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Activity Messenger vs Brown Paper Tickets

Activity Messenger logo

Activity Messenger

Events

Registrations, payments and communications for sports and leisure

From
$99/month
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: Activity Messenger entry pricing is 99 dollars a month, and online registration itself only appears on the 149 dollar Premium tier, so the cheapest plan is a communications tool rather than a registration one.; 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: Activity Messenger covers Online registration, Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activity Messenger and Brown Paper Tickets actually diverge.

Attributes where Activity Messenger and Brown Paper Tickets differ
AttributeActivity MessengerBrown Paper Tickets
Starting price$99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20192000

Identical on both: 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 Activity Messenger

  • Online registration
  • Digital waivers
  • Email and SMS automation
  • Memberships and ticketing
  • Staff management
  • Attendance tracking
  • Bulk certificates

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.

Activity Messenger

  • Running seasonal camp and class registrationsnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • Collecting signed liability waivers digitallynot Brown Paper Tickets
  • Managing memberships and recurring programmesnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • Onboarding and timesheeting seasonal instructorsnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • Email and SMS campaigns to a registrant listnot Brown Paper Tickets

Brown Paper Tickets

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

Where each one falls short

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

Activity Messenger

  • Entry pricing is 99 dollars a month, and online registration itself only appears on the 149 dollar Premium tier, so the cheapest plan is a communications tool rather than a registration one.
  • Payment processing costs 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on cards with a 1 percent service fee on all methods, which is charged on top of the subscription.
  • Tiers are gated on email subscriber counts, so an organisation with a large mailing list and few registrations pays for the list.
  • Staff scheduling is listed as coming soon on the Pro tier rather than available.
  • The customer base and case studies are concentrated in North America, so a European organisation should check tax and payment handling before committing.

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

Activity Messenger

$99/month
  • Light$99/month
    • Email marketing with Canva integration
    • Digital waivers and signatures
    • Surveys and forms
  • Premium$149/month
    • Online registration and camps and activities management
    • Staff management
    • Memberships and automations
  • Pro$229/month
    • Private lessons and bookings
    • Unlimited users
    • Fully white label
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited data storage
    • Fundraising for athletes

Brown Paper Tickets

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Activity Messenger if

  • You need online registration.
  • You also want digital waivers.
Activity Messenger 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 Activity Messenger or Brown Paper Tickets better?
Neither clearly leads. Activity Messenger starts at $99/month and Brown Paper Tickets at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activity Messenger or Brown Paper Tickets?
Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/month for Activity Messenger and Free for Brown Paper Tickets.
Does Activity Messenger or Brown Paper Tickets run on more platforms?
Activity Messenger runs on Web. 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. Activity Messenger starts at $99/month.
What is Activity Messenger best used for?
Activity Messenger is most often used for running seasonal camp and class registrations, collecting signed liability waivers digitally, managing memberships and recurring programmes, onboarding and timesheeting seasonal instructors. Of those, running seasonal camp and class registrations and collecting signed liability waivers digitally are not what Brown Paper Tickets is typically brought in for.
What can Activity Messenger do that Brown Paper Tickets cannot?
Activity Messenger covers Online registration, Digital waivers, Email and SMS automation, Memberships and ticketing. Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Will call, Seating charts, Reporting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Activity Messenger: What does Activity Messenger cost?

Light is $99 a month, Premium $149, Pro $229, and Enterprise is custom priced. A $10 pause plan is available for seasonal businesses for up to six months.

Source
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
Activity Messenger: Are there transaction fees on top?

Yes. Credit card payments are 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction, Interac and bank transfers are 1 percent plus $0.40, and a 1 percent service fee applies across all payment methods.

Source
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
Activity Messenger: Which tier includes online registration?

Premium at $149 a month. The $99 Light tier covers email marketing, digital waivers, surveys and forms, but registration, camps and activities management, memberships and ticketing start at Premium.

Source
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
Activity Messenger: Who is it built for?

Sports and leisure organisations: classes and camps, schools, federations, dance studios, gymnastics clubs, swim schools, soccer academies, tennis clubs, parks and recreation departments and sports associations.

Source
Activity Messenger: Who built it?

Founded in Montreal in 2019 by Martin Drapeau, Olivier Rousseau and Michael Shpigelman. Drapeau was previously CTO of Amilia, where he spent six years growing the company from 15 to 110 people.

Source
Activity Messenger: What does it integrate with?

Stripe for payments, Zoom for online sessions on the Premium tier and above, and Canva for email design.

Source
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