Heritage railways preserve history. The ticketing platform shouldn't be charging a platform fee for every seat.
Tourist trains, dinner railroads, holiday excursions, and historic trolleys sell reserved seats at premium prices. Per-ticket platform fees on that reservation revenue are a direct cut of what should stay with the operation. Equaticket charges a flat subscription: no Equaticket fee per passenger, per departure, or per season.
Holiday Lights Express · Today
Doors close in 13h
Revenue over time
7D30D90D$10,190
↑ $420 vs last week
$9,848
After Stripe fees
312
↑ 6 this week
312 / 3,000
10% used
The problem
Per-ticket fees on premium reserved experiences add up quickly
A tourist railway selling 1,500 seats per season at $45 average is paying Eventbrite roughly $6,750. For a heritage operation where track maintenance, rail equipment preservation, and crew training are ongoing costs, that's a real budget line going to a platform instead of the railway itself.
Tourist railways and historic trolleys often operate as nonprofits or family businesses dedicated to preservation. Equaticket exists to end per-ticket fees so that every dollar passengers spend on a unique experience stays with the operation running it.
How it works
How Equaticket works for tourist trains and trolleys
Ticketing by departure.
Seasonal and holiday ride packages.
Premium and general class tiers.
Promo codes for railway society members.
Embed on your railway website.
Platform comparison
The math
| Platform | Seasonal platform fees |
|---|---|
| Eventbrite (~11%) | ~$6,750 |
| TicketSpice ($0.99/ticket) | ~$1,485 |
| Equaticket Growth | $237$79/mo, 3-month minimum |
$6,650 per season funds track maintenance, rail equipment preservation, and the crew that makes each excursion possible.
Savings calculator
See how much your railway would save
= 1,500 tickets every 3 months.
Based on 500 tickets/month, you’d be on the
Growth plan at $79.00/month
(3-month minimum, paid monthly)
Total annual cost: $10,578
Stripe processing: $1.61/ticket
That’s just $0.16 per ticket in platform fees
- EventbriteBiggest savings$29,161/year
in total ticketing fees
Save $18,583/yearwith Equaticket vs. Eventbrite
- TicketSpice$15,570/year
in total ticketing fees
Save $4,992/yearwith Equaticket vs. TicketSpice
- Ticket Tailor$14,730/year
in total ticketing fees
Save $4,152/yearwith Equaticket vs. Ticket Tailor
Total Savings
$4,152 – $18,583/year
or $20,760 – $92,916 over 5 years
30-day money-back guarantee. Available once per organization within 30 days of starting a paid subscription. A refund ends your paid plan immediately and may pause future paid events. See the guarantee terms.
Calculations based on total fees. All platforms include payment processing via Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) unless otherwise noted. Eventbrite bundles processing into their fee. Equaticket subscription billed monthly on a 3-month minimum. Competitor pricing verified October 2026. Sales tax and organizer-added fees can change a checkout total.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell tickets for recurring shows without setting up each one individually?
Yes. Equaticket's recurring event tool lets you set a show schedule (daily, weekly, or custom) and manages the booking calendar automatically. Each date gets its own capacity, QR codes, and attendee list.
Does Equaticket charge per ticket?
No. Equaticket charges a flat subscription with no per-ticket fees. We take nothing from each ticket sold. Your attendees pay the price you set, with no added booking fees from us. Stripe payment processing applies at their standard rate (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). Sales tax and organizer-added fees can change a checkout total.
What does it cost to get started?
The Free tier has no time limit. Your first 100 paid tickets are free, with up to 500 free tickets per event. It includes QR check-in and the embeddable checkout widget, and tickets priced at $0 do not count toward your first 100 paid tickets. Paid plans start at $29/mo (Starter): pay monthly with a 3-month minimum, or $87 up front for the 3 months. Starter is sized for 250 tickets a month on average, and gives you 750 at a time. Annual pricing and any applicable discount are shown on the pricing page and at checkout. No credit card required to sign up. Every paid plan, including annual, has a 30-day money-back guarantee. Available once per organization within 30 days of starting a paid subscription. A refund ends your paid plan immediately and may pause future paid events.
Can I embed ticket sales on my own website?
Yes. Every Equaticket plan includes an embeddable checkout widget. Paste a single script tag into your site (WordPress, Squarespace, Webflow, or any HTML page) and the ticket purchase flow runs directly on your site. Buyers never leave your domain.
How does check-in work?
Every ticket includes a unique QR code. Your staff scan it using any smartphone camera through our check-in app, with no hardware required and no app store download needed. Paid plans include real-time multi-device sync, so multiple scanners at multiple gates stay in sync instantly with no double-entries.
Ready to stop paying per ticket?
Flat subscription. No per-ticket fees. Start free.