Luma vs Eventbrite vs Safara One: fees, payouts and who pays
Safara One team ·
Luma and Eventbrite take opposite approaches to fees. Eventbrite adds its fees to the buyer's total; Luma takes its fee out of the organizer's payout. Safara One works like Eventbrite — the buyer pays — but charges less and covers card processing. Here's what that means in dollars, using each platform's published pricing (checked October 2026).
How each platform charges
- Eventbrite: 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order. Buyer by default; you can choose to absorb the fees.
- Luma (free plan): 5% platform fee, plus Stripe card processing (typically 2.9% + $0.30). Organizer — taken from your payout. Luma Plus drops the platform fee to 0% for $59 a month, billed annually.
- Safara One: 4.3% + $1.90 per ticket, card processing included. Buyer. You keep 100% of the ticket price.
What your buyer pays
The ticket price plus any fees added at checkout, before tax:
| Platform | $10 ticket | $25 ticket | $50 ticket | $100 ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safara One | $12.33 | $27.97 | $54.05 | $106.19 |
| Eventbrite | $12.51 | $28.52 | $55.20 | $108.55 |
| Luma (free plan) | $10.00 | $25.00 | $50.00 | $100.00 |
Luma is the cheapest for buyers because its fee isn't added at checkout — it comes out of your share instead, as the next table shows.
What you keep
What the organizer receives from one ticket with each platform's default settings:
| Platform | $10 ticket | $25 ticket | $50 ticket | $100 ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safara One | $10.00 | $25.00 | $50.00 | $100.00 |
| Eventbrite | $10.00 | $25.00 | $50.00 | $100.00 |
| Luma (free plan) | $8.91 | $22.72 | $45.75 | $91.80 |
On a $50.00 ticket, a Luma host keeps $45.75. On Eventbrite and Safara One you keep $50.00, and the buyer pays the fee — $5.20 on Eventbrite, $4.05 on Safara One (plus 13% HST on the fee).
When is Luma Plus worth it?
Luma Plus costs $59 a month, billed annually and removes the 5% platform fee; Stripe's card fees still apply. It pays for itself once you sell more than about $1,180 of tickets a month — below that, the free plan's 5% costs less than the subscription. Either way, card fees still come out of your payout.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Luma if your tickets are cheap, you're happy to absorb fees, and you want the lowest price for guests.
- Choose Eventbrite if you want your event listed on a large marketplace and don't mind higher fees for buyers.
- Choose Safara One if you want to keep your full ticket price, charge buyers less than Eventbrite, and have card processing covered — with no subscription.
Questions
Is Luma cheaper than Eventbrite?
For buyers, yes — Luma doesn't add fees at checkout. For organizers, not necessarily: Luma's 5% plus card fees come out of your payout, while Eventbrite's fees are paid by the buyer by default.
Can I pass Luma's fees on to my guests?
Not on the free plan — the platform fee and card processing are deducted from your payout. On Safara One the buyer always pays the booking fee, so you receive 100% of the ticket price.
Does any of them charge for free events?
No. None of the three charges fees on free events. More on that in free event ticketing.