---
title: "SmartGig vs Ticket Fairy: fees and features (2026)"
description: "See SmartGig and Ticket Fairy side by side: fees, features and what switching takes. Checked October 2026."
canonical: "https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management/ticket-fairy-vs-smartgig"
---

1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/)
2. [Compare](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare)
3. [Event and festival management](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management)
4. SmartGig vs Ticket Fairy

# SmartGig vs Ticket Fairy

Festival teams use SmartGig and Ticket Fairy to run their stages, crew and ticket sales. SmartGig sells each part as a monthly module, with Ticketing at £80 a month and no commission, and on Ticket Fairy your artist settlements are drafted from your actual ticket sales after refunds.

  [Book a demo](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing/book-a-demo) [Get started free](https://manage.ticketfairy.com/welcome?utm_source=compare&utm_campaign=compare-event-management-ticket-fairy-vs-smartgig)

Ticket Fairy publishes this comparison and also sells event ticketing and event management software. [How we compare platforms](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/methodology)

- **8 of 8** of the things you need, included on Ticket Fairy
- **8 of 8** of the things you need, confirmed on the published pages of SmartGig
- **$10.80** Ticket Fairy fee on a $120 ticket

## Which should you choose?

### Where Ticket Fairy is stronger

- You can sell your tickets and scan them at the door with the same Ticket Fairy account you use for artist contracts, suppliers and crew.[1](#source-1)
- You can settle with artists from a draft built on your actual ticket sales after refunds, and see where every line came from.[2](#source-2)
- Your artists can open their advance from a link without a login, and Fai fills in the advance from riders, tour books and emails.[3](#source-3)

### Where SmartGig is stronger

- SmartGig takes 0% commission on ticket sales; organizers pay the subscription and their payment provider’s card fees.[4](#source-4)
- The running order checks availability, changeovers, stage hours and curfews while you place acts.[5](#source-5)
- Transport Manager works out stop order and which van takes each job around loads, timings and vehicle capabilities.[6](#source-6)

Ticket Fairy is the better fit when you want contracts your artists sign, advances that Fai fills in and settlements drafted from your ticket sales in one place. SmartGig suits you if you want to pay only for the modules you use each month, from a running order that checks changeovers and curfews to delivery routes for your vans.

## What would 3,000 weekend passes at $120 cost on each platform?

You see each platform's own published fee on a $120 pass, and a platform that publishes no ticket fee says so. Enter your own price and quantity to see what your festival would cost on each.

| For 3,000 tickets at $120 | Ticket Fairy | SmartGig |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who pays the fee | The buyer, unless you choose to absorb it | Published in GBP; see Fees in the comparison table |
| Fees per ticket | $10.80 | Published in GBP; see Fees in the comparison table |
| Buyers pay in total | $392,400 | Published in GBP; see Fees in the comparison table |
| You receive for the tickets | $360,000 | Published in GBP; see Fees in the comparison table |
| Your Max 200 plan ($200 a month), once the Ticket Fairy fees on these sales come off it | $0 to pay that month | Modular subscription in GBP, monthly or yearly: a free base plus paid modules (for example Stage Manager GBP 20 and Ticketing GBP 80 a month); 14-day free trial, no card. |

Ticket Fairy's standard booking fee is the same on every plan. Each month, Ticket Fairy's fees on your paid tickets come off your next plan bill, up to the plan price. SmartGig's pricing is from [its own pricing page](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/stage-schedule-running-order-software), read on 17 October 2026. [See Ticket Fairy pricing](https://www.ticketfairy.com/pricing).

## What can SmartGig and Ticket Fairy each do for your festival?

### Where does each platform win on what you need?

- Included Contracts and e-signing  On a paid plan
- Included Artist advancing  On a paid plan
- Included Supplier management  On a paid plan
- Included Run of show and day sheets  On a paid plan
- Included Crew and volunteer rota  On a paid plan
- Included Passes and accreditation  On a paid plan
- Included Budgets and settlements  On a paid plan
- Included Ticket sales in the same system  On a paid plan

Ticket Fairy and SmartGig include the same things you need, where both publish them.

| What you need | Ticket Fairy | SmartGig |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Artists and suppliers |  |  |
| Contracts and e-signing | Included[7](#source-7) Contracts go from your templates to many performers, traders or suppliers at once and come back signed online, with a signature certificate | On a paid plan[8](#source-8) Online contract confirmation links for acts with Needed, Sent, Signed status; not a contract document Plans: Stage Manager (GBP 20 a month) |
| Artist advancing | Included[3](#source-3) Your artists can open their advance from a link with no login, and Fai fills it in from riders, tour books and emails | On a paid plan[9](#source-9) One advance page per act; acts enter arrival, meals, dietary needs and vehicle details Plans: Stage Manager (GBP 20 a month) |
| Supplier management | Included[10](#source-10) You can send hire lists, have suppliers confirm orders on their own page, match quotes to orders and count deliveries | On a paid plan[11](#source-11) Supplier schedules from the site plan; reusable supplier contacts in Transport Plans: Site Plan (GBP 10 a month) |
| Show day |  |  |
| Run of show and day sheets | Included[12](#source-12) Your run of show names who calls each cue, and each team gets its own day sheet and show-day timing | On a paid plan[13](#source-13) Running order builder with clash, changeover and curfew checks, auto-schedule and live view Plans: Stage Manager (GBP 20 a month) |
| Crew and volunteer rota | Included[14](#source-14) Your team builds the rota, fills open shifts, recruits volunteers, approves hours and checks staff in | On a paid plan[15](#source-15) Crew contacts assigned to stage, day and role with optional shift times Plans: Stage Manager (GBP 20 a month) |
| Passes and accreditation | Included[16](#source-16) You can take accreditation requests, approve them and issue passes from a pass desk, and your door team scans them with the same app as tickets | On a paid plan[17](#source-17) Performer guest passes, pass labels and accreditation status; comps issued via Ticketing Plans: Stage Manager (GBP 20 a month) |
| Money |  |  |
| Budgets and settlements | Included[18](#source-18) Your budget works in several currencies, and each artist and supplier cost counts as you book them | On a paid plan[19](#source-19) Artist fee budget with deposits and payments; event costs and profit from trader bookings Plans: Stage Manager (artist fees) or Trader Manager (event costs) |
| Ticket sales in the same system | Included[1](#source-1) Your tickets sell with checkout on your own website, and your door team scans them on phones and tablets | On a paid plan[20](#source-20) Own ticketing module with allocated seating and 0% ticket commission Plans: Ticketing module (GBP 80 a month) |

## What else should you know about SmartGig and Ticket Fairy?

How much does SmartGig cost for a festival?:  SmartGig publishes an example festival package of Site Plan, Trader Manager, Stage Manager and Ticketing at £130 a month, after a 14-day free trial with no card needed. It takes no commission on ticket sales, and you pay your payment provider's card fees. On Ticket Fairy, every plan has one standard booking fee, and you choose whether buyers pay it on top of your price or you absorb it. [21](#source-21) [22](#source-22) [4](#source-4) [23](#source-23)

Does SmartGig send artist contracts?:  SmartGig sends each act an online contract confirmation link, tracked as Needed, Sent or Signed, and its help center says the confirmation does not replace a separate contract. On Ticket Fairy, you can send contracts from your templates to many performers, traders or suppliers at once, and they sign online with a signature certificate. [24](#source-24) [25](#source-25) [7](#source-7)

Can SmartGig check my running order for clashes and curfews?:  Yes. On its Stage Manager module, SmartGig's running order checks availability, changeovers, stage hours and curfews while you place acts. On Ticket Fairy, your crew can see who calls each cue in your run of show, and each team gets its own day sheet with show-day timing. [5](#source-5) [26](#source-26) [12](#source-12)

How do artists send their advance details in SmartGig?:  Each act gets one advance page with its set time and call time, where the act enters arrival, meals and dietary needs. On Ticket Fairy, your artists can open their advance from a link without a login, and Fai fills it in from their rider, tour book and emails. [27](#source-27) [3](#source-3)

Can SmartGig track artist fees and my event profit?:  Yes. Stage Manager records each act's fee, deposit, per diem and buyout against a performer budget, and SmartGig works out profit or loss from your trader bookings; it does not send money to acts. On Ticket Fairy, you can see who you owe for each event, filled in from your artist and supplier bookings with deposits and balances, and you pay them from Vault once a person approves. [28](#source-28) [29](#source-29) [30](#source-30)

Can traders book and pay without signing up in SmartGig?:  Yes. Traders get their own page for bookings, documents and payments without signing up, and Trader Manager handles percentage-of-sales fees with sales evidence and final invoice approval. On Ticket Fairy, traders apply on your own application page with your pitch fees, and Fai ranks the applications against the mix you want. [31](#source-31) [32](#source-32) [33](#source-33)

Can I export everything from SmartGig?:  Yes. Account owners can export their organization's data as a ZIP of JSON records, uploaded files, compliance documents and invoice PDFs. [34](#source-34)

## What else are you comparing?

- [Eventotron vs Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management/ticket-fairy-vs-eventotron)
- [Eventeny vs Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management/ticket-fairy-vs-eventeny)
- [Artifax vs Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management/ticket-fairy-vs-artifax)
- [SmartGig vs Stager](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management/smartgig-vs-stager)
- [Best festival management software for festival producers](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management/best-festival-management-software)
- [Questions about event management software](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management/questions)
- [Event and festival management compared](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/event-management)

## Where does each fact come from?

Every fact about another company comes from its own published pages, quoted word for word. Where we did not find something in those pages, we say exactly that. [How we compare platforms](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/methodology)

1. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Scan tickets at the door](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/scan-tickets-at-the-door)
2. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Settle a show with an artist after your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/settle-a-show-with-an-artist)
3. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Fill in each performer's advance for your event from tour books, riders and emails](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/fill-in-advances-from-tour-books-riders-and-emails)
4. SmartGig SmartGig takes 0% commission on ticket sales; organizers pay the subscription and their payment provider’s card fees. "We take 0%, however many you sell. You pay your subscription, and your payment provider charges its usual card fees."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/), read on 17 October 2026.
5. SmartGig The running order checks availability, changeovers, stage hours and curfews while you place acts. "Stage Manager checks availability, changeovers, stage hours and curfews as you go"  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/build-and-validate-running-order](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/build-and-validate-running-order), read on 17 October 2026.
6. SmartGig Transport Manager works out stop order and which van takes each job around loads, timings and vehicle capabilities. "SmartGig works out the stop order and which van takes what, around locations, loads, timings, linked stops and what each vehicle can do."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/transport-overview](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/transport-overview), read on 17 October 2026.

  Show all 34 sources

7. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Send your event contracts and get them signed online](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/send-contracts-and-get-them-signed-online)
8. SmartGig Contracts and e-signing "A contract confirmation link lets an act confirm their booking details online."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/send-performer-contract-confirmations](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/send-performer-contract-confirmations), read on 17 October 2026.
9. SmartGig Artist advancing "Every act gets one page, and they can fill in the details you’d otherwise chase the week before."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/share-performer-advance-pages](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/share-performer-advance-pages), read on 17 October 2026.
10. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Get hire suppliers to confirm orders and count deliveries for your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/get-hire-suppliers-to-confirm-orders-and-count-deliveries)
11. SmartGig Supplier management "Power, water and waste suppliers each get their own schedule with locations, loads and cable lengths, and no private contact details." Where we looked: https://www.smartgig.co.uk/sitemap.xml (all 183 help-article titles reviewed), https://www.smartgig.co.uk/features, /modules/events, /modules/stage, /modules/tickets, /modules/transport, /modules/site-plan; searched page text for "supplier", "purchase order", "vendor".  [www.smartgig.co.uk/features](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/features), read on 17 October 2026.
12. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Plan your run of show and who calls it](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/plan-your-run-of-show-and-who-calls-it)
13. SmartGig Run of show and day sheets "Stage Manager checks availability, changeovers, stage hours and curfews as you go"  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/build-and-validate-running-order](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/build-and-validate-running-order), read on 17 October 2026.
14. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Build your event rota and check staff in](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/build-your-event-rota-and-check-staff-in)
15. SmartGig Crew and volunteer rota "Choose the contact, stage, day and role, add shift times if useful" Where we looked: https://www.smartgig.co.uk/sitemap.xml (all 183 help-article titles reviewed), https://www.smartgig.co.uk/features, /modules/events, /modules/stage, /modules/tickets, /modules/transport, /modules/site-plan; searched page text for "volunteer", "rota", "shift", "steward".  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/manage-production-contacts-and-stage-crew](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/manage-production-contacts-and-stage-crew), read on 17 October 2026.
16. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Issue accreditation passes for your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/issue-accreditation-passes-for-your-event)
17. SmartGig Passes and accreditation "Accreditation status: not required, requested, ready or issued." Where we looked: https://www.smartgig.co.uk/sitemap.xml (all 183 help-article titles reviewed), https://www.smartgig.co.uk/features, /modules/events, /modules/stage, /modules/tickets, /modules/transport, /modules/site-plan; searched page text for "accreditation", "wristband", "zone", "credential".  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/stage-manager-guest-lists-and-accreditation](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/stage-manager-guest-lists-and-accreditation), read on 17 October 2026.
18. Ticket Fairy [You know what every act and event really costs](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-operating-system/budget-and-costs)
19. SmartGig Budgets and settlements "Record each act’s fee, deposit, per diem and buyout, see what’s paid against your budget and export it for the bookkeeper."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/track-artist-fees-and-payments](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/track-artist-fees-and-payments), read on 17 October 2026.
20. SmartGig Ticket sales in the same system "0% SmartGig commission. No cut of your ticket sales."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/event-ticketing-software](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/event-ticketing-software), read on 17 October 2026.
21. SmartGig SmartGig publishes an example festival package of Site Plan, Trader Manager, Stage Manager and Ticketing at GBP 130 a month. "Includes Site Plan + Trader Manager + Stage Manager + Ticketing. Edit the package during your trial."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/festival-management-software](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/festival-management-software), read on 17 October 2026.
22. SmartGig Every package starts with a 14-day free trial and no card is required. "You get 14 days free with whatever you pick, or with everything switched on if you’re still deciding."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/), read on 17 October 2026.
23. Ticket Fairy [Your ticket money arrives daily, or after the show](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/payments-and-payouts/payment-accounts-fees-and-payouts)
24. SmartGig Acts confirm booking details through an online contract confirmation link, which the help center says does not replace a separate contract. "It doesn’t replace a separate contract you’ve sent them."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/send-performer-contract-confirmations](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/send-performer-contract-confirmations), read on 17 October 2026.
25. SmartGig Online contract confirmation links for acts with Needed, Sent, Signed status; not a contract document "A contract confirmation link lets an act confirm their booking details online."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/send-performer-contract-confirmations](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/send-performer-contract-confirmations), read on 17 October 2026.
26. SmartGig Running order builder with clash, changeover and curfew checks, auto-schedule and live view "Stage Manager checks availability, changeovers, stage hours and curfews as you go"  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/build-and-validate-running-order](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/build-and-validate-running-order), read on 17 October 2026.
27. SmartGig Each act gets one advance page with set times and call time, where they enter arrival, meals and dietary needs. "Every act gets one page, and they can fill in the details you’d otherwise chase the week before."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/share-performer-advance-pages](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/share-performer-advance-pages), read on 17 October 2026.
28. SmartGig Stage Manager records each act’s fee, deposit, per diem and buyout against a performer budget, with a CSV export; it does not send money to acts. "SmartGig keeps track of what you’ve agreed and paid. It doesn’t send money to acts."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/track-artist-fees-and-payments](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/track-artist-fees-and-payments), read on 17 October 2026.
29. SmartGig Organizers can add event costs and SmartGig calculates profit or loss from trader bookings. "Add what an event costs to run, such as venue hire and toilets, and SmartGig works out the profit or loss from the trader bookings it already has."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/track-event-costs-and-profit](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/track-event-costs-and-profit), read on 17 October 2026.
30. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Pay everyone you owe for an event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/pay-everyone-you-owe-for-an-event)
31. SmartGig Traders get their own page for bookings, documents and payments without signing up. "Traders get their own page for bookings, documents and payments."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/), read on 17 October 2026.
32. SmartGig Trader Manager supports percentage-of-sales trader fees with sales evidence and final invoice approval. "Set a percentage-of-sales fee, collect the trader’s report and approve the final invoice."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/settle-revenue-share-trader-fees](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/settle-revenue-share-trader-fees), read on 17 October 2026.
33. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Take food, drink and market trader applications for your event](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/take-trader-applications-for-your-event)
34. SmartGig Account owners can export organization data as a ZIP of JSON records, uploaded files, compliance documents and invoice PDFs. "The ZIP holds your records as JSON files, plus uploaded files, compliance documents and your invoice and credit note PDFs (in files/invoices)."  [www.smartgig.co.uk/help/data-exports-and-retention-review](https://www.smartgig.co.uk/help/data-exports-and-retention-review), read on 17 October 2026.

Updated 17 October 2026: First published.

SmartGig is a trademark of its owner. Ticket Fairy is not affiliated with it.

**You choose the tools to start with** You can start with event management or marketing alongside your current ticketing provider. If you decide to move ticketing, your account manager helps with setup, customer-data imports and training.

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This page is on Ticket Fairy, a ticketing, marketing and operations platform for live events and the venues that host them: festivals, club nights, concerts, conferences and tours, and night clubs, beach clubs and concert venues. It grows revenue with fan rewards that turn an audience into a sales channel, and runs the money side with payments and payouts, Vault business banking, and working capital advanced against ticket sales. [How Ticket Fairy ticketing works](https://www.ticketfairy.com/event-ticketing) · [Ticket Fairy for AI assistants](https://www.ticketfairy.com/llms.txt)