PaperFox vs Eventbrite
Conference registration, done right. Lower fees, tied directly to your submissions and program, without the marketing bloat of a generic events platform.
Why Choose PaperFox over Eventbrite?
~50% Lower Fees
PaperFox adds just $1 per registration on top of Stripe. Eventbrite adds 3.7% + $1.79 service on top of 2.9% processing.
Integrated with Submissions
See which accepted papers have no registered author. Flag no-show risks before the conference, not after.
Integrated with Program
Registrants tie into sessions, tracks, and personal schedules. Same attendee record across the whole conference.
No Bloat
No email marketing, ad integrations, or seating charts. Just registration, done simply — no features you'll never use.
Savings Calculator
Enter your expected registrations and average ticket price to see how much your conference saves switching from Eventbrite to PaperFox.
Estimated using Eventbrite's US organizer pricing (3.7% + $1.79 service + 2.9% processing per ticket) and PaperFox's $1 flat platform fee plus Stripe's standard US rate (2.9% + $0.30). Actual fees vary with card type, region, currency, and payment method. International cards, Amex, and currency conversion add surcharges on both platforms.
Pricing at a Glance
Both platforms pass Stripe-equivalent processing through to the organizer. The difference is what the platform adds on top.
| Fee Component | PaperFox | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | $1.00 flat / registration Regardless of ticket price | 3.7% + $1.79 / ticket Service fee, scales with price |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30 Paid to Stripe directly, not marked up by PaperFox | 2.9% / order Added on top of service fee |
| Subscription | None Pay only per registration | From $15/month Required for Pro features |
| Free events | Free No per-registration fee | Free No ticketing fees |
| Effective rate on $300 ticket | ~$10 (3.3%) | ~$21 (7.2%) |
Eventbrite pricing from Eventbrite's ticketing fees help article (US organizer pricing, 2025).
Registration Feature Comparison
Side-by-side on what actually matters for taking academic conference registrations — plus the generic-events features you'd be paying for and never using.
Core Registration
| Feature | PaperFox | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Online ticket sales | ||
| Multiple ticket tiers (student, faculty, industry, etc.) | ||
| Custom registration form fields | ||
| Integrated payment processing | ||
| Refund processing | ||
| Discount codes & early-bird pricing | ||
| Attendee list & CSV exports | ||
| Editable contact email on receipts |
Integration with the Rest of the Conference
| Feature | PaperFox | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-check accepted papers vs registered authors | ||
| Flag papers with no registered author (no-show risk) | ||
| Registration data visible to program committee | ||
| Tie registrants to program sessions | ||
| One attendee identity across submission / review / program / registration | ||
| Per-track registration forms |
Academic Essentials
| Feature | PaperFox | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Flat $1/registration — no percentage markup | ||
| No subscription required | ||
| Direct Stripe Connect payouts to conference bank account | ||
| Official receipts for university reimbursement | ||
| Registration chair role with limited scope |
Bloat You Don't Need
| Feature | PaperFox | Eventbrite |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing campaigns & automations | ||
| Social media ad integrations (Facebook, Instagram) | ||
| Reserved seating charts | ||
| Door-scanning organizer app | ||
| Event discovery marketplace | ||
| Tax form 1099-K generation |
* = requires paid Eventbrite plan
Why Academic Registration Belongs with the Rest of Your Conference
Registration is an island
Eventbrite doesn't know about your submissions or program. You'll CSV-export attendees, CSV-export authors, and manually VLOOKUP to find papers with no registered author. PaperFox surfaces that list for you in one click.
No concept of authorship
Eventbrite treats every registrant as a generic ticket-buyer. It can't tell the difference between a paper author, a committee member, and an external attendee — so it can't enforce the rules your conference actually cares about.
Fees eat your budget
3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket on top of 2.9% payment processing. On a $300 registration, that's ~$21 in platform fees. PaperFox charges a flat $1 on top of Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 pass-through — about $10 total.
You pay for features you'll never use
Email marketing automation, Facebook ad integrations, reserved seating charts, event discovery marketplace. Academic conferences don't use any of this, but it's baked into the price.
Designed for concerts, not committees
Eventbrite has no notion of tracks, chairs, authors, reviewers, or sessions. The terminology, roles, and workflows don't match how academic conferences operate.
Two platforms, two data silos
Using Eventbrite means running a second system alongside your submission/review platform (EasyChair, HotCRP, PaperFox). Attendee identity gets fragmented, and nothing checks that both sides agree.
Take Registrations Where the Rest of Your Conference Already Lives
PaperFox handles registration alongside submissions, reviews, and program — so attendee identity, author lists, and session data stay in one place. $1 per registration, no subscription.