Luma vs Purplepass

It depends on the ticket price. Luma (5%) is cheaper on lower-priced tickets and Purplepass (2.5% + $0.99) is cheaper from around $30. On a $30 ticket, with card processing included, Luma costs $2.67 and Purplepass costs $2.64.

Fees and features from each platform's public pricing pages, checked September 2026.

Luma and Purplepass at a glance

Luma

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.

Fee per paid ticket
5%plus card processing
When you're paid
As tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule
Best for
Community meetups and tech events with free or simple paid registration
Based in
San Francisco, USA, founded 2020

Purplepass

Purplepass is a US ticketing platform for venues, schools, festivals and other events that sell both online and at the door. It builds assigned-seating maps for its organizers, runs a box office and scanning app, and sells printed ticket stock and wristbands. By default Purplepass processes the card payments and pays the organizer after the event.

Fee per paid ticket
2.5% + $0.99plus card processing
When you're paid
The Thursday after your event by default; as tickets sell if you connect your own PayPal or merchant account
Best for
US venues and schools that sell a lot at the box office and want seat maps built for them
Based in
Not stated

Hi.Events

Also worth a look

Hi.Events is an open-source ticketing platform with a hosted cloud version. Organizers sell from their own branded event pages, an embedded widget or a box office at the door, and card payments settle straight into their own Stripe account as tickets sell.

Fee per paid ticket
1.25% + $0.60plus card processing
When you're paid
As tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule
Best for
Organizers who want low published fees, their own branding and their money as tickets sell
Based in
Ireland
Start selling for free
§ 01 · Fees

What Luma and Purplepass cost

The all-in cost of selling 250 tickets at $30 each: platform fee plus card processing. Move the sliders to match your event.

Ticket price$30
Tickets sold250
Luma · 5%$668

$375 platform fee + about $293 card processing.

Purplepass · 2.5% + $0.99$660

$435 platform fee + about $225 card processing.

Hi.Events · 1.25% + $0.60$536

$244 platform fee + about $292 card processing.

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.

§ 02 · Features

Luma vs Purplepass, feature by feature

Where the two differ, and where they don't.

FeatureLumaPurplepassHi.Events
Platform fee per paid ticket5%2.5% + $0.991.25% + $0.60
Card processingCharged on topCharged on topCharged on top
Free eventsFreeFreeFree
When you're paidAs tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout scheduleThe Thursday after your event by default; as tickets sell if you connect your own PayPal or merchant accountAs tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule
Payment processorYour own Stripe accountPurplepass by default, or your own PayPal or Authorize.net-compatible merchant accountYour own Stripe account
Pass fees on to buyersNo Yes Yes
Your branding at checkoutCustom event URLs on Luma PlusEvent page images and your own CSS Yes
Embed checkout on your site Yes Yes Yes
Listed in a consumer marketplace YesEvents are listed and searchable on purplepass.comNo
Tickets work without an app or account YesNot stated Yes
QR check-in app YesYes, for iOS and AndroidYes, in any phone browser
Reserved seatingNot stated Yes Yes
Box office for door salesNoYes, in its app or on an iPad terminal, with no service fee Yes
Recurring events and time slotsNo Yes Yes
Promo codes Yes Yes Yes
Waitlist YesNot stated Yes
Custom checkout questions Yes Yes Yes
Agenda or lineup on the event pageNoNot statedLineup and agenda by room
API and webhooksOn Luma Plus onlyZapier integrationREST API and webhooks
Single sign-on (SSO) for your teamOIDC, Enterprise plan only (no SAML)Not statedOIDC, on request (no SAML)
Official ticket resaleNoNot statedNo
Open sourceNoNo Yes
Can be self-hostedNoNo Yes
§ 03 · Trade-offs

Strengths and limitations

Luma

Strengths

  • Free plan with unlimited events and guests
  • Luma Plus removes the platform fee entirely
  • Money goes to your own Stripe account as tickets sell
  • Email, SMS and WhatsApp guest messaging built in

Limitations

  • Fees cannot be passed to the buyer
  • No recurring events or time slots; you clone events instead
  • API, webhooks and Zapier need the paid plan
  • Built for registration more than box-office ticketing

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.

Purplepass

Strengths

  • No service fee on box office sales, and no charge for seat maps, comp tickets or free events
  • Assigned-seating maps built for you, with rows, tables and booths drawn to scale
  • Box office and scanning app for iOS and Android, plus an iPad terminal with a built-in card reader
  • Printed ticket stock and wristbands available from the same supplier

Limitations

  • Online tickets cost 5.5% + $0.99 all-in with Purplepass processing
  • Payouts arrive the Thursday after the event unless you connect your own PayPal or merchant account
  • Fees are published in USD only
  • Service fees are kept when tickets are refunded

Non-profits pay 2.0% + $0.99. Box office sales carry no service fee, and card payments at the door cost 2.5% + $0.25 a transaction. Buyers pay the fees by default, and you can absorb or split them.

§ 04 · Verdict

Which should you choose?

Choose Hi.Events if

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 →
§ 05 · FAQ

Luma vs Purplepass: common questions

Is Luma cheaper than Purplepass?
It depends on the ticket price. Luma (5%) is cheaper on lower-priced tickets and Purplepass (2.5% + $0.99) is cheaper from around $30. On a $30 ticket, with card processing included, Luma costs $2.67 and Purplepass costs $2.64. Card processing is charged on top by both.
Which pays out faster, Luma or Purplepass?
Luma: as tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule. Purplepass: the Thursday after your event by default; as tickets sell if you connect your own PayPal or merchant account. Luma gets money to you sooner, which matters if you have deposits or suppliers to pay before the event.
Do Luma and Purplepass promote events in a marketplace?
Yes, both do. Luma and Purplepass each list events in their own consumer marketplace, which can bring you buyers you would not otherwise reach. The trade-off is that your event sits next to other organizers' events.
Are free events free on Luma and Purplepass?
Luma: free. Purplepass: free.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Luma and Purplepass?
Hi.Events charges 1.25% + $0.60 per paid ticket, the same for every organizer, with no monthly fee. On a $30 ticket that is $2.15 including Stripe's card processing. Card payments settle into your own Stripe account as tickets sell, and free events are free. It has no consumer marketplace, so it suits organizers who bring their own audience.See pricing →
§ 06 · More comparisons

Compare with something else

Luma vs

Purplepass vs

See every comparison → · Luma fees explained → · Purplepass fees explained →

Sources and corrections

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 or Purplepass.

Switching platforms? We'll pay you €250.

Sell at least 50 tickets at €10 or more on your first Hi.Events event, and we send you €250 no later than 10 days after it. 20 places, for approved applicants.

See the switch fund →

Or skip both

Hi.Events gives you a low published fee, your own branding and your money as tickets sell. Create an event and see how it compares with Luma and Purplepass for yourself.

Get started free

Free events cost nothing. Paid tickets are 1.25% + $0.60, with no monthly fee and no contract — see the full pricing.