The cheapest way to sell event tickets online in Canada
Safara One team ·
"Cheapest" means two different things when you sell tickets. There's the lowest total fee — everything the platform and card processor take — and there's the lowest cost to you, which depends on who pays that fee. The answer changes with your ticket price. Here's how it works out, using published pricing checked October 2026.
Three ways platforms charge
- Percentage + flat fee, paid by the buyer. The fee is added at checkout and you keep the ticket price. Safara One (4.3% + $1.90, card processing included) and Eventbrite (3.7% + $1.79 plus 2.9% processing) work this way.
- Percentage, paid by you. The fee comes out of your payout. Luma's free plan (5%) and Tito (3%) work this way, plus card fees from Stripe.
- Flat fee per ticket, paid by you. Ticket Tailor charges about $1 a ticket pay-as-you-go, plus card fees on your own Stripe, Square or PayPal account. You can add your own booking fee to pass costs on.
Total fees at common ticket prices
Everything taken on one ticket, before tax — platform fee plus card processing (Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 where you bring your own account):
| Platform | $10 ticket | $25 ticket | $50 ticket | $100 ticket | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safara One | $2.33 | $2.97 | $4.05 | $6.19 | Buyer. You keep 100% of the ticket price |
| Eventbrite | $2.51 | $3.52 | $5.20 | $8.55 | Buyer by default; you can choose to absorb the fees |
| Luma (free plan) | $1.09 | $2.28 | $4.25 | $8.20 | Organizer — taken from your payout |
| Humanitix | $1.79 | $2.55 | $3.79 | $6.29 | Booking fee: buyer by default (you can absorb or split it). Card fees are charged separately by Stripe |
| Ticket Tailor | $1.59 | $2.03 | $2.75 | $4.20 | Organizer, unless you add your own booking fee for buyers |
| Tito | $0.89 | $1.78 | $3.25 | $6.20 | Organizer by default |
Lowest total fee
- Cheap tickets ($10.00–$25.00): Tito has the lowest total at $0.89 on a $10.00 ticket. Percentage-only pricing wins when there's no flat fee to pay.
- Mid-priced and expensive tickets ($50.00 and up): Ticket Tailor's flat fee wins — $2.75 on a $50.00 ticket and $4.20 on $100.00.
- Eventbrite has the highest total fee at every price in the table.
But in every one of those cheapest options, the fee comes out of your payout unless you set up a buyer fee yourself.
Lowest cost to you
If you'd rather your guests pay the fee, compare the platforms where the buyer pays by default and you keep the whole ticket price:
- Safara One: $2.97 on a $25.00 ticket, $4.05 on $50.00. Card processing is included, so you receive exactly the ticket price.
- Eventbrite: $3.52 on a $25.00 ticket, $5.20 on $50.00.
On these terms Safara One is cheaper than Eventbrite on every paid ticket above about $3 — and your cost is zero.
The costs that aren't on the pricing page
- Your time. Selling by e-Transfer or a plain payment link is cheap in fees but means matching payments to names, emailing tickets yourself and keeping a spreadsheet for the door.
- Your own payment processor. Platforms that use your Stripe or PayPal account mean another account to set up and another set of fees to watch.
- Subscriptions. A monthly plan that removes per-ticket fees only pays off once you sell enough — Luma Plus, for example, needs more than about $1,180 a month in sales before it beats the 5% free plan.
- Abandoned checkouts. A large fee added at the last step makes some buyers give up. Lower buyer fees mean fewer lost sales.
The short answer
- Absorbing fees on cheap tickets? Tito or Luma.
- Absorbing fees on expensive tickets? Ticket Tailor.
- Want buyers to pay and to keep 100% yourself? Safara One — lower than Eventbrite, with card processing included.
- A registered nonprofit? Zeffy charges nothing.
- Running a free event? Every platform here is free for free tickets — see free event ticketing.
Questions
What's the cheapest way to sell tickets for a small event?
For a small event with cheap tickets, a percentage-only platform has the lowest total fee if you absorb it. If you want guests to pay the fee, Safara One charges buyers less than Eventbrite and you keep the full ticket price. Free events are free on all of them.
Should I sell tickets by e-Transfer instead?
It saves fees but costs time: you match payments by hand, send tickets yourself and check people in from a list. A ticketing platform does that for you, with QR tickets and check-in from your phone.
Try the Safara One fee calculator · Create an event for free