Softwr

Event Management · head to head

Brown Paper Tickets vs Hopin

B

Brown Paper Tickets

Event Management

The fair-trade ticketing company

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hopin logo

Hopin

Webinar & Virtual Events

Virtual and hybrid events at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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; Hopin platform complexity with feature breadth that results in no single feature being particularly strong compared to specialized competitors
  • They diverge on capability: Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Hopin covers Virtual stages.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Brown Paper Tickets and Hopin differ
AttributeBrown Paper TicketsHopin
Pricing modeltransactionUnknown
CategoryEvent ManagementWebinar & Virtual Events
Founded20002019

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Hopin

  • Virtual stages
  • Networking sessions
  • Expo areas
  • Breakout rooms
  • Live streaming
  • Stripe
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce

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 Hopin
  • Handling ticket distribution and door lists for independent organisersnot Hopin

Hopin

  • 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

Hopin

  • Platform complexity with feature breadth that results in no single feature being particularly strong compared to specialized competitors
  • Hard registration caps with additional charges if events exceed 100 registrations
  • Post-acquisition delays with slow account activation taking up to 45 days and slow responses to onboarding questions
  • High pricing particularly problematic for organizations running occasional or simple webinars
  • No Facebook or YouTube live streaming integration and limited caption support for accessibility

Pricing, plan by plan

Brown Paper Tickets

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

Hopin

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Hopin review.

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.
Brown Paper Tickets review

Choose Hopin if

  • You need virtual stages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want networking sessions.
Hopin review

Questions people ask

Is Brown Paper Tickets or Hopin better?
Neither clearly leads. Brown Paper Tickets starts at Free and Hopin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Brown Paper Tickets or Hopin?
Brown Paper Tickets starts at Free and Hopin at Free.
Does Brown Paper Tickets or Hopin run on more platforms?
Brown Paper Tickets runs on Web, Ios, Android. Hopin runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Brown Paper Tickets for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Hopin is typically brought in for.
What can Brown Paper Tickets do that Hopin cannot?
Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Will call, Seating charts, Reporting. Hopin covers Virtual stages, Networking sessions, Expo areas, Breakout rooms. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hopin: What is Hopin's pricing?

Hopin (now RingCentral Events) starts at approximately $99 per organizer per month (billed annually) for the Events Pro plan, with higher tiers at $199 and $299 per month adding onsite capabilities and advanced integrations. A free plan is available with limited features.

Source
Hopin: What features does Hopin include?

Hopin provides registration, live streaming, networking tools (1:1 video matchmaking, breakout rooms), virtual reception and expo areas, real-time analytics and reporting, and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot.

Source
Hopin: Can Hopin live stream to Facebook or YouTube?

No. Hopin does not offer native options to live stream video conferencing directly to Facebook or YouTube. This requires manual setup or third-party solutions.

Source
Hopin: Does Hopin provide automated captions during events?

Hopin does not offer built-in caption support across all features, which is a limitation for accessibility and engagement during live sessions.

Source
Hopin: Who acquired Hopin?

RingCentral acquired Hopin in late 2023. The platform is now sold as RingCentral Events with ongoing support and updates managed by RingCentral.

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