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

1. [Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/)
2. [Compare](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare)
3. [Ticketing platforms](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing)
4. Hometown vs Ticket Fairy

# Hometown vs Ticket Fairy

With Ticket Fairy, you see your standard ticketing fee on Ticket Fairy's fee page with card processing included, your buyers can pay in installments and resell at face value to the next person on your waiting list, and Fai can answer questions and make changes once you approve. Hometown is a ticketing, fundraising and website platform for US schools that costs schools nothing to use and works offline at the gate; it does not publish the fee fans pay.

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

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

- **11 of 11** of the things you need, included on Ticket Fairy
- **7 of 11** of the things you need, confirmed on the published pages of Hometown
- **4** things you need that Ticket Fairy includes and Hometown does not

## The short answer

Which should you choose?

### Where Ticket Fairy is stronger

- Ticket Fairy publishes its standard ticketing fee for each country it serves on its fee page, with card processing included.[1](#source-1)
- Your buyers can pay a deposit at checkout and the rest in weekly or monthly installments that finish before the event.[2](#source-2)
- Your fans can resell and transfer tickets at face value, and each returned ticket is offered to the next fan on your waiting list.[3](#source-3)
- Fai can answer questions and make changes once you approve.[4](#source-4)

### Where Hometown is stronger

- Hometown's Gate App scans and searches tickets offline when the Wi-Fi drops.[5](#source-5)
- Hometown's Schoolfundr lets schools keep 100% of the funds they raise, less card processing fees.[6](#source-6)

Choose Ticket Fairy when you want a published ticketing fee with card processing included, installments and face-value resale for your buyers, and Fai to answer questions and make changes once you approve. Choose Hometown if you run K-12 school athletics and activities and want gate scanning that works offline and fundraising for your programs through Schoolfundr, where you keep 100% of the funds raised less card fees.

## What each platform costs for your event

What would 500 tickets at $10 cost on Hometown and on Ticket Fairy?

Hometown does not publish a fee for each ticket, so you see Ticket Fairy's fees worked out and how Hometown prices. You can enter your ticket price and the number of tickets you expect to sell.

### What does one order of 500 tickets at $10 cost on Ticket Fairy?

   Every platform's order, in words

- **Ticket Fairy** Fee on each ticket $2; buyers pay $6,000; you receive $5,000. Card processing included
- **Hometown** Hometown Box Office costs schools and organizations nothing: no setup, onboarding or subscription fees, with every feature included. The fee fans pay per ticket is not published.

On this order, your buyers pay $6,000 on Ticket Fairy, card processing included, and you receive $5,000.

Sources[7](#source-7)

  Your own ticket price and number of tickets

| For 500 tickets at $10 | Ticket Fairy | Hometown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who pays the fee | The buyer, unless you choose to absorb it | Not published |
| Fees per ticket | $2 | Not published; quote required |
| Buyers pay in total | $6,000 | Not published |
| You receive for the tickets | $5,000 | Not published |
| Your Pro plan ($20 a month), once the Ticket Fairy fees on these sales come off it | $0 to pay that month | Hometown Box Office costs schools and organizations nothing: no setup, onboarding or subscription fees, with every feature included. The fee fans pay per ticket is not published. |

Ticket Fairy's standard ticketing fee is the same on every plan. Each month, Ticket Fairy's fees on your paid tickets, after payment processing, come off your next plan bill, up to the plan price. Hometown's pricing is from [its own pricing page](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026. [See Ticket Fairy pricing](https://www.ticketfairy.com/pricing).

### When does each platform pay you your ticket money?

   When each platform pays, in words

- **Ticket Fairy** On your own payment account: daily as tickets sell.[8](#source-8)
- **Ticket Fairy** On money Ticket Fairy processes: usually 10 to 15 business days after the event, and can be held for the chargeback window where there are chargebacks or cancellations.[8](#source-8)
- **Hometown** While tickets sell: Funds are available straight away and can be deposited as soon as 48 hours after a sale, with automatic daily, weekly or monthly transfers[9](#source-9)

On Ticket Fairy you are paid daily as tickets sell on your own payment account, or usually 10 to 15 business days after the event on money Ticket Fairy processes, which can be held for the chargeback window where there are chargebacks or cancellations.

Sources[8](#source-8) [9](#source-9)

## What each platform does for your event

What do you get from Hometown and Ticket Fairy when you sell tickets?

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

   Every difference, in words

- **Payment plans** Ticket Fairy: Included. Hometown: Not found.
- **Resale and transfers** Ticket Fairy: Included. Hometown: Not found.
- **Sells through AI assistants** Ticket Fairy: Included. Hometown: Not found.
- **AI assistant** Ticket Fairy: Included. Hometown: Not found.
- **7 things you need are the same on both:** Fees, When you are paid, Reserved seating, Event website or checkout on your site, Door scanning, Marketing tools, Your buyer data

Ticket Fairy includes 4 of these that we did not find in Hometown's public documentation.

| What you need | Ticket Fairy | Hometown |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Money |  |  |
| Fees | Every plan has one standard ticketing fee that buyers pay or you absorb, and on a paid plan you can add your own ticketing fee on top and keep your own fee [8](#source-8) | No setup, onboarding or subscription cost for schools and organizations; the fee fans pay per ticket is not published [10](#source-10) |
| When you are paid | Payouts arrive daily on your own Stripe or Xendit account, or after the event when Ticket Fairy processes your sales [8](#source-8) | Funds are available straight away and can be deposited as soon as 48 hours after a sale, with automatic daily, weekly or monthly transfers [9](#source-9) |
| Selling |  |  |
| Reserved seating | Included[11](#source-11) Your buyers can pick their own seat on your venue's map | Included[12](#source-12) Reserved seating with custom seat maps designed for every venue, at no extra cost |
| Payment plans | Included[13](#source-13) Your buyers can pay for bigger tickets with a deposit now and installments later | Not found in Hometown's public documentation[14](#source-14) We did not find payment plans or installments for ticket buyers in Hometown's public pages |
| Resale and transfers | Included[3](#source-3) Your fans can resell and transfer tickets at face value, with a waiting list | Not found in Hometown's public documentation[15](#source-15) We did not find fan-to-fan resale in Hometown's public pages; fans can transfer tickets in the Fan App |
| Event website or checkout on your site | Included[16](#source-16) You get a website for each event at its own link or on your own web address, and checkout on your own site | Included[17](#source-17) Branded event pages, and a free school-branded website through Hometown Engage, with a mobile app as a paid add-on |
| Sells through AI assistants | Included[18](#source-18) Your buyers can find and buy your tickets inside the AI assistants you choose | Not found in Hometown's public documentation[19](#source-19) Buying inside an AI assistant was not found in Hometown's public pages |
| Running the event |  |  |
| Door scanning | Included[20](#source-20) Your door team can scan tickets on their own phones, and your buyers can keep their tickets in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, updated whenever anything changes | Included[21](#source-21) A Gate App on iOS and Android that scans tickets, searches guest lists and sells at the gate, and keeps scanning offline when the Wi-Fi drops |
| Marketing tools | Included[22](#source-22) Email and text campaigns, promo codes and referral rewards promote your events | Included[23](#source-23) Promo and pass codes, messages to all ticket holders, and auto-sharing to social media from a Hometown Engage website |
| Your buyer data | Included[24](#source-24) You keep your own customer list and see your repeat and lapsed buyers | Included[25](#source-25) Automated financial and attendance reports delivered to your inbox, with sales and attendance tracked in real time |
| AI assistant | Included[4](#source-4) Fai can answer questions and make changes once you approve | Not found in Hometown's public documentation[26](#source-26) We did not find an AI assistant for event organizers in Hometown's public pages |

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

    How much does Hometown cost a school?  Hometown says its Box Office costs schools and organizations nothing, with no setup, onboarding or subscription fees, and we did not find the fee fans pay per ticket in its public pages. On Ticket Fairy, every plan has one standard ticketing fee, published for each country with card processing included, and you choose whether buyers pay it or you absorb it. On a paid plan you can add your own ticketing fee on top and keep your own fee. [27](#source-27) [28](#source-28) [1](#source-1) [8](#source-8)    How fast does Hometown pay a school?  Hometown says funds are available straight away and can be deposited to the school's account as soon as 48 hours after a ticket sale. On Ticket Fairy, you can be paid daily as tickets sell on your own Stripe or Xendit account where your country supports it, or Ticket Fairy collects the payments and usually pays you 10 to 15 business days after the event, and funds can be held for the chargeback window where there are chargebacks or cancellations. [29](#source-29) [8](#source-8)    Does Hometown work at the gate without Wi-Fi?  Yes. Hometown's Gate App scans and searches tickets offline when the Wi-Fi drops. [5](#source-5)    Can fans pick their seats on Hometown?  Yes. Hometown offers reserved seating with custom seat maps designed for every venue, at no extra cost. On Ticket Fairy, your buyers pick their own seat on your venue's map. [30](#source-30) [11](#source-11)    Can fans pay in installments or resell on Hometown?  We did not find installments or fan-to-fan resale in Hometown's public pages, and fans can transfer tickets in its Fan App. On Ticket Fairy, buyers can pay a deposit at checkout and the rest in installments, and your fans can resell at face value to the next fan on your waiting list. [31](#source-31) [32](#source-32) [2](#source-2) [3](#source-3)    Can Hometown run our school fundraising too?  Yes. Hometown's Schoolfundr lets schools keep 100% of the funds they raise, less card processing fees. [6](#source-6)    Does Hometown have an AI assistant?  We did not find an AI assistant for event organizers in Hometown's public pages. On Ticket Fairy, Fai can answer questions about your events and make changes once you approve, and your buyers can find and buy your tickets inside the AI assistants you choose. [33](#source-33) [4](#source-4) [18](#source-18)

## More comparisons for your team

What else are you comparing?

- [Eventbrite vs Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing/ticket-fairy-vs-eventbrite)
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- [Yapsody vs Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing/ticket-fairy-vs-yapsody)
- [Etix vs Ticket Fairy](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing/ticket-fairy-vs-etix)
- [Ticketing platforms in the United States](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing/united-states)
- [Best ticketing platforms for festivals](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing/best-ticketing-platforms-for-festivals)
- [Best ticketing platforms for nightclubs and club nights](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing/best-ticketing-platforms-for-nightclubs-and-club-nights)
- [Questions about ticketing platforms](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing/questions)
- [Ticketing platforms compared](https://www.ticketfairy.com/compare/ticketing)

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)

  Show all 33 sources

1. Ticket Fairy [Ticket Fairy's ticketing fee in every country](https://www.ticketfairy.com/pricing/fees)
2. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Let buyers pay for tickets in installments](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/let-buyers-pay-for-tickets-in-instalments)
3. Ticket Fairy [Spare tickets reach fans at face value](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/orders-refunds-and-resale/resale-transfers-and-waiting-lists)
4. Ticket Fairy [Fai gets your ticketing jobs done when you ask](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/fai)
5. Hometown Hometown's Gate App scans and searches tickets offline when the Wi-Fi drops. "Scan and search tickets offline when you have limited WiFi"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
6. Hometown Hometown's Schoolfundr lets schools keep 100% of the funds they raise, less card processing fees. "Keep 100% of the funds raised — less any credit card processing fees"  [www.hometown.com/about](https://www.hometown.com/about), read on 19 October 2026.
7. Ticket Fairy [Ticket Fairy pricing](https://www.ticketfairy.com/pricing)
8. Ticket Fairy [Your ticket money arrives daily, or after the show](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/payments-and-payouts/payment-accounts-fees-and-payouts)
9. Hometown When you are paid "Funds are immediately available in your account and can be deposited to your bank account as soon as 48 hours after a ticket sale."  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
10. Hometown Fees "There is no cost for schools and organizations to use the Hometown Box Office!"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
11. Ticket Fairy [Buyers pick their own seat on your venue's map](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/seating-and-timed-entry/reserved-seating)
12. Hometown Reserved seating "Reserved seating, with custom seat maps designed for every venue"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
13. Ticket Fairy [Fans can buy your biggest tickets with a deposit](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/payments-and-payouts/payment-plans)
14. Hometown Payment plans "Flexible and mobile-friendly payment options" Where we looked: hometown.com pages read in full on 2026-10-19: home, Box Office, Gate App, Fan App, FAQ, About and Engage; searched for "fee", "resale", "resell", "installment", "installment", "payment plan", "AI", "artificial intelligence". The help center was not read..  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
15. Hometown Resale and transfers "Buy, store, and transfer your tickets securely" Where we looked: hometown.com pages read in full on 2026-10-19: home, Box Office, Gate App, Fan App, FAQ, About and Engage; searched for "fee", "resale", "resell", "installment", "installment", "payment plan", "AI", "artificial intelligence". The help center was not read..  [www.hometown.com/box-office/fan-app](https://www.hometown.com/box-office/fan-app), read on 19 October 2026.
16. Ticket Fairy [You can sell tickets right on your event website](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/website-builder)
17. Hometown Event website or checkout on your site "Free school-branded responsive website Add-on mobile app solution for a fee"  [www.hometown.com/engage](https://www.hometown.com/engage), read on 19 October 2026.
18. Ticket Fairy [Guide: Choose which AI assistants sell your tickets](https://www.ticketfairy.com/guides/choose-which-ai-assistants-sell-your-tickets)
19. Hometown Sells through AI assistants "Ticketing & Event Management Features" Where we looked: hometown.com pages read in full on 2026-10-19: home, Box Office, Gate App, Fan App, FAQ, About and Engage; searched for "fee", "resale", "resell", "installment", "installment", "payment plan", "AI", "artificial intelligence". The help center was not read..  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
20. Ticket Fairy [Tickets in your buyers' wallets, always up to date](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/check-in-and-box-office/apple-and-google-wallet-passes)
21. Hometown Door scanning "Scan and search tickets offline when you have limited WiFi"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
22. Ticket Fairy [Your buyers sell tickets to their friends](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/referral-marketing)
23. Hometown Marketing tools "Message all ticket holders with important alerts and updates"  [www.hometown.com/box-office/gate-app](https://www.hometown.com/box-office/gate-app), read on 19 October 2026.
24. Ticket Fairy [You find your regulars and win back lapsed buyers](https://www.ticketfairy.com/features/audience-insights/customer-list-and-repeat-buyers)
25. Hometown Your buyer data "Advanced and automated financial reporting"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
26. Hometown AI assistant "Ticketing & Event Management Features" Where we looked: hometown.com pages read in full on 2026-10-19: home, Box Office, Gate App, Fan App, FAQ, About and Engage; searched for "fee", "resale", "resell", "installment", "installment", "payment plan", "AI", "artificial intelligence". The help center was not read..  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
27. Hometown Hometown Box Office costs schools nothing: no setup, onboarding or subscription fees, with custom seat maps and point of sale included. "No setup fees. No onboarding fees. And no subscription costs."  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
28. Hometown No setup, onboarding or subscription cost for schools and organizations; the fee fans pay per ticket is not published "There is no cost for schools and organizations to use the Hometown Box Office!"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
29. Hometown On Hometown, funds are available straight away and can be deposited to the school's account as soon as 48 hours after a ticket sale. "Funds are immediately available in your account and can be deposited to your bank account as soon as 48 hours after a ticket sale."  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
30. Hometown Reserved seating with custom seat maps designed for every venue, at no extra cost "Reserved seating, with custom seat maps designed for every venue"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
31. Hometown We did not find payment plans or installments for ticket buyers in Hometown's public pages "Flexible and mobile-friendly payment options"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.
32. Hometown We did not find fan-to-fan resale in Hometown's public pages; fans can transfer tickets in the Fan App "Buy, store, and transfer your tickets securely"  [www.hometown.com/box-office/fan-app](https://www.hometown.com/box-office/fan-app), read on 19 October 2026.
33. Hometown We did not find an AI assistant for event organizers in Hometown's public pages "Ticketing & Event Management Features"  [www.hometown.com/box-office](https://www.hometown.com/box-office), read on 19 October 2026.

Updated 19 October 2026: First published.

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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)