Event and ticketing platforms compared
6 products in this category, with each vendor's own published pricing and the date it was checked, plus Dawat for reference. Public-event platforms. Built for ticket sales and registration, not for a guest list you already have.
Dawat is included for reference: free at every guest count, 53 card designs, unlimited guests, per-guest personal links and RSVP tracking, with no per-recipient charge.
| Product | Pricing | 100 guests | Charges per guest | RSVP tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawat | Free at every guest count. Signature experiences are $89 once per event. | Free | No | Yes |
| Cvent | Unknown. Cvent publishes no prices: its pricing page lists Professional and Enterprise tiers and a 'Get a free quote'… | Unknown | Not published | Yes |
| Eventbrite | Free events cost nothing; paid tickets carry a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket plus 2.9% payment processing per o… | Free (free event); ~$344 for 100 paid $25 tickets | Partial | Yes |
| Eventzilla | Free events are free. Paid registrations cost $1.50 each on Basic, 1.9% + $1.50 on Pro, and 2.9% + $1.50 on Plus; an … | Free (free event); $150 for 100 paid registrations on Basic | Partial | Yes |
| Luma | Free forever plan with unlimited events and guests and a 5% platform fee on paid events; Luma Plus is $59/month bille… | Free (RSVP event); $125 platform fee on 100 paid $25 tickets | No | Yes |
| Posh | Free events carry a $0 fee. Paid tickets carry a 10% + $0.99 platform fee, charged to the buyer and shown all-in; a $… | Free (free event); ~$349 in buyer-paid fees on 100 $25 tickets | Partial | Yes |
| Splash | Splash publishes two tiers, Pro and Enterprise, and no prices for either; both are sold through sales with a demo. It… | Unknown | No | Yes |
How pricing works in event and ticketing platforms
Of the 6 products in this category, 0 charge per recipient or per printed card. 4 can send an invitation without payment: Eventbrite, Eventzilla, Luma and Posh. Dawat is free at every guest count.
2 of them do not publish a price you can check before committing: Cvent and Splash. Quote-only pricing is a reasonable model for enterprise software and a bad sign for a single celebration.
On the guest side, 1 of 6 let a guest reply without an account, 0 tell you who opened the invitation, and 3 let you ask your own questions such as meal choice or which nights someone is coming. Those three are what decide whether you spend the week before the event chasing people.
At a 250-guest list the published range in this category runs from Free (RSVP event); $312.50 platform fee on 250 paid $25 tickets on Luma to Free (free event); ~$872.50 in buyer-paid fees on 250 $25 tickets on Posh. The same invitation, the same guests, 2.8 times apart.
What to check before you pick one
- For a free event, confirm there is genuinely no fee rather than a waived one.
- Read the per-ticket fee as a percentage of your actual ticket price.
- Check whether attendees must create an account to register.
- Confirm the product can handle a private guest list, not just a public listing.
Dawat answers all of these the same way: nothing to pay at any guest count, no account for guests, your own RSVP questions, and a per-guest view of who was sent the invitation, who opened it and who replied.
Head-to-head within this category
Each one against Dawat
Cvent
Enterprise event management platform covering registration, attendee engagement, check-in and badging, and event reporting. Unknown. Cvent publishes no prices: its pricing page lists Professional and Enterprise tiers and a 'Get a free quote' form, with special rates for non-profits.
Pick it when: Enterprise and association event teams running large, compliance-sensitive event programmes with dedicated planners. Skip it when: Anyone hosting a single small or personal event who needs a price before talking to a salesperson.
Dawat vs Cvent → · Cvent alternatives →
Eventbrite
Public ticketing marketplace with event pages, paid ticket sales, check-in tools, and a consumer discovery app. Free events cost nothing; paid tickets carry a 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket plus 2.9% payment processing per order. Eventbrite Premium is $69/month or $708/year in the US.
Pick it when: Organizers selling paid tickets to a public or semi-public audience who want discovery, checkout, and check-in in one place. Skip it when: Hosts of private, invitation-only gatherings who want a curated guest list rather than a public ticket page.
Dawat vs Eventbrite → · Eventbrite alternatives →
Eventzilla
Event registration and ticketing platform with forms, agendas, seating, check-in, and email invitations for conferences and classes. Free events are free. Paid registrations cost $1.50 each on Basic, 1.9% + $1.50 on Pro, and 2.9% + $1.50 on Plus; an annual plan is $1,999/year including 500 registrations.
Pick it when: Conference, workshop, and training organisers who want low flat per-registration pricing and detailed registration forms. Skip it when: Someone sending a personal celebration invitation who wants stationery-grade design rather than a registration page.
Dawat vs Eventzilla → · Eventzilla alternatives →
Luma
Event pages and calendars with RSVP, invites, ticketing, and check-in, popular with tech meetups and community organizers. Free forever plan with unlimited events and guests and a 5% platform fee on paid events; Luma Plus is $59/month billed annually and drops the platform fee to 0%.
Pick it when: Community, meetup, and startup organizers who want a fast, free event page with invites and light ticketing. Skip it when: Hosts wanting formal stationery-style invitations or a strictly locked invitation-only guest list per recipient.
Dawat vs Luma → · Luma alternatives →
Posh
Social event platform for nightlife and IRL experiences, with ticket sales, promoter kickbacks, SMS, and instant payouts. Free events carry a $0 fee. Paid tickets carry a 10% + $0.99 platform fee, charged to the buyer and shown all-in; a $30 ticket carries a $3.99 fee.
Pick it when: Nightlife, party, and club promoters who want fast payouts, SMS reach, and a promoter-driven ticket flow. Skip it when: Hosts of private family or wedding-style invitations, where a buyer account and phone verification are unwelcome friction.
Dawat vs Posh → · Posh alternatives →
Splash
Event marketing platform for branded event pages, registration, email reminders, on-site check-in, and badge management. Splash publishes two tiers, Pro and Enterprise, and no prices for either; both are sold through sales with a demo. Its pricing page promises unlimited events and unlimited registrations with no hidden fees.
Pick it when: Corporate field-marketing and demand-generation teams running recurring, on-brand event programmes at scale. Skip it when: Individuals and small hosts who need a published price and self-serve signup for a single event.
Dawat vs Splash → · Splash alternatives →
Alternatives guides
Questions
Which event and ticketing platform is cheapest?
Of the 6 compared here, none cost nothing to send at 100 guests. Dawat is free at every guest count with no per-recipient charge.
Which of these charge per guest?
None of them bill by recipient or per printed card. On those, the price is set by your guest count rather than by what you picked.
What is the best free option in this category?
Dawat: free at every guest count, 53 card designs, unlimited guests and sends, per-guest personal links and full RSVP tracking, with no card required. This page is published by Dawat; the sources for every competitor figure are linked on each comparison.
Create your invitation — free →Unlimited guests. No card required.