Event Management · head to head
Planning Pod vs Brown Paper Tickets
B
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: Planning Pod subscription pricing is metered by concurrent event volume rather than seats: the vendor states "Subscription pricing is based on the number of events your venue manages at any given time" and that "most single-location venues land between $199 and $319 per month."; 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: Planning Pod covers Lead management, Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Planning Pod and Brown Paper Tickets actually diverge.
| Attribute | Planning Pod | Brown Paper Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $59/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | transaction |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Founded | 2012 | 2000 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Planning Pod
- Lead management
- Floor plans
- Budgeting
- Timeline
- Client portal
- QuickBooks
- Stripe
- Google Calendar
Only in Brown Paper Tickets
- Ticketing
- Will call
- Seating charts
- Reporting
- Customer service
- Google Analytics
- Mailchimp
Both cover
- PayPal
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Planning Pod
- 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
Brown Paper Tickets
- Selling tickets for events, performances and workshopsnot Planning Pod
- Handling ticket distribution and door lists for independent organisersnot Planning Pod
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Planning Pod
- Subscription pricing is metered by concurrent event volume rather than seats: the vendor states "Subscription pricing is based on the number of events your venue manages at any given time" and that "most single-location venues land between $199 and $319 per month."
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
Planning Pod
$59/month- Planner$59/month
- Basic planning tools
- 5 events
- Email support
- Professional$99/month
- Unlimited events
- Floor plans
- Budget tracking
- Business$199/month
- Team features
- Client portal
- API access
Brown Paper Tickets
Free- StandardFree
- $0.99 + 5% per ticket
- Free events free
- All features
Which should you pick?
Choose Planning Pod if
- You need lead management.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want floor plans.
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 Planning Pod or Brown Paper Tickets better?
- Neither clearly leads. Planning Pod starts at $59/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, Planning Pod or Brown Paper Tickets?
- Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $59/month for Planning Pod and Free for Brown Paper Tickets.
- Does Planning Pod or Brown Paper Tickets run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Brown Paper Tickets for free?
- Yes. Brown Paper Tickets has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Planning Pod starts at $59/month.
- What is Planning Pod best used for?
- Planning Pod is most often used for event planning, ticket sales, attendee management, virtual events. Of those, event planning and ticket sales are not what Brown Paper Tickets is typically brought in for.
- What can Planning Pod do that Brown Paper Tickets cannot?
- Planning Pod covers Lead management, Floor plans, Budgeting, Timeline. Brown Paper Tickets covers Ticketing, Will call, Seating charts, Reporting. Both handle PayPal, Web support, Ios support, Android support.