Eventbrite fees in Canada: what a ticket really costs in 2026
Safara One team ·
If you sell tickets on Eventbrite in Canada, every paid ticket carries two charges: a service fee and a payment processing fee. On a $50.00 ticket they add up to about $5.20. This guide shows how the fees are calculated, what they come to at common ticket prices, who ends up paying them, and how they compare with Safara One.
How Eventbrite calculates its fees
Eventbrite's published pricing for paid tickets in Canada (checked September 2026) has two parts:
- Service fee: 3.7% of the ticket price + $1.79 per ticket.
- Payment processing: 2.9% of the whole order — the ticket price and the service fee.
Because processing is charged on top of the service fee, the total is a little more than the 3.7% + 2.9% you might add up in your head. All figures in this guide are before sales tax.
Eventbrite fees at common ticket prices
Total fees on a single ticket, before tax, compared with Safara One's booking fee of 4.3% + $1.90:
| Ticket price | Eventbrite fees | Buyer pays on Eventbrite | Safara One fee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $2.51 | $12.51 | $2.33 | $0.18 |
| $25.00 | $3.52 | $28.52 | $2.97 | $0.55 |
| $50.00 | $5.20 | $55.20 | $4.05 | $1.15 |
| $100.00 | $8.55 | $108.55 | $6.19 | $2.36 |
The gap grows with the ticket price because both of Eventbrite's percentages apply to the full amount. For an event that sells 100 tickets at $25.00, the difference is $55.00 — money that either stays in your guests' pockets or, if you raise your price to match, in yours.
Who pays the fees: you or your guests?
By default Eventbrite adds its fees to the ticket price at checkout, so the buyer pays them. You can choose to absorb them instead, in which case they come out of your payout. Either way, someone pays them: a buyer who sees a $50.00 ticket become $55.20 plus tax at checkout is paying for the platform, and a higher total at checkout is one of the reasons people abandon a purchase.
On Safara One the buyer pays one booking fee, and you receive 100% of the ticket price. Card processing is paid by Safara One out of that fee — it's never deducted from your payout.
What about Luma?
Luma's free plan charges a 5% platform fee, plus Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30). On cheap tickets that can be less than Eventbrite or Safara One, but the fees are taken from the organizer's payout and can't be passed on to buyers. On a $50.00 ticket a Luma host receives $45.75; on Safara One you receive $50.00.
How to keep ticket fees down
- Compare the total the buyer pays, not the headline percentage. Flat per-ticket fees matter most on cheap tickets; percentages matter most on expensive ones.
- Check whether processing is included. Some platforms quote a service fee and add card processing on top.
- Make free events free. Platforms that charge nothing on free tickets let you run community events at no cost. Safara One charges nothing on free events, for you or your guests.
- Know when you get paid. On Safara One each sale goes to your own Stripe account as the ticket sells, and Stripe pays out to your bank automatically.
Questions
How much is Eventbrite's fee on a $50.00 ticket in Canada?
About $5.20 before tax: 3.7% + $1.79 for the service fee, plus 2.9% processing on the order total. On Safara One the fee on a $50.00 ticket is $4.05, plus 13% HST on the fee.
Are there fees on free events?
Not on Safara One — free events cost nothing for you or your guests, however many people you invite. On other platforms, check the plan limits for free events before you publish.
Can I pass Eventbrite's fees to the buyer?
Yes — passing fees to the buyer is Eventbrite's default. On Safara One the buyer always pays the booking fee, so you keep the full ticket price.
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