The Real Cost to Develop an App Like Eventbrite [Price Breakdown]

The event app market will hit $2.64 billion globally by 2028. This makes it a great chance for businesses to enter this space. You might have thought over building your own event management platform, and one question keeps coming up: what does it really cost to build an app like Eventbrite?

Let's be direct - building an event management app comes with a hefty price tag. A simple version needs £30,000 while a competitive platform costs over £150,000. The investment makes sense since the online events ticketing market reached $56.36 billion in 2021. Projections show it will grow to $74.67 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of 4.8%. Teams with limited budgets can start with a lean MVP at $8,000. Full-featured builds typically need $20,000 to $45,000. Building an expandable SaaS platform needs $40,000 to $60,000.

This piece breaks down the factors that influence these costs to build an app like Eventbrite. We'll get into core features, advanced capabilities, design needs, and resilient infrastructure that shape your budget. You'll gain a clear picture of how to create an Eventbrite-like app that matches your business goals with financial limits.

Understanding the Eventbrite App Model

Eventbrite has become a powerhouse in connecting event creators with people who love attending events. Since 2006, this platform has grown into a global marketplace that processes 284 million ticket sales annually in more than 180 countries. Let's look at what drives this soaring win and why many businesses dream of building something similar.

What makes Eventbrite successful?

Money flows naturally in Eventbrite's business model. The platform grows as event organizers succeed. This smart approach has paid off big time, with USD 400.30 million in revenue in 2023 and digital event solutions growing 15.6%.

The platform takes a cut from each ticket sale. Basic packages cost 2% plus USD 0.79 per ticket, while Professional packages run 3.5% plus USD 1.59, plus a 2.5% payment processing fee. Event organizers don't pay anything upfront - they only pay when they sell tickets.

Eventbrite doesn't own or run events itself. The platform works just like Airbnb and Uber - it brings people together and makes transactions easier. This lean approach helps the company grow faster with less overhead. The events industry could hit USD 1.60 trillion by 2028. This creates a huge chance for anyone looking to build an app like Eventbrite.

Smart marketing plays a big role in Eventbrite's success. The platform uses:

• Event pages that rank well in search engines and bring millions of visitors
• Deep integration with Meta, Instagram, and LinkedIn
• Smart email campaigns and notifications powered by AI
• Partner programs that bring in ready-to-buy visitors

Key user roles: Organizers vs Attendees

Eventbrite serves two main groups of users who need different things.

Event Organizers are the first key group. More than 2 million organizers use the platform yearly, from yoga teachers to big concert promoters. They get:

• Simple event setup that takes less than 15 minutes with secure ticketing
• Automatic tax handling and scheduled payments
• Smart recommendations reaching 11.7 million potential buyers
• Price optimization tools that boost ticket revenue by 18% per event
• Live dashboards showing abandoned carts, where attendees come from, and how marketing performs

Event Attendees make up the second vital group. The platform helps them with:

• Smart event discovery using 5.2 billion data points
• Nearby event alerts that 41% of users open
• Urgent notifications like "3 tickets left at this price!"
• Buyer protection that converts 23% more first-time attendees

Most event apps fail because they focus on just one group - that's why 70% don't make it. Eventbrite wins by creating value for everyone involved.

Why businesses want to build an app like Eventbrite

The numbers tell a compelling story about why companies want to copy Eventbrite's success. The proven business model and market size make this space very attractive.

The events industry keeps growing faster. Starting at USD 1.10 trillion in 2019, experts think it will reach USD 2.10 trillion by 2032. New players can tap into this massive growth.

Recent price hikes have made Eventbrite more expensive, especially for smaller events and free gatherings. This opens the door for cheaper options with similar features.

Customer support remains Eventbrite's weak spot. Users complain about hidden costs like automatic "Boost" ads and getting automated responses instead of real help. New platforms can win customers by offering better support and clear pricing.

Anyone thinking about creating an app like Eventbrite should understand these market forces. This knowledge helps decide where your platform can add real value and how much to invest in building it.

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Core Features and Their Development Costs

Building an app like Eventbrite starts with the essential features that are the foundations of your platform. These core functions usually take up 60-70% of your original development budget. Let's get into each fundamental element and what it costs.

User registration and login

User authentication marks the beginning of any event app. This feature lets attendees create accounts with their email addresses and phone numbers to access the platform.

A reliable registration system needs:

• Secure login protocols
• Social media integration options
• Profile customization capabilities

A well-built authentication system balances security with ease of use. You should plan to spend £3,000-£5,000 ($3,900-$6,500) and 2-3 weeks of development time. This helps prevent security issues and creates a smooth signup process.

Event creation and management

Event creation sits at the core of your Eventbrite-like app.

A detailed event management feature has:

• Event listing tools
• Ticket setup options
• Price customization
• Simple event information tools

This essential module costs between £8,000-£12,000 ($10,400-$15,600) and takes 4-6 weeks to build. Skimping on this feature can cause problems later since it's central to your platform's success.

Ticket booking and payment processing

Your app should handle transactions smoothly between organizers and attendees. Users need booking options, seat selection, and various payment methods.

Essential elements include:

• Booking interface
• Seat selection tools
• Automatic e-ticket delivery by email/SMS
• Downloadable tickets
• Payment gateway integration

Simple payment processing with Stripe or PayPal costs £5,000-£8,000 ($6,500-$10,400) and takes 3-4 weeks. Multi-currency support or complex fee structures will increase these costs.

Search and discovery

Users need good search tools to find events. The best events go unnoticed without proper discovery features.

A solid search system filters by:

• Location
• Date ranges
• Event categories
• Price points

This functionality costs about £4,000-£6,000 ($5,200-$7,800) and takes 3-4 weeks to develop. Better search features help users find events, which boosts participation.

Basic analytics and reporting

Analytical insights help make smart decisions. Your app needs a dashboard that gives administrators performance data.

Key metrics include:

• Download numbers
• User engagement trends
• Popular event types
• Booking patterns and timing

Analytics usually come bundled with other admin features, though sources don't list separate costs. Advanced reporting would cost extra as a premium feature.

A basic Eventbrite-like app with these core features costs between USD 10,000 to USD 30,000. Adding features like social media integration, interactive maps, and custom event pages pushes the budget to USD 35,000-60,000.

Your final cost depends on your development team's expertise, location, and platform choices (iOS, Android, or web). Most event management apps launch on multiple platforms to reach more users.

Advanced Features That Increase Costs

Premium capabilities in your event app can significantly boost user value, but they also make development more expensive. These advanced features distinguish simple ticketing platforms from detailed event management solutions.

Live notifications and alerts

Live notifications help users stay updated about ticket sales, event changes, and schedule updates. This feature adds £5,000-£15,000 to your development budget based on complexity. The high cost comes from several technical requirements:

• Constant connections between your app and servers
• A reliable system that handles thousands of users at once
• Push notification services on different platforms
• Advanced offline sync systems

These systems are a big deal as they need constant monitoring and cost £200-500 monthly in infrastructure expenses once you have more than 10,000 active users. Many platforms let you target messages by ticket type, session registration, or check-in status for urgent updates like room changes or safety alerts.

Multi-language and localization support

Language support becomes crucial for global events. InEvent's pricing shows automated translation as part of their advanced packages. Your event content can reach international audiences without creating different versions for each market.

The challenge lies in handling text expansion (German text is often 30% longer than English), supporting right-to-left languages, and using culturally appropriate images. Event apps usually need separate databases for each language and careful UI design to handle different text lengths.

Custom branding and white-labeling

White-labeling removes your platform's branding and replaces it with the event organizer's colors, logos, and design elements. Eventify's pricing page shows this premium feature has custom domain support among other branded mobile app options.

InEvent offers "custom branding" that gives organizers personalized platform portals with their own images, colors, and layouts. Organizers can keep their brand consistent across digital platforms.

Eventee provides two types of white-labeling: event-specific and company-wide branding. Organizations hosting multiple events benefit more from the company-wide option.

Social media integration

Social platform connections help expand reach and make login easier. InEvent's pricing shows that social media streaming lets organizers broadcast content where their audience already spends time.

Live streaming and virtual event support

Virtual events are a big investment in technology. 30% to 60% of virtual event budgets go to technology expenses. This makes it the biggest cost category for many events.

EventMobi has separate fees for streaming and video storage, starting at USD 500 per event. The costs cover:

• Event hosting platforms with tools for attendee engagement
• Professional video production elements
• Streaming services with enough bandwidth
• Content delivery networks (CDNs)

High-end events that need expert teams, custom streaming, and advanced audience tools cost even more. Multiple cameras, live switching, and professional audio equipment add to the expenses.

These advanced features can make your development costs two or three times higher. New app developers often focus on basic functions without considering these premium features that make successful platforms stand out.

Design and User Experience Investment

Design isn't just for looks in the competitive world of event apps, it's a vital business investment. Many developers don't realize how much good design adds to an app's success. They focus only on features while overlooking the user experience that makes these features easy to use.

Why UI/UX matters in event apps

Bad website design and user experience make 67% of event registrations drop off before completion. These numbers show why UI/UX needs serious attention when you build an app like Eventbrite. Your bottom line takes a direct hit from slow website loading, every second of delay cuts conversions by 7%.

Event apps with poor UX design create two expensive problems. Users either get stuck trying to figure out the app and miss event parts, or they give up on it completely. Either way, you waste your development money.

Good UX goes beyond looking pretty, it creates clear paths that help users register. A design that works has:

• Features that work for users with disabilities
• Elements users can interact with
• Forms that need minimal typing
• Customized experiences based on what users do

Cost of wireframes, prototypes, and visual design

An Eventbrite-style app's design costs usually run from £8,000 to £25,000. This covers everything from wireframes to interactive prototypes. The design takes up about 30-35% of your total app development budget.

Each screen's wireframe design costs $25 to $75, based on how complex it is. The app design takes about 2-6 months to finish. This timeline changes with the app's complexity and how many revisions you need.

Prototypes might look like extra spending, but they save money in the long run. You can test features with real users before building everything. This helps catch problems early when they're cheaper to fix. You'll spend less time on development and avoid costly do-overs.

Designing for trust and conversion

Building an app like Eventbrite means handling people's money and plans, your platform must earn their complete trust. Design elements that build trust pay off through better conversion rates.

The way your app looks tells users about event quality. A professional app helps justify ticket prices and makes your organization look reliable. These elements build credibility:

• Clear visual priorities that show important details
• Colors that guide eyes to key elements
• The same design style on all screens
• Easy-to-find contact details
• Security badges and visual hints

Colors shape how visitors see your event. Your app's colors should match your event's style and brand identity. Business events need subtle colors with careful highlights. Creative events can use bold colors while keeping text easy to read.

Real photos and reviews from past events build more trust than staged promotional shots. Reviews work best when they appear naturally next to related features, which helps boost conversion rates.

Your design budget for an Eventbrite-like app isn't just spending, it's an investment that directly affects your revenue.

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Backend Infrastructure and Technical Stack

A complex technical foundation supports every successful event app. This foundation can determine your platform's success or failure. Your development budget needs a substantial portion just to build an app like Eventbrite's backend infrastructure.

Cloud hosting and scalability

Your app needs a powerful invisible engine. Cloud hosting changes the traditional IT cost model from big upfront investments to pay-as-you-go expenses. This gives you financial flexibility as your event platform grows.

Small-scale events with around 1,000 attendees might keep annual cloud costs below $1,200. However, costs can quickly rise above $5,000 annually when you scale to hybrid or global events with streaming capabilities. Most platforms choose from these three main providers:

• AWS (Amazon Web Services)
• Microsoft Azure
• Google Cloud Platform

Cloud expenses range from $50 to $500 monthly based on your bandwidth, storage needs, and event traffic. Enterprise-grade solutions need load balancers, CDNs, and redundancy layers, which drive infrastructure costs higher.

Database and API architecture

APIs connect users to your hosting services and are your event platform's communication backbone. Building a reliable API infrastructure needs a balance of several cost factors:

Programming languages determine development time and future maintenance costs. Node.js, Python, Java, and Go are popular choices, with developer rates varying by language and region.

Your database choice affects both performance and expenses. Options range from traditional SQL databases like PostgreSQL to NoSQL solutions like MongoDB and Firebase. Data structure and query needs create different cost implications for each option.

API architecture choices (RESTful vs. GraphQL) create long-term cost implications. GraphQL often costs more initially but might save money through reduced data transfer.

Security protocols and compliance

Event apps handle sensitive user information and payment data, so security is essential. A data breach can devastate finances, organizations that fail to comply with data protection regulations face $14.82 million in average costs.

Security investments must include:

• End-to-end encryption for attendee communications
• Multi-factor authentication for admin dashboards
• Role-based access control systems
• Regular penetration testing

Compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or CCPA adds $2,000 to $6,000 for dedicated development and quality assurance. Payment processing apps face stricter requirements with PCI-DSS compliance.

Third-party integrations (e.g., Stripe, Twilio)

Most event platforms use existing services for specialized functions instead of building everything from scratch. Integration costs vary based on complexity:

Payment gateway integration (Stripe, PayPal, Razorpay) and accounting tools (QuickBooks, Xero) add $2,000-$5,000 to your development budget. Advanced PCI-DSS compliance increases these costs.

CRM integrations like Salesforce or HubSpot, marketing tools like Mailchimp, and event plugins add another $2,000-$8,000. Each integration needs data mapping, adapter development, and thorough testing.

API maintenance costs make up more than 50% of your software's total lifecycle expenses after launch. This shows why careful technical planning matters when calculating the real cost of developing an app like Eventbrite.

Platform Choices and Their Cost Impact

Your choice of platform for an event app can make a huge difference in development costs and market reach. This decision might add tens of thousands of dollars to your budget and affect your launch timeline.

iOS vs Android vs Web

The platform you select will be one of your biggest financial decisions when you want to build an app like Eventbrite. Building native apps for each platform separately can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $300,000. The final price depends on app complexity, features, and where your development team is located.

Here's what you should know about each option:

iOS Development:

• Attracts users who spend more
• Takes less time to develop than Android
• Makes sense as your first MVP if you have budget constraints

Android Development:

• Developer rates are 20% lower
• Gives you access to more users worldwide
• Needs extra testing because of different devices, which might eat up the cost savings

Web App Development:

• Works on any device
• Skips the app store approval process
• Serves as a good starting point before moving to mobile platforms

A smart approach many successful event apps use is to start with one platform. This lets you see how the market responds before you invest in other platforms.

Cross-platform development with Flutter or React Native

Cross-platform frameworks give you the best of both worlds - you build once and run everywhere. You can save 20-40% compared to building separate native apps.

Flutter and React Native stand out as the top choices, each with its strengths:

React Native:

• Perfect for quick MVPs and iterations
• Uses JavaScript, which developers know well
• Helps you get to market faster

Flutter:

• Shines with smooth visuals and animations
• Shows the same UI across platforms
• Runs as fast as native apps

A full-featured event app using cross-platform development costs between $60,000 and $180,000. This option gives you a good balance of cost and performance.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) as a budget option

PWAs are your most affordable option - they cost 50-60% less than native apps. These apps work in web browsers on any device but still feel like regular apps.

You'll spend between $30,000 and $80,000 on PWA development, with basic versions starting at $10,000. They come with several benefits:

• No fees or approvals from app stores
• Updates happen automatically
• Show up in search results
• Work without internet connection

Users don't need to download anything, which makes it easier to get them started. This works great for one-time events where people might not want to install a new app.

PWAs do have some drawbacks. They can't use all device features like native apps can, and complex features might run slower.

Your specific needs will determine which platform works best. A PWA might do the job if you need to watch your budget. Cross-platform development strikes a nice balance between cost and performance. Native development remains your best bet for top performance and deep hardware integration, but it comes at a premium.

Hidden and Ongoing Costs to Consider

App owners often focus only on development costs and miss the ongoing expenses that cut into profits after launch. These hidden costs can determine if your event app succeeds or fails financially.

App store fees and compliance

Apple and Google both charge developer account fees. Apple needs £79 every year while Google asks for a one-time £20 fee. Each platform has its own review process that might need extra development work.

Apps that handle payments, like Eventbrite clones, face extra compliance requirements. This can add weeks to your timeline. Apple takes 30% of your revenue from in-app purchases and paid apps. Google uses a similar commission structure.

Maintenance and updates

The most important hidden cost is ongoing maintenance. You need to set aside 20-30% of your original development costs each year to keep your app running well. An app that costs $100,000 to build needs $20,000-$30,000 yearly.

This maintenance includes:

• Bug fixes and performance improvements
• Security patches and updates
• OS compatibility changes (2-3 times yearly, $1,500-$4,000 each)

Third-party service fees

Your app needs other services to work. You'll have regular costs for:

• Payment processors (2-4% per transaction)
• Email/SMS services ($10-$1,000+ monthly)
• Maps and location services ($10-$200 monthly)
• Analytics tools ($20-$500 monthly)

These small costs add up as your app grows.

Customer support and SLA costs

Of course, customer support costs more than most people think. Professional SLA-based support contracts cost between $1,500 and $5,000 yearly. Prices go up if you need:

• 24/7 global coverage
• Faster response times
• Dedicated account managers

Event apps need premium support because problems need quick fixes. Think about ticket scanning issues right before an event starts.

Your budget to create an app like Eventbrite must include these ongoing costs. Without planning for them, your profitable app could turn into a money pit.

How Long It Takes to Develop an App Like Eventbrite

Time and money carry equal weight when you plan an event platform. Project scope, feature complexity, and team size determine development schedules.

MVP timeline: 2-3 months

A simple event app takes 10-14 weeks to build. The original version concentrates on core functions. Teams usually follow this timeline:

• 2-4 weeks: Finding requirements and analysis
• 2-3 weeks: Wireframes and design
• 5-7 weeks: Core development
• 2-3 weeks: Testing and quality checks

Mobile app development company CISIN suggests MVPs help in proving it right your concept before larger investments.

Full-featured app: 4-6 months

Building a complete platform needs 4-6 months. You can add payment gateway integrations, immediate analytics, exhibitor modules, and multi-platform optimization during this phase. Growing event agencies that manage multiple events yearly find this timeline suitable.

Enterprise-grade platform: 6-9 months

A detailed system needs 6-9 months, and some large-scale projects might take up to 12 months. Enterprise platforms include:

Multi-tenant architecture, subscription monetization, and role-based dashboards. These systems move through beta testing, pilot launches, and public releases. Extra compliance requirements like GDPR, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA certification need more time.

Simple event apps can launch in about 3 months, but complex platforms need up to a year to develop properly.

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Conclusion

Creating an app like Eventbrite needs most important financial backing. The cost varies between $8,000 for a simple MVP to $150,000+ for a competitive platform with advanced features. On top of that, it matters whether you choose native, cross-platform, or PWA development as it affects your original investment and running costs.

Time becomes a vital factor in your planning. A simple MVP takes about 2-3 months to build, while enterprise-grade solutions just need 6-9 months of development. Your timeline should match your business goals to succeed.

You must consider the ongoing costs beyond development expenses. App store fees, maintenance (20-30% of original development cost yearly), third-party service charges, and customer support make up much of your total ownership cost. Many first-time app owners don't realize how these expenses add up.

Smart businesses never compromise user experience to save money. Poor design makes 67% of people abandon event registrations before completion. Design costs might be 30-35% of your budget, but this investment leads to better conversion rates and happier users.

The event app market grows faster each year and should reach $2.64 billion globally by 2028. This growth creates opportunities for specialized platforms that serve specific niches or tackle issues Eventbrite doesn't deal very well with. Software development companies like CISIN help businesses join this market by creating custom event management solutions that balance features with costs.

You should define your minimum viable product clearly before development begins. Focus on features that matter to your target audience instead of copying everything Eventbrite offers. Later, you can grow your platform based on user feedback and market performance.

Building a successful event app needs careful planning and smart decisions. With the right strategy, your investment can bring substantial returns in an industry expected to hit $74.67 billion by 2027. Your app becomes more than an expense, it turns into a valuable asset in the growing digital events world.