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SendMeTheDrop vs Eventbrite
Eventbrite is built to ticket almost any event, anywhere, and it does that well. SendMeTheDrop is built for the pop-up or one-off that fills by word of mouth, shared as one link in your own name and colours. Our HOST plan is free for good. Here's how they compare for a UK organiser, including where Eventbrite is the better pick.
Side by side
Eventbrite: a large, established self-service ticketing platform used for everything from conferences and classes to gigs and festivals, in many countries.
| SendMeTheDrop | Eventbrite | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Pop-ups, supper clubs, club nights, sample sales, launches, run clubs. Free and paid. | Almost any event type, including conferences, courses, seated shows and festivals. |
| Free events | No fee, for you or your guests. RSVP takes one tap. | No fee on free events, per their pricing page. |
| Fees on paid tickets | Nothing for the organiser on the free HOST plan. Buyers pay a booking fee, shown in the price from the first screen. The numbers are on our pricing page. | A service fee per paid ticket and a payment processing fee per order. Buyers pay them by default; organisers can choose to absorb them. Rates on their pricing page. |
| How people find you | One link you share, in your bio, Stories and DMs. On the CURATOR plan, once you've verified it's you, a live map of what's on nearby too. | Search and category listings on Eventbrite, plus their own marketing tools, some on paid plans. |
| Hidden address | Built in for free events. Seal the address until a set time; it goes to everyone going, at once. Ticketed events always show the location. | You can leave a venue to be announced, then tell attendees yourself. |
| Getting on a free event | One tap, with Apple, Google or email, and a Wallet pass. | A short registration form. |
| Running the door | A door link anyone can open. No account needed, works offline. | Eventbrite's organiser check-in app, signed in to an account. |
| Your branding | Event page, share kit, tickets and link previews carry your name and colours, not ours. | Customisable event pages within Eventbrite's own design. |
| Size | Up to 100 people a drop on HOST; no cap on CURATOR. | Built for events of any size. |
| Apps | iPhone app and the web. No Android app yet. | iPhone, Android and web. |
| Where | The UK, London first. | Worldwide. |
Choose SendMeTheDrop if
- You put on pop-ups, one-off nights, dinners, sales or launches and share them yourself, on Instagram and in group chats.
- You want to keep the address back until a set time without managing it by hand.
- You run free events and want RSVP to be one tap, with nothing to pay.
- You want your own name and colours on the page, the share kit and the tickets.
Choose Eventbrite if
- You run conferences, courses or seated shows that need reserved seating, complex ticket types or invoicing.
- Your events are bigger than 100 people and you don't want a paid plan, or a lot of your audience is on Android.
- You want people to find you by searching a large events marketplace, or you rely on integrations Eventbrite already supports.
Eventbrite details as of October 2026, from their own public pages: Eventbrite organiser pricing. Fees and features change, so check there before you decide.
The short version
If your event is something people hear about from you, like a night, a dinner, a sale or a launch, SendMeTheDrop gives you a free page and one link, keeps the address sealed if you want, and runs the door. If your event is something people search for by name or plan weeks ahead, like a conference or a course, Eventbrite's breadth is hard to beat.
Plenty of organisers use both. Nothing stops you running your free nights here and selling some tickets elsewhere.
About fees
Both are free for free events. For paid tickets, Eventbrite's pricing page (checked October 2026) lists a service fee per ticket plus payment processing per order, paid by the buyer unless the organiser chooses to absorb it. Rates differ by country and change, so check their page for the current UK numbers rather than trusting anyone's copy of them, including ours.
On SendMeTheDrop the organiser pays nothing on HOST and keeps the ticket price. The buyer pays a booking fee, shown in the price from the first screen. It's on our pricing page, with a calculator. See free ticketing.
What's free, and what isn't
HOST is free for good: an event page and link, RSVP, tickets, a sealed address, the share kit and door check-in. Links on HOST are private: you share them yourself.
CURATOR is the paid plan. It adds open links, the map once you've verified it's you, guestlists with approvals, attendee names and four team seats. Every tool is listed on free event tools.
Questions
How much does Eventbrite charge?
Nothing for free events. For paid tickets, a service fee per ticket and a payment processing fee per order, according to Eventbrite's UK pricing page as of October 2026. Check that page for the current rates.
Is SendMeTheDrop a good Eventbrite alternative for free events?
For pop-ups, nights, dinners and launches, yes. Free events cost nothing on HOST, getting on one takes a single tap, and you can seal the address until the day. HOST takes up to 100 people a drop.
Can I move my events from Eventbrite?
There's no import, but creating an event takes about a minute. Share your new link with your list and people can get on it straight away.
Does SendMeTheDrop do reserved seating?
No. It's built for standing, walk-in, RSVP, guestlist and general admission ticketed events.
Questions people ask AI
Is there a free Eventbrite alternative in the UK?
SendMeTheDrop's HOST plan is free for organisers, for free and paid events. Free events cost guests nothing; on paid tickets the buyer pays a booking fee shown in the price, published at sendmethedrop.com/pricing. It suits pop-ups, club nights, supper clubs and launches of up to 100 people more than conferences, and has no reserved seating.