Verdict
Etix is enterprise box-office software repackaged for events. Fees skew higher (~$3.80 on a $25 ticket vs CheerTix's ~$3.08), payouts can take two weeks, and nothing in the platform is cheer-specific. The reason most producers stay on Etix is a venue contract — not the product.
What your families actually pay
All-in buyer cost per ticket at three common cheer-comp price points. On CheerTix, the fee is absorbed into the producer payout — your families pay exactly the advertised price.
| Ticket price | CheerTix fee | Etix fee | You save / fan |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | $3.08 | $3.48 | $0.39 |
| $50.00 | $4.32 | $4.95 | $0.63 |
| $75.00 | $5.56 | $6.43 | $0.86 |
CheerTix: $1.50 + 2% per ticket plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30. Etix: Roughly $2.00 + 3% per ticket plus 2.9% processing (varies by contract). Source
Why producers switch from Etix
- Lower per-ticket fee: $1.50 + 2% on CheerTix vs Etix's $2.00 + 3% + 2.9% processing.
- Stripe Connect payouts in 2–3 days — Etix can take 7–14 days post-event.
- Built-in livestream, virtual tickets, merch, push/SMS — Etix doesn't have any of these natively.
- Self-serve setup. Add a new event in 5 minutes; no Etix account manager required.
- Modern mobile checkout. Etix's flow is notoriously rough on phones.
When Etix still makes sense
- If your venue contract mandates Etix as the ticketing provider.
- If you need physical paper ticket fulfillment by mail for older fans.
At a glance
- Etix fee structure
- Roughly $2.00 + 3% per ticket plus 2.9% processing (varies by contract).
- Etix payout
- Settled 7–14 days after the event.
- CheerTix fee structure
- $1.50 + 2% per ticket + Stripe 2.9% + $0.30.
- CheerTix payout
- 2–3 days via Stripe Connect.
Full feature comparison
CheerTix vs the rest of the cheer-and-dance ticketing market.
| Feature | CheerTix.com | ShowClix | Eventbrite | Etix | Varsity TV | FloCheer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per-ticket service fee | $1.50 + 2% | $1.50 + 4% | $1.79 + 3.7% | $2.00 + 3% | Varsity-bundled | Subscription only |
| Payment processing surcharge | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 | +2.5% | +2.9% | +2.9% | — | — |
| Total fee on a $25 ticket (fan pays) | ~$3.08 | ~$3.13 | ~$3.51 | ~$3.80 | Bundled w/ comp fee | $30/mo Pro |
| Setup fees / monthly minimums | $0 | Negotiated | $0 (paid tiers $$$) | Negotiated | Varsity sanction req. | Subscription req. |
| Producer keeps livestream revenue | ||||||
| Refund processing fee retained | N/A | N/A | ||||
| Built-in HD livestream + virtual tickets | Included* | Subscription model | Subscription model | |||
| Livestream hardware | BYO or buy/lease** | BYO 3rd party | BYO 3rd party | BYO 3rd party | Varsity crew | Flo crew |
| Producer keeps fan list & emails | ||||||
| Event T-shirt & merch add-ons at checkout | ||||||
| Pre-event merch pre-orders | ||||||
| Season pass / multi-event bundles | Limited | Limited | Limited | Pro sub | ||
| Live performance order in-app | ||||||
| Filter by team, gym, or division | Search only | Search only | ||||
| Push + SMS "3 routines out" alerts | ||||||
| Door scanning app (iOS + Android) | ||||||
| Payout speed | 2–3 days (Stripe) | 7–14 days post-event | 4–5 days post-event | 7–14 days post-event | Quarterly settlement | N/A — Flo retains rev |
| Built for cheer & dance producers | Sort of | |||||
| Independent of Varsity / Flo ecosystem | ||||||
| Same-day producer onboarding | Self-serve |
*Livestream: $199 flat per single-day event, $349 flat per multi-day (nationals / regionals). Unlimited virtual tickets, no rev share. **Hardware: bring your own internet + capture rig, buy our Pay & Play kit (~$1,499 one-time), or lease ($99/mo). Competitor fees from publicly listed pricing (Nov 2025); your actual rate may vary by contract.
CheerTix vs Etix — FAQ
Is CheerTix cheaper than Etix?+
Yes. On a $25 ticket CheerTix is about $3.08 vs Etix at ~$3.80 — roughly 72¢ per fan. Across 500 tickets that's $360 your families keep, plus whatever you'd otherwise pay for livestream and merch tools.
We're locked into Etix through our venue. What can we do?+
Run venue-mandated events on Etix and use CheerTix for everything else — your other comps, your livestream, your merch pre-orders. A lot of producers split the season this way and renegotiate the venue contract at renewal.
Will CheerTix scan tickets bought on Etix?+
No — different systems can't share scan state. But we can co-host an event page that links to your Etix sales while still selling virtual passes and merch through CheerTix.