Softwr

Events · head to head

ACTIVE Network vs Brown Paper Tickets

ACTIVE Network logo

ACTIVE Network

Events

Registration and payment software for parks departments, races and camps, owned by Global Payments

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Brown Paper Tickets logo

Brown Paper Tickets

Events

The fair-trade ticketing company

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ACTIVE Network revenue comes from registration processing rather than licence fees, so the vendor is aligned with transaction volume and not with the quality of the administrative experience.; Brown Paper Tickets fees are charged to ticket buyers rather than the organiser, at $1.49 plus 6.0% of the ticket price in USD
  • They diverge on capability: ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ACTIVE Network and Brown Paper Tickets actually diverge.

Attributes where ACTIVE Network and Brown Paper Tickets differ
AttributeACTIVE NetworkBrown Paper Tickets
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotetransaction
Free tierNoYes
FoundedUnknown2000

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Events).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ACTIVE Network

  • ACTIVENet
  • ACTIVEWorks Endurance
  • Camp and Class Manager
  • Participant-paid fees
  • Facility and league scheduling
  • ACTIVE.com listing

Only in Brown Paper Tickets

  • Ticketing
  • Will call
  • Seating charts
  • Reporting
  • Customer service
  • PayPal
  • Google Analytics
  • Mailchimp

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ACTIVE Network

  • A city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residentsnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • A race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendornot Brown Paper Tickets
  • A YMCA needing membership, childcare billing and facility booking in one systemnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • An agency with no software budget that can fund registration through participant-paid processing feesnot Brown Paper Tickets

Brown Paper Tickets

  • Selling tickets for events, performances and workshopsnot ACTIVE Network
  • Handling ticket distribution and door lists for independent organisersnot ACTIVE Network

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ACTIVE Network

  • Revenue comes from registration processing rather than licence fees, so the vendor is aligned with transaction volume and not with the quality of the administrative experience.
  • Passing the processing fee to participants is normal practice, which makes the cost invisible on the agency budget and visible to residents as a service charge at checkout.
  • The ACTIVENet codebase is long-lived and parts of the administrative interface remain dated, with upgrade cycles driven by the parent rather than by agency requests.
  • Support responsiveness is a persistent complaint among municipal customers, and escalation paths are slower than in a standalone software vendor.
  • Because Global Payments owns the merchant relationship, moving off ACTIVE means changing processor as well as software, which usually requires a procurement process rather than a simple switch.

Brown Paper Tickets

  • Fees are charged to ticket buyers rather than the organiser, at $1.49 plus 6.0% of the ticket price in USD
  • The 6.0% applies regardless of payment method, including when the organiser uses their own merchant account or PayPal
  • The flat component varies by currency, running from roughly $0.99 to $1.99 equivalent
  • Because the buyer pays, the advertised ticket price is not what the buyer is charged

Pricing, plan by plan

ACTIVE Network

On request
  • ACTIVENet$undefined/year
    • Registration, facility and membership modules
    • Revenue derived primarily from registration processing fees
    • Fee can be absorbed by the agency or passed to the participant
  • Camp and Class Manager$undefined/year
    • Flat rate or per registration fee model
    • Rates quoted per account, not published
  • ACTIVEWorks Endurance$undefined/year
    • Race registration priced on a per registration fee
    • ACTIVE.com listing included

Brown Paper Tickets

Free
  • StandardFree
    • $0.99 + 5% per ticket
    • Free events free
    • All features

Which should you pick?

Choose ACTIVE Network if

  • You need activenet.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want activeworks endurance.
ACTIVE Network review

Choose Brown Paper Tickets if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want will call.
Brown Paper Tickets review

Questions people ask

Is ACTIVE Network or Brown Paper Tickets better?
Neither clearly leads. ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Brown Paper Tickets at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ACTIVE Network or Brown Paper Tickets?
Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ACTIVE Network and Free for Brown Paper Tickets.
Does ACTIVE Network or Brown Paper Tickets run on more platforms?
ACTIVE Network runs on Web, iOS, Android. Brown Paper Tickets runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Brown Paper Tickets for free?
Yes. Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ACTIVE Network starts at On request.
What is ACTIVE Network best used for?
ACTIVE Network is most often used for a city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residents, a race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendor, a ymca needing membership, childcare billing and facility booking in one system, an agency with no software budget that can fund registration through participant-paid processing fees. Of those, a city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residents and a race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendor are not what Brown Paper Tickets is typically brought in for.
What can ACTIVE Network do that Brown Paper Tickets cannot?
ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Camp and Class Manager, Participant-paid fees. Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Will call, Seating charts, Reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ACTIVE Network: Who owns ACTIVE Network?

Global Payments, which acquired it in 2017 for around 1.2 billion US dollars. It sits in the merchant solutions business.

Brown Paper Tickets: What are Brown Paper Tickets' transaction fees?

Buyers pay a service charge: a flat fee of $1.49 USD (or equivalent in other currencies such as €0.99 or £0.99) plus 6.0% of the ticket price. These fees are paid by ticket buyers at checkout.

Source
ACTIVE Network: How does ACTIVE make money?

Primarily from registration processing fees, charged as a percentage plus a fixed amount per registration.

Brown Paper Tickets: When do organizers receive payment from Brown Paper Tickets?

If using Brown Paper Tickets' credit card processing, payment is sent within 10 business days post-event. With a custom merchant account, funds are received as tickets sell. PayPal option allows immediate remittance to the organizer.

Source
ACTIVE Network: Can we absorb the fee instead of charging residents?

Yes, the agency chooses. Most pass it to the participant, which is why registrants see a service fee.

Brown Paper Tickets: Are ticket delivery methods free on Brown Paper Tickets?

Most delivery methods are free, including First Class Mail, Will-Call, Print-at-Home, Mobile Tickets, and Online Access. Premium options like Priority Mail and Express Mail carry additional charges. Pre-printed tickets cost $0.10 each plus delivery.

Source
ACTIVE Network: Is pricing published?

No. Both licence and processing rates are quoted per account.

Share

Related pages

More on ACTIVE Network

More on Brown Paper Tickets

Keep looking

Other head to heads