The last few days before an event are absolutely the worst – from the pressure of getting everything done on time to last-minute fallouts and changes, you need all the help you get with event planning. The last thing you need on your plate is the stress of selling tickets, which is exactly why I’ve put together a list of the best platforms that not only allow you to sell event tickets online but offer a number of other benefits that speed up check-ins and reduce long queues.

Once you’ve decided on the right platform for your business, scroll down to see how to select the right event ticketing platform for your business!

#1. Eventbrite

Rated 4.59 on Software Advice, Eventbrite is one of the best platforms to sell event tickets online, and rightly so.

You’ll notice thousands of users have rated the product, which means it’s popularly used by corporations.

Pro’s: The platform allows you to create events within seconds, but a lot of platforms can do that.

What gives Everbrite the edge is that it uses resources to sell more tickets and helps you learn what’s currently trending in the event industry.

Plus, it’s SEO friendly and integrates well with social media apps, which is a crucial feature for event planners these days.

Here’s what the operations of Clique Studios, Michael Facchinello, had to say about the platform:

“It was super easy to use for event management and we were able to integrate the registration process directly into our website, which was great for our brand.”

Con’s: While the app itself is free, Eventbrite charges a small percentage of the profit on each ticket sold.

This is how most online ticket platforms function, but Eventbrite charges a higher fee compared to other platforms starting from $0.79 per ticket with a 2% percentage of the profit in its starter package.

Plus, speaking from my own experience, I’d definitely prefer more options for customising templates.

#2. Accelevants

The 5/5 rating for Accelevents is justified because of its multiple pros: customisation for event pages, registration and ticketing, real-time ticket tracking, 24-hour customer service and integration with fundraising tools such as silent auctions.

To top that off, it’s a pretty affordable app with a pricing of $1 per ticket plus a 1% percentage of the profit.

Accelevents will create an overall hassle-free experience for you, but with all these wonderful benefits, what’s the catch?

The platform is known to have a few glitches.

Users have complained that the app often distorts the order of auction items after they have been uploaded, which can create a lot of confusion and make your brand look unprofessional.

At the end of the day, it’s all about affordability and Accelevents is a great app if you’re a startup or freelancer with a limited budget.

#3. Universe

Why Universe? It’s way more intuitive than any of its competitors and it offers a lot of branding options.

You should go for it especially if you prefer separating your website from your service provider since you can create customised event pages and tickets that don’t link back to your site.

Plus, it offers all the features you’ll need for your event – QR codes to be scanned at entry, managing attendees, tracking data points and generally facilitating the day of sales.

All of that’s great but you’ll find that in other platforms as well.

You can take advantage of Universe’s intuition in the promotional phase, for example, offering discounts to potential attendees for sharing your event on social media.

Plus, if you’re hosting a complex event on a very large scale then Universe is perfect for you.

It allows attendees to pick customised payment options which determine which parts of the event they have access to.

This will effectively eliminate the headache of having to manually do the grunt work and provide a digital, accurate entry system on the day of the event.

Cons: The disadvantage of Universe is that such a great platform is accessible to only those who can afford it.

With a $0.59 fee for every ticket plus a 2% share of the profits, Universe is a bit on the pricey side, but if it fits your requirements, I’d say go for it.

Another disadvantage of Universe that multiple reviews revealed was that, similar to Eventbrite, it didn’t offer enough options for customisation.

#4. PurplePass

If you’re hosting a last-minute event, PurplePass is the best solution to help you pull it off.

The account setup process is fast and efficient because not only do you get started within minutes but you have access to a 24 hour customer service in case you need help with anything.

Here’s the pros of using PurplePass: it has an app designed for both iOS and Android.

Secondly, it offers real time reporting after the event, which is great if you host events frequently.

However, the main downside of using this platform is its website.

It’s quite outdated, which means it’s not user friendly or easy to navigate.

This makes it difficult to view and sell event tickets online.

Plus, it’s a bit pricier than its competitors at $0.99 plus 2.5% profit on each ticket.

#5. Bizzabo

Bizzabo is an absolutely great platform.

It’s one of those all-in-one solutions because it provides you with everything from creating a landing page, selling tickets, sending out emails to attendees and providing full fledged reports at the end of the event.

The competitive edge for Bizzabo is its award-winning customer service.

Why so? Because you’re assigned your own personal customer representative which makes it much easier to navigate your way through the app.

Moreover, Bizzabo is integrated with over 750 platforms like MailChimp, Slack, Zapier and others. Plus, it’s analytics and statistics are much more advanced as compared to Eventbrite.

That’s a pretty long list of pros, but let’s take a look at Bizzabo’s downsides.

Similar to many of the other platforms I’ve listed, Bizzabo’s customers have complained that customisation options for event pages were not enough.

Plus, it takes longer to set up event pages in Bizzabo as compared to other platforms, but that’s alright as long as it provides everything you’re looking for.

Lastly, Bizzabo is best for bigger corporations that host complex events and conferences.

However, if you have a small business and still want to try it out you can always request a demo after which you’ll be able to select a pricing plan best suited to your needs:

#6. ThunderTix

There are three things that got ThunderTix to the top 10: its ease of use, accessibility, and award winning customer service.

Plus, it has what many of the best platforms lack – customization.

The platform provides both online and box office sales in one place, full product support for t-shirts and merchandise, promotions, discounts, gift cards, video tutorials, and loyalty program integration in an easy-to-use interface with amazing customer support.

Plus, you can use the platform for free up to 10 days without any contract or ticket fees

However, you’ll need to review your budget because ThunderTix plans start from $39.

Plus, while it offers a lot of options, the platform does not manage concessions, kiosk ticketing, or ticket brokering.

Choosing the right platform

Even though I’ve listed down the best platforms to sell event tickets online, not every platform is perfect for your business.

You’ll only find a platform to be effective if it matches the needs and requirements for your event.

Here’s how you can tell:

➢   Reviews

Since most consumers, especially millennials, read online reviews before purchasing a product or service, it’s a very powerful tool for marketing.

A lot of the pros and cons that I’ve listed include customer reviews, but when considering a platform, you need to do your own research to find out real customer experiences – what they liked about the platform, the issues they faced and so on.

This is the best way to find out the strong and weak points of an app.

Customers tend to be the least biased party since they aren’t paid to write reviews; thus, making them a trust rich source of marketing.

➢    Integrations

You’ll notice that some platforms have a number of integrations with other apps.

But suppose you already have a chatbot tool.

In that case, you don’t have to pay a premium for an event ticketing platform that provides multiple integrations.

Jot down a list of the integrations your online business already has and pick a platform that offers the integrations that you do need, for example, real time reporting.

This way, you’ll be able to combine both resources for the best outcome.

➢    Promotion

A software that allows you to simply sell event tickets is not enough.

You’ll need a platform that offers multiple promotional features including attendee engagement and providing the proof your sponsors need to make the investment.

This is absolutely crucial because without promotions, there’s no awareness and without that, your event is non-existent.

Make sure you pick a platform that offers the promotional tools which allow you to market your event in all the right places.

Moreover, social media integrations are a must.

Promotion without these is impossible, so make sure whichever platform you opt for is integrated with the social media platforms which potential attendees use.

So, for example, you’re hosting an event for millenials that fall into the age group of 18-25.

Your platform should be integrated with Instagram and Twitter, the top 2 platforms popular among this age group.

Your marketing efforts will only be effective with the right promotional and integration tools.

➢    Mobile applications

If you’re hosting a high profile or long event, you’ll definitely need a mobile app to handle event invites and attendees.

However, not all platforms are transparent about their pricing.

Some will charge an extra fee for developing an app, so there are two things you need to do: determine whether you need an app and find a platform that offers one with no extra charges. 

➢   Analytics

In every guide that I’ve written, no matter what category it falls into, I always emphasize the need for measuring performance.

The same rule applies here.

You need to ensure that you choose a platform that offers real-time, customized reporting as well as event registration statistics so that you can constantly improve your promotional techniques, app designs, and the overall process.

Check out Bizzabo’s piece for the best tips to sell event tickets online.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, it’s the little things that will help you get ahead of your competition.

Selling event tickets online is no easy task – but investing in the right platform can make your life much easier.

Check out my piece on the different platforms you can utilize for event promotion.

It’s best to start as early as possible otherwise your team will be completely stressed out right before the event.