Resident Advisor vs TryBooking

TryBooking (5% + 15p) is cheaper than Resident Advisor (10%, last known rate) at every ticket price we checked. On a £30 ticket, with card processing included, Resident Advisor costs £3.00 and TryBooking costs £1.65.

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

Resident Advisor and TryBooking 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

TryBooking

TryBooking is a self-service ticketing and registration platform from Melbourne, with sites for Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Schools, community groups, charities and clubs use it widely, and it also runs donation and fundraising pages.

Fee per paid ticket
5% + 15pincludes card processing
When you're paid
On request from your TryBooking balance; requests before the event can be held for checks of up to seven days
Best for
Australian, New Zealand and UK schools, community groups and charities
Based in
Melbourne, Australia, founded 2008

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 or an embedded widget, and card payments settle straight into their own Stripe account as tickets sell.

Fee per paid ticket
1.25% + £0.45plus 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 TryBooking 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.

TryBooking · 5% + 15p£413

Card processing is included in the fee.

Hi.Events · 1.25% + £0.45£369

£206 platform fee + about £163 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 1.5% + £0.20 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 TryBooking, feature by feature

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

FeatureResident AdvisorTryBookingHi.Events
Platform fee per paid ticket10%, last known rate5% + 15p1.25% + £0.45
Card processingIncluded in the feeIncluded in the feeCharged 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 TuesdayOn request from your TryBooking balance; requests before the event can be held for checks of up to seven daysAs tickets sell, on your own Stripe payout schedule
Payment processorRA collects the money and pays you outTryBooking by default, or your own Stripe accountYour own Stripe account
Pass fees on to buyersAlways; the buyer pays the fee Yes Yes
Your branding at checkoutNot statedYour branding on tickets and booking pages Yes
Embed checkout on your siteListings widget Yes Yes
Listed in a consumer marketplace Yes YesNo
Tickets work without an app or accountBuyers need an RA account Yes Yes
QR check-in app Yes YesYes, in any phone browser
Reserved seatingNot stated YesNo
Recurring events and time slotsNot stated Yes Yes
Promo codes Yes Yes Yes
Waitlist Yes Yes Yes
Custom checkout questionsNot stated Yes Yes
API and webhooksNot statedRead-only APIWebhooks
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.

TryBooking

Strengths

  • Low Australian and New Zealand fees, with card processing included
  • Free events are free, with the same features as paid ones
  • Seating plans, session times, waitlists and gift certificates included
  • You choose who pays each fee

Limitations

  • Australia, New Zealand and the UK only
  • TryBooking holds the money until you request it, and early withdrawals can be held for checks
  • The UK rate is double the Australian one
  • The API is read-only

In Australia the 50c ticket fee drops to 15c on tickets of A$5 or less. By default the buyer pays the per-ticket fee and the organizer pays the percentage, and either can be switched.

§ 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 TryBooking: common questions

Is Resident Advisor cheaper than TryBooking?
TryBooking (5% + 15p) is cheaper than Resident Advisor (10%, last known rate) at every ticket price we checked. On a £30 ticket, with card processing included, Resident Advisor costs £3.00 and TryBooking costs £1.65. Both fees include card processing.
Which pays out faster, Resident Advisor or TryBooking?
Resident Advisor: after the event, on the following Tuesday. TryBooking: on request from your TryBooking balance; requests before the event can be held for checks of up to seven days. TryBooking gets money to you sooner, which matters if you have deposits or suppliers to pay before the event.
Do Resident Advisor and TryBooking promote events in a marketplace?
Yes, both do. Resident Advisor and TryBooking 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 TryBooking?
Resident Advisor: free tickets can be created; RA does not say whether a fee applies. TryBooking: free.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Resident Advisor and TryBooking?
Hi.Events charges 1.25% + £0.45 per paid ticket, the same for every organizer, with no monthly fee. On a £30 ticket that is £1.48 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

TryBooking vs

See every comparison → · Resident Advisor fees explained → · TryBooking 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 TryBooking.

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 TryBooking for yourself.

Get started free

Free events cost nothing. Paid tickets are 1.25% + £0.45, with no monthly fee and no contract — see the full pricing.