Pretix review: open-source event ticketing platform. See per-ticket pricing, self-hosting option, key features, and how it differs from Pretalx.
Pretix is an open-source ticketing and event registration platform founded in 2014 by Raphael Michel in Heidelberg, Germany. It focuses squarely on the commercial and logistical side of running an event: selling tickets, collecting payments, issuing invoices, and managing entry, rather than the speaker-program or content-review side that a tool like Pretalx handles.
Because the full codebase is open source, organizations can self-host Pretix for free with complete control over their data, or use the hosted pretix.eu service and pay only when tickets are actually sold. This dual model has made it popular with both privacy-conscious European organizations and community event organizers who want to avoid flat SaaS subscription fees.
Pretix supports configurable ticket types and pricing tiers, checkout integrated with multiple payment providers, automated invoicing, waiting lists, voucher and discount codes, and optional seating charts for venues that need assigned seating. A companion check-in app handles entry scanning at the door, and an exhibitor lead-scanning module is available as a paid add-on for trade shows and conferences.
Because it is open source with a public API, technical teams can extend Pretix with custom plugins or integrate it directly into their own registration workflows. The platform is designed to be GDPR-friendly and restricts service to business entities rather than individual consumers, positioning it firmly as B2B event infrastructure.
Pretix charges no flat monthly subscription on its hosted plan. Instead, paid tickets are charged 2.5 percent of the ticket price excluding tax, capped at 15 euros per ticket, plus whatever fees the chosen payment provider charges; free tickets incur no charge for the first 500 issued per year, with a small fee of 0.50 euros per ticket after that allowance is used.
Optional add-on modules are billed separately, including roughly 25 euros per exhibitor for lead scanning and 0.20 euros per invoice for Peppol or regional e-invoicing compliance. Organizations that prefer to avoid transaction fees entirely, or that need full control over their data, can instead self-host the open-source Pretix codebase at no license cost, paying only for their own infrastructure.
Self-hosting is free since it is open source; the hosted service charges a percentage fee only on paid tickets sold.
2.5 percent of the ticket price, capped at 15 euros per ticket, plus payment-provider fees; free tickets are fee-free for the first 500 per year.
Yes, the full codebase is open source under Apache 2.0 and can be self-hosted at no license cost.
No, they are separate products from the same broader German open-source events community; Pretix handles ticketing and Pretalx handles Call for Papers and scheduling.
Yes, free tickets are fee-free for the first 500 issued per year on the hosted plan.
Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, and other integrated payment providers.
Yes, a companion app handles ticket scanning and entry management at the door.
Pretix was founded by Raphael Michel and is operated by pretix GmbH in Heidelberg, Germany.