Head to head · fees compared

Ticketmaster vs LINE-UP

Two fee structures, computed side by side at real UK price points — with the crossover maths the marketing pages leave out.


01

The contenders

Quote-only

Ticketmaster

Quote-based (fans typically pay 10–15%+)

The industry giant. No published standard pricing — contracts are negotiated per venue or promoter, and fan-side service charges routinely add 10–15% plus order processing to the face value.

PAYOUT: CONTRACTUAL; COMMONLY AFTER THE EVENT

As published

LINE-UP

~5% commission (as published)

London-based ticketing used by venues and promoters. Industry sources commonly cite around 5% commission with no fixed pence component.

PAYOUT: CONTRACTUAL

02

Fees at real price points

One-sided comparisonTicketmaster doesn't publish standard pricing (typically 10–15% + order processing on the fan side), while LINE-UP is on the record at ~5% commission (as published) — £1.00 per £20 ticket. Until you hold a written Ticketmaster quote, LINE-UP is the only number you can actually plan on.
Fee per ticket vs face valuefan-side cost, £0–£60 tickets
£0.00£0.86£1.72£2.59£3.45£0£10£20£30£40£50£60 ticket face value →
LINE-UPTickts
03

Your event, your numbers

Ticketmaster vs LINE-UP at your price and volume

LINE-UP is the plannable option

Ticketmaster may quote you anything from competitive to painful — its economics depend on your negotiation. LINE-UP's published rate is checkable today. Plan on the known number, and let Ticketmaster beat it in writing if it wants the business.

04

The wider market

Both platforms in context — the whole UK market on identical numbers.

Figures computed from each platform's stated rate (2026-07-26 data review). Where a rate excludes VAT it is shown grossed-up at 20%. Card processing paid to Stripe/PayPal applies similarly on most platforms and is excluded. Quote-only platforms can't be computed — their rates are negotiated.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, Ticketmaster or LINE-UP?

Neither publishes fixed rates, so the answer is whichever negotiates lower for your event — get both quotes in writing.

Can I use both Ticketmaster and LINE-UP?

Yes — allocating separate ticket blocks to each platform is common, and it reveals which one actually sells for you. Keep one source of truth for total capacity so you can't oversell.

What about the platform neither of you mentions?

Zero-fee (Tickts) and flat-fee (Ticket Tailor) platforms exist outside this head-to-head — if your audience is your own, they beat both Ticketmaster and LINE-UP on cost by construction. See the full table on this page.

See what £0 booking fees look like

Tickts charges fans nothing on top of face value. Organisers keep 100% of the ticket price, paid straight to their own Stripe account.

Try Tickts free →

DISCLOSURE: THIS SITE IS BUILT BY TICKTS LTD — EVERY COMPETITOR FIGURE IS SOURCED & DATED ANYWAY