What matters most when choosing a ticketing system?

Total cost on your real ticket prices, must-have features (like reserved seating or passes), contract terms, support availability and payout timing.

Should I choose a flat-fee or percentage-fee ticketing system?

Flat fees cost less on expensive tickets; percentage fees cost less on cheap tickets. Calculate both on your typical price.

It depends on seating charts and data migration; self-serve platforms can often be set up in days. Ask vendors for a migration plan.

Estimate total cost on your real ticket prices. Compute fees on your typical ticket (see fee comparison), including card processing, monthly minimums and setup fees.
List must-have features. Reserved seating, season tickets/passes, box office/POS, donations, concessions, gift cards, email marketing, CRM. Filter the leaderboard by must-haves.
Check contracts and lock-in. Quote-only platforms (Etix, VBO Tickets, Opendate, HoldMyTicket, Spektrix, TixTrack (Nliven), AudienceView Professional, Seat Engine, Eventim US, Tixr, accesso ShoWare, Theatre Manager (Arts Management Systems), Ticketmaster (TM1), SquadUP, PatronManager, AXS) usually involve contracts; self-serve platforms typically don't.
Test support before you sign. Look for live human support at the times your events run. Verified support details are on each profile.
Understand payouts. When do you get your money: nightly, weekly, before the event, or days after it?
Confirm data ownership. Can you export patron data any time?
Compare side by side. Use the comparison sheet to put your shortlist in one table.

Ludus (88/100)
TicketSpice (81/100)
Ticket Tailor (79/100)
BookTix (76/100)
CrowdWork (76/100)