Most comparison pages are written by the company that wants to win, which is why almost none of them are useful. This one is too, so here is how we have tried to make it worth reading: every claim about Eventbrite below is quoted from Eventbrite's own website or help center, with the date we read it, and where Eventbrite matches us, or beats us, we say so plainly rather than leaving the row out.
Every screenshot on this page is labeled with whose product it shows.
Eventbrite is ticketing. Clerestory is the whole organization.
Eventbrite is very good at what it was built for: selling tickets to events and helping people discover them. Many non-profits use it for exactly that, and for a single public event it can be the right call.
The trouble starts when a non-profit asks it to do non-profit things. Eventbrite's own policy on what it calls "non-events" lists what it does not allow as a listing on its own, and the list reads like a non-profit's calendar: "Membership dues", "Merchandise sales", "Lotteries, raffles, contests, and sweepstakes" and "Donation-only (not tied to or related to an event set to take place)". Those are allowed only alongside a ticket to a real event.
Clerestory runs memberships, donations, dues, raffles, admission, classes and the gift shop every day of the year, and events and auctions on the night, all on the same donor record.
How much does Eventbrite cost?
Eventbrite publishes its price, which is more than many platforms do. In the United States it is "3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket" plus a "2.9% payment processing fee per order". By default your buyers pay those fees, or you can absorb them.
There is no discount on those fees for charities. Eventbrite's non-profit discount is 50% off its Pro email-marketing plans, and its own help center is explicit: "Nonprofit pricing does not reduce standard Ticketing Fees for paid tickets or add-ons."
Here is what that means on a ticket, if you absorb the fees so the price your guests see is the price they pay:
- A $50 ticket on Eventbrite: 3.7% of $50 is $1.85, plus $1.79, plus 2.9% of $50 ($1.45). That is $5.09, about 10.2% of the ticket.
- A $100 ticket on Eventbrite: $3.70 + $1.79 + $2.90 = $8.39, about 8.4%.
- The same tickets on Clerestory: our 3% plus Stripe's non-profit rate of 2.2% + $0.30. That is $2.90 on a $50 ticket and $5.50 on a $100 ticket.
At the door, Eventbrite's organizer app charges a service fee of "$1 per paid ticket" and a processing fee of "2.9% of the total order" in the United States, and "the Payment Processing Fee can't be passed on".
Donations are the exception, and we will say so. In the United States, Eventbrite charges "No service fee" on donation tickets, just the 2.9% processing fee, which is less than our 3% plus Stripe processing. The catch is where you can use them, which is the next section.
Refunds keep Eventbrite's fees
When you refund a ticket on Eventbrite, the fees stay with Eventbrite. Its help center says: "The Ticketing Fees are nonrefundable, so we won't return them to the ticket buyer when a refund is processed." The exceptions are a canceled event and a duplicate charge reported within seven days.
On Clerestory, if you refund a payment, our 3% comes back with it.
Donations: not in California, and never on their own
Eventbrite takes donations as a ticket type, and only as part of an event: "All listings on Eventbrite must be associated with an event, even ones collecting donations."
And not everywhere: "Due to certain regulations restricting charitable fundraising, donation ticket types are not available in California." Its organizer app cannot take them at the door either: "You can't use Eventbrite Organizer to sell donation tickets."
On Clerestory a donation is a donation, on any day, in any state, online, at a kiosk or on a card reader, with a tax receipt sent automatically and the gift recorded in the donor's giving history.
When you get the money
Eventbrite collects the payment and pays you later: "Eventbrite sends your payout three business days after your event ends." For a U.S. bank, it "should arrive within 6-8 business days after your event ends." Earlier payouts can be available after your first event, but a new organizer's gala tickets sold in September are not paid out until after the gala in November.
On Clerestory, payments are processed on your own Stripe account. Your organization is the merchant of record, Stripe pays out on your account's schedule, and the money arrives whether or not the event has happened yet.
Clerestory vs Eventbrite, feature by feature
Read the right-hand column carefully. "Not documented" does not mean Eventbrite cannot do it. It means we searched Eventbrite's own website and help center for it on 30 September 2026 and did not find it. If it exists and we missed it, tell us and we will correct this page.
| Capability | Clerestory | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Price published on the vendor's own website | Yes, 3% per transaction | Yes—"3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket" plus "2.9% payment processing fee per order" |
| Fees on a $50 ticket, absorbed by the organization | $2.90 | $5.09 |
| Lower fees for non-profits | Same 3% for everyone, and the Stripe non-profit rate | No—"Nonprofit pricing does not reduce standard Ticketing Fees for paid tickets or add-ons." |
| Platform fee returned when you refund | Yes | No—"The Ticketing Fees are nonrefundable", except for canceled events and duplicate charges |
| Process on your own Stripe account | Yes | No—"Eventbrite collects payments, deducts any Ticketing Fees, and sends your payout by direct deposit" |
| Ticket money available before the event | Yes, on your own Stripe payout schedule | Not at first—a new organizer's "first payout will be sent after your event ends" |
| Donations on their own, not tied to an event | Yes | No—"Donation-only (not tied to or related to an event set to take place)" is listed as a non-event |
| Donations in California | Yes | No—"donation ticket types are not available in California" |
| Fees on a donation | 3% plus Stripe processing, and donors can choose to cover it | Lower in the U.S.—"No service fee", 2.9% processing, on donation tickets at an event |
| Donations taken at the door | Yes | No—"You can't use Eventbrite Organizer to sell donation tickets." |
| Tax receipts for gifts | Yes, sent automatically | Not documented |
| Memberships with a term, renewal and benefits | Yes | No—"Membership dues" on their own are a non-event |
| Member pricing applied automatically at checkout | Yes | Not documented |
| Silent and live auction bidding | Yes—phone bidding, max bids, buy it now, paddle raise | Not documented—Eventbrite sells tickets to auction events |
| Raffles | Yes—table and online sales, and a recorded random draw | No—"Lotteries, raffles, contests, and sweepstakes" on their own are a non-event |
| Gift shop or merchandise on its own | Yes | No—"Merchandise sales" on their own are a non-event |
| Promo codes, percent or amount off | Yes | Yes—"choose a set amount or percentage of the price to remove" |
| A code that unlocks hidden or presale tickets | Yes | Yes—codes that "grant discounts or reveal hidden tickets" |
| Card readers at the door | Yes | Yes—the M2 reader in the U.S. and the BBPOS WisePOS E |
| Tap to pay on a phone | No | Yes |
| Reserved seating with a seat map | No | Yes |
| Event discovery marketplace | No | Yes |
| Every gift, ticket and membership on one donor record | Yes | Not documented |
Eventbrite wins four of these rows outright: lower fees on U.S. donation tickets, tap to pay on a phone, reserved seating, and its discovery marketplace. We have left them in, because a comparison that finds the competitor lacking on everything is one nobody should trust.
Which is the better fit for your organization?
If you are running one public event, you need reserved seating, and you want Eventbrite's marketplace to find you an audience, Eventbrite is a good tool for that job.
If you are a non-profit, the question is what happens on the other 364 days. Memberships, standalone donations, raffles and the gift shop are things Eventbrite's own policy does not allow on their own, and donation tickets are not available at all in California. A new organizer waits until after the event for the ticket money, and the fees stay with Eventbrite when you refund.
On Clerestory, the gala, the membership, the raffle and the Tuesday donation all land on the same donor record, on your own Stripe account, for 3%.
How we checked
On 30 September 2026 we read Eventbrite's pricing page and its help center articles on fees, non-profit pricing, refunds, donations, payouts, selling at the door, promo codes and its policy on non-events. We did not use review sites or comparison sites. Every quote is reproduced as it stood on that date. Fees are shown for the United States. Eventbrite's rates differ in other countries.
Prices change and pages move. If anything here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Eventbrite alternative for small non-profits?
Clerestory is an alternative to Eventbrite for non-profits that need more than event tickets: memberships, donations, dues, raffles, admission, classes and the gift shop run every day of the year, with events and auctions, all on the same donor record. As of 30 September 2026, Eventbrite's own policy does not allow membership dues, merchandise sales, raffles or donation-only listings on their own, only alongside a ticket to a real event.
Is Clerestory cheaper than Eventbrite?
For tickets, yes. When the organization absorbs the fees, a $50 ticket costs $5.09 in fees on Eventbrite and $2.90 on Clerestory, and a $100 ticket costs $8.39 on Eventbrite and $5.50 on Clerestory, using Eventbrite's U.S. rates as of 30 September 2026. For donation tickets at an event in the U.S., Eventbrite is cheaper: it charges no service fee, just 2.9% processing, which is less than Clerestory's 3% plus Stripe processing.
Does Eventbrite charge a platform fee?
Yes. As of 30 September 2026, Eventbrite charges a service fee of 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket in the United States, plus a 2.9% payment processing fee per order, and its non-profit pricing does not reduce those ticketing fees. Clerestory charges 3% per transaction on the organization's own Stripe account, plus Stripe's processing, with no license fee and no contract.
Does Eventbrite refund its fees when a ticket is refunded?
No. Eventbrite's help center says its ticketing fees are nonrefundable, except for a canceled event or a duplicate charge reported within seven days, as of 30 September 2026. On Clerestory, when a payment is refunded, the 3% platform fee comes back with it.
Can Eventbrite take donations in California?
No. As of 30 September 2026, Eventbrite's help center says donation ticket types are not available in California, and its organizer app cannot sell donation tickets at the door. Clerestory takes donations on any day, in any state, online, at a kiosk or on a card reader, with a tax receipt sent automatically.
What does Eventbrite do that Clerestory does not?
Eventbrite wins four things outright: lower fees on U.S. donation tickets, tap to pay on a phone, reserved seating with a seat map, and an event discovery marketplace. Clerestory does not offer tap to pay on a phone, reserved seating or a discovery marketplace.
