Best RSVP Tools
Best RSVP Tools for Ticketed Events With Payment Collection
Compare RSVP and ticketing tools for paid events. We tested 5 platforms for payment collection, capacity enforcement, and refund handling — here's what works for workshop hosts, fundraisers, and comedy nights.
You're running a paid workshop, comedy night, or charity fundraiser and need to collect both RSVPs and payments. But which tool should you choose? Some charge high per-ticket fees. Others make refunds a nightmare. And most don't enforce capacity limits properly — leaving you with overbooking headaches. We tested 5 tools for what actually matters to ticketed event organisers: payment processing, capacity enforcement, refund speed, and financial reporting.
How we evaluated each tool:
Payment collection
Can you accept payments directly? What are the fees per ticket?
Capacity enforcement
Does it stop sales when you hit capacity? Can you manage a waitlist?
Refund handling
Can you process refunds quickly without chasing customers?
Financial reporting
Do you get clear reports on revenue, fees, and net proceeds?
Setup speed
How fast can you create an event and share a payment link?
Free RSVP for ticketed events — no fees on payments
Who's In is purpose-built for ticketed event organisers running paid workshops, fundraisers, comedy nights, and fitness classes. You collect RSVPs and payments through a single link. Attendees pay directly (no Who's In fee), you manage capacity and set refund deadlines, and you get clear financial reports. No app download required for attendees.
Pros
- Zero platform fees on ticket payments
- Automatic capacity limits stop overbooking
- Refund deadlines prevent last-minute refund requests
- Financial dashboard shows net revenue instantly
- Attendees RSVP and pay in one click — no account needed
- Automatic 48-hour reminders reduce no-shows
- Built for recurring paid events
Cons
- Focused on RSVP and basic payments — not a full ticketing marketplace
Full ticketing platform with discovery
Eventbrite handles paid events at scale and offers public event discovery. But their per-ticket fees (3.7% + £0.49) add up fast on budget events. For a £20 ticket, you lose £1.23 per sale. Better for public events than recurring community ticketed events.
Pros
- Large audience for event discovery
- Full ticketing and check-in tools
- Handles complex tiered pricing
Cons
- Fees reduce net revenue significantly on low-ticket events
- Attendees need an Eventbrite account
- Overkill and expensive for £15-30 workshops
- Less transparent financial reporting for organisers
Payment processor (DIY event link)
You can set up payment links via Stripe or Square, but you're managing capacity, reminders, and attendance tracking yourself. Works if you're technically comfortable, but you lose built-in RSVP and capacity management. Better as a payment backend than a complete solution.
Pros
- Low payment processing fees
- Full control over branding
- No platform limitations
Cons
- You manage RSVPs, capacity, and reminders manually
- No attendee-facing confirmation or refund interface
- Requires technical setup
- No automatic reporting — you build your own
Community group platform (now supports paid events)
Meetup added paid ticketing but charges £24-35/month organiser fee plus processing fees. You get member discovery but lose control of your audience data and pay whether you run events or not. Attendees must have a Meetup account.
Pros
- Good for local group discovery
- Built for recurring events
- Handles basic capacity management
Cons
- Monthly fee regardless of event frequency
- Attendees need a Meetup account
- Limited financial reporting
- Processing fees on top of monthly cost
Free form (DIY everything else)
Google Forms is free but forces you to manage payments separately, track capacity manually, send reminders yourself, and process refunds through email. It works for one-off events but breaks down fast when you run multiple ticketed events.
Pros
- Zero cost
- Simple to set up
- Integrates with Google Sheets
Cons
- No automatic payment collection
- You must enforce capacity limits manually
- No automatic reminders
- No refund management — all email-based
- No financial reporting
- Attendees don't get confirmation until you email them
Our verdict for ticketed event organisers
Who's In is the clear choice for most paid event organisers. You collect 100% of ticket revenue with no platform fees, capacity limits stop overbooking automatically, refund deadlines prevent abuse, and you get instant financial reports. Eventbrite works if you're a large public event relying on discovery, but the fees hurt for £15-30 workshops, fundraisers, and comedy nights. Everything else either costs too much, charges unfair per-ticket fees, or forces you to manage payments and capacity manually.
Frequently asked questions
What RSVP tool doesn't charge fees on ticket sales?
Who's In doesn't take a cut of your ticket revenue. You set the ticket price and keep 100%. Other tools like Eventbrite (3.7% + £0.49 per ticket) and Meetup (£24-35/month + processing) reduce your net revenue significantly. For a £20 workshop ticket, that's the difference between £20 profit and £18.77 profit.
How do I prevent overbooking at my paid events?
Who's In enforces capacity limits automatically — once you hit your ticket limit, the RSVP link stops accepting new bookings and shows a waitlist instead. With Google Forms or manual payment links, you have to monitor sales yourself and manually close the link when full.
Which tool is best for handling refunds?
Who's In lets you set a refund deadline (e.g., 7 days before the event). Attendees can self-serve refunds within that window. After the deadline, refunds are locked — preventing last-minute cancellations. Eventbrite and Stripe require manual refund processing, and Google Forms leaves you managing refunds entirely by email.
How do I know how much money I actually made from my event?
Who's In shows you net revenue instantly — total ticket sales minus any refunds issued. Eventbrite and Stripe give you raw transaction data but you have to calculate fees yourself. Google Forms and Meetup require manual financial tracking.
Do attendees need an account to RSVP and pay?
With Who's In, no — attendees click a link, enter their name and email, and pay in one step. No account creation. Eventbrite and Meetup both require attendees to have accounts, which adds friction and reduces conversion.
Related Best RSVP Tools guides
Ready to collect RSVPs for your Ticketed Events events?
Who's In is free, takes 2 minutes to set up, and requires no app download for attendees.
