Articles
Share post:
There are dozens of online ticketing software options out there. On their websites, they all promise roughly the same thing: simple, fast, customizable. That makes it hard to know which one to pick.
So people often fall back on the easiest reasons: the solution everyone knows, the one the organizer next door uses, or the one with the lowest commission. None of these reasons tell you whether the tool actually fits your business.
This guide gives you a three-step method: understand the types of solutions, check six criteria, then ask the right questions before you sign.
In short
Online ticketing software lets you sell tickets online, manage pricing and seating, control entry and get to know your audience. To choose the right one, look at these in order: who owns the ticketing, who owns your buyers' data, and how much more it can help you sell.
What is online ticketing software?
It's the tool that lets an organizer sell tickets online and manage everything that goes with it: pricing, quotas, seating, payment, ticket delivery and entry control. The most complete solutions also include a CRM and marketing tools to bring your audience back.
Three types of solutions, three different approaches
Before comparing features, figure out which type of solution you're looking at. That's what determines the essentials: who owns the storefront, the buyers and their data.
Consumer marketplaces
Your event is listed in a catalog, alongside many others. The upside: a built-in audience, useful for getting discovered. The downside: buyers go through the platform, which can then recommend other events to them instead of yours.
Self-service ticketing
You create an account and your sales page is live in minutes. It's convenient for a one-off event or a small budget. The limits show up once your activity becomes regular: season tickets, many seating categories, marketing campaigns.
White-label software
The ticketing carries your name and appears on your website or your domain. Your buyers remain your customers, and the tools to bring them back are often built in. Setup takes a bit more configuration at the start, which is why good support matters.
Six criteria for choosing your ticketing software
1. The mobile checkout flow
A large share of tickets are bought on a phone, often at the last minute. Every extra step costs you sales.
What to check: the number of steps to payment, support for Apple Pay and Google Pay, and the option to buy without creating an account.
The mistake to avoid: judging the tool from the back office on a computer. Test it yourself, on your phone, the way an attendee would.
2. Pricing, seating and access control
Full price, discounted price, comps, seating categories, reserved seating: your offer should be configurable without workarounds.
What to check: quota management by category, the venue or stadium seating map, and the entry scanning app.
The mistake to avoid: waiting until event day to test the access control app. Make sure ahead of time that it works even when the network is overloaded.
3. Data ownership
It's the least visible criterion, yet one of the most important. Your buyers are the foundation of all your future sales.
What to check: can you freely export your buyer list? Does the platform have the right to contact them for its own purposes?
The mistake to avoid: assuming your buyers belong only to you, when some platforms also use them to promote other events.
4. CRM and tools to sell more
Ticketing isn't just about collecting payments. It should help you fill your next event.
What to check: a CRM connected directly to ticketing, audience segmentation, abandoned cart reminders, and email and SMS sending. We cover these use cases in detail in our article on event CRM.
The mistake to avoid: relying on a so-called "compatible" CRM that actually forces you to export and import files for every campaign.
5. Fees, and who pays them
The advertised commission is only part of the cost.
What to check: the commission, fixed fees per ticket, payment processing fees, fees charged to the attendee, and how quickly your revenue is paid out.
The mistake to avoid: choosing a tool for its low commission without noticing that it's offset by high service fees for the attendee. At checkout, it's you they'll be annoyed with, not the platform.
A concrete example. Take a €20 ticket. With a low-commission tool, you pay 2%, but the attendee pays a €2.50 service fee: they spend €22.50, and you receive €19.60. With a tool that charges attendees no fees, you pay 5%: they pay €20, and you receive €19. The low commission earns you 60 cents more per ticket. But your attendee pays 12.5% more, and checkout is exactly when they're most likely to abandon.
Above all, weigh the cost against what the tool helps you earn. That's the whole focus of our article on the 7 ways to sell more tickets.
6. Support
Even the best tool doesn't sell on its own.
What to check: a dedicated contact, help with your launch, sales advice, and support hours that match your event schedule.
The mistake to avoid: choosing a tool whose support closes on Friday evening when your events happen on weekends.
Running a club? Season tickets, seasons, stands, partners: club ticketing has needs all its own. We've written a dedicated article on it.
Seven questions to ask before you sign
Does my buyers' data belong to me, and can I export it at any time? That's what will let you switch tools someday without starting from scratch.
Is the CRM included, or billed as an add-on? Some tools advertise a low price and charge separately for everything else.
How much does the attendee pay on top of the ticket price? Ask for a concrete example on a €10 ticket and a €30 ticket.
How quickly is my revenue paid out? Your cash flow depends on it.
Who answers me on a Saturday night, one hour before doors open? The answer says a lot about the support you'll really get.
Can I embed the ticketing on my own website? Buying on your site is more reassuring than being redirected to an unfamiliar page.
How does switching tools work? Ask who handles migrating your data and how long it takes.
One last tip: ask for the contact details of an organizer who already uses the tool, in an industry close to yours. Their feedback will be worth more than any demo.
How Tickie measures up against these criteria
These criteria and questions apply to every solution on the market, including ours. So here's what you'll find at Tickie, point by point.
Checkout flow: mobile payment in seconds, with Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Ticketing under your name: Tickie is a white-label ticketing platform, so your buyers remain your contacts.
CRM and sales tools: a CRM connected directly to ticketing, with segments, abandoned cart reminders, email and SMS.
Support: the Tickie team helps you turn your data into sales, well beyond setting up the tool.
Results: organizers who use Tickie see on average 19% more ticket sales and 11% more revenue.
What it looks like in practice
At MEHB Sarrebourg, ticketing revenue grew from €26,000 to €37,800 in a single season, up 45%, with 60% of attendees becoming repeat fans.
At US Carcassonne, where online sales were almost nonexistent, 75% of ticketing revenue now comes from online sales, on a white-label ticketing platform hosted at the club's own web address.
FAQ
What is the best online ticketing platform?
There's no single best ticketing platform. The right solution is the one that fits your business: a one-off event doesn't have the same needs as a venue with year-round programming or a club selling a full season.
Free or paid ticketing software: which should you choose?
"Free" ticketing almost always makes its money through a commission on every ticket sold. The real question is what you get in return: a simple payment collection tool, or tools that help you sell more.
What is white-label ticketing?
It's a ticketing platform that carries your name and visual identity, and appears on your website or your domain. Buyers purchase from you, and their data stays yours.
Can you switch ticketing software mid-season?
It's possible, but it's best to plan it during a quiet period, between seasons or between peak events. Above all, make sure you can retrieve all of your data.
The right software is the one that helps you sell
Ticketing software is a choice you'll live with for several years. Take the time to look beyond the advertised commission: who owns the ticketing, who owns your buyers, and what the tool really does to fill your upcoming events.
Comparing several solutions? Ask us the seven questions in this guide. Talk to the Tickie team.
Share post:
