With the rise of online events, concerts, and other activities that require tickets, having a good ticket booking system has become crucial for many businesses and organizations. Choosing the right ticket booking software can streamline the ticket sales process, provide a better experience for customers, and help maximize revenue. But with so many options on the market, how do you determine which solution is best for your needs? Here we will compare some of the top ticket booking software platforms and look at the key factors to consider when making your choice.
Key Features to Look for in Ticket Booking Software
When evaluating ticket booking systems, here are some of the most important capabilities and benefits to look for:
- Easy event setup – The software should make it simple and quick to configure ticket pricing, capacity, discounts, etc. for your events.
- Custom branding – You want the ability to use your own logos, colors, and messaging to match your brand identity.
- Multi-channel sales – Look for software that enables selling tickets on your website, social media, email campaigns, etc.
- Promo code engine – The ability to easily create tracked promo codes and discounts for marketing campaigns.
- Seating charts – For reserved seating events, seating maps can provide an interactive ticket buying experience.
- Email/SMS notifications – Automated messages help keep attendees informed and engaged before and after ticket purchase.
- Integrations – Software that connects with payment processors, CRM systems, email services and other tools you use creates a more seamless workflow.
- Analytics – Robust reporting provides insights into sales, promo performance, referrals, best selling events, and more.
- Mobile friendly – With much of ticket buying happening on mobile devices today, the platform should be fully responsive.
- Customer support – You want timely and knowledgeable support in case any issues arise.
Keeping these features and benefits in mind, below we look at some top contenders in the ticket booking software space.
Ticketmaster
As one of the longest running and most well-known ticket sellers, Ticketmaster offers a full-scale event ticketing platform. Some key strengths include:
- Industry leading brand recognition and reach. The Ticketmaster name is trusted by millions.
- Robust venue/event client base. They power ticketing for major concert tours, sports leagues, and more.
- High capacity platform built to handle huge demand.
- Seamless integration of digital and in-person sales.
- Verified resale marketplace to enable safe ticket exchanging.
Potential downsides to consider:
- Higher fees and commission rates – Their market dominance lets them command bigger revenue shares.
- More focused on large venues/events vs. small to midsize.
- Less customizable – Branding, workflows, features more rigid.
Overall Ticketmaster remains an industry leader suitable for top tier venues and organizers. But for smaller entities, the costs and lack of flexibility may outweigh the benefits.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite offers a feature-packed platform focused on smaller to midsize event ticketing use cases. Some positives include:
- Very intuitive event setup and publishing. Great for users with minimal technical skills.
- Wide range of events supported – concerts, conferences, classes, fundraisers, and more.
- Free listings on Eventbrite site to increase exposure and drive sales.
- Lower fees compared to leading legacy platforms.
- Solid analytics and reporting built-in.
- Numerous integrations available via their API and partners.
Things to watch out for:
- Less suited for handling massive demand surges. Platform has experienced some outages.
- Less advanced features offered such as dynamic pricing, customizable seating charts, etc.
- Some support complaints of slower response times.
Overall Eventbrite provides an easy to use and budget friendly option for small to medium sized event promoters and venues. But large enterprises may find capabilities lacking.
Ticket Tailor
Ticket Tailor focuses squarely on enabling fast setup and sales of affordable events. Benefits they highlight include:
- Free plan available for events with lower ticket revenue.
- Simple widget-based setup for quick publishing to websites, social media, etc.
- Good selection of themes and custom branding options.
- Seamless integration with PayPal and Stripe for payments.
- Strong customer support response times and satisfaction.
Limitations to factor in:
- Less robust reporting compared to other platforms.
- Fewer advanced features like promo codes, canned messaging, integrations.
- Primarily tailored to very small event use cases.
For hobbiests and casual organizers Ticket Tailor is a user friendly option. But more sophisticated users may desire more capabilities.
Ticketsolve
Billed as event management software, Ticketsolve provides an end-to-end solution beyond just ticketing. Pros of Ticketsolve include:
- All-in-one platform with event planning, promotion, and payment features.
- Free branded mobile app for ticket scanning and attendance tracking.
- Social media integration and email marketing tools.
- Customizable post-purchase upsells and surveys.
- Higher level analytics and business intelligence reporting.
Potential weaknesses to note:
- Steeper learning curve – significant ramp up time needed.
- Requires more IT resources for complex deployments vs competitors.
- Higher base pricing tiers compared to basic ticketing platforms.
For organizations wanting an end-to-end event management ecosystem, Ticketsolve wins on features. But users just needing simple ticketing may find it overkill.
Amiando
Used widely across Europe, Amiando brings a global perspective to ticket sales. Strengths include:
- Multilingual platform – supports ticketing globally.
- Native integrations with many EU payment services.
- Expertise with compliance for EU regulations.
- CRM features for collecting event lead data.
- Particularly popular with corporate event planners.
Things to watch out for:
- More limited capabilities for complex seating arrangements.
- Costs can be higher for high volume usage.
- Less brand recognition in some regions like North America.
For companies hosting events across Europe, Amiando is likely ideal. But for other regions, competing options may better suit.
Conclusion
The ticket booking software landscape offers diverse solutions tailored to different use cases. Large tier venues gravitate toward established giants like Ticketmaster for their sales volume capabilities. Small to midsize users often choose more affordable and flexible platforms like Eventbrite. Those wanting minimal setup and configurations favor Ticket Tailor. And organizations wanting end-to-end event management functionalities value players like Ticketsolve.
But there are many other great options beyond those covered here. The best ticketing software for you ultimately depends on assessing your organization’s specific needs, budgets, technical capabilities, and target customers. Take time to thoroughly evaluate the range of solutions at your scope level to find the optimal choice. Key is mapping platform strengths to your critical requirements for smooth ticket sales.
With robust ticket booking software in place, you can delighted patrons with a superior sales experience. This leads to bigger event turnouts, increased revenue, and stronger customer satisfaction.
FAQs
What features are most important in ticket booking software?
The most important features to look for in ticket booking software are:
- Fast and easy event setup.
- Secure and reliable handling of payments.
- Flexibility with branding, themes, and custom fields.
- Robust reporting on sales, referrals, promotions, etc.
- Capabilities for reserved seating and custom ticket types.
- Tools for marketing campaigns and automated messaging.
- Mobile responsiveness.
- Top notch customer support.
What is the difference between an online box office and ticket booking software?
An online box office refers specifically to the part of a platform where customers can purchase and manage tickets. It is the front-end sales interface and account management area. Ticket booking software includes the full back-end system that makes the online box office function. This includes the tools for event managers to configure and manage inventory, pricing, reporting, etc.
How much does quality ticket booking software cost?
Costs can vary significantly based on the features offered and volume of usage. Many solutions offer free tiers for very small events. Entry level paid plans often start around $50-$100 per month. Mid-tier plans with more capabilities and capacity generally range from $200-$500 per month. Enterprise level platforms with full suites of features can be $1000+ per month.
Should I build my own ticket booking system?
Building your own ticketing platform from scratch requires significant development resources and time. The costs are often prohibitive compared to using an existing software solution. You also have to build in all the capabilities like payments, security, analytics, etc. that come ready-to-go in modern platforms. Unless you have very unique needs unmet by current options, going with an established ticketing provider is recommended.
What are signs I may have outgrown my current ticketing platform?
Signals that a ticketing system is no longer adequate include:
- Difficulty handling increasing sales volume and spikes in demand.
- Missing key features like promo codes, custom branding, or CRM you now need.
- Poor or worsening performance in areas like uptime, support, and reporting.
- Integration limitations with other sales and marketing systems you use.
- Negative feedback from customers on their purchase experience.
Addressing these limitations early can help avoid lost revenue and damaged customer satisfaction.
