Almost every ticketing platform says free events are free. The differences are in the conditions: whether there is an allowance or a cap, who is allowed to use it, what buyers are asked for at checkout, and what a paid ticket costs once you add one. These are the free event ticketing options organizers shortlist, with what free means on each.
Fees and features from each platform's own pricing pages, checked September 2026. We make Hi.Events, so it is listed first and labelled. Every figure for the others is sourced on its comparison page.
Free tickets cost nothing with no limit on events or attendees, there is no monthly fee or paid tier, every feature is included, and paid tickets cost 1.25% plus a small fixed amount that can be passed to the buyer. The code is open source and can be self-hosted with no platform fee.
Worth knowing: No consumer marketplace or discovery app to bring people to a free event, no reserved seating, no native mobile app and no SMS messaging.
Free events are free to run and are listed on a large consumer marketplace. Buyers need an Eventbrite account to open their tickets.
Worth knowing: Payouts arrive after the event by default.
A free plan with unlimited events and guests, popular for meetups. Paid tickets carry a 5% fee that cannot be passed to the buyer, or 0% on the Luma Plus subscription.
Worth knowing: Fees cannot be passed to the buyer.
No platform or card processing fees for registered nonprofits in six countries, funded by an optional contribution that buyers are asked for at checkout.
Worth knowing: Nonprofits only, in six countries.
Free for free events, with every feature on every plan and a public discovery site. Profits from its booking fees on paid tickets go to charity.
Worth knowing: Payouts arrive after the event on the default gateway.
No fees for free events or for in-person bookings recorded in the dashboard, with a seating plan designer included.
Worth knowing: Payouts arrive after the event unless you connect Stripe.
The first 500 free tickets a year are free on the hosted service, then €0.50 each. The self-hosted Community edition is free and open source.
Worth knowing: Hosted pricing is published in EUR only.
Published standard fees, cheapest first on a $30 ticket once card processing is counted.
| Platform | Published fee | Card processing | All-in on $30 | When you're paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zeffy | 0%, nonprofits only | Included in the fee | $0.00 (registered nonprofits only) | Weekly by default, after a fraud review of one to three business days |
| pretix | 2.5% (max $16.30)* | Charged on top | $1.92 | As tickets sell, directly into your own payment provider or bank account |
| TicketSource | 3.5% + $0.99 | Included in the fee | $2.04 | After the event, sent the following Monday; as tickets sell with your own Stripe account |
| Hi.Events | 1.25% + $0.60 | Charged on top | $2.15 | As tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule |
| Luma | 5% | Charged on top | $2.67 | As tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule |
| Humanitix | 2.1% + $0.99 | Charged on top | $2.79 | After the event, within about five business days; earlier by request or with your own Stripe account |
| Eventbrite | 3.7% + $1.79 | Charged on top | $3.77 | After the event by default, sent three business days after it ends |
Standard published rates, excluding negotiated, nonprofit and subscription pricing. Where card processing is charged on top, the all-in figure adds the platform's own stated rate or a standard 2.9% + $0.30. * No published rate in this currency. Converted from the platform's published rate at approximate exchange rates (1 USD ≈ €0.92, £0.78 and A$1.55); the vendor may price differently, or not sell, in this currency.
The features that tend to decide it for this kind of event, platform by platform.
| Platform | Embed checkout on your site | Tickets work without an app or account | Recurring events and time slots | Waitlist | Custom checkout questions | Can be self-hosted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hi.Events | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Eventbrite | Yes | Buyers need an Eventbrite account to open tickets | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Luma | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Zeffy | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Humanitix | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| TicketSource | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated | No |
| pretix | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Shortlists for other kinds of event
Create the event and share the link. No credit card, no sales call, and nothing to move until you're ready.
Free events cost nothing. Paid tickets are 1.25% + $0.60, with no monthly fee and no contract — see the full pricing.