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Editorial Team · 2026-10-11
Best Ticket Apps for Concerts, Sports and Shows, Ranked
By Editorial Team · published 2026-10-11 · updated 2026-10-11
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Gametime is the best ticket app for concerts and games: prices include fees from the first screen, sales stay open until 90 minutes after the start, and cancelled events refund automatically. We ranked the ticket apps in our catalogue on whether the first price is the real one, what happens when an event is cancelled or your plans change, and how reliably tickets arrive. TodayTix is the pick for theatre, and TickPick charges buyers no fees. Prices and fees are as of October 2026.
How we picked
Ticket apps differ less in what they sell than in three numbers you only see late: the fees, the refund rule and when the tickets actually arrive. We ranked the ticket apps in our catalogue on whether the first price you see is the price you pay, what happens if the event is cancelled or your plans change, and how reliably tickets reach the phone. Prices and fees are as of October 2026 and come from each company's own pages.
The real price
Gametime, SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster now fold the required fees into the listed price, leaving taxes and delivery for checkout. TickPick charges buyers no service fee at all and takes 15% from sellers instead. Whatever the app, compare the total on the final screen, not the first number.
Refunds are the second trap. Only a cancelled event reliably gets your money back, and even then several apps default to credit rather than cash. A postponed show usually means keeping the tickets, and a change in your own plans means reselling them yourself, if the app allows it.
1. Gametime — the best app for last-minute tickets
Gametime wins for the purchase most people make: a concert or a game this week. Listed prices include fees from the first screen, and LastCall keeps events on sale until 90 minutes after they start, so you can still buy from the car park.
The free Gametime Guarantee refunds cancelled events automatically, with no claim to file, and pays credit if you find the same seats cheaper within two hours. Every other sale is final, relisting ends six hours before the start, and delivery depends on the individual seller's transfer. Our score: 7.0.
2. TodayTix — theatre seats, and free lotteries
TodayTix sells official tickets sourced from venues in 12 cities, led by Broadway and London's West End. App users can enter free lotteries for cheap seats, such as $30 tickets to The Rocky Horror Show, and same-day Rush seats are released at 9 a.m. in New York with the fee included.
Most tickets are final sale, and refunds usually come as vouchers unless you add Ticket Protection. Rewards start at two tickets bought, and MARI, the events group, bought the company's parent in October 2025. Check the app each morning if your dates are flexible. Our score: 7.5.
3. TickPick — no buyer fees
TickPick is a New York resale marketplace that charges buyers no service fee: the listed price is what you pay, apart from sales tax in some states and delivery. Sellers set the prices and pay a 15% commission.
Postponed events are not refunded, and after a July 2026 rebuild most recent Android reviews give one or two stars, citing slowness and bot checks that lock users out. Compare its total with SeatGeek's before buying. Our score: 6.9.
4. SeatGeek — the reseller's choice
SeatGeek folds every mandatory fee into the event-page price and rates each listing with a 1-to-10 Deal Score, which makes comparing seats quick. It is also the official ticketer for several NFL teams, and sellers pay a 10% fee with free Smart Pricing.
Fees are not refunded outside its Buyer Guarantee, refunds for cancelled events may arrive as account credit, and phone support is thin. Our score: 6.8.
5. StubHub — the biggest resale pool
StubHub has the largest pool of resale tickets in the US, which is what matters for a sold-out show. Prices include fees, seat-view previews show what you are buying, the FanProtect Guarantee covers orders, and any ticket can be relisted from the order screen.
Its fees follow no published percentage, and a cancelled event pays a 120% credit unless you ask for cash. One-star reviews describe tickets that never arrived. Our score: 6.7.
6. Fever — Candlelight and other shows of its own
Fever sells its own productions, led by Candlelight concerts staged in more than 140 US cities, alongside tickets for outside organisers. It reaches smaller markets that big ticket apps ignore, and it shows the booking fee up front.
Most tickets are final sale: a cash refund needs the optional Flexible ticket, a non-refundable 10% surcharge. More than half of recent English Play reviews give one or two stars, often over refunds. Our score: 7.0.
7. Ticketmaster — unavoidable for big venues
Ticketmaster sells primary tickets for most large US venues, so for an on-sale there is often no alternative. All In Prices include the service fee, the barcodes refresh inside the app, and seat-view photos help before a large purchase.
Taxes and delivery still arrive at checkout, and its Android rating of 2.5 is the lowest in our catalogue. For anything not on sale today, check the resale apps above first. Our score: 6.4.
Two more resellers, and an app for hosts
Vivid Seats turns every ten tickets into app credit worth about 7.5% of base prices, but cancelled events can be repaid in credit at its choice. Tixr sells primary tickets for festivals, comedy clubs and some MLS teams, with organiser-run resale and refunds set by each organiser.
If you run events rather than attend them, Luma is free for free events with no cap on guests, and paid tickets carry a 5% platform fee plus Stripe's 2.9% and 30 cents. It earns our highest score in the category, 7.6, as a host's tool.
Bottom line
For concerts and games this week, start with Gametime: fees are in the first price and cancelled events refund automatically. For theatre in New York or London, use TodayTix and its lotteries. When fees decide it, compare TickPick and SeatGeek totals, and go to StubHub only when the show is sold out everywhere else.
