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Meetup vs Brown Paper Tickets

Meetup logo

Meetup

Software

Find your people

From
$55/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
B

Brown Paper Tickets

Software

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: Meetup organizer fees tripled following Bending Spoons acquisition in 2024; 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: Meetup covers Groups, Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Meetup and Brown Paper Tickets differ
AttributeMeetupBrown Paper Tickets
Starting price$55/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknowntransaction
Free tierNoYes
Founded20022000

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

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 Meetup

  • Groups
  • Events
  • RSVP System
  • Messaging
  • Event Photos
  • Recommendations
  • Google Calendar
  • Zoom

Only in Brown Paper Tickets

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

Both cover

  • Ios support
  • Android support
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Meetup

  • Finding local groups and events around a shared interestnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • Organising a recurring in-person groupnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • Running online events alongside physical onesnot Brown Paper Tickets
  • Growing a community by drawing on Meetup's existing member basenot Brown Paper Tickets

Brown Paper Tickets

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

Where each one falls short

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

Meetup

  • Organizer fees tripled following Bending Spoons acquisition in 2024
  • Increased paywalling of core community features
  • Platform is buggy with many unfixed issues
  • Customer support no longer available with AI responses only
  • Issues with billing accuracy and unauthorized recurring charges
  • Poor technical support responsiveness to organizer complaints

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

Meetup

$55/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Meetup review.

Brown Paper Tickets

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Meetup if

  • You need groups.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want events.
Meetup 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 Meetup or Brown Paper Tickets better?
Neither clearly leads. Meetup starts at $55/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, Meetup or Brown Paper Tickets?
Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $55/month for Meetup and Free for Brown Paper Tickets.
Does Meetup or Brown Paper Tickets run on more platforms?
Meetup 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. Meetup starts at $55/month.
What is Meetup best used for?
Meetup is most often used for finding local groups and events around a shared interest, organising a recurring in-person group, running online events alongside physical ones, growing a community by drawing on meetup's existing member base. Of those, finding local groups and events around a shared interest and organising a recurring in-person group are not what Brown Paper Tickets is typically brought in for.
What can Meetup do that Brown Paper Tickets cannot?
Meetup covers Groups, Events, RSVP System, Messaging. Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Will call, Seating charts, Reporting. Both handle Ios support, Android support, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Meetup: What is Meetup Pro pricing?

Meetup Pro starts at $55 per group per month, or $47 per group per month for six-month commitments. Enterprise plans are available at custom pricing. A one-week free trial is offered.

Source
Meetup: What features does Meetup Pro include?

Meetup Pro includes event scheduling, group management, member engagement tools, community-building features, and integrations with platforms like Zoom and Mailchimp.

Source
Meetup: Does Meetup charge organizers fees?

Yes, Meetup charges organizers fees for hosting groups and events. Organizer fees have increased significantly following the Bending Spoons acquisition in 2024.

Source
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Related pages

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