Per Ticket Fees vs Percentage Ticketing: The Math That Changes Your Season

When you're choosing a ticketing platform, the pricing model is the decision that keeps paying, or keeps costing, long after you've set up your first event. The two you'll see most are a fixed fee per ticket and a percentage of what the buyer pays. The questions that matter more: is card processing included, and can you see the whole fee before you publish?

Both sound reasonable in the abstract. The difference shows up when you run the actual numbers for your venue.

How Percentage Plus Fixed Fees Work

Many well-known ticketing platforms combine a percentage of the ticket price with a fixed charge on every ticket. Card processing is often a separate line on top. Here is an illustrative rate, not any one platform's: 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket.

Here's what that looks like on common community venue ticket prices:

• $10 ticket: 3.7% + $1.79 = $0.37 + $1.79 = $2.16 fee (21.6% of face value)
• $20 ticket: 3.7% + $1.79 = $0.74 + $1.79 = $2.53 fee (12.7% of face value)
• $30 ticket: 3.7% + $1.79 = $1.11 + $1.79 = $2.90 fee (9.7% of face value)
• $40 ticket: 3.7% + $1.79 = $1.48 + $1.79 = $3.27 fee (8.2% of face value)

Notice the pattern: a big fixed charge on every ticket hits low-priced tickets hardest. A $10 children's ticket loses over a fifth of its value to fees. That's a painful margin for a school play or a church benefit where keeping prices accessible is the whole point.

How EventTicketGo's All In Rate Works

EventTicketGo charges one rate on the whole order, not on each ticket. Card processing is included, so there is no second line. The fixed part is charged once per order. On the Community plan the rate is 4.9% + 60c. Free tickets cost nothing.

The same ticket prices, each as a one-ticket order on Community:

• $10 ticket: $0.49 + $0.60 = $1.09 fee (10.9% of face value)
• $20 ticket: $0.98 + $0.60 = $1.58 fee (7.9% of face value)
• $30 ticket: $1.47 + $0.60 = $2.07 fee (6.9% of face value)
• $40 ticket: $1.96 + $0.60 = $2.56 fee (6.4% of face value)

Buy four $15 tickets in one order and the fee is $3.54, because the 60c is charged once. The rate drops on higher plans: School is 4.4% + 50c and District is 3.9% + 40c. The Free plan is 5.9% + 60c.

Running a Full-Season Comparison

Let's model a realistic community venue season: a nonprofit performing arts center with a 250-seat auditorium running six shows.

Season details:

• 6 performances
• 220 tickets sold per show (88% capacity)
• Average ticket price: $22
• Total tickets sold: 1,320, in 528 orders of about 2.5 tickets ($55 each)
• Gross revenue: $29,040

Illustrative per ticket model (3.7% + $1.79 per ticket):

• Per-ticket fee on $22 ticket: $0.81 + $1.79 = $2.60
• Total season fees: 1,320 × $2.60 = $3,432, before any card processing
• Net revenue: $25,608

EventTicketGo on Community (4.9% + 60c per order, processing included):

• Fee on a $55 order: $2.70 + $0.60 = $3.30
• Total season fees: 528 × $3.30 = $1,742.40
• Net revenue: $27,297.60

Difference: $1,689.60 over one season, before counting the other model's card processing.

Be honest about the plan too. Community is $399 a year and covers eight products, not just tickets. If tickets are all you run, the Free plan at 5.9% + 60c would cost $2,030.16 on this season, which is less than $1,742.40 plus $399. Community's lower rate pays for itself once you sell about $40,000 a year, or once you use the other products.

When Another Model Can Cost Less

No model is universally better. Another platform may come out ahead when:

• You sell mostly high-priced tickets. On a $200 gala seat, any percentage adds up. A platform with a small fixed fee per ticket and no percentage could cost less there, if card processing is not added on top.
• You sell very few tickets. If you're selling 30 tickets once a year for a small gathering, the total fee difference might be negligible.
• You need the platform's marketplace. Eventbrite's fees partly buy you exposure in their event discovery marketplace. If you have no existing audience and need people to find your event, that discovery has value, though for most community venues, the audience already knows you exist.

For most venues in the 100 to 500 seat range selling $10 to $40 tickets to a local audience, one printed rate with processing included is easy to plan around and usually lands well below a big fixed charge per ticket.

The Hidden Costs Beyond Per-Ticket Fees

When comparing pricing models, look beyond the headline fee:

• Payment processing fees. Some platforms include credit card processing in their fee; others charge it separately. EventTicketGo includes it. Make sure you're comparing total cost, not just the platform's service fee.
• Monthly or annual subscriptions. Subscription platforms (like ThunderTix) charge a monthly fee whether you have events or not. If your venue is seasonal, you pay during dark months too. SizzleGo has a Free plan, and paid plans are yearly or monthly, so count the plan price in your total.
• Free ticket fees. Some platforms charge for free RSVP tickets. If you run free community events alongside paid shows, check whether free really means free.
• Refunds. Ask whether the platform keeps its fee when you refund. On EventTicketGo, a full refund returns the whole fee too, so a fully refunded order costs you nothing.
• Payout holds. Some platforms hold your money for weeks after the event. That's an indirect cost, and your cash flow matters, especially for nonprofits that need to pay vendors promptly. EventTicketGo sends payouts approximately 7 days after your event via Stripe Connect.

Who Absorbs the Fee?

This is a decision every venue makes: do you absorb the fee (reducing your net revenue) or pass it to the buyer (increasing their total cost)?

On EventTicketGo you pick per event. Pass it, and a $20 ticket on Community is $21.58 at checkout while you keep the full $20. Absorb it, and the buyer pays $20 while you net $18.42. Either way the buyer sees the fee before paying, so nothing feels like a bait-and-switch at checkout.

Do the Math for Your Venue

The best way to decide is to stop comparing features and start comparing dollars. Pull up last season's ticket data and answer three questions:

1. How many paid orders and tickets did you sell across all events?
2. What was your total gross?
3. Work out each model's total, including card processing and any plan price.

That's your real comparison. Not feature checklists, not logos on a "trusted by" banner. Actual dollars retained or lost.

When you're ready to see one printed, all in rate in action, create your event on EventTicketGo. You can build your seat map, set prices, and run test purchases before going live. For more guides like this, visit our free resources library.