Ticketing fees are the single biggest variable cost for most event organisers. Yet understanding exactly what each platform charges is surprisingly difficult. Pricing pages use different terminology, fees are structured differently, and some costs only become apparent once you're committed. This guide breaks down the actual fees across major UK platforms with real-world calculations.
How ticketing fees are structured
Platforms charge fees in several different ways, often combining multiple models:
- Percentage of ticket price -- A percentage taken from each sale (e.g., 5% of a £20 ticket = £1.00)
- Fixed per-ticket fee -- A flat amount per ticket sold (e.g., 59p per ticket regardless of price)
- Per-order fee -- A flat fee per transaction, regardless of how many tickets are in the order
- Monthly subscription -- A flat monthly cost with no per-ticket charges
- Buyer booking fee -- A fee charged to the ticket buyer, not the organiser
- Payment processing -- The cost of processing card payments, typically through Stripe or a similar provider
Platform fee breakdown
Tickts
Platform fee: 0%. Per-ticket fee: £0. Booking fee to buyer: £0. Payment processing: Stripe standard rates (1.5% + 20p UK cards). Tickts charges no platform fees of any kind. The only cost is Stripe's standard payment processing, which the organiser pays.
Eventbrite
Platform fee: 6.95% per ticket. Per-ticket fee: 59p. Payment processing: included in the above. Eventbrite's fee combines platform and processing into one charge. Organisers can absorb the fee or pass it to buyers.
Skiddle
Organiser fee: varies by agreement. Skiddle's model primarily charges the buyer a booking fee. Some organiser agreements include additional fees. Contact Skiddle for a specific quote for your events.
WeGotTickets
Payment processing: included.
Ticket Tailor
Per-ticket fee: from £0.60 per ticket pay-as-you-go, or around £0.22 per ticket with pre-paid credits. Subscription: none. Payment processing: Stripe standard rates (additional). Ticket Tailor uses a pay-as-you-go model with no monthly subscription. You pay a flat fee per ticket sold, plus Stripe processing on top.
TicketSource
Payment processing: included in booking fee. TicketSource is free for organisers, with fees passed entirely to the buyer.
DICE
Fee structure: not publicly listed, varies by agreement. DICE negotiates fees with each organiser or venue. Fees are absorbed into the ticket price so buyers see one clean number.
Fatsoma
Organiser fee: varies by agreement. Fatsoma charges the buyer and leans on a student-rep network for promotion.
Fixr
Fixr is a nightlife platform with fees charged to the buyer at checkout.
Outsavvy
Outsavvy passes costs to the buyer and is aimed at independent and community events.
TryBooking
5% + 20p per paid ticket when TryBooking takes the payment, or 75p per ticket plus Stripe's fee on your own Stripe, VAT included. Free events are free. tickts vs TryBooking.
Billetto
Free for organisers; the buyer pays 3.99% + £0.90 per ticket plus VAT. tickts vs Billetto.
Universe
Starter: 2% + £0.99 per ticket, capped at £9.95, plus VAT and payment processing. Standard: 5.5% + £0.99. tickts vs Universe.
Real-world calculations
Let's compare costs for a small and a large event: 100 tickets at £10, and 500 tickets at £40. Every figure uses fees published on each platform's own pricing page, checked October 2026, with VAT included where the platform adds it.
| Platform | 100 × £10 | 500 × £40 |
|---|---|---|
| tickts | £35.00 | £400.00 |
| TryBooking | £70.00 | £1,100.00 |
| Ticket Tailor | £107.00 | £760.00 |
| Universe | £142.80 | £1,074.00 |
| Eventbrite | £154.20 | £2,022.00 |
| Billetto | £155.88 | £1,497.60 |
How to read the table: tickts is the card fee only. TryBooking's figures are its rate when it takes the payment, and Eventbrite's, both include card processing. Ticket Tailor's are its pay-as-you-go fee plus Stripe's 1.5% + 20p. Universe's are its Starter plan and exclude processing. Eventbrite's include 20% VAT, which a VAT-registered organiser can reclaim. Billetto's fee is added to what your buyer pays rather than taken from you.
What the numbers tell us
The differences are stark. For one-off small events, the differences are smaller but still meaningful when margins are tight.
Percentage-based fees hurt most on higher-priced tickets. A 6.95% fee on a £50 ticket is £3.48 -- nearly seven times the fee on a £5 ticket. Per-ticket models like Ticket Tailor cost more as ticket volume increases, since the fee applies to every ticket sold.
On tickts the only cost at any price or volume is Stripe's card fee, which comes out of the ticket price. Some platforms, such as TicketSource and Billetto, cost the organiser nothing and charge the buyer instead, so compare what your buyers pay as well as what you pay.
When comparing platforms, always calculate the total annual cost for your specific event schedule, not just the per-ticket rate. And remember to factor in payment processing fees, which some platforms include in their headline rate and others charge separately.
Curious how tickts compares? See our side-by-side comparison of tickts vs Eventbrite: fees, payouts, and features for UK organisers.
Ticketing fees FAQs
Which UK ticketing platform has the lowest fees?
tickts charges no platform or booking fee at all, so at any ticket price the only cost is the card fee. Platforms such as TicketSource and Billetto cost the organiser nothing but charge the buyer instead. The only deduction is the standard Stripe payment-processing rate, which applies on every platform. Percentage-based platforms (such as Eventbrite at 6.95% + 59p per ticket in the UK) cost more as your ticket price rises, while flat per-ticket models can work out cheaper at high volume.
Do free events have ticketing fees?
On most UK platforms, free tickets carry no fee for you or your attendees. Fees only apply to paid tickets. If you run free events, almost any platform will cost you nothing, so the decision comes down to features rather than price.
Who pays the booking fee, the organiser or the buyer?
It depends on the platform and your settings. Many platforms let you choose to absorb the fee (it comes out of your ticket price) or pass it to the buyer (added on top at checkout). Passing it on protects your margin but raises the price your audience sees, which can dampen sales. A zero-fee platform avoids the trade-off entirely.
Are ticketing fees the same as payment processing fees?
No. A ticketing or booking fee is what the platform charges to use its service. Payment processing is the separate cost of taking the card payment, typically Stripe's standard rate. Some platforms fold both into one headline number while others charge them separately, which is why a like-for-like comparison should always include both.
How much does Eventbrite charge in the UK?
On an £18 ticket that is about £1.84 per sale. Free tickets are not charged.
Why do two platforms quote such different fees for the same ticket?
Because they structure fees differently. A percentage fee (say 6.95%) scales with ticket price, a fixed per-ticket fee (say 59p) does not, and a subscription spreads cost across volume. The same £20 ticket can therefore cost very different amounts depending on the model. Always run your own numbers — ticket price × quantity — through each platform's structure rather than trusting the headline rate.
Can I avoid passing booking fees on to my customers?
Yes. Either absorb the fee into your ticket price on a platform that charges one, or use a zero-booking-fee platform such as tickts where there's no fee to absorb or pass on. Buyers increasingly notice and resent surprise fees at checkout — and the CMA has been cracking down on drip-pricing — so a clean, all-in price is becoming a competitive advantage.
For the bigger picture, see our guide to the best ticketing platforms for small events in the UK.
Sources & further reading: the 2026 UK ticketing fees audit checked all 20 platforms against their own published pricing, and the ticketing fee calculator runs every current rate at your own ticket price and volume.
