It depends on the ticket price. Luma (5%) is cheaper on lower-priced tickets and Hi.Events (1.25% + $0.60) is cheaper from around $20. On a $30 ticket, with card processing included, Hi.Events costs $2.15 and Luma costs $2.67.
Fees and features from each platform's public pricing pages, checked September 2026.
Hi.Events is an open-source ticketing platform with a hosted cloud version. Organizers sell from their own branded event pages or an embedded widget, and card payments settle straight into their own Stripe account as tickets sell.
Luma is an event page, registration and community calendar tool, popular for meetups and tech events. It is free to use with a 5% fee on paid tickets, or 0% on the Luma Plus subscription, and payments run through the organizer's own Stripe account. Guest messaging by email, SMS and WhatsApp is built in.
The all-in cost of selling 250 tickets at $30 each: platform fee plus card processing. Move the sliders to match your event.
Illustrative, from each platform's published standard rate. Where a platform charges card processing on top, we add its own stated rate or a standard 2.9% + $0.30 per ticket, so every total is like for like. Your actual card rate depends on your processor and the cards your buyers use.
Where the two differ, and where they don't.
| Feature | Hi.Events | Luma |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee per paid ticket | 1.25% + $0.60 | 5% |
| Card processing | Charged on top | Charged on top |
| Free events | Free | Free |
| When you're paid | As tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule | As tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule |
| Payment processor | Your own Stripe account | Your own Stripe account |
| Pass fees on to buyers | Yes | No |
| Your branding at checkout | Yes | Custom event URLs on Luma Plus |
| Embed checkout on your site | Yes | Yes |
| Listed in a consumer marketplace | No | Yes |
| Tickets work without an app or account | Yes | Yes |
| QR check-in app | Yes, in any phone browser | Yes |
| Reserved seating | No | Not stated |
| Recurring events and time slots | Yes | No |
| Promo codes | Yes | Yes |
| Waitlist | Yes | Yes |
| Custom checkout questions | Yes | Yes |
| API and webhooks | Webhooks | On Luma Plus only |
| Official ticket resale | No | No |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Can be self-hosted | Yes | No |
The same fee for every organizer, with no monthly fee or contract. Self-hosting has no platform fee.
Luma Plus, at $59 a month billed annually, removes the 5% fee and adds API access, Zapier and tax collection. Fees cannot be added on top of the ticket price, so the organizer always absorbs them.
you want a low published fee, your own branding at checkout and card payments in your own Stripe account as tickets sell.
Start selling for free →you run a community calendar of mostly free meetups and want good-looking pages with guest messaging built in.
Switching from Luma to Hi.Events →Every figure on this page comes from the platform's own pricing and help pages, checked September 2026. Platforms change their pricing, so confirm with the vendor before you decide. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it. Product names are trademarks of their owners; Hi.Events is not affiliated with Luma.
Create your next event on Hi.Events and share the link. No credit card, no sales call, 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.