Cheapest Event Ticketing Platforms in the UK (2026)

Every event ticketing platform quotes its fee slightly differently, and that’s not an accident. Some fold card processing into the headline number; others quote a bare platform fee and let Stripe or PayPal add the rest afterwards on your statement. Compare the headline numbers without checking which is which, and you can end up thinking two platforms cost the same when one of them is quietly cheaper once the card processing lands.

We’ve gone through the seven platforms UK organisers ask about most — EventBookings, Ticket Tailor, TryBooking, Humanitix, TicketSource, Eventbrite and Skiddle — and worked out the genuine all-in cost for each, processing included. Short version: EventBookings comes out cheapest, though it’s a close-run thing against Ticket Tailor and a clearer win against everything else. Here’s the full picture, including exactly where processing sits on each one.

What Each Platform Actually Charges

Worth being upfront about: unlike some ticketing platforms elsewhere in the world, EventBookings doesn’t run its own payment gateway in the UK. Like Ticket Tailor, it connects to Stripe or PayPal, and whichever you choose charges its own processing fee on top of EventBookings’ 1% + 20p. This isn’t a knock against either platform — Stripe’s and PayPal’s rates are simply set independently, and neither ticketing platform has a say in them. Always check Stripe’s or PayPal’s own pricing pages directly for current UK rates rather than relying on any third-party estimate, including ours.

Ranked: Genuine All-In Cost, Cheapest to Priciest

1. EventBookings

At 1% plus 20p per ticket before processing, EventBookings carries the lowest platform fee of the seven. Add Stripe or PayPal’s processing on top — the same processing cost you’d pay running your own website, incidentally — and it stays cheapest overall, though only just against Ticket Tailor, whose flat fee is genuinely close once both platforms are paying the same card processor. Organisers get branded event pages, a form builder, check-in scanning and reporting as standard, so the low platform fee isn’t a stripped-back trade-off.

Best for: Small to large events of any types, recurring, session based or timeslot based events. Organisers who want the lowest platform-side fee and don’t mind managing their own Stripe or PayPal account.

2. Ticket Tailor

Ticket Tailor’s flat 60p (plus VAT) platform fee runs through the same processing setup as EventBookings — your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account, so both carry an identical cost on top. The difference between the two comes down to the platform fee alone, and it’s a narrow one: EventBookings edges ahead at typical UK ticket prices, but the gap closes the higher your ticket price climbs, and Ticket Tailor’s flat structure actually pulls back in front above roughly £52 a ticket. If you’re already comfortable running your own payment processor relationship, this remains a genuinely strong second option, not a distant one.

Best for: organisers who want a predictable flat fee and are selling tickets priced above the mid-£40s to low-£50s, where the flat structure starts working in their favour.

3. TryBooking

TryBooking’s 5% + 15p is quoted fully inclusive of VAT and processing through its own built-in payment gateway, so there’s genuinely one number to work with rather than a platform fee plus a separate Stripe statement. It’s been supporting UK community events, theatres and clubs since 2014, and its pitch leans heavily on being the straightforward, no-subscription alternative to Eventbrite. If you’d rather connect your own Stripe account instead, TryBooking also offers a flat 75p ticket fee with Stripe’s processing charged separately — worth comparing both ways depending on your ticket price.

Best for: community groups, theatres and recurring events that want a single all-inclusive rate and don’t want to manage their own payment processor relationship.

4. Humanitix

Humanitix’s 4.67% + 46p is also quoted inclusive of processing, sitting a step above EventBookings, Ticket Tailor and TryBooking on a like-for-like basis. Plenty of UK organisers — schools, universities, and charitable events especially — choose it anyway, since the platform reinvests its profit into children’s education causes.

Best for: events with a charitable or educational angle where the fee itself becomes part of the story.

5. TicketSource

TicketSource’s 7% rate is pitched as fully inclusive of both VAT and processing, which is refreshingly simple to quote to a committee or venue manager who just wants “the number.” There’s also a lower 4.5% + VAT option if you connect your own Stripe account directly, which reintroduces a second fee line but can work out cheaper depending on your ticket price.

Best for: organisers who’d rather have one all-in percentage to quote than compare several fee lines.

6. Eventbrite

Eventbrite’s UK rate of 6.95% + 59p folds processing into that single number rather than adding it separately. What you’re paying the premium for is Eventbrite’s own audience and discovery features — real, if your event benefits from being found by people browsing the platform, less so if you’re driving all your own traffic through your own marketing.

Best for: larger or public events leaning on Eventbrite’s own traffic rather than organiser-driven promotion.

7. Skiddle

Skiddle’s 10% + 27p (with a £1 minimum per ticket) is the highest rate of the seven, driven mostly by that 10% commission — the steepest percentage on this list. What you’re paying for is Skiddle’s strong presence in the UK nightlife and club scene, where its own audience actively browses for events. Outside that specific niche, the fee is difficult to justify against the alternatives above.

Best for: club nights, festivals, and nightlife events where Skiddle’s own audience is genuinely part of the draw.

Cost by Scenario

Here’s what these numbers mean on an actual ticket price, all-in — platform fee plus processing, wherever the two aren’t already bundled. We’ve used a £50 ticket for this comparison, a realistic price for a paid workshop, gig, or ticketed dinner. Worth flagging: EventBookings’ lead over Ticket Tailor specifically narrows as ticket price rises, since EventBookings charges 1% of the ticket price on top of its 20p flat fee, while Ticket Tailor’s fee stays fixed regardless of price — above roughly £52 a ticket, Ticket Tailor’s flat fee actually overtakes EventBookings’. At £50 we’re just under that crossover, so EventBookings stays cheapest, though only by a couple of pence per ticket against Ticket Tailor specifically. Against every other platform here, the margin is far more comfortable and only grows at this price point.

100 tickets at £50 each (£5,000 in revenue)

500 tickets at £50 each (£25,000 in revenue)

EventBookings and Ticket Tailor stay within a few pounds of each other throughout, which makes sense once you know both are paying identical Stripe or PayPal processing on top — the entire difference between them comes down to platform fee alone. Against Skiddle, the gap tells a different story entirely: over £2,400 apart at 500 tickets, on the exact same ticket price and the exact same event.

Who Pays: Organiser or Attendee?

As with our breakdown of who pays ticketing fees, every platform here lets you choose, though the starting point differs. EventBookings defaults to the organiser absorbing the fee, so attendees see a clean price with nothing added at checkout. TryBooking splits it by default — the buyer pays the 15p ticket fee, the organiser absorbs the 5% processing fee — though either side can be reassigned in account settings. Eventbrite, Humanitix, and Skiddle default to the attendee or fan paying, with Humanitix in particular letting organisers absorb some or all of it instead. Ticket Tailor and TicketSource both let you configure either way, without a strongly publicised default either side.

What the Headline Fee Doesn’t Cover

A few things worth checking before you commit, none of which show up in a simple fee comparison:

• Stripe and PayPal’s own rates. Since EventBookings and Ticket Tailor both route payments through your own processor, always check Stripe’s UK pricing or PayPal’s UK business fees directly before assuming a quoted platform fee is your full cost — these rates sit outside any ticketing platform’s control and change independently.
• VAT registration status. Some of these platform fees carry VAT on top; others already have it folded in. Confirm which applies to you specifically.
• Drip pricing compliance. UK consumer law requires the total price — including unavoidable fees — to be shown clearly and early in the buying journey, not just at the final checkout step.
• Payout timing. Some platforms release funds as tickets sell; others hold everything until after the event.

Bottom Line

Once processing is properly accounted for rather than left off the headline number, EventBookings comes out cheapest across both scenarios we ran, though the margin over Ticket Tailor specifically is genuinely tight — both platforms pay identical Stripe or PayPal processing, so it comes down to a couple of pence of platform fee either way, and that gap can flip on pricier tickets. TryBooking offers a straightforward, fully inclusive alternative without the need to manage your own payment processor. Humanitix and TicketSource cost a little more but each has a genuine “one number, all-in” appeal, Eventbrite brings real discovery reach at a real premium, and Skiddle is worth it specifically for nightlife and club events where its own audience is doing some of the selling for you. For the full fee picture across every platform we cover, see our platform comparison or check EventBookings’ own UK pricing directly.

Fee figures current as of September 2026, based on each platform’s published UK pricing. Stripe and PayPal processing estimates use standard published UK domestic rates and are illustrative only — confirm current rates directly with Stripe or PayPal, since these are set independently of any ticketing platform. Always confirm current fees directly with each provider before setting an event live.