Pros and Cons of Top Online Ticketing Platforms

With nine out of ten buyers considering convenience as the top factor when making a purchase, you can’t go wrong working with an online ticketing platform for your events.

Why? Because clearly, that’s what your ticket buyers crave—buying tickets to their favorite events, including exhilarating concerts, adrenaline-pumping sports matches, fascinating theater performances, etc., from the comfort of their homes with a few taps on their phones.

Plus, it makes your job as an event organizer smooth and super easy as well.

Working with the right online ticketing platform, you can manage your attendee information and event data in one convenient location, which can help you make quick data-driven decisions when needed.

All that said, it can be tough to choose an online ticketing platform. That’s especially the case if you are unfamiliar with the subtle details that differentiate a great platform from a mediocre one, which can be a pain rather than a convenience.

All platforms have some pros and cons, so knowing what to look out for when making your choice will make all of the difference for your event sales being a success.

In this article, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of popular online ticketing platforms and the subtle details that can help you make the final choice. Let’s get into it.

Source: Nrf

What are Online Ticketing Platforms?

An event ticketing platform is a solution that lets event organizers sell tickets online for their in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. It allows attendees to purchase tickets with more convenience than traditional in-person ticketing. Ticketing platforms can be set up in a few ways:

• You can integrate a ticketing widget right on your website.
• Create a special ticketing page just for your event.
• Or you can use an external ticketing website to sell those tickets.

With these platforms, your eventgoers can easily snag a ticket using their smartphone or computer, at any time of day, from any location.

After purchase, the ticketing application automatically sends them confirmation emails and personalized event tickets to then use as confirmation at the actual event.

These platforms come with many different features and capabilities, like different ticket levels (general admission, VIP, and reserved seating), notifications when your tickets sell, real-time sales summaries, order analytics, support for mobile tickets, and more.

These useful features make the ticketing process smoother for your event and gather valuable data for future event marketing.

With the total revenue of the online ticketing industry expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% from 2022 to 2029, it’s evident that eventgoers prefer to buy their tickets over the Internet, so it’s a no-brainer for event organizers to sell tickets online.

Source: MMR

Eventgoers have grown to like the convenience that online ticketing platforms bring to their lives. Let’s face it, hardly anyone would like to go through the traditional method of buying tickets to your event, like going to the box office in person. It takes more time, resources, and organizing to make that happen.

To stay competitive in your niche and keep your revenue stream consistent, partnering up with the right ticketing platform is a must.

Pros of Using an Online Ticketing Platform

• Amplified Audience Reach
• Streamlined Ticket Tiering and Staging
• Effortless Check-in Experience
• Valuable Data Collection and Analytics
• Targeted Marketing Opportunities.

Cons of Using an Online Ticketing Platform

• Some ticketing platforms can charge high fees for each ticket sale, reducing your profit.
• Someone needs to handle the technical backend management of your ticket sales.
• Platforms that don’t prioritize security can put your company’s and customers’ sensitive data at risk (just like with any online portal).

Beyond these downsides, which can be rectified by choosing the right ticketing platform, the pros definitely outweigh the cons. It’s all about knowing what to look out for when you decide on the platform to team up with.

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Considering an Online Ticketing Platform

To find the right online ticketing software, there are two important questions you need to ask yourself. If you’ve organized events before, you may have these answers sorted. But if you haven’t, just take some time to consider these factors.

These questions will help you find the ticketing platforms that suit you best.

How many tickets do you expect to sell in a year?

Some online ticketing platforms have different fee structures based on the number of tickets you sell. They often work on a sliding scale. So, as your ticket sales go up, the fees might change too.

Others keep it simple with a flat fee per ticket, no matter how many you sell.

Also, some ticketing platforms have a percentage-based fee structure. They take a certain percentage of your ticket sales.

Even better, some platforms have a very convenient pricing structure that essentially makes it free for you to sell your tickets.

If you plan on charging higher ticket prices and expect to sell a lot of them, steer clear of platforms that slap on a high percentage fee per ticket. That’s because you’ll have to pay a huge chunk of your revenue as the platform fee.

Similarly, if your ticket prices are on the lower side, you shouldn’t be working with a platform that charges a high flat fee.

The best-case scenario would be working with a free platform like TicketsCandy. Of course, their features and service quality should be at least at par with the paid ones (we’ll mention one such platform later in the article, so stick around).

So, before you start picking the right ticketing platform, know how many tickets you reckon you’ll be selling. That way, you can find the one that fits your budget.

Do you want the checkout process to occur on your website or a third-party one?

Some online ticketing platforms can be smoothly integrated into your website or mobile app, but not all of them can do that.

If that’s what you need (which we feel you would), you must go with a platform that offers smooth integration to your website.

Here’s why integration matters: If you can keep everything on your own turf, it’s a win for you. When customers don’t have to leave your website to buy tickets, you’re in control of the whole process.

That’s the time to upsell, show off your brand, and provide a great service that your ticket buyer will remember the next time they feel like attending an event.

But if you don’t have any issues passing the responsibility of closing the ticket sale to a third-party website, it might not be big of a deal for you. It’s all about how much control you want over that final sale.

Criteria for Evaluating Online Ticketing Platforms

Selecting the right online ticketing platform is no joke—it can make or break your brand image and eventgoers’ experience. Also, your survival depends on it, as they handle your business’s most crucial aspect—ticket sales.

If they mess up, you could end up losing a lot of potential ticket buyers who were on the verge of making a purchase, and consequently, your finances will suffer.

To help you make an informed decision about choosing the right ticketing platform, here are some key factors to consider:

Ease of Use & Setup

Finding a ticketing platform that’s easy to use and set up should be your top priority.

Find a platform with a user-friendly interface; no need for confusing and pointless inconsistency in UI elements, little difference between primary and secondary buttons, and poor touch target on mobile and tablet.

A seamless user interface can increase the conversion rate by 200%, and a great user experience can boost it by 400%.

Source: Webfx

Drag-and-drop features, customizable templates, and seamless integration with your website and social media will make ticketing a walk in the park.

Ticket Customization & Branding

Maintaining your brand’s identity and creating a consistent event experience is necessary. The ticketing platform should have tons of customization options. This includes branding your tickets, event pages, and confirmation emails.

Look for options to add your colors, logo, event details, and promotional images, so attendees get a branded ticketing experience.

Ticket Types & Pricing Flexibility

Consider how flexible the platform is in creating different ticket types and pricing options.  If you need different types of tickets, including general admission, VIP passes, early bird discounts, or tiered pricing, you should be able to do so.

Also, you should be able to set up promotional codes, discounts, and bundling options to boost your ticket sales.

Data & Analytics

Look for a ticketing platform with real-time reports, sales insights, attendee demographics, and tracking of your marketing efforts.

Think about it: you need this information to make crucial decisions and improve your future events.

You also need this data to understand ticket sales trends better, target specific audiences based on these trends, and measure the success of your promotion campaigns.

Customer Support & Service

Dependable customer support is essential for handling ticketing issues and technical glitches and your onboarding to a platform that’s entirely new to you. Do a bit of research on the platform’s customer service, like phone, email, or live chat support.

Check out some reviews or get recommendations from other event organizers to see if they’re responsive and always willing to lend a hand.

Pros and Cons of The Most Popular Ticketing Platforms

Opt for an online ticketing platform that provides functionality that will work seamlessly with your marketing strategy. Your choice should depend on how established your event brand is and how strong your existing marketing channels are.

All of these factors, including the ones mentioned earlier, will determine the best online ticketing platform for your events.

We’ll provide you with a list of the most popular ticketing platforms and their pros and cons, making it super easy to choose the right one.

Here are the best online ticketing platforms based on the factors mentioned in the article:

1. TicketsCandy
2. Eventbrite
3. TicketTailor
4. TicketSpice

TicketsCandy

TicketsCandy comes on top, having all the features a great online ticketing platform should have. Despite being a relatively new player in the market, it has the best customer support available in the online ticketing industry.

It has tools to support your marketing efforts. Even better, it actively helps you sell more tickets by giving you access to a hyper-targeted audience already interested in buying your tickets to your event, running ads for your event, and marketing your event through email newsletters.

And it’s free to use and won’t cost you a single cent, unlike its competitors that’ll take the lion’s share out of your ticket sales revenue.

Features of the Platform

Features	TicketsCandy
Free
User-friendly interface
Easy event search
Mobile-responsive
Real-time ticket availability
Customer support
Secure payment system
Early bird discounts
Refund/exchange policy
Widget Integration
Email notifications
Order history tracking
E-ticket delivery
Event marketing assistance
Multiple payment gateways

Pros of TicketsCandy

• Absolutely free to use with no charges passed to your ticket buyer, making your ticket pricing more attractive to them.
• Easy-to-use ticketing widget created with the user in mind, making the checkout flow less of a hassle
• Swift and efficient two-step checkout process for better user experience
• Event promotion through multiple channels
• Versatile ticket sales options for organizers.
• Instant event setup, no delays.

Cons of TicketsCandy

• Limited payment partners, as they currently only collaborate with Square
• No reserved seating feature for events.

Eventbrite

Eventbrite is a good choice for large businesses when it comes to online ticketing systems. It’s a great choice for getting your events out there and reaching new audiences in your area.

Not only does it handle all the back-end stuff for your event, but it’s also easy to use.

With Eventbrite, setting up your events is quick and easy. Add a description, title, and cover photo, and set your price—then hit publish.

Eventbrite takes care of the rest—no worries about the nitty-gritty details. So you can focus on making your event a success.

But the only thing not so great about this platform is its pricing. As Eventbrite is one of the oldest players in the market and has built quite a name, it charges a premium for its services.

They charge 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket sold, and on top of that, they’ll charge a 2.9% payment processing fee per order.

So if your ticket prices are high, consider other options. Also, they won’t do much in terms of helping you sell tickets like other platforms on this list do.

Features of the Platform

Features	Eventbrite
Free
User-friendly interface
Easy event search
Mobile-responsive
Real-time ticket availability
Customer support
Secure payment system
Early bird discounts
Refund/exchange policy
Widget Integration
Email notifications
Order history tracking
E-ticket delivery
Event marketing assistance
Multiple payment gateways

Pros of Eventbrite

• User-friendly interface with a short learning curve.
• Allows event tracking from any device on the go
• Smooth integration with Facebook events, enabling direct purchases from the app without leaving Facebook.
• Option to pass ticket fees to attendees and avoid additional charges.

Cons of Eventbrite

• 3.7% + $1.79 fee per ticket
• Live event customer support has received numerous complaints and only provides 24/7 support to paying customers.
• Occasional issues with ticket information getting lost when automatically generating spreadsheets for attendance lists
• Limited customization options for the event landing page.

TicketTailor

TicketTailor is another great platform that stands out for its affordable prices and user-friendly interface. It’s a decent choice for small event organizers who want complete control over their ticketing process from start to finish.

What makes TicketTailor even better is its transparent pricing model. Instead of charging hefty per-ticket fees, they charge a flat fee per ticket.

And it’s not just affordable, but packed with top features too. Ticket customization, event promotion tools, attendee management, and real-time reporting—they provide all the necessary features a small event organizer would need.

But their customer service could be a bit better. They offer support over email only instead of over the phone.

Features of the Platform

Features	TicketTailor
Free
User-friendly interface
Easy event search
Mobile-responsive
Real-time ticket availability
Customer support
Secure payment system
Early bird discounts
Refund/exchange policy
Widget Integration
Email notifications
Order history tracking
E-ticket delivery
Event marketing assistance
Multiple payment gateways

Pros of TicketTailor

• Flat fee for attendees or event organizers, providing cost-saving benefits.
• Simple event registry page customization for personalized experiences.

Cons of TicketTailor

• $0.65 + 2.99% fee per ticket
• Customer service is limited to email support and lacks phone assistance
• Less day-of event support compared to other event ticketing platforms.
• The lowest pricing tier includes Ticket Tailor branding, which may affect the event’s branding.
• Certain pricing tiers restrict the number of tickets that can be sold.

TicketSpice

TicketSpice is another option in the world of mobile ticketing. They proudly claim to be the “Most Customizable Ticketing Software,” and plenty of their customers believe they totally live up to that name.

With TicketSpice, you get loads of flexibility and options to tailor your ticketing just the way you want it.

TicketSpice stands out with its comprehensive feature set. Create customized tickets, design event pages with your own branding, and even integrate different payment gateways.

This means you can offer flexible payment options to your attendees, making it super convenient for everyone involved.

While TicketSpice charges per-ticket fees, they offer competitive rates ($0.99 + 2.99 per ticket), often lower than other platforms.

Features of the Platform

Features	TicketSpice
Free
User-friendly interface
Easy event search
Mobile-responsive
Real-time ticket availability
Customer support
Secure payment system
Early bird discounts
Refund/exchange policy
Widget Integration
Email notifications
Order history tracking
E-ticket delivery
Event marketing assistance
Multiple payment gateways

Pros of TicketSpice

• User-friendly drag-and-drop interface for effortless event setup.
• No contracts, setup fees, or cancellation fees, ensuring flexibility.
• Facilitates quick fundraising, donation collection, and ticket selling
• Provides valuable analytics to track conversion rates and event performance.
• Offers the convenience of auto-depositing ticket earnings directly

Cons of TicketSpice

• $0.99 + 2.99% fee per ticket
• Some customers have reported minor glitches in the system, like adding the wrong food option to a ticket.
• Also, their customer support is offline on the weekends. So if you run into an issue on the weekend, you’ll be on your own.

Final Verdict: The Best Online Ticketing Platforms

Live events are real game-changers, bringing people together from around the globe. But let’s be honest: managing events can feel like walking on a tightrope sometimes, with so many elements and potential risks to juggle.

Now, when choosing the best event software for you, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher. If you put in the effort and do your research, you’ll find the perfect fit for your events.

When you’ve got the right event online ticketing by your side, it can work wonders, increasing the chance of your events being a smashing success.

When all four of the best online ticketing platform compared side-by-side, TicketsCandy is clearly on top. So why not partner up with it to make your event a success story?

As you’ve got nothing to lose by trying it out, consider signing up with TicketsCandy for free today.