On a $20 community-concert ticket, the platforms compared here add roughly $1.72 to $3.18 in fees. In this example, TicketSpice is the lowest, EnsembleBase is next, and Eventbrite is the highest.
The result changes with ticket price, order size, and whether the organizer or buyer covers the fees. The tables below show the calculation on a $20 ticket, extend it to 250 tickets, and compare payout and refund policies. Rates were checked against each platform's published pricing in July 2026; confirm current terms before you commit a season.
Disclosure. EnsembleBase is included in this comparison. Competitor figures come from each company's published pricing or help documentation, and the assumptions are shown so you can check the math.
How each platform charges in 2026
Eventbrite charges a service fee of 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order. The per-ticket fee has no cap, so it rises with ticket price.
TicketSpice charges $0.99 per ticket (49 cents for tickets under $5) plus card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 when the organizer absorbs the fees. When fees are passed to buyers, TicketSpice's help center says that checkout uses a flat 3.5% of the subtotal instead of the $0.30 per-transaction charge. That is the buyer-paid assumption used in the table.
TicketLeap charges $1.00 + 2% of the ticket price per ticket, plus a 3% online transaction fee per order. The ticketing fee is capped at $20 per ticket; the 3% transaction fee is not.
Brown Paper Tickets charges $1.49 + 6% per ticket, with payment processing included in that figure.
EnsembleBase charges a flat $1.00 service fee per paid ticket, plus standard Stripe card processing of 2.9% + $0.30. Both are presented to the buyer at checkout as two optional fee lines, with the service fee selected by default. If both remain selected, the ensemble receives the ticket's full face value. If the buyer removes the service fee, the $1.00 comes out of the ensemble's proceeds. Ticketing is included with the platform's Pro and Scale plans. The charge runs through the organization's own Stripe account, so the processing rate is the rate Stripe has set for that organization. This comparison uses Stripe's standard published rate. Stripe's nonprofit discount requires more than 80% of your payment volume to be tax-deductible donations, and ticket sales are excluded from that calculation.
The fee table: a $20 ticket, platform by platform
| Platform | Service fee | Card processing | Approx. fees on $20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket (no fee cap) | 2.9% | ~$3.18 |
| Brown Paper Tickets | $1.49 + 6% per ticket | Included in service fee | ~$2.69 |
| TicketLeap | $1.00 + 2% per ticket (capped at $20/ticket) | 3% online transaction fee per order | ~$2.04 |
| EnsembleBase | $1.00 flat per paid ticket, buyer-covered by default | ~2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe) | ~$1.91 |
| TicketSpice | $0.99 per ticket (49¢ under $5) | 3.5% of the subtotal when fees are passed to buyers | ~$1.72 |
The rates above come from the platforms' published pricing, checked in July 2026. Review the source pages before making a decision: Eventbrite, TicketSpice, TicketLeap, and Brown Paper Tickets. Pricing pages change, so confirm the current rates before you commit a season.
Two details affect how you read the table. Most platforms let the organizer absorb fees or pass them to the buyer; the total charge is similar, but the choice changes your net. TicketSpice also uses a different processing rate when fees are passed through. On EnsembleBase, the buyer chooses at checkout. Percentage fees become more significant as ticket prices rise, while flat fees stay predictable.
A worked example: 250 tickets at $20
Imagine a 300-seat hall with 250 tickets sold at $20. The face value is $5,000. Assuming fees are passed to buyers where the platform allows it, the estimated fees are:
| Platform | Approx. fees per ticket | Approx. total fees (250 tickets) |
|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | ~$3.18 | ~$795 |
| Brown Paper Tickets | ~$2.69 | ~$673 |
| TicketLeap | ~$2.04 | ~$510 |
| EnsembleBase | ~$1.91 | ~$478 |
| TicketSpice | ~$1.72 | ~$431 |
When buyers cover the fees, the ensemble receives the full $5,000. If the organizer absorbs them, the same amount comes out of the payout. On EnsembleBase, both fee lines are selected by default at checkout, so the buyer-paid scenario is the standard case.
When the money reaches your bank account
Fee totals are only one part of the decision. Payout timing can affect venue deposits, musician payments, and the rest of a season's cash flow. The platforms handle it differently:
| Platform | When you get your money |
|---|---|
| Eventbrite | Paid out several business days after your event ends. |
| Brown Paper Tickets | Paid out after the event (see the note below on payout history). |
| TicketLeap | Held until 4–7 days after the event; faster payout requires approval for their FastPay program. |
| TicketSpice | Weekly payouts by default, including the week of your event. |
| EnsembleBase | Sales land in your organization’s own Stripe account as they happen. You are the merchant of record. Stripe pays out on its standard rolling schedule, and you can watch the balance in EnsembleBase. |
With EnsembleBase, your organization is the merchant of record. Card disputes are handled through your Stripe account, and a new Stripe account may have additional onboarding and a slower first payout before its normal rolling schedule begins.
Refund policies also vary. Eventbrite keeps its service and processing fees on refunded tickets, with fee credits available for full cancellations by request. On EnsembleBase, you record the refund in the app, which releases the seats and invalidates the tickets, then complete the payment in your Stripe dashboard. Stripe keeps its processing fee, and the $1.00 service fee remains with EnsembleBase. TicketSpice, TicketLeap, and Brown Paper Tickets publish less detail about refund fee handling, so ask each platform before you commit.
Brown Paper Tickets also has a notable payout history. In September 2020, the Washington State Attorney General sued the company after complaints about unpaid event proceeds and refunds. The case is old, but it is a useful reminder to review a platform's payout history—not just its fee table—before moving a full season of sales.
The trade-off: platform plan vs. standalone processor
TicketSpice is about 19 cents cheaper per ticket than EnsembleBase in this example, or roughly $48 across 250 tickets. The larger difference is that TicketSpice, Eventbrite, TicketLeap, and Brown Paper Tickets do not require a platform subscription, while EnsembleBase ticketing is included with a paid plan.
To compare the full cost, divide the annual plan price by the number of tickets you expect to sell and add that amount to the $1.00 service fee. If you only need ticketing, a no-subscription platform may cost less. If you also need the roster, availability, dues, email, and event pages, the plan bundles those workflows with the box office. Current plan pricing is on our plans page.
What the per-ticket fee doesn't show:
- The fee is flat: $1.00 per paid ticket whether you charge $10 or $40.
- Ticket money goes directly to your organization’s own Stripe account.
- Online buyer lists stay alongside your donor and member records for future outreach.
What changes the math
- Order size. Per-order components (TicketLeap’s 3% online transaction fee, Stripe’s $0.30 per charge) spread across multi-ticket orders, so a family of four costs slightly less per ticket than four separate buyers.
- Ticket price. Rerun the math at your price point before choosing. The percentage-heavy structures pull further ahead of the flat ones as prices rise.
- Time. Fee structures change, and platforms rarely announce it loudly, so treat every figure here as a July 2026 snapshot and re-check the pricing page before you sign up.
One roster powers everything
In EnsembleBase, your member list is entered once and reused everywhere. Every tool below works from the same roster — no re-typing names, no out-of-sync copies.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays ticketing fees, the buyer or the ensemble?
It depends on the platform and your settings. Most platforms let organizers either absorb fees (deducted from your payout) or pass them to buyers at checkout. On EnsembleBase the buyer decides: the flat $1.00 service fee and the card processing cost each appear as a box at checkout, and the service fee box is ticked by default. With both covered, your ensemble receives the ticket’s face value. When a buyer unticks the service fee, that $1.00 comes out of your proceeds rather than being waived.
Can we avoid card processing fees entirely?
Not for online card sales. Processing fees around 2.9% + $0.30 are what card networks and processors like Stripe charge, and every platform passes them through in some form. The only sales that avoid them are cash transactions at the door, which come with their own counting and reconciliation work. Donation-led nonprofits can sometimes reduce them: Stripe grants eligible 501(c)(3) organizations a discounted rate on request, though its 80%-of-volume-in-donations threshold rules out ensembles whose Stripe activity is mostly ticketing. Where you do hold a discounted rate, it reaches you directly on EnsembleBase because the charge runs on your own Stripe account.
Do these fees apply to free tickets?
Service fees on the platforms compared here apply to paid tickets. Free and comp tickets generally do not incur service fees, on EnsembleBase or the others, though policies vary in the details. Verify with any platform you are considering before publishing a free event.
Do ticketing platforms offer nonprofit discounts?
Some do, usually on request. Every figure in this article is a standard published 2026 rate, not a nonprofit-discounted rate. Stripe offers eligible 501(c)(3) organizations a discounted rate of 2.2% + $0.30 in the US instead of 2.9% + $0.30. Eligibility requires more than 80% of your Stripe payment volume to be tax-deductible donations, and ticket sales, membership dues, and registration fees are excluded from that calculation. An ensemble whose Stripe activity is mostly ticketing will not qualify on ticket revenue alone. The discount is not retroactive; it affects sales processed after Stripe approves it. Because EnsembleBase uses your organization's Stripe account, any rate Stripe approves for you applies to the processing portion of the charge. The $1.00 service fee remains unchanged. Ask each platform whether its discount applies to service fees, processing fees, or both.
Keep reading
Ticketing & box office
Concert ticketing software that never takes a percentage of the ticket price
Read the guideTicketing & box office
How to sell tickets for a community concert
Read the guideMoney & fundraising
How to collect member dues without the awkwardness
Read the guideOperations
Planning a concert season: the master timeline and checklist
Read the guideThe bottom line
Flat fees, full face value, your own Stripe account.
EnsembleBase charges a flat $1.00 per paid ticket plus standard card processing, with buyers covering fees at checkout. Every sale lands in your organization's own Stripe account, in the same platform as your roster, email, and dues.
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