30 March 2026 · 3 min · Wesley Veldeman
Selling tickets without commission: percentage fees vs a fixed fee per ticket
Percentage commission quietly punishes higher-priced tickets and bigger events. Here's how a fixed fee per ticket compares, with worked examples you can check yourself.
The two ways platforms charge you
Almost every ticketing platform charges in one of two ways:
- A percentage commission — a slice of every ticket's price, often plus a small fixed amount. Something like "6% + €0.50 per ticket".
- A fixed fee per ticket — the same flat amount regardless of the ticket's price. ClearTix works this way: a fixed fee per ticket, never a percentage.
These sound similar on a cheap ticket. On anything more expensive, they diverge fast — and not in your favour if you're on a percentage.
Why percentage commission hurts
A percentage fee scales with your success. Sell more, charge more, and the platform's cut grows in lockstep — even though delivering a €60 ticket costs them no more than delivering a €15 one. You're effectively paying the platform a commission for your own pricing decisions.
It also makes budgeting harder. You can't state your platform cost as a clean number until you know your exact sales mix, because every price tier carries a different absolute fee.
A worked example
Let's price out 400 tickets and compare a typical 6% + €0.50 commission against ClearTix's fixed fee.
At €20 per ticket (€8,000 in sales):
| Model | Per ticket | 400 tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 6% + €0.50 | €1.70 | €680 |
| ClearTix Studio (€0.25 + €29/mo) | €0.25 | €129 total |
At €45 per ticket (€18,000 in sales):
| Model | Per ticket | 400 tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 6% + €0.50 | €3.20 | €1,280 |
| ClearTix Studio (€0.25 + €29/mo) | €0.25 | €129 total |
Notice what happens. The commission model nearly doubled — from €680 to €1,280 — purely because your tickets got more expensive. The fixed-fee model didn't move, because issuing the ticket is the same work whatever it costs. The pricier and busier your event, the bigger the gap.
Both tables use the Studio plan, because €8,000 and €18,000 are well past the free plan's €2,000-a-month revenue cap. The free plan — €0.39 a ticket, no monthly fee — is there for smaller events, up to €2,000 in revenue and three events a month.
"But who pays the fee?"
You can absorb the fixed fee yourself or pass it on to the buyer at checkout — that's your call. Either way, a fixed fee is honest with your audience: a clear, small amount per ticket rather than a percentage that quietly inflates the price of your best seats.
The other half: who holds your money
Commission isn't the only cost. Many platforms also sit on your revenue and pay out days after the event. ClearTix doesn't touch your money at all — payments flow through your own Mollie or Stripe account, straight to you, usually within 24 to 72 hours. iDEAL, Bancontact, Visa and Mastercard are all supported at checkout.
So the full ClearTix cost is just a fixed fee per ticket plus your own payment provider's transaction cost — no commission, no platform skim, no waiting for your cash.
See it for your event
Run your own numbers: take your ticket price and expected sales, and compare a percentage commission against a flat €0.39 (free plan) or €0.25 (Studio). Our pricing page lays out the plans, and if you're coming from another platform, our Eventbrite alternative and Weeztix alternative comparisons show how much commission really adds up.
Information about third parties (Mollie, Stripe) is indicative, may change, and is based on their public information as checked in June 2026. Always verify current pricing and terms at the source: Mollie, Stripe.