StubHub vs Ticketmaster – An In-depth Comparison (2024)

Sports, music concerts, theater, and comedy are always on our minds. These high-demand events are easy to miss because tickets sell out fast.

But with online ticket marketplaces like StubHub and Ticketmaster, you can purchase a ticket from your home’s comfort and attend the event you love. The best part is you can sell the ticket if you don’t want to attend the event for any reason.

These platforms display live events closest to you. So, you only need to grab a ticket and attend. But should you use Ticketmaster or StubHub?

In this article, I will compare StubHub vs Ticketmaster and help you decide wisely.

Let’s dive in.

StubHub vs Ticketmaster: An Overview

StubHub

StubHub is an American company for buying and selling tickets online. Eric Baker and Jeff Fluhr founded the company in 2000 in San Francisco.

Through their platform, you can buy or sell tickets for sports, theater performances, concerts, and more. StubHub is a secondary ticket marketplace, meaning they purchase tickets from box offices and sell them to users at a profit.

They also allow ticket resale, where ticket holders can sign up and list tickets at a preferred price for buyers to browse and purchase.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster is a renowned ticket platform facilitating ticket sales for different events, such as theater performances, sporting events, concerts, and other live entertainment activities.

College staffers Albert Leffler and Peter Gadwa, and Gordon Gun III, a businessman, founded Ticketmaster in 1976 in Arizona. Since its inception, the company has grown into one of the world’s largest ticketing platforms.

Ticketmaster is both a primary and secondary ticket market. As a primary ticket market, Ticketmaster sells tickets directly from event venues and organizers at their face value.

Ticketmaster’s standard tickets are owned by their clients, including sports teams, event venues, and other event promoters. These entities determine how many tickets should be sold and for how much.

As a secondary ticket market, Ticketmaster lets people purchase and resell tickets that they have.

Also Read: Is Viagogo Legit For Buying Tickets?

Why Compare StubHub and Ticketmaster?

Comparing ticket marketplaces helps you to make quick decisions regarding which platform has the events you prefer.

As a ticket buyer, you need to know which platform has an effortless buying process, has reasonable ticket prices, can get you tickets even when the event is sold out, has a fair guarantee policy, lets you resell tickets if you want to, and helps out when you encounter a problem.

As a ticket seller, comparing the two ticketing platforms helps you know which platform is easy to use, has the best ticket prices to help you make a profit, and has responsive customer support.

Ticket Availability and Selection

StubHub

Whether you love sports, stand-up comedy, music concerts, or theater performances, you will find event tickets in these categories on StubHub.

Sports fans can browse tickets for games like NFL, NHL, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, motorsports, MLB, and more. The best part is you can browse sports by your favorite team.

Music lovers have a variety, including R&B, rap and hip-hop, country and folk, rock and pop, and festivals. You can select tickets by choosing your best artist, from 50 Cent to Foreigner to Lord Huron and The Killers.

Are you a theater person who prefers musicals, operas, comedies, and family-focused performances? StubHub has everything for you in these categories.

Tickets are available for most events and in different cities. Finding tickets for events closest to you is easy; browse by city.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster offers tickets for various events, including sports, concerts, art and theater, and family.

If you love sports like hockey, soccer, swimming, cricket, bodybuilding, cycling, badminton, tennis, skiing, martial arts, lacrosse, ski jumping, golf, wrestling, netball, and more, you can buy tickets from Ticketmaster.

The Music Event category on this platform is insane. You can find reggae, classical, alternative, dance, electronic, jazz, metal, hip-hop and rap, new age, Latin, R&B, rock, folk, and more.

The Art and Theater category features events for categories like multimedia, fine art, children’s theater, comedy, dance, culture, and more.

Finally, the Family category lets you purchase tickets for fairs and festivals, children’s music, ice shows, rodeo, magic and illusion, and more.

Enter your location to see the events nearest to you.

Comparison

Both StubHub and Ticketmaster provide a wide selection of tickets from event categories, including sports, concerts, theater, and family. The event and ticket availability depends on your location and the event’s demand.

Pricing and Fees

StubHub

Pricing

On StubHub, sellers who list tickets on the site determine ticket pricing. StubHub is a secondary ticket marketplace that doesn’t set tickets’ initial pricing. Instead, sellers set the prices depending on the market conditions, event demand, seat location, and supply and demand dynamics.

Sellers also consider market prices, projected profit margins, and the event’s desirability. Obviously, tickets for events run by big celebrities like Beyonce or Taylor Swift will cost more than events by up-and-coming artists.

Besides, supply and demand dynamics affect ticket prices. Generally, prices rise as the event date draws near and the number of tickets decreases in number. For sold-out or highly popular events, ticket prices may increase because of limited supply and high demand.

StubHub shows ticket prices clearly after you click on an event. This transparency lets buyers scan and compare ticket prices, choosing one that meets their needs.

Fees

StubHub charges fees in addition to the ticket price. The fees cover customer support, buyer protection, and transaction processing.

StubHub doesn’t charge buyers specific fees; the fees can vary depending on the ticket price and event popularity.

On the other hand, sellers don’t pay fees for listing tickets on the platform. StubHub only charges a fee after a ticket sale. The fees depend on the event location and ticket price.

Ticketmaster

Pricing

Ticketmaster sells tickets at their face value, the base ticket price is determined by their clients (event organizers). The ticket face value can be adjusted based on seat location, the nature of the event, taxes, and demand.

On the other hand, the seller determines the ticket listing price, which may include season ticket holders or fans.

Fees

Ticketmaster charges fees, including an order processing fee or service fee. The company collaborates with its clients (event organizers) to determine the fees.

Their clients get a cut of the fees charged in exchange for Ticketmaster selling their tickets. Ticketmaster uses the fees to provide the equipment, software, support, and services to manage its clients’ box office and tickets.

They also use it to provide clients with a sales network to distribute tickets to event fans. What remains, along with other revenue sources, is what Ticketmaster takes as profit.

Ticketmaster also charges delivery fees determined by its clients. The fees vary from event to event and depend on the selected delivery method.

Deliver methods include will-call pickup, US mail, UPS, mobile tickets, and print-at-home. The UPS delivery fee often doesn’t reflect the exact cost UPS charges for ticket delivery. It may include Ticketmaster’s profit, as well.

Event promoters or organizers may also include a facility fee in the ticket purchase. The extra fees help clients handle venue operations.

The facility charge varies from event to event. It can be lowered or raised over time. Ticketmaster collects facility charges for venues and doesn’t benefit from it.

Moreover, state, city, or local taxes are usually part of the ticket’s fees. In some places, taxes are charged separately.

Comparison

StubHub has a more straightforward and precise pricing model than Ticketmaster. Clients have a more significant say on Ticketmaster’s pricing, as Ticketmaster sells tickets at the clients’ face value. On the other hand, Ticketmaster’s pricing is determined by sellers and includes more fee types than StubHub.

Buying Experience and Ease of Use

StubHub

StubHub makes ticket purchase and resale a breeze. Let’s start with buying. The website’s interface is simple, with the most essential buttons at the top.

The search bar saves time. Type the name of your preferred event, team, or artist to purchase tickets in minutes. You can also hover the mouse on sports, concerts, and theater and comedy categories to see a dropdown list of events listed by artists for concerts and comedy or teams for sports.

Their location tag and date options also make ticket browsing and purchase easy.

Before you start the search, you will see StubHub’s display of event pictures and names in rows according to categories. If you have used Netflix, you can use StubHub, as the interfaces look similar.

Under the All Events section, you can search events by price, venue, dates, and location.

I like their recently viewed and recommended-for-you sections, which display events based on your recent searches.

Clicking on an event opens a page with more info, such as the date, day, and time. You also see the exact venue and the number of people who viewed the event in the last hour (for high-demand events). The number of teams or artists’ total upcoming events is indicated too.

If an event is selling fast, you also see a message near it in the listing

If you like the date, click on that row, and you will see a pop-up window that shows the number of seats to select and the ‘continue’ button.

Clicking on continue takes you to the event venue visual map showing available and unavailable seats.

The page also shows a price-per-ticket filter that you can drag and hold to see the seats within a specific price range.

You can also toggle on other filters, such as recommended tickets, seat positions (like the center aisle, partial suite, aisle seat, etc.), zones, seat map options, price display, and multiple selections.

The most exciting feature is the unrestricted view that appears right below the section/row number adjacent to pricing. It shows an actual photo of the venue from your preferred seat.

Ticketmaster

Navigating Ticketmaster to purchase a ticket is easy and enjoyable. Enter your location so the platform can display events closest to you.

After entering the location, Ticketmaster displays trending events as photos of famous events in your area. For example, you will see the names of popular teams and the number of events under sports.

For concerts, you will see some of the biggest names in the industry, along with their photos and the number of events. The same happens for arts and theater and family categories.

Want to find an event even quicker? Use the search bar to type in the name of your favorite venue, artist, team, or venue, and the results will appear for you to select and buy a ticket.

Ticketmaster makes it easy to understand an event and the performer behind it. How? After clicking on your favorite performer or team, you will see a tab showing the number of events, reviews, and bio.

I wanted to see which concerts are near Los Angeles. So, I selected Pink, and the next page showed she had 64 events and 10,000 reviews. I also clicked the bio button to see a detailed story of her career life from inception to date.

On the same page, I saw a list of events for Pink, and next to each, there’s a prominent blue ‘See Tickets’ button to the right.

Clicking on this button displays a page with the venue’s visual map. You can see seat numbers by their position and color. Blue means available, and gray means unavailable.

You can adjust the pricing range to find seats within your budget. You can also select the number of tickets.

I also noticed Ticketmaster displays two columns for available seats: lowest price and best seats (pricey), making selection easier. After selecting a seat, you will see the total cost, which includes fees.

Also Read: Is Stubhub Legit For Tickets Resale?

Comparison

Both platforms have an intuitive interface for effortless event selection and ticket buying and selling.

Mobile Apps

StubHub

You can access StubHub from Android or iOS devices. The Android app has these features:

• Event recommendations are based on what you play on Spotify and the music you download.
• You can also see what your friends prefer and the events they are attending.
• A 3-D, virtual venue view from your selected section
• Event categories based on your mood or interests
• My tickets feature lets you view and track mobile tickets
• The sell tickets option lets you list and manage tickets and view sales
• Barcode scanning to attract more buyers

Like Android, the iOS app lets you view venues and event categories and list tickets you want to sell.

You can download both apps for free.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster has a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. Both mobile apps let you view, manage, or use your ticket quickly.

The app shows a clear and up-close view of the venue and notifies you early about exclusive access to various event presales.

Mobile apps let you select your favorite events and get updates from when they are announced to when the tickets are available.

Did you buy extra tickets and want to give them out? With a couple of taps, you can transfer tickets to friends. If you can’t attend the show, no problem. You can sell your tickets directly through the mobile app.

Besides, you don’t have to print tickets to enter a venue. Your phone is the ticket. Ticketmaster uses SafeTix technology to generate encrypted tickets you can email or text anyone. The tickets have a barcode that refreshes every few seconds, preventing theft or copying.

Comparison

Ticketmaster and StubHub have excellent mobile apps, but Ticketmaster’s SafeTix feature is outstanding for enhancing ticket security.

Ticket Guarantees and Customer Support

StubHub

StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee assures users of valid tickets to their selected events or get money back.

Sometimes, you can purchase a ticket, and the seller fails to deliver. In that case, you can receive a replacement from StubHub. The replacement depends on the initial ticket’s price.

However, if no replacements are available or plans change and you don’t want to attend, StubHub will refund you.

What if the event gets canceled or is rescheduled? Expect a whopping 120% credit for your ticket purchase. Want a refund instead? They can process that too!

Contacting StubHub customer care is easy: log into your account and send a message or just call. You can also email or get help from the community.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster provides a Fan Guarantee that allows you to refund a purchase within 24 hours of the purchase time. Tickets less than 14 days before the booked event can’t be refunded. Fill out this form to request a refund.

Ticketmaster states that each household can only access one refund per month and up to three refunds per year.

So, what do you do if you no longer intend to attend the event past 24 hours from the time of purchase and less than 14 days to the material day?

Well, in that case, Ticketmaster allows you to sell the tickets. And if you purchased more than one ticket, but your friends won’t be arriving at the same time, Ticketmaster lets you transfer the tickets via Ticket Transfer. This option saves you the hassle of distributing tickets when at the venue.

Please note the return of right doesn’t apply to tickets sold through the Ticket Resale or transferred through Ticket Transfer.

Ticketmaster guarantees 100% valid and official tickets that will grant you access to the event you bought them for.

You can chat with customer support after signing into your account. Submit a form if you can’t sign in or have no ticket.

Comparison

This StubHub vs Ticketmaster comparison shows StubHub’s refund and guarantee policy is less-restrictive and friendlier than Ticketmaster’s. Plus, StubHub has more and better customer support options than Ticketmaster.

Secondary Market Options and Reselling

StubHub

You can resell tickets on StubHub if you purchased them but no longer wish to attend the event or if you bought several tickets and want to sell some.

The process is straightforward:

• Navigate to ‘My Tickets’ and tap orders
• From the order details, choose ‘Sell your ticket’
• Next, set your ticket price and payout method
• Tap ‘List Tickets’ to go to the ‘Edit listing’ page to adjust each ticket’s price
• Save the changes

Based on the ticket types purchased, the relisting process may automatically deliver your tickets to the buyer or require that you deliver them yourself. In the latter case, StubHub will email you more instructions.

You can list tickets on StubHub using different forms like barcodes, mobile transfer, mobile QR, and more.

StubHub also allows reselling of tickets purchased from Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster allows ticket resale but only for some events. It’s easy to find out which event organizer allows ticket resale.

• Go to My Account and sign in
• Tap the My Tickets section to find your order and click See Details
• Tap Sell Tickets. If this button is grayed out, doesn’t display, or you receive a message stating the event organizer has not enabled a resale, you can’t resell the ticket.
• If it’s available, choose the tickets you wish to sell and click Continue.
• Follow the prompts to select the pricing and payout option
• Review the listing

Ticketmaster will deposit the payout five to seven days after people buy your tickets. Did you post tickets by barcode? Expect a payout five to seven days after the event occurs.

You can also list your tickets by barcode by following this procedure.

Comparison

Both platforms are secondary ticket marketplaces that engage in reselling. The reselling process is easy for both.

Recap – StubHub vs Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster and StubHub are both easy to use, have a wide selection of events, and can let you sell tickets. StubHub has a straightforward fee structure and a friendly customer support and refund policy.

On the other hand, Ticketmaster scores high for integrating SafeTix technology to enhance ticket security.

That said, StubHub is the winner because, as a fan, you want a ticketing platform that can process refunds effortlessly if you decide not to attend an event after purchasing a ticket.

They also give users several ways to contact customer support. You can message, call, email, or post on the community support platform.

StubHub also allows guests (non-ticket buyers) to sell tickets on the platform. Also, I like their simple fee structure; while the fees vary, it’s not like Ticketmaster’s, which considers multiple factors from the event organizer’s side and taxation.

That said, feel free to select a ticketing platform depending on your needs.