With the rising costs of entertainment, transportation, and travel, consumers are looking for ways to save money on tickets. One popular option is to use a ticket app that doesn’t charge service fees. But with so many apps available, how do you know which one is the best?
In this article, we will compare the top ticket apps that don’t charge fees and help you decide which one best fits your needs. We will look at factors like selection of tickets, ease of use, additional features, and more.
Top Options for Fee-Free Ticket Apps
Here are some of the most popular ticket apps that don’t charge service fees:
- SeatGeek
- Gametime
- TodayTix
- Lyte
- Vivid Seats
- StubHub
- ATOM Tickets
- TickPick
While all these apps offer fee-free tickets, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses depending on what you’re looking for. Let’s take a deeper look at each option.
SeatGeek
SeatGeek is a well-known ticket aggregator that searches multiple sites to find the best deals on tickets for sporting events, concerts, theater shows, and more. The key benefits of SeatGeek include:
- No service fees on any tickets
- Access to tickets from major primary sellers as well as resale options
- Seat views so you can see the actual view from seats before buying
- Filtering options by price, listing type, section, row, etc.
- Deal score feature that rates each ticket deal
SeatGeek is a great option for finding the cheapest seats whether you’re looking to buy primary tickets when they first go on sale or score last minute resale deals.
Gametime
As the name implies, Gametime specializes in last minute tickets to sporting events. With Gametime you can:
- Buy tickets up to 90 minutes after an event starts
- Get great last minute deals as sellers drop prices nearing event time
- Purchase e-tickets and have them instantly delivered to your phone
- List tickets for sale yourself
- Easily transfer tickets to friends
Gametime is ideal for sports fans who want to score amazing deals on game tickets at the last minute. No fees also makes it very affordable.
TodayTix
TodayTix focuses specifically on theater tickets and does not charge any service fees. Key features include:
- Access to theater tickets for shows on Broadway, West End, and more
- Easy browsing by current shows, cities, genres, and more
- Mobile lotteries for popular shows like Hamilton
- Rush tickets available the same day as a show
- Fun features like theater quizzes and info
Theatergoers who want an easy and affordable way to find the hottest show tickets should check out TodayTix.
Lyte
Lyte has a unique approach in that it lets you safely resell tickets you can no longer use. Key features include:
- Resell tickets at any price or for face value with no fees
- Tickets are reissued so the new buyer has a new barcode
- Fans can set alerts for hard-to-get tickets and buy them instantly
- Lyte ensures validity of all tickets
- You can instantly transfer tickets through Lyte
If you need to resell tickets or get your hands on in-demand tickets, Lyte is a smart free option.
Vivid Seats
Vivid Seats is a large secondary marketplace focused on reselling tickets. Highlights include:
- Huge inventory of resale tickets to popular sports, concerts, theater, and more
- No service fees on any ticket purchases
- FanProtect Guarantee on all tickets
- Sort and filter tickets easily to find the best deals
- Published prices tend to be cheaper than most resale sites
Vivid Seats is ideal for getting cheap resale tickets across any genre, with no extra fees tacked on.
StubHub
StubHub is arguably the most well-known ticket resale marketplace. Useful features include:
- One of the largest inventories of resale tickets
- No fees on most tickets purchased
- Robust sorting and filtering tools
- Instant e-ticket delivery and easy transfers
- StubHub FanProtect Guarantee on all tickets
With its massive inventory and fee-free options, StubHub is a go-to for tickets to popular live events.
ATOM Tickets
ATOM Tickets focuses specifically on movie tickets. Key features include:
- No fees on movie ticket purchases
- Reserve seats online in advance
- Access movie discounts and promos
- Easily browse movies by title, cinema, showtime, etc.
- Invite friends to movies and share tickets
For fee-free movie tickets with online seat reservations, ATOM Tickets is a great choice.
TickPick
TickPick is a secondary ticket marketplace like StubHub. Benefits include:
- Absolutely no service fees charged
- All prices upfront with no surprise fees at checkout
- TickPick Guarantee on every order
- Wide selection of resale sports, concert, theater tickets, and more
- Sort by things like lowest price, best value, row, and section
TickPick stands out for having truly no fees and complete price transparency.
Comparing the Top Fee-Free Ticket Apps
Now that we’ve looked at details on each app option, let’s compare them across some key factors:
| App | Inventory | Features | Ease of Use | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeatGeek | Primary tickets & resale, huge selection | Seat views, Deal Score | Easy filtering & sorting | Reliable delivery & support |
| Gametime | Mostly resale, focus on sports | Last minute specials | Very simple interface | Hit & miss delivery |
| TodayTix | Theater tickets | Lotteries, rush tickets | Easy browsing by show | Reliable e-delivery |
| Lyte | Resells, alerts for rare tickets | Reselling tools, alerts | Fairly straightforward | Reliable protection |
| Vivid Seats | Huge resale inventory | Typically cheaper prices | Robust filtering | Reliable delivery |
| StubHub | Massive resale inventory | Lots of sorting options | Easy site navigation | Very reliable |
| ATOM Tickets | Focus on movie tickets | Seat reservations, social features | Super simple | Reliable e-tickets |
| TickPick | Resale tickets | No hidden fees | Intuitive browsing | Reliable guarantees |
This comparison shows that while all these apps offer fee-free tickets, factors like inventory, features, ease of use, and reliability can differ quite a bit depending on what type of tickets you’re seeking.
What Type of Tickets Do You Need?
Before picking the best fee-free ticket app for your needs, think about what type of tickets you typically buy. Here are some of the top ticket types and best apps for each:
Sports Tickets
For sports tickets, SeatGeek and StubHub offer massive inventories spanning major leagues like MLB, NFL, NBA, and more. Gametime is also great for super last minute sports deals.
Concert Tickets
If you love live concerts, StubHub, SeatGeek, and Vivid Seats give you tons of fee-free options for major and niche music acts.
Theater/Broadway Tickets
For the best theater and Broadway tickets, TodayTix gives you easy access to hot shows in NYC, London, and other major theater hubs.
Movie Tickets
For fee-free movie tickets with online seat reservations, ATOM Tickets is the top choice.
Hard-to-Get Tickets
If you need to land seats for major events or shows that are tough to get, Lyte lets you set alerts and buy instantly once rare tickets are posted.
Reselling Tickets
If you need to resell tickets you can’t use, Lyte and StubHub make it easy with no seller fees.
Conclusion
When it comes to choosing a fee-free ticket app, consider your typical ticket needs. SeatGeek is a great all-around option for sports, concerts, and more thanks to its huge primary and resale inventory. StubHub also has massive selection of all ticket types. For specialized needs like last minute sports (Gametime), theater (TodayTix), movies (ATOM), or hard-to-get tickets (Lyte), more niche apps may be best.
Overall, fee-free ticket apps allow you to save on entertainment, travel, and more without paying convenience fees. And features like price ratings, filters, and transfer tools give you a smooth ticket-buying experience. So next time you need tickets, don’t pay more fees than the ticket price itself. Use a fee-free app to save big across all your ticket purchases.
