A business networking group has a particular set of needs. The same event runs every month. Members pay one price and guests another. Everyone needs a name badge with a company on it. The door has to clear a crowd in the first fifteen minutes, and the committee wants to know who came back. Most ticketing comparisons are written for concerts and festivals, so this one looks only at what a networking group uses.
We compared five platforms that Australian networking groups commonly use: TryBooking, Humanitix, Eventbrite, Luma and One Ticket. We are One Ticket, so read our section with that in mind. Every fact about the other four comes from their own pricing pages and help centres. We read the pricing pages on 22 October 2026 and checked the features on their help centres on 19 October 2026. Things change, so confirm anything that decides it for you.
The fees at a glance
| Platform | Fee on a paid ticket | Who pays by default | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| TryBooking | $0.50 plus 2.5% processing, including GST | The buyer pays the $0.50; you pay the 2.5% | None |
| Humanitix | 4% plus $0.99, excluding GST (charities and schools 2.5% plus $0.50) | The buyer | None |
| Eventbrite | 5.35% plus A$1.19 | The buyer | None required; an optional paid plan |
| Luma | 5% of your price plus Stripe’s card fee, on its free plan | You, out of your price | None required; an optional paid plan removes the 5% |
| One Ticket | A booking fee of our platform cut plus card processing at cost | The buyer | None |
On a $35 breakfast ticket, that works out at $1.38 on TryBooking, $2.39 on Humanitix’s standard rate, $3.06 on Eventbrite and $1.88 on One Ticket. On Luma the buyer pays $35 and $1.75 plus the card fee comes out of it. TryBooking is the cheapest per ticket. The full working at $15, $25, $35 and $50 is in the cheapest way to sell tickets to a networking event.
What a networking group actually needs
Setting up the month, and members:
| Platform | The same event every month | Members pay by recurring subscription | A members' price guests cannot see |
|---|---|---|---|
| TryBooking | Session times on one event | None found | A hidden-tickets link |
| Humanitix | Repeating dates on one page | None found | Hidden tickets and access codes |
| Eventbrite | Multi-date events on one listing | None found | Hidden tickets and access codes |
| Luma | Copies, each its own page | Calendar memberships | Hidden tickets and unlock codes |
| One Ticket | A series with one page | Weekly, fortnightly or monthly | Secret tickets and an access code |
The night itself:
| Platform | Company and job title at checkout | Check-in at the door | Waitlist when it is full | Reminders before the event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TryBooking | Custom forms | Scanning app | Organiser notifies people | Organiser schedules them |
| Humanitix | Checkout questions | Host app; manual check-in in a browser | Available | Organiser schedules them |
| Eventbrite | Order form questions | Organiser app; manual check-in in a browser | Organiser releases places | Automatic, 48 hours before |
| Luma | Registration questions | Web scanner and apps | Yes; paid places charged on approval | Automatic, a day and an hour before |
| One Ticket | Checkout questions | Any phone’s browser, no app | Offers freed places in turn | Automatic, the day before and the morning of |
A few of those cells need a sentence more.
TryBooking
TryBooking has the lowest published fee per ticket and no monthly charges. Its help centre describes repeating session times (daily, weekly or monthly), custom forms with mandatory questions, a free scanning app with offline scanning, and a waitlist where the organiser contacts the people waiting.
Two things to know for a networking group. Hidden tickets are shown through a special link, and its help centre notes that anyone with that link sees all the hidden tickets, so a members' price is less private than an access code. And we found no recurring subscription billing; its page for associations describes annual renewals sold as bookings. With TryBooking’s own gateway, you request your money after the event; connecting your own Stripe account is optional.
Good fit: a group that wants the lowest fee, sells each event separately and is happy with a link for the member price.
Humanitix
Humanitix’s standard fee is higher, and its charity and school rate matches TryBooking’s. It is strong on the details: hidden tickets behind access codes, checkout questions per order or per ticket, ticket types that go on sale when another sells out (an early bird then a standard price, for example), and a host app with scan-only access for volunteers. Reminders are not sent automatically; you schedule them. Its default gateway pays out two to five business days after the event, or you can connect your own Stripe account and be paid as tickets sell.
Good fit: a not-for-profit business association that qualifies for the charity rate, or a group that wants the profits going to charity.
Eventbrite
Eventbrite’s fee is the highest of the four that add a fee on top of the ticket, and it is the one with a large public marketplace where people browse events. It has hidden tickets with access codes, custom questions, an automatic reminder 48 hours before, and an organiser app for scanning. Its default payout is sent three days after the event ends.
Good fit: a new group that hopes strangers will find it by browsing, and will accept the higher fee for that.
Luma
Luma is popular with startup and tech networking crowds, and its event pages look good. Free events carry no Luma fee. On paid events the host pays 5% plus Stripe’s card fee out of the ticket price, and Luma’s help centre says there is no option to add the fees on top. A paid plan removes the 5%. There is no single page for a repeating event: you copy the event to each date, and each copy has its own guest list. Its calendar memberships, on team calendars, can bill members on a subscription. Money goes into your own Stripe account as tickets sell.
Good fit: a tech or startup group whose people already use Luma, and that is comfortable carrying the fee itself.
One Ticket
One Ticket is built for events that happen again. A monthly event becomes a series with one page listing every date, so the link in your email footer is always the next breakfast. Members can subscribe to the series, billed weekly, fortnightly or monthly at your price, and each member’s ticket for the next event is issued before it runs. Guests buy a single ticket on the same page.
For the details: a secret members' ticket that only shows with an access code, checkout questions for company and job title (and an export for the badge printer), a waitlist that offers freed places to the next person in turn, and reminders sent automatically the day before and the morning of. Check-in works in any phone’s browser, with no app, and a volunteer can run the door from a link without an account.
The buyer pays the booking fee on top, so you receive the whole ticket price, and free tickets carry no fee at all. The Free plan has no monthly cost, no setup fee and no payout fee. The money goes to your own Stripe account: until your first paid event has gone cleanly it is paid out two days after each event, and after that as it sells.
What we do not have: a marketplace. There is no search page where strangers browse events, so the people who come are the people you bring. Our fee is higher than TryBooking’s per ticket.
Good fit: a group that meets every month, wants members on a subscription and guests on a single ticket, and wants to keep the whole ticket price.
How to choose
- Lowest fee per ticket: TryBooking.
- A charity or school rate: Humanitix, if your group qualifies.
- Being found by strangers: Eventbrite’s marketplace, at a higher fee.
- A tech crowd that already lives on it: Luma, with the fee out of your price.
- A monthly group with paying members: One Ticket, for the series page and member subscriptions.
Whatever you choose, buy a ticket on it yourself first, on your phone, and check that the page shows your member price the way you want.
Answers to your questions
Is One Ticket free to use?
Yes. The Free plan has everything you need to sell tickets, with no monthly cost, no setup fee, no payout fee and no card needed. Pro and Team are open now: upgrade any time in Settings › Plan. Limited-time offer: A$1 for your first year (first 100 organisers), then A$29/month for Pro or A$79/month for Team. Cancel anytime.
Who pays the booking fee?
The buyer, on a paid ticket, on top of the price you set, so you receive 100% of your ticket price. Free tickets carry no fee.
When do I get paid?
Ticket money goes to your own Stripe account, with no payout fee from One Ticket. Until your first paid event has gone cleanly, it is paid out two days after each event; after that, it is paid out as it sells.
Can I run a free event?
Yes. A free ticket costs nobody anything, and you don’t need Stripe connected to run a free event.
Do people need an account to book?
No. They book on their phone or computer without an account, and their tickets arrive by email with a QR code to show at the door.