If you're getting ready to score tickets to your favorite artist's next show, or even your next comedy gig, then the best concert ticket sites is a great place to start. This guide will lay out everything you'll want to look for when ticket hunting, including the most reliable websites to find what you need.
There are a whole host of concert ticket sites out there now, and each one has a slightly different specialty. So, it's essential to know what you're looking for before you start hunting on a specific site. Before you consider which concert ticket site is best for you, think about the type of events you enjoy frequenting, whether that's the theatre, a music concert, or even a stand-up gig.
You'll also want to think about seating or standing, availability, price, and for sell-out gigs, there are resale rates to consider too. Some concert ticket sites let you buy tickets directly as they're released while others specialize in getting you tickets after they've sold out. It's also important to take reliability and safety into account when you're making big purchases online, so you can lower the chance of being scammed.
Luckily we've done the leg work for you and rounded up this list of the very best concert ticket sites so you can find the ultimate option for the tickets you're looking for. And if you want more specific picks then take a look at the best sports ticket sites and best online auction sites too.
The best concert ticket sites
StubHub claims the top spot thanks to its clear emphasis on concert tickets with a variety of genres and options to sort through as you enter via the landing page of the website.
You can filter by lowest price, best location and best deal, as well as specific seat types and types of ticket delivery, meaning everyone's preferences are covered. What's more, the FanProtect promise offers peace of mind so that you can shop with StubHub confidently. This makes sure you receive valid tickets before the event, and if you don’t, you will either be refunded with comparable or better tickets or receive a full refund. Using a reputable secondary broker like StubHub is a fast and secure way to buy and sell concert tickets, and that’s why we think it is the best service for most people.
Many positive five star reviews commented on how easy it is to use the mobile app and website, however, there are a number of negative reviews. One customer complained that after buying tickets through a reseller on StubHub and flying interstate for the concert, the tickets were cancelled and there was little support from the company itself.
If you don't have one of the best home computers, or just prefer browsing on your phone, then luckily the mobile app is also easy to use and it lets you access tickets on the day of the event. Once you purchase the ticket, a bar code on your phone will get you into the venue, so you don't have to worry about having access to a printer either. You can also follow your favorite artists on the app and receive instant alerts about upcoming shows in your area.
Not only does StubHub allow you to buy tickets, but you can also use the platform to sell any tickets to shows you can't attend. You can use either the computer application or mobile app to sell your tickets, and StubHub will collect 10% of the sale price.
Ticketmaster is one of the most well known ticket sites, and is most likely most people's go-to destination for purchasing concert tickets with confidence. The web interface is easy to use with clear markers for different genres, and it will give you recommended concerts based off your purchase history.
It's also a great place to shop for tickets thanks to its return policy. The site gives you three days after your purchase to change your mind when you purchase tickets for events at venues participating in the website's Fan Guarantee program. It's also the only site we reviewed which lets you return tickets for events that have been rescheduled and not canceled, which is great for added peace of mind and avoiding losing any money unnecessarily.
Across the sites we reviewed, the prices on Ticketmaster were average and you do get the benefit of buying tickets from a primary seller. This means that tickets for in-demand concerts may be cheaper on Ticketmaster than elsewhere, as long as you're able to buy them in time.
Ticketmaster has lots of positive reviews around buying tickets in the first initial sale, but some customers complained about their re-selling process. One person commented that they would get charged a fee to buy and resell, as well as a fee for the buyer, which puts the price up significantly.
It's worth noting that recently Ticketmaster saw a lot of backlash in relation to Taylor Swift tickets. They were chosen as the sole provider of the in-demand tickets and as a result of unprecedented demand, had to cancel the sale of thousands of tickets leaving many fans devastated. The site also kept glitching when customers were putting tickets into their baskets, causing a lot of confusion over whether they had actually secured tickets or not.
With this in mind, you might want to steer away from relying on Ticketmaster as a one-stop shop for in-demand tickets, but it is still one of the most reliable websites in terms of price and customer support.
VividSeats didn’t have the cheapest tickets of the sites we reviewed, but concert-lovers might be interested in shopping here regardless due to the impressive rewards program. You can get up to 8% credit on tickets depending on how much you spend and if you’re a ‘Hall of Famer’ (meaning you spend over $2000 annually) this credit won’t expire.
Like some of the complaints about Ticketmaster above, there's a lack of transparency about fees on VividSeats. Sometimes the added fees could be almost as much as the tickets themselves. The only saving grace in this is the rewards scheme that could help you save money over time, but if you're not a frequent buyer then this won't benefit you.
If you haven’t got the budget to splash $2000 annually on tickets don’t worry, your credit will last a full year. You can buy your tickets through the easy-to-use app or online, and if you have any questions a customer service representative can answer them through the website’s live chat feature.
Customers noted that the VividSeats support network is quick to point out that they are a middle man and this is an issue between you and the originating source of the ticket. Also, if you order in enough time, you’ll have an opportunity to react and/or make alternative plans, if necessary. If you make a last second purchase, you are putting yourself at risk.
VividSeats also has a 100% buyer guarantee that makes the site much more tempting to use. It guarantees your tickets will be valid and arrive in time for the event, and you'll get a refund for canceled events. Unlike Ticketmaster, however, VividSeats acts as a middle man between sellers and buyers, so ticket prices are set independently by the reseller and based on current "market value". This might mean that ticket prices are a lot higher than on other sites as a result of sellers wanting to maximum profits, and these could also change quickly. A website that acts as an intermediary also poses issues in them not taking responsibility for any issues that may arise, which is something that has been noted in some customer reviews.
See Tickets actually originated as a record shop in Nottingham, in the UK. It then grew in the digital age and as a result, became an internationally respected ticket-selling site. It has kept its simplistic roots, with a super minimal site that's efficient and easy to handle. This is super useful in the ticket-hunting world, as it can often be a stressful and daunting task.
See Tickets has an overall rating of four stars on Trustpilot, which is a lot higher than some other sites. Out of the negative reviews, most mentioned difficulty when trying to check out for in-demand concerts which is often a standard experience across the board.
You can search by artist, event, venue, or general location, as well as by music genre. The top navigation ribbon allows you to browse by music, theatre, festivals, dance and clubs, events, comedy, sport, and attractions so it's not difficult to find tickets for events other than your typical concert. This category system allows you to discover gigs you might not have been aware of which is a great way to find gifts for others. It's also an easy way to search generally through a certain event type if you've decided you want to go to a sports match but don't have any preferences outside of that.
You can sell tickets to your own event, if you happen to be a music star. And while the site does say it will offer refunds if the event has "significantly changed", this refund policy is pretty strict compared to a lot of the competition. Currently, See Tickets doesn't have the option to resell tickets you bought, so you'll want to choose a more dedicated ticket reselling site for this.
Viagogo is based in London so it caters for the UK music scene well, but it’s also an international platform, offering tickets for US gigs and covers more than 50 countries. You will find a really wide selection of music types offered on this site making it great for discovery – did you know C Pop was a thing?
The interface isn't as simple to use as some other sites, mainly due to its cluttered look. However, it does have clear signposts to different events such as concert tickets, sports tickets, theatre tickets, and festival tickets. Viagogo is a secondary ticket sale site, which means that they are only selling re-sale tickets, rather than having direct relationships with artists and events companies to sell the initial batch.
As Viagogo is primarily a resale site, it's harder to monitor the reliability of tickets. As a result of this, there are a lot of poor reviews that complain about tickets being invalid or substantially higher prices than they should be.
The tickets may be more expensive than some other websites as sellers can put the prices up above face value if they want. This does pose an issue with events that are really sought after (cough, Beyoncé) but it's pretty standard practice across resale sites. The good news is that you can also sell your own tickets on this site. All you need to do is create an account and search for the event you have tickets for and then you can set your own price as advised by previous sales. You can do this from any device too, so it's good if you're on the go and need to buy or sell last minute.
While resale tickets can often feel risky, you are covered well should the event be cancelled and not rescheduled, as you get a massive 125% refund on what you spent. There is also a guarantee from the company that you will receive your ticket before the time of the event. Tickets are sent via tracked courier services so you don't need to worry about being left in the lurch minutes before the opening act.
SeakGeek has a clean website making it incredibly easy to navigate and find exactly what ticket you're looking for. You can browse tickets by city, date, or genre. There's also a category for trending events too, so if you don't know exactly what you're looking for but know you're keen to bag tickets to the hottest gig then it makes it quick to locate.
SeatGeek’s transparent fees are a big draw here, making it easy for you to know you’re getting the best deal possible and avoid a nasty surprise when you get to checkout. What’s more, fees were some of the lowest we found - making SeatGeek a great all-rounder if you’re after a good price.
SeatGeek has a high four star rating on Trustpilot and lots of five star reviews to match. Customers enjoyed the lack of fees and ease of shopping but some people have noted that the tickets they bought were invalid at the point of entry, causing disappointment.
You can sell on your own tickets on SeakGeek too. So if you can no longer make a gig then it's quick to set up an account and help them to find a better home. The site offers dynamic pricing so you can choose the price you sell at depending on demand. This is great if you want a bit more cash in your pocket, but does mean that those Taylor Swift resale tickets will skyrocket quickly.
Like many of the top concert ticket sites, SeatGeek assigns a deal score to each ticket, marking it with a color and number on a scale of zero to ten. This results in a straightforward and visually compelling arena seating chart.
We liked SeatGeek’s shiny website and modern feel. It also has a great app that is available to Apple and Android users alike. Overall, a great choice if you’re after a bargain and a choice you can feel confident about.
TickPick's (previously Razorgator) selling point is that there's no hidden fees. With complaints on other sites in this roundup that booking fees can often almost equal the same price as the ticket, this is a major win. It's easy to underestimate how expensive tickets can become when you add on insurance, tax, and booking fees so it's a great way to save a little bit of cash.
The site is great for its unbeatable prices, reasonable fees and unprecedented number of search filters to help you find the perfect seat for you. The grading system offered by the site is helpful for people willing to compromise on price when it comes to seat value, and we found the claim of an average 15-20% saving to be accurate.
TickPick is a lesser-known concert ticket site, so there were far fewer reviews online. Many customers were noting the severe cost increase which is the downside to purchasing them on a resale site that lets sellers select their own price.
The customer guarantee is a fairly standard offering and there are some good options for support so you can be confident that there's someone to talk to if anything goes wrong. If you're selling on the ticket, you can put tickets as 'open to bidding'. This is great if the tickets are really in demand and you're looking to make a few bucks, or you can select an outright price if you want the tickets snapped up quickly. TickPick will then take a substantial 10% commission, but you can always factor this into your ticket pricing.
This is our pick of best value ticket services as the prices were consistently lowest in our testing. We’re confident that you’ll snap up a good deal with TickPick.
As opposed to some of the bigger names that made the best concert ticket sites list, TicketCity wasn’t our first choice of ticket sites. However, its ticket prices were lower than some competitors and we liked its unique approach to helping you sell tickets fast.
The site is a bit outdated and the navigation ribbon has small text that is pushed to one side, but there are line-ups of the top sporting, music, and theater events for easy access. It's not as clear what parameters you can search events by, so there's less chance of you stumbling across events you weren't already entering with the intention of shopping for.
Many customers were impressed by TicketCity's fair prices, despite it allowing sellers to pick their own. Some people, however, commented on the lack of refund when they had ticket issues out of their control, so they dock points for customer support.
Most websites let you post your tickets and set your own price, taking a cut of the money when you do sell. TicketCity buys your tickets directly from you, so there’s no waiting around to see if it will sell. This is made even easier by how easy it is to sell your ticket to TicketCity, which can be done over the phone or on an online form. A great option if you’re looking to sell unwanted concert tickets. This is a benefit depending on how much time you have, and how much control you want over the price of your tickets. If you're looking to maximize cash in hand, then selecting a site with dynamic pricing and bidding might be better suited for what you want.
In terms of customer support, the website has a live chat function that makes it quick and easy to find assistance. The cancellation policy is pretty standard too, offering a refund if the event is canceled but not if it's rescheduled.
LiveNation is owned by Ticketmaster after being bought back in 2010, and it has more of a music focus. Unlike others on this list, it's more of a search engine than a dedicated ticket agency. We clicked through to buy tickets and the site redirected to SeeTickets to actually make the purchase, so it's important to know that it's mainly performing as a route into finding events.
LiveNation had the largest amount of negative views, with many mentioning bad customer service. As LiveNation is a third-party site that puts your purchases through Ticketmaster and SeeTickets, it seems like they push the burden of customer support away too.
With this in mind, it's a fantastically streamlined place to search for gig tickets, browsing by location, genre or date as well as searching directly for bands. The hero images are really helpful in making certain shows stand out, and it offers a visual experience that is easy to follow. The landing page also has lots of different trending events so if you just want to initiate the idea of buying concert tickets but aren't yet set on a specific gig, then LiveNation is going to be a great place to start.
There isn't much to report on the refund policies or the buying and selling experience on LiveNation as it truly is simply performing as a search engine. It redirects to Ticketmaster too, so it's important to bear in mind the policies of these sites that you are actually shopping from.
Concert ticketing sites FAQs
How we tested the best concert ticket sites
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To find the best ticket sites, we checked prices for local and national concerts and events on the same day and made a note of the lowest prices available, as well as comparing overall value for money. We also ranked sites based on price, availability, website and app features and the variety of events covered. We went through every step of the buying and selling process for tickets to make sure there were no hidden fees or issues with these sites, so you can be confident in picking the right concert ticket site for you.
We’ve reviewed concert ticket websites for several years and we know what to look for in the guarantees and money-back promises that these companies offer. We’ve made sure to compare them all on guarantees for peace of mind, and compared customer experience and customer service options to make sure that even if you do experience difficulties, there’s a team you can trust to set things right.
How we found the best concert ticket sellers
There's a lot to consider when determining the very best concert ticket sites. When we were consolidating this selection, we looked at features such as pricing, availability, usability, mobile experience, as well as the entire end-to-end buying process. We then scored them ranking the best experience at the top, to make it easy for you to explore.
There can be a lot of hidden fees and other customer support issues so we looked deeply into these too, trawling through the companies' FAQs and guides to analyze how each site will work with you should there be any problems that arise in the buying process.
We also focused on delivery, checking to see how tickets were delivered, by whom and how long you can expect to wait before your event starts.
Security and fees were two other areas we explored. We took your bank details, the website's build and aftersales support all into account to assess the reliability of the sales platform. When selling using these options, we found that selling online is more expensive than using a listing or social media as they take 10 to 20% of the sale price. We did, however, find them to be a safer option where your audience of buyers is far greater than it would be otherwise.
How much do concert tickets cost?
The price of concert tickets can vary depending on who is performing, where they're performing, and how in demand the event is. Service and shipping fees differ by event and website, but our research shows the average service fee is about 23% added to the cost of the ticket. Standard shipping costs can also run you an extra $15 although sometimes the company wraps this into the service fee.
If you're interested in selling tickets, most websites take about a 15% commission. However, with websites that offer you to pick the price, you can factor this into how much you sell the ticket for. Some websites don't take a commission at all and others will buy them from you outright to save you the trouble.
What are the ticket service’s fees?
All the online ticket brokers we reviewed charge service fees. Some also charge convenience fees, shipping and e-ticket delivery fees. We found that e-tickets were the most cost-effective, with the delivery fees around $5 versus the $15 average fee for delivering physical tickets. Our top pick, Razorgator, doesn’t charge delivery fees for e-tickets which is a great way to save on additional costs. Fees are unavoidable, so you might want to consider shopping around before you make your final decision.
What's the difference between primary and secondary sellers?
This is a big distinction worth knowing. A primary ticket seller is a website, like Ticketmaster, that works directly with the event to sell its tickets. That means they work out a deal based on a price that works for both. From a buyer's perspective this is the most secure way to buy, with tickets right from the seller meaning you get them officially. The downside here is that the price might already be high, despite no official markup, since the seller and event organiser decide this and control the first batch of tickets.
Secondary ticketing sites are those that re-sell tickets for an event. This is a great option if the event is a sell-out and you still want to get a ticket or two. These will be charged at a markup meaning they will cost you more than the face value ticket price in most cases. However you can sometimes find that these are actually cheaper than primary pricing. In most cases these come with guarantees so even though you're buying secondary tickets they should still be secure, get to you in time, and actually work on the day.
Which concert ticket sites can you trust?
There’s a lot of horror stories involving people buying concert tickets from fraudsters or unreputable sources. Don’t worry, we wouldn’t recommend you any sites that we don’t think can be trusted. However, sometimes things go wrong, especially when you’re buying through an online marketplace as opposed to the site itself. That’s why every site we’ve recommended has a 100% guarantee on tickets.
This is a standard feature across ticket resale sites which promises your money back if your tickets don’t arrive in time, are invalid or not what you were promised. With the exception of Ticketmaster, they won’t give you your money back if your concert is rescheduled and you can’t make the new date. However, some will help you to resell your tickets and if an event is permanently cancelled you should expect to be refunded for your tickets.
In every review we’ve extensively checked the customer guarantee of each site and given you all the information you need to make an informed decision. We’ve also taken this into account in our ratings.
Do they have an interactive seating chart?
All the services we reviewed allow you to click on various sections in the venue and compare prices. An interactive seating chart makes it easier to visualize where you’ll be sitting in relation to the stage. Some services offer point-of-view pictures from larger stadiums and venues so you can check out the viewing angle from the seats you’re reserving, and with some sites this function gives you a 360-degree view.
Concert calendar apps
The use of calendars, which can be searched, is a helpful addition that the sites listed here offer. That allows you to search by date so you can find events, or certain dates for an event, to suit when you can make.
Many apps offer personalized alerts, for bands, venues and concerts, which are also a very helpful way to get the heads-up on those events you can go to that actually interest you.
The best app on the sites reviewed here was StubHub, so if you're planning to use alerts like this then that could be the ideal option for you. It even lets you sync your music so it can make suggests based on the artists you listen to most.
We’ve also looked around for other concert calendar apps:
Songkick's free concert calendar app
This concert calendar app is free and available for iOS and Android devices. It searches services like Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer to find out what kind of music you listen to and curates a personalized concert guide based on your playlists. Songkick sends notifications about concerts and festivals near your current location and allows you to set a reminder to buy a ticket. This app also recommends bands and comedians that aren’t on your playlists to help you discover new and emerging artists. It displays pricing information, but we suggest using one of the licensed ticket broker sites we reviewed to ensure your transaction is secure and that you can get help and support if something goes wrong.
Bandsintown's concert planning app
This app has similar search capabilities as Songkick – it can sync to your playlists on popular streaming services and send notifications about bands you follow. However, because it allows artists to post tour dates free of charge, Bandsintown is a better option for searching for and discovering smaller local acts. It also has better social media features. For example, you can invite friends to a concert with a Facebook post, view tour news and updates, and post photos of yourself dancing or attempting an epic stage dive. Bandsintown is available in the Google Play and Apple App stores free of charge.
