Top 9 Ticketmaster Alternatives: Pros & Cons + Costs

If you’ve ever wanted to buy tickets for a show, chances are you probably bought the ticket from Ticketmaster. The ticketing solution has been on the scene since 1976 and has become the go-to ticketing website whenever you want to buy tickets for a live event. Event organizers, like event-goers, also think about Ticketmaster when they want to sell tickets for their events since it is a dependable ticketing company.

Still, the event ticketing powerhouse isn’t your only option if you want to sell tickets for your upcoming show.

There are plenty of alternatives to Ticketmaster for selling tickets online. While Ticketmaster is a reliable and trusted website to sell tickets for concerts, sports, festivals, comedy shows, plays, and more, Ticketmaster alternatives may work better for your event.

A Closer Look at Ticketmaster

Before we look at the top Ticketmaster alternatives, let’s have a closer look at what Ticketmaster offers.

Ticketmaster sells more tickets than any other ticketing solution in the world. With over 500 million tickets sold every year, it’s by far the biggest company in the game. Ticketmaster has tons of sports tickets including, NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS, and more. With Ticketmaster, attendees can buy tickets to some of the biggest shows in the largest venues worldwide.

Why You Should Use Ticketmaster to Sell Tickets Online

Ticketmaster gets millions of website views per month, sells tickets worldwide, collaborates with massive venues, and lists events by location. Thus, selling tickets online on Ticketmaster is an excellent way to promote your event and reach a considerable number of event-goers.

Since Ticketmaster has been around for such a long time, it’s a known ticketing system that many know how to use. So, if you’re an event planner who wants to focus solely on your event, you can hire someone familiar with Ticketmaster to do it for you.

On the event-goer’s end, Ticketmaster is a convenient platform to buy tickets for various shows held at tons of venues throughout the US and beyond.

Finally, Ticketmaster is reliable. It gives you peace of mind that once your tickets are up for sale, the platform will work the way it should.

Why You Should Look for a Ticketmaster Alternative to Boost Ticket Sales

While Ticketmaster is second to none for selling tickets for massive events, event managers have been disappointed with Ticketmaster’s customer support when it comes to small and mid-sized events.

Ticketmaster’s backend feels sluggish, looks outdated, and offers minimal control over customizing tickets. In addition, Ticketmaster is one of the priciest platforms on the market – it has hidden fees and fluctuating prices depending on event size and ticket sales.

From the event-goer’s point of view, buying tickets on Ticketmaster can be a pain. Indeed, many customers have expressed their disappointment about Ticketmaster’s practice of adjusting prices based on ticket demand.

Thankfully, many companies used the Ticketmaster blueprint and improved it by offering more powerful software, lower prices, better customer support, and more ticket customization options.

Let’s look at some dependable alternatives to Ticketmaster to help you sell event tickets online.

1. TicketsCandy

TicketsCandy is a cutting-edge free online ticketing solution. Its unlimited features, real-time sales data, endless ticket customization, and dedicated customer support make it a serious alternative to Ticketmaster.

The company believes that you should invest your time and money in your event. That’s why TicketsCandy is completely free for event holders with no hidden fees. They can do this by passing a tiny 0.9% flat fee on to the price customers pay at checkout. The fee is much smaller than all other alternatives, which means it does not impact purchasers’ decisions when they go to buy tickets. The Los Angeles-based company has partnered with merchant service provider Square to make the payment process fast, safe, and cost-effective for every ticket sold.

Creating an event on TicketsCandy is fast and hassle-free. After registration, it is easy to set up your first event, create tickets, add your venue information, and begin selling tickets. They have an incredible, dedicated support team that can help you through every step, plus step-by-step guides and videos to assist you as well.

With them, it is easy to promote your event on your website and social media platforms. Plus, if you don’t have a website, no problem. TicketsCandy has an exclusive partnership with Atavion – a website developer that can build your event website in no time for a 25% discounted price.

One of TicketsCandy’s drawbacks is that it doesn’t support seated tickets. However, a good source tells us that it should be available shortly (wink).

Best for:

First-timers, experienced event planners, and anyone in between looking for an easy-to-use free ticketing solution to sell tickets for shows, concerts, festivals, museum events, conferences, sports gatherings, and job fairs.

Pros:

• Free for event holders
• Superb customer support
• Unlimited features
• Easy to use
• No contracts
• Available in multiple countries
• Helps with event promotion

Cons:

• No seated tickets

2. TicketLeap

TicketLeap is a Pittsburg-based ticketing solution that allows event organizers to create events of all types, no matter how big or small. One of TicketLeap’s best features is that you can create tickets for free by “passing” your fees to your attendees.

It’s a good alternative to Ticketmaster because it has much lower fees. So, even if you decide to absorb all the service fees, TicketLeap is still cheaper than Ticketmaster.

According to most reviewers on Capterra, TicketLeap is easy-to-use and suitable for first-time event organizers. In addition, you can learn to become a better event creator using TicketLeap’s educational platform.

While TicketLeap allows you to “pass on” service fees to your ticket buyers, using TicketLeap isn’t free. A Capterra reviewer noted that “you can pass along fees to your ticket buyers, but you still pay additional fees on top of that. It does add up, especially for higher-priced tickets.”

Best for:

First-time event creators seeking an easy-to-use platform to sell tickets for events like festivals, tours, plays, and haunted attractions.

Pros:

• Option to absorb or pass on fees to eventgoers
• Relatively low service fees
• No contract

Cons:

• Additional fees can become expensive

3. Ticketbud

Ticketbud is an event management and online ticketing solution for event organizers. Ticketbud charges a flat fee of $0.99 per ticket and an additional 2% of the ticket value.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one management tool that isn’t complicated to use, Ticketbud is a good Ticketmaster alternative. Powerful, it is suitable for all event sizes. First-timers should have no problems using the software – it has a straightforward interface that requires minimal effort to figure out.

While the ticketing solution is convenient, it has its limits. It may be too basic for you if you’re looking for sophisticated analytical tools to collect custom information on your event and attendees. That said, it’s a legit alternative to Ticketmaster if you want an easy-to-use solution to sell tickets to events of all types.

Best for:

First-time event managers putting on food, music, festival, community, art, or sports events.

Pros:

• Great customer support
• Free version and free trial available
• Easy to use

Cons:

• Lack of ticket customization options
• Fees can add up ($0.99 + 2% ticket value + 2.9% payment fee)

4. Cvent

Cvent is a cutting-edge ticketing software for virtual events. It’s an excellent solution that will let you manage, market, and get the best out of your virtual events. Data-driven and robust, Cvent will help you maximize attendance, process registrations, and analyze your event’s overall performance.

For your webinars, round-tables, conferences, and other events that do not require a venue, Cvent should meet all your needs. Advanced, the software is entirely customizable, allowing you to accommodate events of all types, no matter how complex. Furthermore, most Capterra reviewers agree that Cvent has a great customer support, which is why we placed it towards the top of our Ticketmaster alternatives list.

However, Cvent may be difficult for first-time users. The back end isn’t the most user-friendly and may discourage the ablest techs. Not disclosed on its website, you’ll have to contact Cvent directly for prices.

Here’s what a Capterra reviewer had to say about Cvent’s pricing: “This software is not cheap. However, cheap things are not good, and good things are not cheap. Cvent is always trying to enhance the platform.”

Best for:

Techies looking for high-tech software to manage and analyze their online events.

Pros:

• Fully customizable
• Great analytical tools
• Specializes in virtual events

Cons:

• Price
•  Difficult software to master

5. Eventbee

Eventbee is an easy-to-use ticketing solution to create various general admission or reserved seating events. Eventbee is used by over 40,000 event organizers worldwide. The company’s most appealing feature is its flat-fee pricing model.

Eventbee’s intuitive interface lets you customize your event tickets depending on your pricing tier: Basic, Pro, or Advanced. Social media sharing is easy with Eventbee.

While it isn’t the most difficult to use, setting it up can be time-consuming. Lisa Gustav, a small business digital marketer, had this to say about Eventbee on G2 Crowd: “It was quite difficult to set up. I don’t like that the only way of contact is via email and that there isn’t any phone support.”

Best for:

Event organizers who manage non-profit or charity events.

Pros:

• Worldwide platform
• Multiple payment methods accepted
• Lower fees for charity and non-profit events

Cons:

• Poor customer support
• Complicated to get started

6. Thundertix

Thundertix is a flexible ticketing solution designed to accommodate various event types. Pricing is subscription-based: general admission tickets are $79/month, and reserved tickets are $99/month. Thundertix takes no additional fees from ticket sales.

You can cancel your monthly subscriptions anytime, but you’ll have to pay $10/month to retain access to your data (the company calls it maintenance mode). Thundertix provides you with a URL to embed your events within your website, which can maximize sales.

However, Thundertix doesn’t include credit card processing in its monthly subscriptions. Therefore, you will need a merchant service to process credit card payments at an additional percentage per transaction.

Best for:

Performing arts events – theaters, dance, galas, and comedy – also live music, tours, and festivals.

Pros:

• Flexible customer support
• A good amount of customization
• User-friendly interface

Cons:

• Monthly subscriptions aren’t for everyone
• Maintenance mode

7. Accelevents

If you’re planning a virtual event, Accelevents is worth looking into. It has all your must-have features in one place. With Accelevents, your events are more dynamic than traditional cloud-based meeting environments.

You can use Accelvent to interreact with your attendees with its built-in chat feature, connect attendees to guest speakers, and manage your event eco-system with various analytical tools.

According to several event planners on Capterra, one of the main downsides is that the back end is difficult to set up and not the most intuitive.

Best for:

Event planners hosting job fairs, concerts, classes, workshops, and networking events.

Pros:

• Supports virtual events of any size
• Efficient customer support chat
• Tons of useful features to make your event interactive

Cons:

• Not the most user-friendly
• Complicated back end

8. Eventbrite

This California-based ticketing solution is like Ticketmaster in many ways. Eventbrite has been in business since 2006 and has become one of the biggest websites to get tickets in the US.

Whether you’re hosting a Saturday brunch Party, comedy show, film festival, or virtual tai chi workshop, you can do it using Eventbrite. It is easy to use to create, promote, track, and analyze your events. In addition, you can use the Eventbrite Organizer App to sell tickets at the door in case someone didn’t purchase an online ticket.

Like Ticketmaster, Eventbrite is a great platform to reach potential attendees far and wide, but it isn’t the cheapest service. If you choose to go with Eventbrite, you’ll have to pay a flat fee per ticket sale, a percentage of the ticket’s face value price, and a processing fee. So, depending on the size of your event, Eventbrite’s overall fees could hit you hard.

Best for:

Businesses worldwide that want an easy-to-use platform to manage a wide range of event types.

Pros:

• Big venue tickets
• Reach a wide audience
• Good for experienced users

Cons:

• High ticketing fees
• Inconsistent customer service

9. Eventzilla

Eventzilla makes it easy for event organizers to create tickets for conferences, concerts, sporting events, and fundraisers. It helps event planners market events, manage registration, publish event agendas, and collect ticket payments.

With its intuitive and straightforward back end, Eventzilla is convenient for creating an event ticket quickly. It has all the necessary analytical tools to track your marketing effort, and tickets are customizable.

You can set up single, multi, or reoccurring events on Eventzilla. The company offers competitive prices and three plans: Basic, Plus, and Pro. But what’s most interesting is that Eventzilla doesn’t charge you for free events, so if you’re hosting a charity event, Eventzilla is one of the best Ticketmaster alternatives.

Best for:

All business sizes that want to host charity and non-profit events, virtual conferences, conventions, dinners, and online courses.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Great registration tool
• Custom ticket options

Cons

• Slow customer support
• Editing can be difficult

Best Ticketing Provider For Event Management

You can use Ticketmaster to sell your tickets successfully. However, Ticketmaster isn’t the only option you should consider. Thankfully, there are great Ticketmaster alternatives that can help you maximize revenue and promote your event.

In the end, you must look at the nature of your event and see which ticketing solution suits you best. Be sure to consider cost, ease of use, customization options, and customer support. You don’t want to be caught in a snag when your event is just days away. So, choose an event ticketing company that will be there for you when you need it.