A percentage of sales
The platform takes a share of each paid ticket, sometimes with a fixed charge or a cap. Higher ticket prices can increase the fee even when attendee count stays the same.
Examples: Eventbrite, Humanitix and Tito.
Build your ticketing budget
Conference ticketing pricing and fees
Your ticketing cost is the platform charge plus payment processing and any extras your conference needs. Compare the full selling window, including subscriptions, before deciding which fee model fits your event.
Published by Checkout Page, one of the platforms in the examples. These are illustrative budgets using selected published plans. Ownership and editorial approach.
Three ways platforms charge
A fixed amount per ticket
The platform fee follows paid ticket count. Compare the pay-as-you-sell rate with prepaid credit packs, including the upfront purchase and any unused credits.
Example: Ticket Tailor.
A subscription
A monthly or annual payment covers the platform. Check sales limits, paid feature requirements and the minimum commitment: a monthly equivalent may be billed for a full year.
Examples: Checkout Page and Luma Plus.
Payment processing sits alongside these models. A free registration may avoid processing, but a platform can still charge for the registration itself. See platform sources and feature trade-offs alongside the cost comparison.
What three example conferences would pay
All amounts are USD platform costs, excluding payment processing, taxes and extras. These examples assume paid tickets at one average price, with sales spread evenly across the stated months. Providers are listed alphabetically.
Workshop
120 tickets × $75 · 2 selling months
$9,000 in ticket sales
Two-day conference
300 tickets × $299 · 3 selling months
$89,700 in ticket sales
Large conference
1,000 tickets × $599 · 3 selling months
$599,000 in ticket sales
| Platform and modeled plan | Workshop | Two-day conference | Large conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkout Page pricing Plan covering modeled monthly sales; feature upgrades and overages excluded. Checked 2026-09-04 | $198.00 Scale plan at $99/month × 2 months | $717.00 Scale plan at $239/month × 3 months | $9,990.00 Unlimited plan, $9,990 billed yearly (covers 12 months) |
| Eventbrite pricing Standard paid-ticket rate. Checked 2026-09-05 | $547.80 | $3,855.90 | $23,953.00 |
| Humanitix pricing Service component only; default USD processing is included in a combined 5% + $1.29 per paid ticket. Checked 2026-09-05 | $307.80 | $2,180.70 | $13,569.00 |
| Luma pricing 5% option; Plus at $69/month can cost less. Checked 2026-09-05 | $450.00 | $4,485.00 | $29,950.00 |
| pretix pricing Hosted service; per-product fee rounded. Self-hosting excluded. Checked 2026-09-05 | $225.60 | $2,244.00 | $14,980.00 |
| RegFox pricing Standard plan; one registrant per ticket. Checked 2026-09-05 | $208.80 | $1,194.00 | $4,990.00 |
| Ticket Tailor pricing Pay-as-you-sell; prepaid credits can cost less. Checked 2026-09-05 | $102.00 | $255.00 | $850.00 |
| Tito pricing Standard paid-ticket rate. Checked 2026-09-05 | $270.00 | $2,691.00 | $17,970.00 |
Alternatives that can change these totals
- Luma Plus removes the percentage platform fee for $69/month: $207 for three months. Annual billing is $708 upfront, not three months at the annual monthly equivalent. Both can cost less than the 5% option shown here.
- Ticket Tailor prepaid credits can reduce the ticket rate. Include the full pack price and any credits you will not use.
- pretix self-hosting has a different cost model: budget for hosting, maintenance and any paid support instead of the hosted ticket fee.
- Checkout Page uses the plan covering the modeled monthly sales. Optional feature upgrades, discounted annual plans and paid-plan overages are not modeled. The large example includes the full $9,990 annual commitment.
- Nonprofit discounts, negotiated rates and required add-ons are excluded. RegFox uses Standard pricing. Euro-denominated caps use approximate USD values; pretix's net-price basis assumes no tax in these examples.
Change ticket price, volume, months and order count in the fee calculator →
Add processing only when it is separate
Humanitix's row above isolates the service component shown on its US pricing page. Its default USD gateway actually charges 5% + $1.29 per paid ticket including processing: $4,872 for 300 tickets at $299. Do not add another processor fee to that combined amount. The configured event comparison includes it correctly in the total.
Stripe's standard US domestic online card rate is 2.9% + $0.30 per card payment. The fixed charge is counted once for a payment, even if that payment buys several tickets. Other countries, cards, payment methods and provider arrangements can use different rates. Stripe's pricing.
Processing estimate = transaction amount × rate + number of payments × fixed charge
For the 300-ticket example at $299, one ticket per order gives $2,691.30 in estimated processing. Two tickets per order gives $2,646.30. Both cases collect $89,700 in ticket revenue.
This illustration assumes domestic card payments with no tax, extra buyer fees, refunds or currency conversion. If the amount charged includes taxes or added fees, processing may apply to that higher total. Actual totals can differ slightly because each transaction is rounded separately.
Count the whole selling window
The same revenue can produce a different subscription cost depending on when it arrives. On Checkout Page, the $89,700 example fits a $499 plan if all sales occur in one month. Spread evenly over three months, the model selects $239 per month, or $717 total. A lower monthly tier can still mean a higher campaign cost.
Use your expected sales in each billing period when choosing a plan; an early-bird launch or final deadline can concentrate sales. Also allow for any paid features you need after ticket sales close. The Checkout Page pricing page lists volume tiers, feature requirements, annual commitments and overage terms.
Budget beyond the headline fee
- Confirm whether refunds return platform and processor fees, and allow for payment disputes.
- Check the cost of staff accounts, badge printers, scanners, integrations, email sends and support your event requires.
- Ask when proceeds become available, including any reserves or first-payout delay, before committing ticket revenue to venue deposits.
- Compare the buyer's final checkout total alongside your own net revenue when deciding whether to absorb or add fees.
Conference ticketing fee questions
- How much does conference ticketing software cost?
- A conference can pay a fee for each ticket, a percentage of sales, a subscription, or a combination. Payment processing can be separate or bundled into a booking fee; do not count it twice. Compare the total for your ticket prices, paid registrations, order count and selling months, including any required annual commitment or feature upgrade.
- Does no per-ticket fee mean free ticketing?
- No. A platform can charge no per-ticket fee while charging a subscription, and payment processing can still apply. Checkout Page, this site's publisher, has no per-ticket platform fee; the examples include its sales-volume plan cost and show where processing must be added.
- Is payment processing charged per ticket or per order?
- For the Stripe domestic US card example used here, the percentage applies to the transaction amount and the fixed charge applies once per successful transaction. If one payment buys five tickets, count one fixed processing charge. A platform's separate ticket service fee may still apply to all five tickets.
- Can I pass ticketing fees on to attendees?
- Some platforms let you add fees at checkout or absorb them in the ticket price. Compare what the buyer pays and what you retain. Adding a fee does not eliminate the cost, and processing may also apply to that added amount. Check the platform settings and price-display requirements where you sell.
- Why does the selling window change the price?
- Subscriptions run for the months you keep them active, and a sales-volume plan depends on how much you sell in each billing period. Spreading sales can reduce the monthly volume tier while increasing the number of subscription payments. Annual commitments must be included in full, even for a shorter event campaign.
From our publisher · Checkout Page
Sell conference tickets on your own website with Checkout Page
Create ticket types, collect registration details and check attendees in with QR tickets. Checkout Page connects to your Stripe account and charges no per-ticket platform fee. Free up to $3,000 in monthly sales; paid plans add features and higher sales allowances.
No card required for the free plan. Stripe processing fees apply. Staff accounts and bulk discounts require a paid plan. About the publisher.