Verdict
Ticketmaster is built for arenas, not for cheer producers. The all-in fees parents pay (~25–45% on top of face value) are the biggest single source of cheer-community frustration. If your venue is small enough to leave Ticketmaster behind, do it.
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 | Ticketmaster fee | You save / fan |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | $3.08 | $7.50 | $4.42 |
| $50.00 | $4.32 | $15.00 | $10.68 |
| $75.00 | $5.56 | $22.50 | $16.94 |
CheerTix: $1.50 + 2% per ticket plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30. Ticketmaster: Variable — typically 25–45% added to face value at checkout. Source
Why producers switch from Ticketmaster
- No surprise fees at checkout. CheerTix absorbs platform fees into the producer payout — the buyer pays exactly the advertised price.
- $1.50 + 2% is roughly 1/8 of Ticketmaster's typical fee load on a $50 ticket.
- You keep the fan list. Ticketmaster doesn't share buyer emails with the event organizer.
- Same-day onboarding. No enterprise contract, no minimums, no quarterly review.
When Ticketmaster still makes sense
- If your competition is in a major arena that contractually requires Ticketmaster as the ticketing provider.
- If you need Ticketmaster's enterprise queue infrastructure for very large sudden on-sales (rare for cheer).
At a glance
- Ticketmaster fee structure
- Variable — typically 25–45% added to face value at checkout.
- Ticketmaster payout
- Quarterly settlement is common; varies by promoter contract.
- 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 Ticketmaster — FAQ
Why are Ticketmaster fees so much higher?+
Ticketmaster bundles a 'service fee', 'facility fee', 'processing fee', and sometimes a 'venue fee' on top of face value. Each is small individually but together they routinely add 25–45% to the buyer's total — the source of most cheer-parent complaints.
Can I run my competition off Ticketmaster?+
If your venue contract doesn't require Ticketmaster, yes — most cheer comps fit fine into CheerTix's flow. If your contract does require it, talk to the venue at renewal; the fee complaints from parents are usually enough leverage to renegotiate.
Does CheerTix handle scan-in like Ticketmaster?+
Yes. Free iOS and Android scanner app, multi-device, sub-second QR scans, offline fallback. Day-of works the same way; the difference is the price your families paid to get in.