Brown Paper Tickets alternative scorecard
Event Schedule vs Brown Paper Tickets
A modern, actively developed alternative to Brown Paper Tickets.
35/41
lines where Event Schedule has the edge.
The other 6 are a match or go to Brown Paper Tickets.
Every line on this card is scored from the same table below. Nothing is averaged, weighted or rounded.
The card
Scored line by line.
A feature-by-feature comparison of Event Schedule and Brown Paper Tickets, in 41 lines across 6 sections. Our column names the plan behind every gated feature, because a comparison that hides the tier is not a comparison.
| Line | Event Schedule | Brown Paper Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Fees 2 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| Free plan | Included forever | Free to list |
| Paid plan price (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | $5/mo (7-day free trial) | Free (fees on tickets) |
| Platform fees (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | 0% | $0.99 + 5% per ticket (buyer-paid) |
| Payment processing | Stripe/PayPal/Payfast (processor rates apply) | Built-in |
| Events & Ticketing 10 of 14 to Event Schedule | ||
| Ticketing | Included Free | Included |
| Unlimited ticket sales | Included Pro | Included |
| QR check-ins (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Limited |
| Ticket waitlist (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Check-in dashboard (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Sale notifications (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Sales data export (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Recurring events | Included Free | Included |
| Online events (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Limited |
| Free event RSVP | Included Free | Included |
| Event polls (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Promo/discount codes (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Post-event feedback (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Individual tickets (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Integrations 3 of 3 to Event Schedule | ||
| Calendar sync, both ways (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| CalDAV sync (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Newsletters (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Basic email |
| Customization 5 of 5 to Event Schedule | ||
| Custom domains (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Remove branding (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Custom CSS (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Modern event pages (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included responsive, customizable | Dated design |
| Embeddable calendar (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Limited widget |
| Unique Features 11 of 11 to Event Schedule | ||
| AI suite (event parsing, flyer gen, style gen) (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Parsing on Free, flyer and style on Enterprise | Not offered |
| Event graphics gen (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Sub-schedules (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Fan videos & comments (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Event boost (ads) (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Private/password-protected events (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Availability management (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| WhatsApp event creation (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Carpool matching (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Sponsor/partner logos (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Email scheduling (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Platform 4 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| REST API (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Limited |
| Webhooks (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Open source (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
| Selfhosting (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
Selfhost Event Schedule and every one of those plan chips opens: a selfhosted install resolves to Enterprise, so no line on the card is held back by a plan. Either way, ticket sales run through your own Stripe or PayPal account and Event Schedule takes 0%.
Straight answers
Three lines we do not claim.
A card you can trust has to name what is missing from it. These three are true about Event Schedule no matter which platform you are holding it against.
No marketplace
You bring the audience
Your public events can be listed on the Event Schedule browse and search pages, but a listing is not a marketplace's built-in audience. What actually fills a room is your own schedule page, an embeddable calendar, a follower QR code, newsletters, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale.
Seat maps are Enterprise
Ticket types, then seats
On Free and Pro a ticket type has a name, a price and a quantity, and buyers are not choosing a specific seat. A reserved-seating house needs Enterprise, where a venue schedule draws the room once and buyers pick their seats from the map.
One team member on Free
Extra members are Enterprise
The free plan is one person per schedule. Adding team members is on Enterprise and is capped at five on the hosted platform, so do not plan on inviting a whole staff for nothing.
Everything else on this page is a line you can check for yourself. Back to the card
The margin marks
Where the marks fall our way.
35 of the 41 lines above carry a diamond. Here are the 6 advantages over Brown Paper Tickets that most often decide it, in plain language rather than table cells.
Reliable & Active
Brown Paper Tickets is being retired and migrated to Events.com. Event Schedule is actively developed with regular updates and dependable uptime.
Modern Design
Brown Paper Tickets has a dated interface from another era. Event Schedule offers beautiful, mobile-responsive event pages with customizable themes and branding.
Direct Payouts
BPT has been known for delayed payouts to organizers. Event Schedule connects directly to your own Stripe or PayPal account - funds go straight to you on the provider's own schedule.
Calendar Sync
Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync keeps everything in sync automatically. Brown Paper Tickets has no calendar integration at all.
AI Event Parsing
Paste event details in any format and AI extracts dates, times, and descriptions automatically. Create events in seconds instead of filling out lengthy forms.
Open Source
Fully open source so you can verify exactly how your data is handled. Selfhost for complete control, or trust our hosted platform with full transparency.
Both columns
Read both sides before you sign.
About Brown Paper Tickets
Brown Paper Tickets was a ticketing platform known for its low fees and focus on independent events. Its website now says it is being retired and sends organizers to Events.com for their next event, so many are looking for a new home.
Brown Paper Tickets's strengths
- Historically low per-ticket fees for organizers
- Long track record in the independent event space
- Will-call and physical ticket options
Why choose Event Schedule?
Three things decide it against Brown Paper Tickets: the money is yours, the code is public, and the calendar keeps itself in step with the one you already use.
What you get
- Zero platform fees on ticket sales, at every plan level, into your own Stripe or PayPal account
- Selling starts on the free plan, at 25 paid tickets a month, each one scanned at the door
- Refunds from the Sales page, in full or in part, that send the money back through Stripe or PayPal
- One checkout for tickets to several of your events, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale
- Passes, gift cards and installment payments on Pro, and allocated seating for venues on Enterprise
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync, free, so the public listing and your own diary cannot disagree
- Open source under the Attribution Assurance License, and selfhostable, which resolves to Enterprise
A fresh card
How to switch in 4 steps
Nothing has to move on day one. The schedule is useful the moment it exists, and the events and the list follow at whatever pace suits you.
01
Create your schedule
Free, no card, and it has its own address the moment it exists. Nothing has to move before it is useful.
02
Bring the events across
Paste a listing or upload the flyer and the parser fills in the name, date, time, venue and description for you to check. Fifty a day on the free and Pro plans (ten during a Pro trial), a hundred on Enterprise.
03
Bring your list across
Export the addresses you already have and paste them in or upload a CSV, up to ten thousand rows, on any plan. What the newsletter allowance counts is sending to them, not holding them.
04
Connect Stripe or PayPal and sell
Your own Stripe or PayPal account, so the money settles into it rather than into ours. Zero platform fees, the first 25 paid tickets a month are on the free plan, and refunds go back through the same account.
Free forever. Upgrade when you're ready.
Zero platform fees on ticket sales, on every plan. The only deduction is your payment processor's own.
Everything you need to publish a schedule, and enough selling to find out whether you need more.
- Unlimited events, sub-schedules and recurring dates
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync
- 25 paid tickets a month, each one scanned at the door
No expiry, and no card asked for.
The ceilings come off, and the rest of the selling kit arrives with them.
- Unlimited ticket sales and the live check-in dashboard
- Promo codes, add-ons, passes and gift cards
- The REST API, webhooks, and no Event Schedule branding
7-day free trial, cancel any time.
For a room with a seating chart, a team, and a domain of its own.
- Reserved seating, drawn once and reused every date
- Your own domain, and up to five team members
- Internal and unlisted events, and 1,000 newsletter recipients
Included free on every selfhosted install.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about switching from Brown Paper Tickets.
Is it easy to switch from Brown Paper Tickets to Event Schedule?
Yes. Many organizers are moving away from Brown Paper Tickets as the platform is being retired and migrated to Events.com. Create a free schedule, add your events (AI import speeds this up), and share your new URL. You can be up and running in minutes.
How does Event Schedule pricing compare to Brown Paper Tickets?
Brown Paper Tickets charges $0.99 + 5% per ticket as a buyer-paid service fee. Event Schedule charges zero platform fees at any plan level, and the free plan sells 25 paid tickets a month. The Pro plan is a flat $5/mo for unlimited ticketing, with payouts straight into your own Stripe or PayPal account.
Is Event Schedule actively maintained?
Yes. Brown Paper Tickets is being retired and migrated to Events.com. Event Schedule is built with a modern tech stack and receives regular updates. It is fully open source, so you can inspect the code, track development activity, and even selfhost it for complete control over your platform.
Can a buyer get tickets to several shows in one order?
Yes, on every plan. Tickets for several of your events go into one cart and are paid once, through Stripe or PayPal, with one order page listing every ticket.
Free forever, 0% platform fees
That is the card. Now sign it.
Final tally: 35 of 41 lines to Event Schedule.
Create your free schedule today. No credit card required, and nothing taken from your ticket sales.
Open source, and yours to selfhost whenever you want it.
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