FacilEvents vs Eventbrite
The Eventbrite alternative for community organisations
FacilEvents gives gyms, churches, schools and clubs their own branded ticket site — with QR check-in, a box office and food redemption for the event day — and the money lands directly in the organisation's own Stripe account. Eventbrite is a marketplace; this is your own shop.
Side by side
An honest comparison — each tool wins at what it was built for.
| Eventbrite | FacilEvents | |
|---|---|---|
| Where tickets are sold | A listing on the Eventbrite marketplace, in their branding | Your OWN branded site — your name, colours and domain |
| Fees | Per-ticket service fees on paid tickets, usually added at checkout (check their current pricing) | Free for organisers: £0/month, 0% FacilEvents fee. No mandatory fees for buyers — they can add an optional contribution to FacilEvents |
| When you receive the money | Held by the platform and paid out on their schedule, typically after the event | Instantly — buyers pay straight into your own Stripe account. We never hold funds |
| Door check-in | Check-in app for organisers | QR check-in built for untrained volunteers, several phones scanning in parallel |
| Box office for walk-ins | Not aimed at on-the-door sales of tickets plus food | Tap-friendly POS for tickets, food and drinks at the door |
| Food & drink redemption | Not available | QR food vouchers redeemed at the counter — no double-serving |
| Wallet tickets | Check their current features | Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes for paid tickets, plus a QR ticket page and optional printable PDFs |
| Reserved seating | Check their current features | Reusable room layouts and an interactive seat map with “N together” — enabled on request, card payments via Stripe (not at the box office yet) |
| Payment plans | Check their current features | Monthly card instalments that stop automatically and finish before the event; the QR arrives when fully paid |
| AI event setup | Check their current features | “Start from your flyer” (photo, PDF or one sentence fills the event form) and one-click translation, with a monthly allowance |
| Five languages | Check their current features | Your site and admin in up to five languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French |
| Marketplace audience | Discovery from people browsing Eventbrite — genuinely useful for public one-off events | No marketplace: your buyers come from your own community and channels |
| Church giving / Gift Aid | Not available | Tithes & offerings page with UK Gift Aid capture and HMRC-ready export — 0%, always free |
Choose Eventbrite when…
- Your event is a one-off open to the general public
- You want discovery from people browsing a marketplace
- You only need ticket sales — no door, counter or volunteer tooling
Choose FacilEvents when…
- You run recurring events for a community that already knows you
- You want your own brand, site and domain — not a marketplace listing
- Event day needs check-in, box office and a food counter run by volunteers
- You want the money in YOUR account the second someone pays
- You are a church and want giving with UK Gift Aid at 0%
Frequently asked questions
Is FacilEvents cheaper than Eventbrite?
For paid events, usually yes: FacilEvents is free for organisers — £0/month and 0% FacilEvents fee — and adds no mandatory fees at checkout; buyers can choose to add an optional contribution to FacilEvents. Standard Stripe processing applies. Eventbrite charges per-ticket service fees on paid tickets (typically a percentage plus a fixed amount per ticket — check their current pricing).
Do my buyers need an account to purchase tickets?
No. Buyers pay as guests on your site and receive their QR ticket by email. There is no marketplace account, no app to install and no upselling to other events.
When do I actually receive the ticket money?
At the moment of each sale. Payments go directly into your organisation’s own Stripe account — FacilEvents never receives or holds your money. There is no payout schedule to wait for.
Can I switch from Eventbrite mid-season?
Yes. Your FacilEvents site is live the day you register, so a common path is to run your next event on FacilEvents while past events stay archived on Eventbrite. There is no data lock-in on our side: you can export everything.
When is Eventbrite the better choice?
If your event is a one-off aimed at the general public and you want discovery from people browsing a marketplace, Eventbrite’s audience is a real advantage. FacilEvents is built for organisations whose buyers already know them — gyms, churches, schools, clubs — and who run events repeatedly.
Try it on your next event
Register, connect your own Stripe account, and publish your first event — your branded site is live in a day.
Free for organisers. Standard Stripe processing applies; attendees can add an optional contribution to FacilEvents.
Last updated: 10 October 2026