Event Management · head to head
Brown Paper Tickets vs Brella
Brown Paper Tickets
Event Management
The fair-trade ticketing company
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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; Brella limited feature set compared to full-featured event management platforms
- They diverge on capability: Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Brella covers AI matchmaking.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Brown Paper Tickets and Brella actually diverge.
| Attribute | Brown Paper Tickets | Brella |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | $2500/event |
| Pricing model | transaction | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Web |
| Founded | 2000 | 2016 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Event Management).
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 Brown Paper Tickets
- Ticketing
- Will call
- Seating charts
- Reporting
- Customer service
- PayPal
- Google Analytics
- Mailchimp
Only in Brella
- AI matchmaking
- 1:1 meeting scheduler
- Intent data
- Sponsor promotion
- Analytics dashboard
- Salesforce
- HubSpot
- Eventbrite
Both cover
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Brown Paper Tickets
- Selling tickets for events, performances and workshopsnot Brella
- Handling ticket distribution and door lists for independent organisersnot Brella
Brella
- Event planningnot Brown Paper Tickets
- Ticket salesnot Brown Paper Tickets
- Attendee managementnot Brown Paper Tickets
- Virtual eventsnot Brown Paper Tickets
- Event marketingnot Brown Paper Tickets
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Brella
- Limited feature set compared to full-featured event management platforms
- No trial version available
- English language only, no multilingual support
- Pricing not transparent; custom quotes only without public pricing
Pricing, plan by plan
Brown Paper Tickets
Free- StandardFree
- $0.99 + 5% per ticket
- Free events free
- All features
Brella
$2500/event- Essential$2500/event
- AI matchmaking
- 1:1 meetings
- Event app
- Professional$5000/event
- Advanced matching
- Sponsor features
- Analytics
- Enterprise$10000/event
- Custom development
- API access
- White-label
Which should you pick?
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Brown Paper Tickets or Brella better?
- Neither clearly leads. Brown Paper Tickets starts at Free and Brella at $2500/event, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Brown Paper Tickets or Brella?
- Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Brown Paper Tickets and $2500/event for Brella.
- Does Brown Paper Tickets or Brella run on more platforms?
- Brown Paper Tickets runs on Web, Ios, Android. Brella runs on Web.
- Can I use Brown Paper Tickets for free?
- Yes. Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Brella starts at $2500/event.
- What is Brown Paper Tickets best used for?
- Brown Paper Tickets is most often used for selling tickets for events, performances and workshops, handling ticket distribution and door lists for independent organisers. Of those, selling tickets for events, performances and workshops and handling ticket distribution and door lists for independent organisers are not what Brella is typically brought in for.
- What can Brown Paper Tickets do that Brella cannot?
- Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Will call, Seating charts, Reporting. Brella covers AI matchmaking, 1:1 meeting scheduler, Intent data, Sponsor promotion. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Brella: Does Brella offer a free trial?
No. Brella does not offer a trial version, so potential customers cannot test the platform before committing.
SourceBrella: How is Brella priced?
Brella uses custom, per-attendee pricing with no publicly displayed rates. The final price depends on total attendees and consulting services selected. Third-party estimates suggest $5,000 to $25,000+ per event.
SourceBrella: What languages does Brella support?
Brella currently supports English only, which may limit international organizations or multilingual attendees.
SourceBrella: What integrations does Brella offer?
Brella integrates with event registration platforms Eventbrite, Swoogo, and Tito; CRM platforms Salesforce Data Cloud and HubSpot CRM; WooCommerce for e-commerce; and Zapier for general automation.
SourceBrella: Who is Brella best suited for?
Brella is recommended for large conferences and trade shows with 5,000+ attendees, particularly those with sponsorship inventory and investor meeting requirements.
Source