Luma vs Eventbrite

If you want a simple platform that gets events live in a few minutes, choose Luma. If you need enterprise features like seat maps or want to run ads directly through the platform, Eventbrite is built for that, at a higher per-ticket cost.

Quick Feature Comparison

Pricing

Luma: Free events are free. Paid tickets incur a 5% platform fee plus Stripe processing (2.9% + 30¢).

On a $20 ticket this is $1.88 on the Free plan or $0.88 on Luma Plus (0% platform fee, card fees only).

Eventbrite: Free events are also free. Per-ticket fees vary by tier, but a typical organiser on the Flex plan pays 3.5% + $1.79 plus payment processing (2.9% + 30¢).

On a $20 ticket that totals $3.11.

Cash Flow: With Luma, funds are paid out to your Stripe account as guests purchase tickets, following Stripe’s standard rolling payout schedule (typically 2 days in the US) — or within minutes with Stripe’s Instant Payouts, for eligible accounts, so you can use ticket revenue for event costs before the event date.

With Eventbrite, unless you’re on their Scheduled Payouts program, funds are generally released after the event concludes (or 5 days before, on some plans). This can create cash-flow constraints for organizers who need to pay vendors up front.

Pricing checked on 2025-06-10. See Eventbrite’s pricing page for up-to-date details.

Where Luma Shines

1. Quick setup: Create an event page in under 2 minutes, and guests register with just a name and email — no account needed. Companies like Alo, the NBA, and Stripe have moved their events from Eventbrite to Luma.
2. Curate a paid guest list: Require approval works with paid tickets — guests’ cards are held when they apply and only charged if you approve them. Paid waitlists work the same way, so you can fill sold-out spots without chasing payments.
3. Paid memberships: Sell monthly, yearly, or one-time memberships that give members access to your events — recurring revenue, with Luma handling the billing.
4. Lower fees: 5% platform fee (0% with Luma Plus) versus Eventbrite’s 3.5% + $1.79 on the Flex plan.
5. Guest CRM & engagement: Segment your guests, and use event chat, blasts, and calendar follows to stay in touch before and after events.

Why You Might Choose Eventbrite

• Seat maps & reserved seating – Essential for theatres and venues that need interactive seat selection.
• Built-in advertising platform – Run ticket promotion ads directly through Eventbrite rather than managing Facebook/Instagram campaigns separately.
• On-site hardware & box office – Scanners, printers, and at-the-door sales terminals for large events.
• Marketplace discovery – Public directory exposes events to millions of Eventbrite users each month.
• Brand recognition & perceived safety – Eventbrite is more widely known, and some guests may feel safer with a familiar brand.
• Advanced enterprise reporting – Detailed financial exports and multi-event dashboards.

Migrating from Eventbrite to Luma

1. For high-volume organizers: If you’re running a large-scale operation with significant paid ticket volume, contact support@luma.com with a CSV export of your past events from Eventbrite. We may be able to help facilitate the migration.
2. For most organizers: Create your events fresh on Luma. You can export your guest lists from Eventbrite and use them to invite people to your new Luma events.
3. Connect your Stripe account on Luma to accept payments for ticketed events.
4. Share your new Luma event links with your audience.

FAQs

Can I bring over my Eventbrite guest data? You can export guest lists from Eventbrite as CSV and use that data to invite people to your Luma events. For large-scale migrations with extensive historical data, contact support to see if we can help.

Will guests need to create a Luma account? Only if they want to join the community chat; they can RSVP with email alone.

Does Luma support reserved seating? No. If you need seat maps, Eventbrite is the better fit.

What People Are Saying

See what event organizers are saying about switching from Eventbrite to Luma:

“I love how incredibly intuitive and appealing Luma’s UX is. From setting up your event, to creating coupons, viewing engagement insights, managing guests, and sending event reminders… so seamless. Eventbrite could never!”

— @iSlimfit

“It’s amazing how Luma has come to totally dominate the ticketing space in a few short years... I’m grateful I at least haven’t had to sign up for anything with Eventbrite”

— @BJ_Dyakov

“It’s amazing how @LumaHQ is 10x better than Eventbrite”

— @duncan__c

“It’s cute how bad eventbrite is vs. luma and how much less I’d want to go to an eventbrite event”

— @octal