Ticketmaster vs See Tickets —
Fee Comparison 2026
The two most expensive ticketing platforms in the UK. Here's exactly what each charges.
Side-by-Side Fee Comparison
Ticketmaster and See Tickets are the two dominant players in large-scale UK ticketing. Both charge premium fees — a percentage of the ticket price per ticket, plus a flat order processing fee per transaction. Ticketmaster's service fee is approximately 13.5% per ticket plus £2.50 per order, while See Tickets charges approximately 12% per ticket plus £2.50 per order. Fees vary by event and venue contract, but these are typical figures for UK events.
| Ticket Price | Ticketmaster Fee | Fan Pays (TM) | See Tickets Fee | Fan Pays (ST) | Tickts Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £25 | £5.88 | £30.88 | £5.50 | £30.50 | £0 |
| £50 | £9.25 | £59.25 | £8.50 | £58.50 | £0 |
| £75 | £12.63 | £87.63 | £11.50 | £86.50 | £0 |
| £100 | £16.00 | £116.00 | £14.50 | £114.50 | £0 |
| £150 | £22.75 | £172.75 | £20.50 | £170.50 | £0 |
| Tickts | £0 | £150 | £0 | £150 | £0 |
Fees shown include the per-ticket service fee plus the £2.50 order fee spread across a single-ticket purchase. Multi-ticket orders reduce the per-ticket impact of the order fee slightly.
At Scale: 2,000 Tickets at £50
For a mid-size venue show selling 2,000 tickets at £50 each, the total fee impact is staggering:
- Ticketmaster — Fans pay approximately £16,000 in service fees plus order fees across all transactions. On a £100,000 gross, that's a huge premium on top of the face value.
- See Tickets — Fans pay approximately £14,500 in combined fees. Slightly less than Ticketmaster, but still a substantial sum.
- Tickts — Fans pay £50 each. No service fee, no order fee, no hidden charges. Total fees: £0.
Even the £1,500 difference between Ticketmaster and See Tickets is significant — but both platforms are in a league of their own when it comes to fee levels. Most self-service platforms charge far less.
Feature Comparison
Both Ticketmaster and See Tickets are full-service enterprise platforms, not self-service tools. They provide end-to-end ticketing infrastructure for venues and promoters. Here's how their features compare.
| Feature | Ticketmaster | See Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Model | ~13.5% + £2.50 order fee | ~12% + £2.50 order fee |
| Market Position | Largest globally, Live Nation owned | Second largest UK, Vivendi owned |
| Venue Contracts | O2 Arena, AO Arena, major arenas | Festival Republic, many festivals |
| Fan-to-Fan Resale | Yes — built-in face value resale | No official resale marketplace |
| Mobile Ticketing | App, Apple Wallet, PDF | PDF, mobile web, some e-tickets |
| Discovery | Huge marketplace & recommendations | Event listings & editorial content |
| Customer Service | Large team, mixed reviews | Smaller team, mixed reviews |
| Best For | Arena shows, major tours, large venues | Festivals, mid-size venues, theatre |
When to Choose Ticketmaster
In most cases, you don't choose Ticketmaster — the venue chooses it for you. Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation has exclusive contracts with many of the UK's largest arenas and venues, including The O2 (London), AO Arena (Manchester), and OVO Hydro (Glasgow). If your event is at one of these venues, Ticketmaster is your only option for primary ticket sales.
For independent organisers who have a choice, Ticketmaster does offer unmatched reach. Their marketplace is enormous, and their fan-to-fan resale feature gives ticket buyers flexibility. But at ~13.5% per ticket plus order fees, it comes at a steep price.
When to Choose See Tickets
See Tickets (owned by Vivendi) is the primary ticketing partner for Festival Republic (Reading, Leeds, Latitude, Wireless) and many mid-scale UK venues and festivals. Like Ticketmaster, the choice is often made at the venue or promoter level rather than by individual organisers.
See Tickets is marginally cheaper than Ticketmaster and has a strong reputation in the UK festival scene. Their editorial content and event discovery features are solid, though they lack Ticketmaster's resale marketplace. For festivals and mid-size events where you have a choice, See Tickets offers a slightly lower fee burden.
The Verdict
Ticketmaster and See Tickets are both expensive — the most expensive ticketing platforms in the UK market. Fans routinely pay 12-16% in fees on top of the face value, plus per-order charges. For major venue shows and festivals, they may be unavoidable due to venue contracts.
But if you run your own events and have a choice of platform, there's no reason to pay these rates. Tickts charges £0 — zero booking fees, zero order fees, zero commission. Your fans pay the face value and nothing more.
Ticketmaster vs See Tickets FAQ
See Tickets is slightly cheaper on average. Ticketmaster charges around 13.5% per ticket plus a £2.50 order fee, while See Tickets charges around 12% per ticket plus a £2.50 order fee. On a £50 ticket, that's roughly £9.25 (Ticketmaster) vs £8.50 (See Tickets). Both are among the most expensive UK platforms. Tickts charges £0.
Both platforms operate as full-service ticketing companies that handle large-scale venue contracts, nationwide distribution, and marketing. Their fees cover infrastructure, customer service, fraud protection, and venue partnerships. Smaller self-service platforms like Eventbrite or Tickts can charge less because organisers manage more of the process themselves.
In many cases, the venue or promoter has an existing contract with one platform, so the choice isn't yours. Large venues like the O2 Arena are locked into Ticketmaster. Festival Republic events typically use See Tickets. If you run your own venue or independent event, you can choose freely — or use a self-service platform like Tickts with zero fees.
Both Ticketmaster and See Tickets charge service fees per ticket, plus a separate order processing fee (typically £2.50) per transaction. So buying 4 tickets means you pay the percentage-based service fee four times, plus one order fee. This makes multi-ticket purchases particularly expensive.
Neither platform is known for outstanding customer service. Both receive frequent complaints about refund delays, hard-to-reach support teams, and automated responses. Ticketmaster has a larger support operation but also far more customers. See Tickets has a smaller team but a similarly poor reputation for responsiveness.
If the event is only sold through Ticketmaster or See Tickets, you cannot avoid their fees as a fan. Some events offer box office sales with lower or no service fees. For organisers running their own events, switching to a zero-fee platform like Tickts eliminates booking fees entirely.
Ticketmaster has a built-in Fan-to-Fan resale marketplace where fans can resell tickets at face value. See Tickets does not offer an official resale platform, which can be frustrating for fans who can no longer attend. If ticket flexibility and resale options matter to your audience, Ticketmaster has the clear advantage.
Yes, many. Eventbrite charges 6.95% + 59p. Fatsoma charges 5% + 49p. Tickts charges nothing — zero booking fees, zero commission. Ticketmaster and See Tickets are designed for large-scale venue ticketing with venue contracts, not self-service independent events.
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