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How is Zeffy free?
How is Zeffy free?
Zeffy relies entirely on optional contributions from donors. At the payment confirmation step - we ask donors to leave an optional contribution to Zeffy.
Every $100 ticket sold on Eventbrite can cost you up to $10 in fees. For small nonprofits, that's $10 less for your programs, $10 less for your community, $10 less for your mission.
If you're running a grassroots nonprofit with volunteers juggling multiple roles, watching 5-10% of your fundraising disappear to platform fees probably keeps you up at night. You're already stretched thin, working with limited budgets, and every dollar matters when you're trying to change lives in your community.
You didn't sign up for nonprofit work to become an expert in payment processing fees. You just want simple, affordable tools that help you raise money without losing money. The good news? Platforms exist that charge zero fees and are built specifically for nonprofits like yours.
This guide compares 7 real alternatives to Eventbrite with transparent pricing, honest pros and cons, and exactly how much money you'll save.
Calculator + why do you need a free alternative to Eventbrite
Still not sure how much you could be saving by switching to Zeffy? Calculate the exact amount of money you’re losing to Eventbrite with our free calculator:
Eventbrite Fee Calculator
How Much Are You Losing
To Eventbrite Fees?
You're losing $0 per event to Eventbrite fees.
Based on your average ticket, you're losing $0 per ticket.
With Zeffy, you'd keep that $0 to put back into your mission — no fees, ever.
The Only 100% Free Alternative to Eventbrite is Zeffy
Zeffy is the only true free Eventbrite alternative that charges $0 in fees to nonprofits — and is fee-free. While competitors claim to be "nonprofit-friendly," they still take 3-8% of your donations. Zeffy, on the other hand, lets you keep 100% of your donations—so they can go directly toward funding your mission.
Example: When you raise $5,000 with Zeffy, you keep $5,000. With other platforms, you lose $300-400.
Based on 50 tickets at $100 each. Actual costs vary by ticket volume and pricing.
The Only Free Eventbrite Alternative for Nonprofits
1. Zeffy: Built for Nonprofits, Completely Free
Best for: Any nonprofit that wants to keep every donation dollar
Zeffy is the only truly free event management platform built specifically for nonprofits. While other platforms claim to be "nonprofit-friendly," Zeffy actually delivers on the promise of zero fees.
Post-event analytics and automated marketing emails
Pricing: Truly free—Zeffy operates on optional donor contributions with no hidden or monthly fees
✅ Pros:
Saves budget with zero fees
Excellent customer support with onboarding help
Designed specifically for nonprofit needs
❌ Cons:
Newer platform (though growing rapidly)
Fewer integrations than enterprise platforms
Real Success Story:YWCA Lethbridge saved $1,189 in fees on their Annual Royal Gala by switching to Zeffy. Since adopting the platform, they've raised $23,792 while avoiding thousands in fees they previously paid to other platforms.
Fee Savings Calculator: If you typically raise $10,000 annually through events, Eventbrite costs you $670+ per year. Zeffy saves you $670+ annually.
Another Eventbrite competitor, Splash, is an event registration and marketing platform that can help manage your event pages—offline or online.
Key Features:
Beautiful, modern templates
Great for virtual and hybrid event branding
Design-forward email marketing and tracking tools
Pricing:
Free tier option (limited features) has no platform fee, but requires a Stripe processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Other plans with full access to features require custom pricing and a demo
✅ Pros:
Strong branding for events
Useful for visibility and marketing
Beautiful, modern event page templates
❌ Cons:
Still charges 2.9% + $0.30 processing fees
Advanced features require paid plans
Not built specifically for nonprofits
"Splash makes event landing page building easy, efficient and innovative. It saves our team time since we don't need to go through developers to build a site, you can do it yourself. The platform also offers our business with the tools to create and promote edgy and innovative sites for our events." — Verified Reviewer
Cost Reality: "Free" tier still costs ~$165 on a $5,000 event due to processing fees.
3. TicketSpice: Transparent Pricing
Best for: Simple events with straightforward ticketing needs
When it comes to Eventbrite alternatives for nonprofits, few can claim to be built on transparency. TicketSpice is different.
Key Features:
Simple, user-friendly event page setup
Transparent per-ticket pricing
Modular add-ons for extra features
Pricing:
Not free: TicketSpice has a flat fee of 99¢ per ticket + processing fee of 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (For tickets less than $5, the per ticket fee drops to 49¢ per ticket)
Extra monthly fees for:
Automated email marketing ($9/month)
Text messaging ($19/month)
White label domain ($150/year)
Cashless payments on site ($0.25 per transaction)
✅ Pros:
Great for organizations that need straightforward pricing and quick setup
Transparent flat-fee pricing
No monthly subscription fees
Simple setup process
Good customer service
❌ Cons:
Still charges processing fees (2.9% + $0.30)
Limited fundraising features
Additional charges for email marketing ($9/month)
"We needed a ticketing system for a large event that we took over last year. It needed to be something easy for me to set up and easy for our registrants to use. TicketSpice did not disappoint. It was easy to set up, and even when I encounter something I can't figure out, their customer service responds within minutes." - Sue
Cost Reality: $194 in fees on a $5,000 event (50 tickets × $0.99 + processing fees).
How Dearborn Educational saved $2,000+ by switching to Zeffy
The Dearborn Educational Foundation, a nonprofit that supports innovative educational practices in Dearborn, Michigan, switched from PayPal to Zeffy to help funnel more money to their mission.
The result? Since using Zeffy, the foundation has raised $56K+ and saved $2.8K+ in fees—money that has gone directly back to supporting students and teachers instead of being absorbed by processing costs. Read the full case study →
4. JotForm: Forms-First Approach
Best for: Nonprofits already using JotForm for other purposes
JotForm is a great "out-of-the-box solution" and prides itself on having an incredibly easy user interface that integrates into your existing business platforms and apps.
Key Features:
Over 10,000 event form templates
Transparent pricing
Easy integrations with apps and CRMs
Pricing:
Starter: $0 with limited key features and participants
Bronze: $39/month for 25 forms and 1,000 participants
Silver: $49/month for 50 forms and 2,500 participants
Gold: $129/month for 100 forms and 10,000 participants
Enterprise: Upon request
*Nonprofit organizations receive a 50% discount on all plans
A processing fee applies depending on your chosen payment gateway, typically around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
✅ Pros:
50% nonprofit discount on paid plans
10,000+ event form templates
Easy integration with existing systems
Ethical company mission
Streamlined setup for small events
❌ Cons:
Monthly subscription fees ($39-129/month)
Still charges processing fees
Limited event-specific features
"The platform boasts a user-friendly drag-and-drop builder, extensive integrations with over 100 apps, and customizable templates. Advanced features like conditional logic, calculations, and payment integrations make it a powerful tool for various applications." — Juarez M.
Cost Reality: $204+ on a $5,000 event (monthly fee + processing fees).
How True Blue Switched from Eventbrite to Zeffy—and saved $2K+ in fees
True Blue—a nonprofit focused on empowering young people to attend college—used a variety of platforms, including Eventbrite. But the fees were overwhelming to them.
The organization switched to Zeffy and raised $48K+ and saved $2.4K+ in their first year—savings that immediately translated into rent payments, student meals, and tuition assistance. Read the full case study →
“With these savings, we can pay rent, feed students, and cover outstanding balances. Every bit of savings goes straight to supporting our students.” —Tiombé O’Rourke
Best for Memberhsips, Webinars, and Large-Scale Events
5. WildApricot: Membership + Events
Best for: Membership-based nonprofits needing CRM integration
WildApricot is, first and foremost, donor membership software. Although it offers event management features, it isn't as comprehensive or user-friendly as some of the sites like Eventbrite we've mentioned.
Key Features:
Donor/member management system with event tools
Real-time event data tied to the member database
Transparent pricing model
Pricing:
Tiered pricing based on member count, with up to a 15% discount when you pay for 2 years right from the start
Additional charge of 2.9% + $.30 per credit-card transaction
✅ Pros:
Great for membership-based nonprofits
Combines event management + CRM
Real-time member data integration
Good for recurring member events
❌ Cons:
Monthly membership fees based on member count
Processing fees still apply (2.9% + $0.30)
More complex than needed for simple events
"WildApricot makes it easy to process registrations for events, dues payments, and store purchases in addition to being a website. It is very easy to use. There are user groups that you can join to get help from other users. Also, it is very easy to create a manual invoice for things that I might need a product for or a registration. There is also an app for administrators which is super convenient when to try to look up open invoices, etc. when away from the office." — - Melissa M.
Cost Reality: Monthly fees + $165 processing fees on a $5,000 event.
Best for: Nonprofits hosting only webinars and virtual education
GoTo Webinar is a huge online event and communication company specializing in webinar planning and hosting software.
Key Features:
Customizable webinar modes
Secure, enterprise-grade technology
Tools for audience interaction
Pricing: Based on attendee volume (custom quote required)
✅ Pros:
Ideal for webinars and virtual educational events
Highly reliable platform
Reliable webinar technology
Good audience interaction tools
Enterprise-grade security
❌ Cons:
Custom pricing (expensive for small nonprofits)
Virtual events only
Not designed for fundraising
"With GoTo Webinar, we can schedule live events for our prospective customers and conduct events with easy-to-use software which also allows us to take up questions from viewers. We can also keep track of how many internal and external viewers are attending the live event and monitor engagement." — - Verified User
Better Option: Use Zeffy's free virtual event tools for fundraising webinars.
Best for: Large nonprofits hosting conferences or professional events
Whova has an impressive roster of organizations that trust it to help them deliver an unforgettable experience on various event pages.
Key Features:
Robust all-in-one event management software
Tools for attendee participation and networking
Trusted by large-scale conferences
Pricing: Custom quote only (must request a demo)
✅ Pros:
Perfect for nonprofits hosting high-engagement or professional events
Robust networking and engagement features
Great for large, complex events
Professional attendee experience
❌ Cons:
Custom pricing only (expensive)
Overkill for most small nonprofit events
Requires demo to get pricing
"The 'Attendees' portion of the app, specifically the 'Browse Attendees by: RECOMMENDED' feature as it identifies and groups attendees along tags such as 'town of origin', 'professional associations', and especially 'INTERESTS', which was a wonderfully pleasant surprise as I have pretty specific interests and hobbies that I learned were shared by other attendees. This made it VERY easy to connect as a common interest and icebreaker was already established between us. Great feature!" — - Enrico G.
Cost Reality: Likely $500+ for small nonprofits, plus processing fees.
Nonprofits are switching from Eventbrite because they need:
Free solutions that let them further their mission: The Indiana nonprofit Y’all switched from Eventbrite to host their fundraising events. Since then, they’ve raised $17K+ with Zeffy—and saved over $800 in fees.
An all-in-one platform that makes their lives easier: YWCA was using Eventbrite and PayPal to host events and manage donations. When they switched, they saved hundreds of hours—and thousands of dollars ($23K+ raised, $1K saved).
Tailored tools that help them thrive: “Before Zeffy, we were fundraising to survive. Now we’re fundraising to grow.” — Christina Ng, Programs & Development Manager at Berry Good Food Foundation ($4K+ saved with Zeffy).
That's exactly why Zeffy exists. We eliminate the fees that add up fast, provide the all-in-one tools that replace your spreadsheets, and offer features tailored specifically for grassroots organizations—all at zero cost.
Stop Losing Donations—Switch to Zeffy
Every day you stay on Eventbrite or other fee-charging platforms, you're giving away money that could fund your mission. Whether it's $50 from a small bake sale or $1,500 from your annual gala, those fees add up to real impact you're losing.
Your nonprofit deserves better than "the best we can do is charge you less." You deserve a platform built specifically for organizations that can't afford to waste money on fees—one that understands every dollar matters when you're changing lives in your community.
No, Eventbrite charges the same fees to nonprofits as other organizations: 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket plus 2.9% processing fees. They offer 50% off their Pro plans, but this doesn't eliminate the per-ticket fees that cost the most money.
Zeffy is the only platform that charges $0 in fees to nonprofits. While other platforms have "free" tiers, they still charge 2.9%+ in processing fees. Zeffy covers all costs and keeps 100% of donations for nonprofit missions.
Use Zeffy, which charges no platform fees or processing fees. Alternatively, collect payments offline (cash/check), but this limits accessibility and makes tracking difficult.
For most small nonprofits, absolutely. The fee savings alone justify switching. A nonprofit raising $10,000 annually through events saves $670+ per year with Zeffy vs. Eventbrite—enough to fund significant programming.
Most nonprofits switch to Zeffy in under an hour. The platform is designed for volunteers without technical expertise. Customer support helps with setup and migration of existing donor data.
Yes, Zeffy supports unlimited attendees and ticket sales. Nonprofits have successfully used Zeffy for events ranging from small dinners to major galas with 500+ attendees.
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Keep reading :
Nonprofit software
Best Event Registration Software for Small Nonprofit Teams (2025 Guide)
Volunteer-run nonprofits lose up to 10% of every ticket sale to fees. Compare the best free and simple event registration platforms built for small teams and the only zero-fee option.
Organizing a Charity Event: 8 Steps for Nonprofits
New to fundraising? This complete 8-step guide helps nonprofits plan events with confidence. Download your free planning kit and discover how to boost donations—without hidden fees.
Best Nonprofit Ticketing Software for Small Teams: Affordable, Easy-to-Use Options (2025 Guide)
Compare nonprofit ticketing platforms that cut fees and make check-in easy. See why Zeffy is the only 100% free ticketing solution for small nonprofit teams.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
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