Resident Advisor vs Purplepass

It depends on the ticket price. Resident Advisor (10%, last known rate) is cheaper on lower-priced tickets and Purplepass (2.5% + $0.99) is cheaper from around $25. On a $30 ticket, with card processing included, Resident Advisor costs $3.00 and Purplepass costs $2.64.

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

Resident Advisor and Purplepass at a glance

Resident Advisor

Resident Advisor (RA) is an electronic music magazine, listings site and ticketing platform. Promoters list events and sell RA Tickets through RA Pro, reaching RA's audience through its listings and the RA Guide app. Fees are paid by the ticket buyer.

Fee per paid ticket
10%, last known rateincludes card processing
When you're paid
After the event, on the following Tuesday
Best for
Electronic music promoters, clubs and festivals who want RA's listings audience
Based in
London, UK, founded 2001

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 Resident Advisor 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
Resident Advisor · 10%, last known rate$750

Card processing is included in the fee.

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

Resident Advisor vs Purplepass, feature by feature

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

FeatureResident AdvisorPurplepassHi.Events
Platform fee per paid ticket10%, last known rate2.5% + $0.991.25% + $0.60
Card processingIncluded in the feeCharged on topCharged on top
Free eventsFree tickets can be created; RA does not say whether a fee appliesFreeFree
When you're paidAfter the event, on the following TuesdayThe 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 processorRA collects the money and pays you outPurplepass by default, or your own PayPal or Authorize.net-compatible merchant accountYour own Stripe account
Pass fees on to buyersAlways; the buyer pays the fee Yes Yes
Your branding at checkoutNot statedEvent page images and your own CSS Yes
Embed checkout on your siteListings widget Yes Yes
Listed in a consumer marketplace YesEvents are listed and searchable on purplepass.comNo
Tickets work without an app or accountBuyers need an RA accountNot stated Yes
QR check-in app YesYes, for iOS and AndroidYes, in any phone browser
Reserved seatingNot stated Yes Yes
Box office for door salesNot statedYes, in its app or on an iPad terminal, with no service fee Yes
Recurring events and time slotsNot stated Yes Yes
Promo codes Yes Yes Yes
Waitlist YesNot stated Yes
Custom checkout questionsNot stated Yes Yes
Agenda or lineup on the event pageTagged lineup and set timesNot statedLineup and agenda by room
API and webhooksNot statedZapier integrationREST API and webhooks
Single sign-on (SSO) for your teamNot statedNot statedOIDC, on request (no SAML)
Official ticket resaleYes, RA Resale on sold-out eventsNot statedNo
Open sourceNoNo Yes
Can be self-hostedNoNo Yes
§ 03 · Trade-offs

Strengths and limitations

Resident Advisor

Strengths

  • The largest electronic music listings audience
  • Nothing to pay as a promoter; the buyer covers the fee
  • Official resale for sold-out events
  • Free promotion tools, rep links and a door-scanning app

Limitations

  • The fee rate is no longer published
  • Payouts arrive after the event, with advances only for exclusive partners
  • Buyers need an RA account, and tickets unlock 24 hours before the event
  • Built around electronic music rather than general events

RA no longer publishes its fee, so 10% is its last known rate. Its help centre gives one example, where the buyer pays £8.50 and the promoter receives £7.50. The fee is paid by the buyer and is included in the displayed price by default.

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

Resident Advisor vs Purplepass: common questions

Is Resident Advisor cheaper than Purplepass?
It depends on the ticket price. Resident Advisor (10%, last known rate) is cheaper on lower-priced tickets and Purplepass (2.5% + $0.99) is cheaper from around $25. On a $30 ticket, with card processing included, Resident Advisor costs $3.00 and Purplepass costs $2.64. Resident Advisor's published fee includes card processing and Purplepass' does not, so the figures above add card processing to Purplepass to keep the comparison like for like.
Which pays out faster, Resident Advisor or Purplepass?
Resident Advisor: after the event, on the following Tuesday. Purplepass: the Thursday after your event by default; as tickets sell if you connect your own PayPal or merchant account. In practice the two are similar.
Do Resident Advisor and Purplepass promote events in a marketplace?
Yes, both do. Resident Advisor 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 Resident Advisor and Purplepass?
Resident Advisor: free tickets can be created; RA does not say whether a fee applies. Purplepass: free.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Resident Advisor 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

Resident Advisor vs

Purplepass vs

See every comparison → · Resident Advisor 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 Resident Advisor 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 Resident Advisor 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.