Eventbrite
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Fine for small organizers running public events who want built-in discovery, if stacked per-ticket fees don't sting.
Comparison
Eventbrite vs SimpleTix
Eventbrite lands on Depends, and SimpleTix lands on Worth it.
SimpleTix
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you run small-to-mid events . theaters, nonprofits, farms, attractions . and want fees well below Eventbrite's.
| Compare | Eventbrite | SimpleTix |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | One-off public events | Theaters, fringes, and performing arts |
| Who it's not for | Nonprofits . Zeffy is 100% free | Nonprofits demanding a truly $0 platform (Zeffy is free) |
| Privacy | PCI compliant with a bug bounty; CVEs found are in third-party WordPress plugins, not Eventbrite core.⁹ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Common complaints; company working to improve | Polarized: praised in reviews, slammed on Reddit |
| Public sentiment | Organizers credit Eventbrite with reach and simplicity but flood forums with complaints about rising fees, support, and post-acquisition changes.⁴ | Mostly positive on ease of use and fees, punctuated by rare but fierce complaints about support. |
| Biggest gotcha | Fees stack: percentage plus per-ticket charge, passed to buyers. Paid events are never free³ | Credit-card processing is billed separately from the 79¢ + 2% fee |
Pick Eventbrite when
- One-off public events
- Local concerts, classes, workshops
- Organizers wanting discovery traffic
- Casual community events
When Eventbrite is not a fit
- Nonprofits . Zeffy is 100% free
- Complex conferences needing seating and badge control
- High-volume organizers bleeding money to fees
- Private/internal events that need zero discovery
Pick SimpleTix when
- Theaters, fringes, and performing arts
- Nonprofits fleeing Eventbrite fees
- Farms, mazes, and seasonal attractions
- Small-to-mid organizers needing reserved seating
When SimpleTix is not a fit
- Nonprofits demanding a truly $0 platform (Zeffy is free)
- Teams needing guaranteed, responsive support
- Guess: mega-festivals needing enterprise ops and account managers
- Guess: organizers relying on Eventbrite's consumer discovery marketplace
Sources
- Eventbrite pricing planseventbrite.comofficial
- Eventbrite's Ticketing Feeseventbrite.comofficial
- Eventbrite fees explained 2026simpletix.comreview
- Trustpilot reviews of eventbrite.comtrustpilot.comreview
- Warning do not use EventBritereddit.comreview
- Is anyone mad at Eventbrite too?reddit.comreview
- Honest Eventbrite review for B2B eventsinvitedesk.comreview
- Eventbrite's new owner just cut staffsimpletix.comnews
- CVE-2026-39535 . Display Eventbrite Events pluginwordfence.comsecurity
- Is Eventbrite PCI compliant?eventbrite.comsecurity
- Eventbrite privacy investigationconsumer.zlk.comnews
- Eventbrite acquired by Bending Spoons for $500Mmeetings-conventions-asia.comnews
review
- SimpleTix homepagesimpletix.comofficial
- SimpleTix fee structure overviewhelp.simpletix.comofficial
- SimpleTix pricing pagesimpletix.comofficial