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What to Look For in a Ticketing Platform
Before comparing platforms side by side, it's worth being clear on what you actually need. Not every host has the same priorities, and a platform that's perfect for a large annual conference might be overkill (or underbuilt) for a monthly community event.
Here are the five things worth evaluating in any ticketing platform:
Fee structure: How much does it cost per ticket sold, and who absorbs those fees: you or your attendees? Even small per-ticket differences add up fast at scale.
Discovery: Does the platform help new people find your event, or is it purely a checkout tool? Platforms that double as event marketplaces give you built-in exposure you'd otherwise have to pay for.
Day-of tools: Can you check in guests efficiently? A platform that doesn't have a solid check-in solution creates headaches at the door.
Marketing features: Does the platform give you tools to promote the event, collect attendee data, and follow up after?
Integration and setup effort: How much work does it take to get a ticket listing live, and how well does it fit into your existing workflow?
With those criteria in mind, let's look at how each platform stacks up.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is the most widely recognised name in event ticketing, and for good reason. It has a large, established user base and a robust set of tools for managing complex events.
Fees
Eventbrite's fee structure is tiered depending on your plan, but for most paid events you can expect a service fee of 3.5% + $1.29 per ticket, plus payment processing of 2.9% + $0.30. On a $25 ticket, that works out to roughly $3.19 in total fees, often passed on to attendees as visible "service fees" at checkout.
For free events, Eventbrite is free to use.
Features
Eventbrite is feature-rich: multiple ticket types, discount codes, basic analytics, and an organizer app for check-ins. The platform also has its own discovery marketplace, so there's some potential for organic exposure, though the platform is crowded and organic reach isn't guaranteed.
The trade-offs
Eventbrite's size is both its strength and its limitation. You're one of millions of events on the platform, and the attendee experience at checkout includes visible, sometimes jarring service fees that can deter last-minute buyers. For larger-scale events with bigger budgets, the fees may be justifiable. For smaller or recurring community events, they add up quickly.
Ticket Tailor
Ticket Tailor takes a different approach: instead of charging a percentage of every ticket sold, it operates on a flat-fee subscription model. You pay a monthly or annual fee, and your per-ticket processing costs stay low.
Fees
On a pay-as-you-go basis, Ticket Tailor charges $1.00 CAD per ticket plus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30. On a $25 ticket, that comes to roughly $1.88 in total fees. There are no percentage-based service fees, which makes the math very predictable, and often significantly cheaper than Eventbrite at higher volumes.
Features
Ticket Tailor covers the essentials well: customisable ticket types, discount codes, a check-in app, embeddable widgets for your own website, and clean attendee data exports. It's straightforward and reliable.
The trade-offs
Ticket Tailor is a pure ticketing tool: it has no built-in event discovery or attendee marketplace. This means every person who buys a ticket from you needs to have already found out about your event elsewhere. It's a great back-end tool, but it puts the entire marketing burden on you. If you already have a strong following or don't need help with discovery, that's fine. If you're trying to grow your audience or reach new people, Ticket Tailor won't help you do that.
LampPost (Powered by Bloom Tickets)
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LampPost operates differently from both platforms above. Rather than being purely a ticketing tool or a generic events marketplace, it's built specifically for local event discovery, connecting hosts directly with audiences in their city who are actively looking for things to do.
Ticketing on LampPost is powered by Bloom Tickets, a dedicated ticketing provider that integrates directly into the platform. That integration means you don't manage two separate systems. Your event listing and your ticketing live in one place.
Fees
LampPost's ticketing fees are transparent and predictable:
- Stripe processing fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per ticket (standard)
- Platform fee: $0.75 flat per ticket
On a $25 ticket, that works out to roughly $1.78 in total fees, significantly lower than both Eventbrite and Ticket Tailor, with no subscription required.
Features
Because LampPost uses Bloom Tickets under the hood, you get a proper feature set without any extra setup:
- Email marketing: Reach your attendees directly with pre- and post-event communications, all from within the platform
- Ticketing charts: Visual seat mapping and capacity management for events that need it
- QR code check-in app: Scan tickets at the door without needing a third-party solution
- Direct ticket purchasing on LampPost: Attendees can buy tickets without ever leaving the platform, reducing checkout friction and drop-off
That last point matters more than it might seem. Every extra step between "I'm interested" and "I bought a ticket" costs you conversions. When someone discovers your event on LampPost and can complete the purchase right there, you capture impulse decisions that would otherwise be lost.
Discovery advantage
Unlike Ticket Tailor and (increasingly) Eventbrite, LampPost is built around local discovery. People come to LampPost specifically to find events in their city, not to browse a global marketplace where your event competes with concerts, conferences, and corporate summits. That intent matters. The platform puts your event in front of the right audience at the right moment, which is something no standalone ticketing tool can do.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Eventbrite | Ticket Tailor | LampPost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee model | % + fixed per ticket | Flat fee + Stripe processing | Flat fee + Stripe processing |
| Approximate fees (per $25 ticket) | ~$3.19 | ~$1.88 CAD | ~$1.78 |
| Discovery / marketplace | Yes (crowded) | No | Yes (local-focused) |
| Check-in app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email marketing | Basic | No | Yes |
| Seating charts | Yes (paid plans) | Yes | Yes |
| Ticket purchase on platform | Yes | No (embed only) | Yes |
| Setup complexity | Medium | Low | Low |
Which Platform Is Right for You?
Choose Eventbrite if you're running a large-scale event and need maximum name recognition, or if your audience is already on the platform and likely to find you through its marketplace.
Choose Ticket Tailor if you already have a strong, established audience you can drive directly to your listing, and you want to minimise per-ticket fees with a subscription model.
Choose LampPost if you want marketing and ticketing in one place, you're trying to reach a local audience that doesn't already know you, and you'd rather spend your energy hosting great events than managing multiple platforms. The integrated discovery + checkout experience means your listing is doing double duty from the moment it goes live.
The Bottom Line
The best ticketing platform isn't always the biggest or the cheapest in isolation. It's the one that fits how you work and helps you reach the people you're trying to reach. For local event hosts who want a simple setup, fair fees, and genuine visibility to new audiences, LampPost's integrated approach offers something the other platforms don't: a reason for people who've never heard of you to show up anyway.
Ready to list your next event? Get started on LampPost →
