Head to head · fees compared

Ticketmaster vs TicketSource

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

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

Verified at source

TicketSource

7% incl VAT (min 25p) — or 4.5% + VAT via your own Stripe

A community-events stalwart, big in amateur theatre and village halls. Two routes: 7% including VAT (minimum 25p) with TicketSource processing, or 4.5% + VAT if you plug in your own Stripe.

PAYOUT: WITHIN DAYS OF THE EVENT (OWN-STRIPE ROUTE PAYS AS YOU SELL)

Fees at real price points

One-sided comparisonTicketmaster doesn't publish standard pricing (typically 10–15% + order processing on the fan side), while TicketSource is on the record at 7% incl VAT (min 25p) — or 4.5% + VAT via your own Stripe — £1.40 per £20 ticket. Until you hold a written Ticketmaster quote, TicketSource is the only number you can actually plan on.

Fee per ticket vs face valuefan-side cost, £0–£60 tickets

TicketSourceTickts

Your event, your numbers

Ticketmaster vs TicketSource at your price and volume

Ticket price £

Tickets sold

TicketSource is the plannable option

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

The wider market

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

Platform & published rateRelative costFees on 100 × £20

Verified at source

Tickts£0 booking fees

£0.00ZERO FEES

Ticket Tailor60p + VAT per ticket PAYG (credits from 22p + VAT)

£72.003.6% OF FACE VALUE

TicketSource7% incl VAT (min 25p) — or 4.5% + VAT via your own Stripe

£140.007.0% OF FACE VALUE

Humanitix4.67% + 46p per paid ticket (excl VAT)

£167.288.4% OF FACE VALUE

FIXR4.99% + 49p + VAT per ticket (3.99% student/charity)

£178.568.9% OF FACE VALUE

Eventbrite6.95% + 59p per paid ticket

£198.009.9% OF FACE VALUE

Skiddle10% + 27p per ticket (min £1)

£227.0011.3% OF FACE VALUE

As published

TicketCo~3% commission (as published)

£60.003.0% OF FACE VALUE

Outsavvy3.5% + 30p per ticket (as published)

£100.005.0% OF FACE VALUE

LINE-UP~5% commission (as published)

£100.005.0% OF FACE VALUE

Billetto5% + 29p per ticket (as published)

£129.006.5% OF FACE VALUE

Fatsoma5% + 49p per ticket (as published)

£149.007.4% OF FACE VALUE

WeGotTickets10% fan-side booking fee (as published)

£200.0010.0% OF FACE VALUE

Quote-only — negotiated, not comparable

DICEQuote-based (fans typically pay ~10–12%)

quote-based

Resident AdvisorQuote-based (fans typically pay ~10%)

quote-based

EventCreateTiered plans (~3.5% standard, as published)

quote-based

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

quote-based

See TicketsQuote-based (fans commonly pay ~10% + fulfilment)

quote-based

DesignMyNightQuote-based / venue-dependent

quote-based

Ents24Discovery service — partner fees apply

quote-based

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 TicketSource?

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 TicketSource?

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 TicketSource on cost by construction. See the full table on this page.

Keep comparing

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