Eventbrite Alternatives for Fundraising Events (2026): Fees, Reviews and How GalaBid Compares

Key Takeaways

Eventbrite charges 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing, and the fixed $1.79 makes cheaper tickets cost the most: about 16% on a $20 ticket.
There's no ticketing discount for nonprofits on Eventbrite. Its nonprofit discount is 50% off the optional Pro email plan, not the fees on your tickets.
Eventbrite isn't built for fundraising. It lists no auction, bidding or paddle raise feature, restricts raffles to live events, and doesn't allow donation-only campaigns.
GalaBid combines event tickets, check in, and guest list management, so ticket buyers can bid, buy raffle tickets and donate without registering again.
GalaBid's US Free plan has no platform fee, its Pro plan is 4.9%, and its $1,250 flat fee covers a whole campaign, however many tickets you sell.
GalaBid pays straight into your own Stripe account, with control over your payout schedule.
Eventbrite's main strength is its discovery marketplace, which can help public events reach new attendees.

Try GalaBid, the platform trusted by +10,000 fundraisers since 2011

Summary

Eventbrite is a ticketing platform, not a fundraising one: it charges 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket plus 2.9% processing, offers no ticketing discount for nonprofits, and lists no auction or paddle raise tools. Its guidelines also restrict raffles to live events and don't allow donation-only campaigns. GalaBid brings tickets, auctions, raffles and donations together in one fundraiser, with no platform fee on its Free plan, a $1,250 flat fee option, and payments straight into your own Stripe account.

When comparing Eventbrite alternatives for fundraising, it's worth looking beyond ticket sales.

For fundraising events, tickets are often just one part of the campaign. A gala, auction or raffle may also need to manage donations, bidding, prize draws.. To bring these activities together, you'd need:

a second tool alongside it, and
you'll still pay Eventbrite's fees on every ticket.

If you need a platform that can seamlessly manage event ticketing and fundraising, take a look at GalaBid.

GalaBid is built for fundraising events, with 100+ features on every plan: event ticketing with tables and QR check-in, silent and live auctions, raffles with a certified draw, and donations, in one campaign. You can choose a Free plan with no platform fee, funded by supporter tips with 10% shared with your cause, a Pro plan at 4.9%, or a $1,250 flat fee.

This guide covers why organizations look for Eventbrite alternatives, what Eventbrite really costs, what it can't do for fundraisers, what its reviews say, and when GalaBid may be the better fit.

Note: Details about Eventbrite last checked November 2026.

Why organizations look for Eventbrite alternatives

1. Fees on every ticket. Eventbrite charges 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order. By default, supporters pay these on top of the ticket price.‍

2. No ticketing discount for nonprofits. Eventbrite's help center says there are no discounted Ticketing Fees for nonprofit organizations. Donation tickets have reduced fees in certain areas.

3. No auctions. Eventbrite's features list doesn't include auctions, bidding or paddle raises.‍

4. Raffle restrictions. Eventbrite's Community Guidelines don't allow raffles, sweepstakes or giveaways that aren't taking place at a live event.

5. No donation-only campaigns. Donations need to be tied to an event, through donation tickets.

6. Payments run through Eventbrite. Eventbrite Payment Processing is the default, and funds are paid out to you on Eventbrite's payout options.

For a fundraising event, that usually means paying Eventbrite's fees for tickets, then finding another platform for the auction, raffle or donations.

Eventbrite review at a glance: pros, cons and verdict

What it is: an event ticketing and promotion platform for public events, from concerts and classes to conferences and charity events.

Who it suits: organizers selling tickets to public events who want to reach new attendees through Eventbrite's marketplace.

Pros

No fees on free events, and publishing events is free.
A large discovery marketplace, with 89M monthly users, according to Eventbrite.
Ticketing tools for big public events, including reserved seating and timed entry.

Cons

3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket, plus 2.9% processing, with the fixed fee hitting cheaper tickets hardest.
No ticketing discount for nonprofits; the nonprofit discount applies only to the optional Pro email plan.
No auction, bidding or paddle raise features.
Raffles only at live events, and no donation-only campaigns.
Payments run through Eventbrite Payment Processing by default.

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Our verdict: Eventbrite works for selling tickets to public events. For fundraising events, where you want an auction, a raffle or donations alongside your tickets, GalaBid brings everything into one campaign, without a fee on every ticket.

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Eventbrite pricing vs GalaBid pricing

Pricing	GalaBid	Eventbrite
How it's priced	Three plans: Free (no platform fee, funded by supporter tips), Pro (4.9%) or a $1,250 flat fee per campaign	A service fee on every paid ticket, plus payment processing
Fee on paid tickets	US Free plan: no platform fee. Pro: 4.9%. Flat fee: $1,250 per campaign, however many tickets you sell	3.7% + $1.79 per ticket
Payment processing	Your own Stripe account, at Stripe's rates with no markup	2.9% per order
Nonprofit discount on tickets	No platform fee on the Free plan	None. 50% off the optional Pro email plan
Auctions, raffles and donations	Included on every plan	No auction features; raffles only at live events; no donation-only campaigns
Payouts	Straight into your own Stripe account, on your schedule	Through Eventbrite: Instant Payouts or a payout schedule

What Eventbrite's fees add up to

Here’s what each platform charges on $50 tickets in the US, before card processing:

Ticket sales	Eventbrite service fee	GalaBid Pro (4.9%)	GalaBid flat fee	GalaBid Free plan
$10,000 (200 tickets)	$728	$490	$1,250	$0 platform fee
$50,000 (1,000 tickets)	$3,640	$2,450	$1,250	$0 platform fee
$100,000 (2,000 tickets)	$7,280	$4,900	$1,250	$0 platform fee

Based on Eventbrite's published US service fee of 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, which comes to $3.64 on a $50 ticket. Card processing is extra on both platforms: 2.9% per order on Eventbrite, and Stripe's rate on GalaBid. On cheaper tickets, Eventbrite's fixed $1.79 makes up a bigger share of each sale.

GalaBid’s figures are US pricing; pricing varies by region, and in Australia, GalaBid charges a fee per ticket. See pricing for your region.

On tickets priced under about $150, GalaBid's Pro plan costs less than Eventbrite's service fee, and its Free plan has no platform fee at all. With $50 tickets, the flat fee costs less than Eventbrite's service fee from about $17,000 in sales, and keeps your cost the same however many tickets you sell.

Selling tickets for a fundraiser? GalaBid's Free plan has no platform fee on your tickets, and GalaBid shares 10% of supporter tips with your cause. See GalaBid pricing

Fundraising tools Eventbrite doesn't offer

Eventbrite is built to sell tickets. GalaBid is built to raise funds at your event and sell tickets.

Auctions

Eventbrite's features don't include auctions. GalaBid offers silent and live auctions, with sealed bids, automatic overtime when a late bid lands, auctioneer-led lots with pre-bidding, Buy Now items and outbid alerts by text message.

Raffles

Eventbrite's Community Guidelines don't allow raffles, sweepstakes or giveaways that aren't taking place at a live event. GalaBid includes raffles with ticket packages, a certified random number generator, automatic winner notifications and a live drawing display for your projector screen.

Donations and paddle raises

Eventbrite only allows donations through donation tickets tied to an event. GalaBid lets supporters donate alongside every other activity, with fund-a-need and paddle raises that show giving levels and a live tally.

Tickets, all in the same campaign

GalaBid's event ticketing covers free and paid tickets, tables, dietary requirements, table hosts who can invite their guests, guest list management and QR code check-in. Ticket buyers can then bid, buy raffle tickets and donate without registering again.

Planning a gala, auction or raffle? Run tickets and fundraising in one place with GalaBid. Start your campaign on the Free plan

Eventbrite vs GalaBid: fundraising software comparison

Category	GalaBid	Eventbrite
Best for	Fundraising events: galas, auctions, raffles and ticketed fundraisers, in one campaign	Selling tickets to public events and promoting them on Eventbrite's marketplace
Fundraising tools	Silent and live auctions, automatic overtime, raffles with a certified draw and live display, donations, fund-a-need and paddle raises, and no-risk consignment auction items	Donation tickets. No auction, bidding or paddle raise features; raffles only at live events
Tickets and check-in	Free and paid tickets, tables, dietary requirements, table hosts, guest lists and QR code check-in	Paid and free tickets, reserved seating, timed entry, promo codes and a check-in app
Pricing	Free (no platform fee), Pro (4.9%) or a $1,250 flat fee per campaign	3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket. Optional Pro email plans from $15/month
Card fees	Your own Stripe account, at Stripe's rates with no markup	2.9% per order
Payouts	Straight into your own Stripe account, on your schedule	Through Eventbrite Payment Processing, with Instant Payouts or a payout schedule
Support	Human support by live chat, email and phone, 7 days a week, free Zoom calls and a free Campaign Health Check	Email support, and 24/7 chat for paid events

Eventbrite details checked November 2026.

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At a glance

Organization: Dudes for Dads, an entirely volunteer-run nonprofit in the Washington, D.C., New York, Miami and Ann Arbor, Michigan areas, supporting children who have lost or grown up without a father
Event: an annual gala in the New York City area, with about 400 to 500 guests
Used GalaBid for: the silent auction and raffle, while tickets were sold on Eventbrite
Result: nearly twice as much raised as the year before, on pen and paper

The challenge

At its first gala, the team ran the silent auction and raffle on pen and paper. Keeping track of winners and payments was hard, the night ended with a lot of cash and checks to bank, and getting prizes to winners took a few months.

The team had already set up ticketing on Eventbrite, before they knew GalaBid offered ticketing too. There, a $200 ticket came to $222.50 at checkout, and they didn't want supporters facing another added charge at the gala.

How they used GalaBid

They found GalaBid with a single Google search, met a couple of times with an account executive, and compared it with a couple of other platforms before deciding. For the silent auction and raffle, they chose GalaBid's flat-fee option, so the amount a supporter chose was the amount they paid. It also gave the team peace of mind: if they exceeded their fundraising goal, they could keep most of the funds for the cause.

The results

Nearly twice as much raised as the year before on pen and paper.
No added charges for supporters on the auction and raffle, thanks to the flat fee.
Prizes delivered within a week, compared with a few months the year before.
Coming back: the team is certain it will use GalaBid for next year's gala.

What users say: Eventbrite reviews

Eventbrite's own site highlights organizers who value its reach and marketing tools, including one who says their conversion rate was 20% better than on other ticketing platforms. Those testimonials come from organizers of public events, where reaching new attendees through Eventbrite's marketplace is the main goal.

For fundraising events, the fit is different: Eventbrite's reach helps sell tickets, but it can't run your auction, raffle or paddle raise, and every paid ticket carries its service fee. GalaBid is rated 4.9 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 163 reviews.

When Eventbrite might be the better fit

Eventbrite may suit you if:

You're selling tickets to a public event and want it listed on Eventbrite's marketplace.
Your event is free to attend, since Eventbrite charges no fees on free tickets.
You want pay-what-you-like tickets. Eventbrite’s donation tickets let attendees choose how much to pay for their ticket when they order, and Eventbrite reduces its fees on donation tickets in certain areas.
You need reserved seating or timed entry for a large ticketed venue.
Your event doesn't include any fundraising activities, such as an auction, raffle or donations.

Eventbrite alternatives: when GalaBid is the better fit

GalaBid is the better fit if:

You're running a fundraising event, and want tickets, auctions, raffles and donations in one campaign instead of two platforms.
You don't want a fee on every ticket. In the US, GalaBid's Free plan has no platform fee, and its $1,250 flat fee stays the same however many tickets you sell.
You're a nonprofit looking for lower ticketing costs. Eventbrite has no ticketing discount for nonprofits.
You're running a raffle, online or in person, with a certified draw and live projector display.

You want an auction, with sealed bids, automatic overtime, pre-bidding and outbid alerts by text.

You want to accept donations on their own, not only through donation tickets.
You want your funds in your own Stripe account, with control over your payout schedule.
You'd like help filling your auction, with no-risk consignment items you only pay for if they sell.
You want to talk to a person, by live chat, email or Zoom call, 7 days a week, plus a free Campaign Health Check before you launch.

How to switch from Eventbrite to GalaBid

Download your Eventbrite reports. Keep your sales and attendee reports from past events for your records.
Choose your GalaBid plan. Pick Free (no platform fee, funded by supporter tips), Pro (4.9%) or the $1,250 flat fee.
Set up your campaign and connect Stripe. Sign up, build your campaign and connect your own Stripe account, so payments go straight to you.
Add your tickets and fundraising activities. Set up tickets and tables, then add your auction, raffle and donations to the same campaign.
Get a second pair of eyes. Request a free Campaign Health Check before you launch, and chat with the GalaBid team 7 days a week.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best Eventbrite alternatives for fundraising events?

It depends on what your event needs beyond tickets. For galas, auctions and raffles, GalaBid brings tickets, auctions, raffles and donations into one campaign, with no platform fee on its Free plan and a $1,250 flat fee option. Eventbrite itself doesn't offer auction tools, restricts raffles to live events, and doesn't allow donation-only campaigns.

How much does Eventbrite charge per ticket?

In the US, 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket as a service fee, plus 2.9% payment processing per order. Free tickets carry no fees. At the door, it's $1 per paid ticket plus 2.9% of the order.

Is Eventbrite free?

Publishing events is free, and free tickets carry no fees. Paid tickets carry Eventbrite's service and processing fees, and the optional Pro email plan starts at $15 a month.

Does Eventbrite give nonprofits a discount?

Not on ticketing fees. Eventbrite's help center says there are no discounted Ticketing Fees for nonprofits, though donation tickets have reduced fees in certain areas. Verified nonprofits can get 50% off the optional Pro email plan.

Can you run a raffle on Eventbrite?

Only as part of a live event. Eventbrite's Community Guidelines don't allow raffles, sweepstakes or giveaways that aren't taking place at a live event, or that are otherwise prohibited by law. GalaBid includes raffles with a certified random number generator and a live drawing display.

Can you run an auction on Eventbrite?

Eventbrite's features don't include auctions or bidding. GalaBid offers silent and live auctions, with sealed bids, automatic overtime and outbid alerts by text.

Can you collect donations on Eventbrite?

Only through donation tickets tied to an event; donation-only listings aren't allowed. On GalaBid, supporters can donate alongside tickets, auctions and raffles, with paddle raises and a live tally.

How does Eventbrite pay out?

Through Eventbrite Payment Processing, with Instant Payouts or a payout schedule you choose. On GalaBid, payments go straight into your own Stripe account.

Is Eventbrite safe?

Yes. Eventbrite is an established ticketing platform that says it has helped sell 270M tickets for over 4.7M events, and its payment platform is PCI-compliant.

Does GalaBid charge a fee per ticket in the US?

Not on the Free plan, which has no platform fee and is funded by supporter tips, with 10% shared with your cause. The Pro plan is 4.9%, and the flat fee is $1,250 per campaign, however many tickets you sell. Stripe's card processing applies on every plan.

Choose GalaBid for your fundraising event

Choose GalaBid if you need:

Tickets and fundraising in one place: tickets, tables, auctions, raffles and donations in a single campaign.
No fee on every ticket (US Pricing): a Free plan with no platform fee, or a $1,250 flat fee however many tickets you sell. See pricing for your region.
A raffle and auction built for your event: a certified raffle draw with a live display, sealed bids and no-risk auction items.
Funds paid straight to you: every payment goes into your own Stripe account.

Ready to get started? Set up your campaign on the Free plan today, or request a free Campaign Health Check and our team will review your setup before you launch.

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