5,000+ organizers trust Hi.Events

Free event ticketing software.
Free tickets cost nothing.

Hi.Events is a free event ticketing system for RSVPs and registration. Free tickets cost nothing, with no limit on events or attendees, no monthly fee and no paid tier. Paid tickets cost 1.25% + $0.60, which you can pass to the buyer, and self-hosting the open-source code has no platform fee at all.

Start selling for freeWork out your fees →

Selling 250 tickets at $30? You'd keep $481 more than on Eventbrite.

Free tickets cost nothing

There is no fee on a free ticket and no limit on how many events you run or how many people register. There is no monthly fee and no contract.

Every feature, no paid tier

QR tickets, check-in from any phone, registration questions, waitlists, attendee messaging and data export are on every account. There is no higher plan to upgrade to.

Paid tickets when you need them

Add a paid or donation ticket next to the free one. The fee applies to paid tickets only, and you can add it at checkout so the buyer pays it.

§ 01 · Organizers

Why organizers move to Hi.Events

We’ve used Hi.Events now for a few events and really love it. It’s also been fun to see improvements roll out as we go. We’re definitely never going back to Eventbrite.
Firestorm BooksCo-op bookstore & event space
As our exclusive ticketing and event management partner, JuliaCon Global 2026 would literally not be possible without their support. If you have bought your ticket, you have already got a taste of the smooth registration experience.
JuliaConThe Julia programming language conference
§ 02 · Fees

Keep more of every ticket you sell

$0 for organizers. Pass the 1.25% + $0.60 fee to buyers or absorb it yourself. No monthly fee, no contract.

ADMIT ONE
Ticket price$30
Tickets sold250
Hi.Events · 1.25% + $0.60$244
Eventbrite · 3.7% + $1.79$725
Extra money you keep$481on 250 tickets at $30 each, vs. EventbriteStart selling for free →

Illustrative comparison of platform fees only; payment processing is charged on top by both platforms. Self-hosted Hi.Events has no platform fees. See the full fee comparison →

§ 03 · Tickets

How free event registration is usually set up

One event, one free ticket type with a capacity, and a few settings that keep a free event from filling up with people who do not come.

  • Free RSVP ticket

    A free ticket type with a quantity limit. Each person gets their ticket by email and shows its QR code at the door.

  • Limit per order

    A maximum per order, so one person cannot take the whole room.

  • Waitlist

    When the event is full, people join a waitlist and are offered a spot automatically when someone cancels.

  • Registration questions

    Dietary needs, access needs or a company name, asked per ticket type at checkout.

  • Donation or supporter ticket

    A pay-what-you-want or paid ticket next to the free one, on the same page.

  • Reminders and follow-up

    Message attendees by ticket type before the event, and export the attendee list as a spreadsheet afterwards.

§ 04 · On the day

A free ticket still gets a QR code and a check-in list

Every frame is a screenshot from a live event.

Check-in

Send your volunteers a link. That is the setup.

No app to install, no account to create, no per-device charge. Scan with a phone camera or a USB scanner, or search a name and tap.

  • Every device sees the same counts as people arrive
  • A separate list per entrance, each with its own live count
  • See how many registered and how many came
  • Undo a check-in in one tap
Door staff scanning a ticket and checking an attendee in from a phone.
§ 05 · Features

Free event ticketing software with every feature included

Everything here ships with every account. There is no higher tier to upgrade to.

Registration

Free, paid, donation and tiered tickets on the same eventRegistration questions, asked per ticket typeMinimum and maximum tickets per orderHidden tickets that only appear with a promo code, for speakers and guestsAdd attendees by hand, without an orderMarketing opt-in captured at checkout

Events that fill up

A capacity limit per ticket type, or shared across ticket typesWaitlists that offer spots automatically when they free upSale windows that open and close registration on scheduleMessage attendees by ticket type, using your own templatesCheck-in lists your volunteers open from a link, no account needed

Your page and your data

Embed registration on your own siteA branded organizer page listing every event you runOnline events, with joining details only ticket holders seeExport attendees and reports as spreadsheetsCheckout in 15+ languagesOpen source, with a self-hosted option
Weekly meetups as one schedule
Registration questions
Tracked links for partners
Attendee messaging and templates
Paid tickets into your own Stripe account
Branded PDF tickets
§ 06 · Compared

Free event ticketing platforms, side by side

Weighing up your options? Every figure is from the platform's own pricing page, with card processing counted the same way on both sides.

Best free event ticketing platforms

7 platforms organizers of free events shortlist, with fees and what each is good at.

See the shortlist →

Hi.Events vs Eventbrite

Organizers who want exposure on a large event discovery marketplace.

Compare the two →

Hi.Events vs Luma

Community meetups and tech events with free or simple paid registration.

Compare the two →
§ 07 · FAQ

What free means on Hi.Events

Is Hi.Events really free event ticketing software?
Yes. Free tickets cost nothing: there is no platform fee, no monthly fee, no contract and no paid tier. You can run as many free events as you like, and you do not need to connect a payment account to publish one. Sending messages to attendees does need a connected Stripe account, which is how accounts are verified.See pricing →
What is the catch with free event ticketing on Hi.Events?
Hi.Events earns its money on paid tickets, which cost 1.25% plus a small fixed amount per ticket: 60¢ in the US, €0.50 in the EU, 45p in the UK and A$0.85 in Australia. Free tickets carry no fee. The code is also open source, so you can host it yourself with no platform fee at all, in exchange for running the servers.
Can I pass fees to ticket buyers?
Yes. On paid tickets you choose whether the fee is added at checkout and paid by the buyer, or absorbed into your price. When the buyer pays it, you pay Hi.Events nothing. Stripe charges its card processing separately on paid orders.See pricing →
What features are included for free events?
All of them. Free events get QR code tickets, check-in from any phone, registration questions, capacity limits, waitlists, promo codes, hidden tickets, attendee messaging once your account is verified, data export, the embeddable widget and a branded event page. Features are not held back for a higher plan, because there is no higher plan.Waitlists →
How does Hi.Events compare to other free event ticketing platforms?
Most ticketing platforms do not charge for free tickets, and the differences are in the conditions: pretix charges €0.50 per free ticket after the first 500 a year on its hosted service, Zeffy is for registered nonprofits only, and Luma charges 5% on paid tickets that cannot be passed to the buyer. Hi.Events has no limit on free tickets and charges 1.25% plus a small fixed amount on paid ones. The comparison page sets out what free means on each platform.Free event ticketing platforms compared →
When do I get paid if I sell tickets online as well as free ones?
You connect your own Stripe account and card payments settle into it directly as tickets sell, on your Stripe payout schedule. Hi.Events never holds the money. A free event can be published without a Stripe account. You need one connected, as account verification, before you can message attendees.Connecting Stripe →
What payment methods are supported for paid tickets?
Online payments are credit and debit card payments processed by Stripe through your own Stripe account. You can also turn on offline payment and write the instructions yourself, for cash on the day or a bank transfer, and mark those orders as paid when the money arrives.Offline payments →
Is there a limit on attendees or events?
No. Hi.Events does not limit the number of events, free tickets or attendees, and there is no fair-use allowance to stay within. The only limit is the capacity you set yourself so the event does not overfill.
§ 08 · More

Ticketing for other kinds of event

Free tools and guides

Set up your free event

Create the event, add a free ticket, share the link. No credit card, no monthly fee, no sales call.

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.