Universe alternative scorecard Getvnt vs Universe
Ticketing with zero platform fees, payouts into your own account, two-way calendar sync, and reserved seating on Enterprise.
4/22
lines where Event Schedule has the edge.
The other 18 are a match or go to Universe.
Every line on this card is scored from the same table below. Nothing is averaged, weighted or rounded.
The card
Scored line by line.
A feature-by-feature comparison of Getvnt and Universe, in 22 lines across 6 sections. Our column names the plan behind every gated feature, because a comparison that hides the tier is not a comparison.
| Line | Getvnt | Universe |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Fees 1 of 4 to Getvnt | ||
| Free plan | Included forever | Free to publish (fees on paid tickets) |
| Paid plan price | 5 NGN/mo (7-day free trial) | No subscription (Pro plans custom) |
| Platform fees (Getvnt has the edge on this line) | 0% | 2% + $0.79 per ticket (US Starter) |
| Payment processing | Stripe/PayPal/Payfast (processor rates apply) | Universe Payments (3%) or your own Stripe |
| Events & Ticketing 1 of 8 to Getvnt | ||
| Ticketing | Included free RSVP, paid on Pro | Included |
| QR check-ins | Included Free | Included BoxOffice app |
| Ticket waitlist | Included Pro | Included automatic |
| Recurring events | Included Free | Included repeating timeslots |
| Online events | Included Free | Included virtual events |
| Free event RSVP | Included Free | Included no fees on free events |
| Promo/discount codes | Included Pro | Included |
| Reserved seating (Getvnt has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered retired in 2019 |
| Integrations 0 of 1 to Getvnt | ||
| Newsletters | Included Free | Message attendees, Mailchimp sync |
| Customization 0 of 2 to Getvnt | ||
| Custom fields | Included ticket questions free, event fields Pro | Included checkout questions |
| Built-in analytics | Included Free | Included dashboards and reports |
| Unique Features 0 of 3 to Getvnt | ||
| Embeddable calendar | Included Free | Included ticket, listings and calendar widgets |
| Private/password-protected events | Included Enterprise | Unlisted events, password-protected ticket types |
| Team collaboration | Included Enterprise | Included team permissions |
| Platform 2 of 4 to Getvnt | ||
| REST API | Included Pro | GraphQL API |
| Webhooks | Included Pro | Included ticket purchase and update |
| Open source (Getvnt has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
| Selfhosting (Getvnt has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
Selfhost Getvnt and every one of those plan chips opens: a selfhosted install resolves to Enterprise, so no line on the card is held back by a plan. Either way, ticket sales run through your own Stripe or PayPal account and Getvnt takes 0%.
Straight answers
Three lines we do not claim.
A card you can trust has to name what is missing from it. These three are true about Getvnt no matter which platform you are holding it against.
No marketplace
You bring the audience
Your public events can be listed on the Getvnt browse and search pages, but a listing is not a marketplace's built-in audience. What actually fills a room is your own schedule page, an embeddable calendar, a follower QR code, newsletters, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale.
Seat maps are Enterprise
Ticket types, then seats
On Free and Pro a ticket type has a name, a price and a quantity, and buyers are not choosing a specific seat. A reserved-seating house needs Enterprise, where a venue schedule draws the room once and buyers pick their seats from the map.
One team member on Free
Extra members are Enterprise
The free plan is one person per schedule. Adding team members is on Enterprise and is capped at five on the hosted platform, so do not plan on inviting a whole staff for nothing.
Everything else on this page is a line you can check for yourself. Back to the card
The margin marks
Where the marks fall our way.
4 of the 22 lines above carry a diamond. Here are the 6 advantages over Universe that most often decide it, in plain language rather than table cells.
0% Platform Fees
Universe charges US organizers 2% + $0.79 per ticket on Starter plus 3% processing. Getvnt takes no platform fee on any plan.
Paid Into Your Own Account
On Pro, ticket money goes straight into your own Stripe or PayPal account, not into a balance you withdraw after the event.
Reserved Seating
Venue schedules draw a seat map once and buyers pick their seats, on Enterprise. Universe retired seating plans in 2019.
Two-Way Calendar Sync
Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync both ways, free, and anyone can subscribe to your schedule's live calendar feed.
A Public Schedule Page
Every event sits on one public schedule page with followers, sub-schedules and an embeddable calendar.
Open Source
Read the code and selfhost it on your own server. Universe is a hosted service only.
Both columns
Read both sides before you sign.
About Universe
Universe is a self-serve ticketing platform owned by Ticketmaster since 2015, used by attractions, clubs and event organizers. Publishing is free, paid tickets carry a per-ticket service fee plus a processing fee, and custom Pro plans add selling on Ticketmaster.
Universe's strengths
- Timed-entry tools for attractions, with repeating timeslots that each have their own prices and capacity
- Selling on Ticketmaster, on custom Pro plans
- The BoxOffice app for scanning and card sales at the door, plus a GraphQL API and webhooks
Why choose Getvnt?
Three things decide it against Universe: the money is yours, the code is public, and the calendar keeps itself in step with the one you already use.
What you get
- Zero platform fees on ticket sales, at every plan level, into your own Stripe or PayPal account
- Free registration with no monthly ceiling, and a ticket scanned at the door on every plan
- Refunds from the Sales page on Pro, in full or in part, that send the money back through Stripe or PayPal
- One checkout for tickets to several of your events, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale
- Passes, gift cards and installment payments on Pro, and allocated seating for venues on Enterprise
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync, free, so the public listing and your own diary cannot disagree
- Open source under the Attribution Assurance License, and selfhostable, which resolves to Enterprise
A fresh card
How to switch in 4 steps
Nothing has to move on day one. The schedule is useful the moment it exists, and the events and the list follow at whatever pace suits you.
01
Create your schedule
Free, no card, and it has its own address the moment it exists. Nothing has to move before it is useful.
02
Bring the events across
Paste a listing or upload the flyer and the parser fills in the name, date, time, venue and description for you to check. Fifty a day on the free and Pro plans (ten during a Pro trial), a hundred on Enterprise.
03
Bring your list across
Export the addresses you already have and paste them in or upload a CSV, up to ten thousand rows, on any plan. What the newsletter allowance counts is sending to them, not holding them.
04
Connect Stripe or PayPal and sell
Your own Stripe or PayPal account, so the money settles into it rather than into ours. Zero platform fees on every plan, a ticket with a price on it is Pro, and refunds go back through the same account.
100% Free Access. No Subscriptions.
All premium features, custom branding, seating charts, and integrations are included free for everyone. We only earn a small percentage fee when you sell paid tickets.
Host unlimited free events and registrations without paying a single dime.
- Unlimited events, calendars, & sub-schedules
- Google, Outlook, & CalDAV 2-way sync
- All Pro & Enterprise features unlocked
Only pay when you earn money. Automatically deducted at ticket checkout.
- Direct payouts to your Stripe account
- Passes, gift cards, promo codes, & installments
- No monthly or hidden subscription fees
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about switching from Universe.
How does Getvnt pricing compare to Universe?
Universe charges US organizers 2% + $0.79 per paid ticket on its Starter plan, plus a 3% processing fee through Universe Payments, passed on to buyers or absorbed by you. Getvnt Pro is a flat 5 NGN/mo with zero platform fees, so you pay only Stripe's or PayPal's own processing.
When do I get paid?
On Pro, paid tickets are charged through your own Stripe or PayPal account, so the money goes there as each order is placed. With Universe Payments, funds reach your Universe balance 48 hours after the event ends, and connecting your own Stripe account is its option for money before the event.
Does Getvnt have reserved seating?
Yes, on Enterprise. A venue schedule draws its room once, with sections, rows, tables, standing areas and wheelchair spaces, and buyers pick their seats from the map at checkout. Universe stopped offering seating plans for new listings in 2019.
Can I run a long series of dates?
Yes. Recurring events repeat daily, weekly on chosen days, every few weeks or monthly, with dates you can skip, and each date keeps its own tickets and capacity. For attractions with many entry times a day, Universe's timed-entry events go further.
Can I keep my events in Google Calendar?
Yes. Google Calendar sync runs both ways on every plan, and Outlook and CalDAV calendars sync the same way. Anyone can also subscribe to your schedule's live calendar feed.
Is it easy to switch from Universe?
Yes. Create a free schedule, paste your event details or upload a flyer and the AI parser fills in each event for you to check, then connect Stripe or PayPal and move to Pro to sell paid tickets.
Free forever, 0% platform fees
That is the card. Now sign it.
Final tally: 4 of 22 lines to Event Schedule.
Create your free schedule today. No credit card required, and nothing taken from your ticket sales.
Open source, and yours to selfhost whenever you want it.
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Read moreAllocated Seating
Draw your room once and let buyers pick their own seats from a map of it.
Read moreRecurring Events
Set a long run of dates once, with tickets counted per date.
Read morePricing
See what is included on Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans.
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