I'm In! vs Eventbrite: Recurring Community Signups vs Public Ticketed Marketplaces
Eventbrite is built for selling tickets to public events. I'm In! is built for managing signups when you already know who is coming.
Short answer
I'm In! wins for recurring community events, volunteer shifts, sports practices, and classes — events where attendance, capacity, and reminders matter more than public discovery. Eventbrite wins for concerts, festivals, and ticketed events that need public marketplace exposure and box office tooling at scale.
I'm In! is best for
- Volunteer coordinators with recurring shifts
- Sports teams collecting practice signups and dues
- Community organizers running weekly meetups
- Class instructors with known attendees
- Anyone tired of Eventbrite's 6-8% ticket fee on free or low-cost events
- Organizers who do not need a public discovery marketplace
Eventbrite is best for
- Public concerts and festivals that need ticket marketplace exposure
- Multi-day conferences with sponsor and exhibitor management
- Large events needing professional box office and scanning at the gate
- Organizers explicitly trading platform fees for paid discovery
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | I'm In! | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee per ticket sold | $0 (no platform fee) | 6.95% + $1.79 per paid ticket (US standard) |
| Free events fee | $0 | Free for free events, but tiered service plans push fees |
| Best for repeat known-audience signups | Yes | Possible but heavyweight |
| Best for public ticket marketplace exposure | Not the focus | Strong public discovery |
| Automatic reminders | Built in, free | Available, often gated by paid service plan |
| QR check-in at the door | Built in | Built in (Eventbrite Organizer app) |
| Box office at scale (10,000+ tickets) | Not the focus | Strong |
| Mobile signup speed | About 15 seconds end-to-end | Multi-step checkout funnel |
| Setup time for a new event | About 30 seconds | 5–15 minutes to publish |
| Sponsor and exhibitor tooling | Not built in | Available on paid service plans |
Pricing
I'm In!
Free for unlimited events and unlimited participants. Stripe payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30) apply only when you collect money. No platform fee from I'm In!
Eventbrite
Service fee on paid tickets in the US is 6.95% + $1.79 per ticket on standard plans, layered with payment processing. Free events incur lower or no service fees, but service tiers (Flex, Pro, Premium) gate features. Fee structure varies by country.
Who should choose what
Choose I'm In!
Choose I'm In! if you already know your audience, your event is recurring, and your money goes further when 6–8% of every paid ticket stays in your pocket.
Choose Eventbrite
Choose Eventbrite if you need a public marketplace, sell to strangers, and the discovery value is worth the platform fee.
How to switch from Eventbrite to I'm In!
- 1Export your attendee list from Eventbrite (Reports → Attendee Summary → CSV).
- 2Create a new I'm In! event at https://im-in.events/create.
- 3If selling tickets, connect Stripe in the I'm In! dashboard (one-time, ~2 minutes).
- 4Send the new signup link to your existing list — most attendees re-sign up in under 30 seconds.
- 5Unpublish the Eventbrite event after attendees have moved over.
I'm In! vs Eventbrite — FAQ
Why is I'm In! free when Eventbrite charges per ticket?
Eventbrite monetizes the marketplace by charging a percentage of ticket sales. I'm In! is not a marketplace; it is a signup tool for organizers who already have an audience. The business models are different and so are the fees.
Can I sell paid tickets on I'm In!?
Yes. I'm In! connects to Stripe so you keep 100% of the ticket price minus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 standard processing fee. There is no additional platform fee.
Does I'm In! offer public event discovery?
No. I'm In! is intentionally built for organizers who already know their attendees. If you need a public marketplace, Eventbrite is the right tool.
Can I'm In! handle a 500-person event?
Yes. Capacity is per slot and per event, with waitlists, QR check-in, and email blast tooling. The free tier handles 500+ attendees without an upgrade.
What is the real cost difference on a $20 ticket sold to 100 attendees?
Eventbrite (US standard 6.95% + $1.79): about $278 in service fees plus payment processing. I'm In!: $0 platform fee, only the Stripe processing fee (2.9% + $0.30). Difference: roughly $190+ stays in your pocket on a $2,000 event.
Can I scan tickets at the door?
Yes. I'm In! has QR check-in built in. Open the event in the dashboard on a phone and scan attendee tickets. No separate app required.
Will my attendees notice the difference?
Yes — most prefer the I'm In! signup. Single page, no account creation required, no upsells in the funnel.
Does Eventbrite still make sense for any of my events?
If you sell tickets to strangers who find your event through search or Eventbrite's homepage, the marketplace exposure can justify the fee. For your existing community, club, team, or class, I'm In! costs less and ships faster.
Other comparisons
Solutions for your audience
Ready to make event signups magically easy?
Free for unlimited events and unlimited participants. No ads. Create your first event in 30 seconds.