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Most buyers should pick Eventbrite.
Pick Eventbrite for free events and lower-cost entry: its listed free plan covers unlimited free events, while Eventbrite Pro starts at $15/month. Paid tickets incur a 3.7% + $1.79 fee per ticket and a 2.9% payment-processing fee per order. Choose Meetup Pro to manage multiple groups: it starts at $55 per group monthly, or $47 per group monthly with a six-month commitment. It includes unlimited groups, events, attendees, and co-hosts, plus a one-week trial for up to 20 groups.
01Side by side
| Eventbrite | Meetup Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free events; Pro from $15/month; paid tickets incur fees | $55/group monthly; $47/group monthly with six-month commitment |
| Free plan | Yes; unlimited free events | No; one-week trial for up to 20 groups |
| Best for | Finding events by category, date, and location | Organizers managing multiple groups |
| Core strength | Event discovery by destination, city, and state | Unlimited groups, events, attendees, and co-hosts |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations and data | Not published | Not published |
| Team and seat costs | Seat costs not published | Billed per group; seat costs not published |
| Support | Custom sales partnership includes priority phone and 24/7 chat | Support details not published |
Eventbrite Choose Eventbrite if
- Choose Eventbrite if you need free-event listings without ticketing platform fees.
- Choose Eventbrite if you want paid plans starting at $15/month.
- Choose Eventbrite if location and date browsing are priorities.
Meetup Pro Choose Meetup Pro if
- Choose Meetup Pro if you manage multiple groups.
- Choose Meetup Pro if unlimited events and attendees matter.
- Choose Meetup Pro if a one-week trial for up to 20 groups helps.
02Pricing compared
Eventbrite is the lower-cost starting point if you host free events: its free plan includes unlimited free events and no ticketing platform fees for free tickets. For paid tickets, the pricing lists 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, plus a 2.9% payment-processing fee per order. Fees go to buyers by default, though organizers can absorb them. Eventbrite Pro starts at $15/month and includes up to 10,000 emails daily; annual billing terms are not published. Meetup Pro starts at $55 per group monthly, or $47 per group per month with a six-month commitment, and has a one-week trial for up to 20 groups. Its listed plan includes unlimited groups, events, attendees, and co-hosts, but each group is billed. Annual pricing and other overage costs aren't published.
03Features and depth
These platforms overlap in event discovery, but their public descriptions emphasize different jobs. Eventbrite gives visitors ways to browse by category, date, and location, including options such as “Today” and “This weekend,” popular cities, and U.S. states. Its organizer pricing also distinguishes free events from paid ticket sales, and Eventbrite Pro adds a daily email-send limit of 10,000.
Meetup focuses on finding people and groups around shared interests. Its site describes local and online events, group discovery, and tools to create groups; categories include travel, hobbies, fitness, technology, and career. Meetup Pro’s listed organizer plan includes unlimited groups, events, attendees, and co-hosts, billed per group. That makes it the more directly group-oriented choice for organizers managing multiple communities. One caveat: Meetup’s homepage describes Meetup generally and does not specify which discovery features are exclusive to Pro. The published pricing details identify Pro’s organizer limits, not a separate attendee feature set.
04Ease of use and learning curve
For someone choosing an event to attend, Eventbrite’s public site lays out several direct routes: browse by category, date, or location, or explore popular cities and states. Meetup’s public description centers on finding local or online events and discovering the groups that host them. Which feels simpler depends on whether the person starts with an event or a community.
For organizers, the plan structures are clearer than the learning curves: Eventbrite separates free events, paid tickets, and Pro email sending; Meetup Pro is priced per group and lists unlimited events and attendees. The published materials don't publish setup steps, training requirements, or learning-time estimates, so we can't call either platform easier to learn based on this comparison alone.
Questions people ask
What are alternatives to Eventbrite?
Meetup is one alternative if you want to discover local and online gatherings or build groups around shared interests. Eventbrite is another fit for browsing by date, category, and location. The better match depends on whether your priority is ticketed event listings or ongoing group-based connections.
How much does a Meetup Pro subscription cost?
Meetup Pro starts at $55 per group per month, according to the published pricing details. A six-month commitment lowers the listed rate to $47 per group per month. A one-week trial is available for up to 20 groups; annual pricing and other overage costs are not published.
Should I trust Eventbrite?
The information here covers Eventbrite’s discovery features and organizer pricing, but it does not establish how the company handles every trust or safety concern. Before buying, check the event organizer’s details and the ticket terms. For paid tickets, note the listed service and payment-processing fees.
Is there an app like Meetup?
Eventbrite offers overlapping event discovery: visitors can browse events by category, date, and location. Meetup puts more emphasis on finding or creating groups around shared interests, with local and online events. If group membership is the main draw, Meetup’s description is the closer match; for event browsing, consider Eventbrite.