself, and as paid Enterprise licenses for self-hosting. Companion apps cover a cash register, access control and ticket kiosks.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about pretix, taken from its own pages and our grades.
A shop has to be built, and the Community edition needs your own server.
- 1
Best for open-source ticket shop, hosted or your own
pretix is an open-source ticket shop that you can host yourself for free or use hosted with no monthly fee.
- 2
Paid plans start at about $46.46 a month
As its pricing page puts it: €499 per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders a year.
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Windows and Linux.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
Box office and kiosks
pretixPOS is a cash register app for on-site sales and pretixKIOSK turns a device into a ticket vending machine.
- 8
A 3.0 GPA, above 36 of 45
That is against the other event ticketing platforms we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of pretix you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
pretix at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from €499 per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders a year
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- pretix GmbH, since 2014
- Category
- Event Ticketing
- Our grade
- 3.0 GPA, very good
The report card
Best for open-source ticket shop, hosted or your own
pretix is an open-source ticket shop that you can host yourself for free or use hosted with no monthly fee. Hosted is for businesses, associations and non-profits, not personal use, and free tickets past 500 a year cost €0.50 each.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Hosted 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 | B | Hosted has no monthly fee, and the Community edition is free to run on your own server. But the hosted service refuses personal users. |
| Features | B | Customisable 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 | C | No store rating on record. A shop has to be built, and the Community edition needs your own server. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, iPhone, Android, Windows and Linux, with PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, HubSpot and a REST API. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who pretix is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Conferences and trade fairs that want to host ticketing themselves
- Organizers who would rather pay per ticket than a subscription
- Teams that need to keep data on their own servers
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
~$46.46
A month to start. There is a free plan too
pretix has a free plan. Paid plans start at €499 per year, self-hosted, up to 10,000 orders a year.
Hosted per-ticket rates aren't on the listing.
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.
The 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.
Read from pretix.eu on Nov 12, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on pretix.eu
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Open-source ticket shop, hosted or on your own server. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, reports, ticketing.
Customisable shop, check-in, box office and kiosks, exhibitor lead scanning, reports and a REST API.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- PayPal
- Stripe
- Mollie
- HubSpot
pretix is made by pretix GmbH, and has been around since 2014.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
36/45
Other event ticketing platforms it is graded above
pretix's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 36 of the 45 other event ticketing platforms we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 44 of 45) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at about $46.46 a month, against a middle price of $59.50 for the category: 5 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 46 event ticketing platforms we grade, cut by the letter each got. pretix’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 31 of 45
- BFree plan and trialAbove 23 of 45
- BFeaturesAbove 14 of 45
- CEase of useAbove 1 of 45
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 44 of 45
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 22 event ticketing platforms. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. pretix is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of pretix you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 36 of the 45 other event ticketing platforms we grade. It costs $557.48 a year. pretix is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Selling tickets and checking them at the door.
- Apps for Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, PayPal, Stripe and Mollie among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. pretix’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Ticket Tailor, Weeztix, Tito, Eventbrite and vivenu
The 5 tools pretix is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Ticket Tailor
Free
Event ticketing for a flat fee per ticket, with prepaid credits.
- Only pretix lists Windows and Linux apps.
- pretix is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Ticket Tailor also covers email campaigns.
- 2.6GPA
Weeztix
Free plan
Ticket shops and door scanning, formerly Eventix.
- Only pretix lists Windows and Linux apps.
- pretix is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Weeztix also covers qR codes.
- 2.8GPA
Tito
Free
Ticketing for conferences and meetups, for 3% of each ticket.
- Only pretix lists Windows and Linux apps.
- pretix is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 3.0GPA
Eventbrite
Free plan · from $15/mo
Ticketing and event marketplace, with fees usually paid by buyers.
- Only pretix lists Windows and Linux apps.
- pretix is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Eventbrite also covers email campaigns.
- 2.0GPA
vivenu
Paid
Enterprise ticketing platform with an open API.
- pretix has a free plan. vivenu does not.
- Only pretix lists iOS, Android, Windows and Linux apps.
- pretix is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is pretix free?
pretix has a 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.
How much does pretix cost?
pretix lists 5 plans. pretix Hosted: €0. Community: €0.
What platforms does pretix work on?
pretix is available on Web, iOS, Android, Windows and Linux.
Does pretix offer any discounts?
pretix publicly lists the following: Lower hosted fees for non-profits.
Does pretix have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. pretix is listed for Web, iOS, Android, Windows and Linux.
Is pretix open source?
Yes. pretix is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does pretix have an API?
Yes. pretix offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does pretix integrate with?
pretix's listing names PayPal, Stripe, Mollie and HubSpot. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes pretix?
pretix is made by pretix GmbH. It dates from 2014.
What are the alternatives to pretix?
The closest alternatives to pretix in our directory are Ticket Tailor, Weeztix, Tito, Eventbrite and vivenu.
How does pretix compare with other event ticketing platforms?
pretix's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 36 of the 45 other event ticketing platforms we grade, and level with 7.
Is pretix good value for money?
ToolGPA grades pretix B for value for money. Its paid plans start at about $46.46 a month, against a middle price of $59.50 for the category: 5 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of pretix?
The plain part of pretix you could make: reports. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from pretix’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from pretix GmbH's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by pretix GmbH. Prices change, so check pretix.eu before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- pretix, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/pretix
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "pretix: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/pretix
Know someone choosing between event ticketing platforms?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/pretix/guide
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See our other guides
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- Luma Insider's GuideEvent pages and calendars for community events, free or paid3.2 GPA
- Zeffy Insider's GuideFree event ticketing and fundraising for nonprofits3.2 GPA
- Billetto Insider's GuideEuropean ticketing marketplace with ads you pay for per sale3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what pretix’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. pretix is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by pretix GmbH. Prices and plans change: check pretix.eu before you buy.