A Better Alternative to Brown Paper Tickets | Purplepass

In today's world, there are various ticketing and event management platforms available to event promoters. Before you settle on one, you should research the different options available, their strengths, and drawbacks.

Today, we compare two of the most popular event ticketing solutions—Purplepass and Brown Paper Tickets.

1. Admin Access and Features

Brown Paper Tickets

Brown Paper Tickets gives you the admin rights to create, edit, and manage the event. They also generate intuitive real-time stats and alerts on sales.

You can request a guest list and additional questionnaires at no extra cost.

You get admin access with more features with Purplepass

Purplepass also has the above admin features, plus a lot more!

We also offer:

• Partner access: We allow you to customize who can view specific aspects of the event, designate third-party payouts, and limit COMP access (users' ability to manage guest lists).
  
  
• Additional questionnaires: We help organizers to integrate questionnaires into their sales processes. This enables you to collect any information you may need for registration or merchandise. 
  
  
• Guest lists: The Purplepass software automatically creates guest lists for you. However, you have total control over who has COMP access and sees the guest list.
  
  
• Extensive reporting beyond real-time state alerts: Our stats are also more comprehensive. The software automatically generates real-time statistics on ticket sales, the amount of money made, marketing reports, guests' location and attendance, social media marketing performances and more.

Learn more about Purplepass' event management features here. 

2. In-House Printing

Brown Paper Tickets does in-house ticket printing at $0.10 per ticket.

They ship physical ticket stocks for free unless the buyer wants the ticket delivered to them via priority mail, express mail, UK Airsure, or special delivery at their costs.

Quality in-house printing at a lower cost with Purplepass

Purplepass also prints tickets in-house.

• $0.10 each for thermal tickets
• $0.12 each for full-color custom tickets.
  
  

We also do wristbands as an alternative to traditional paper tickets. To guarantee quality printing and ultrafast turnaround and shipping times, we have introduced our sister company, Express Event Printing (EEP).

EEP is not limited to just event organizers; it also works with expanding small and medium-sized businesses to produce promotional materials in bulk at a reasonable price.

3. Nonprofit Events

If there's one thing that ticketing and event management companies still struggle with, it's how to go about nonprofit events.

Brown Paper Tickets

Brown Paper Tickets supports collecting donations in the online payment process but bills a flat rate of $0.99/ticket across the board. 

Purplepass offers nonprofits discounts with an option to collect donations

Purplepass does not charge for free events and COMP tickets. We also help organizers collect donations and give discounts if your event is a nonprofit. Learn more about our nonprofit discount here. 

4. Customer Care Support

Brown Paper Tickets

Brown Paper Tickets offer live support for sales. They also have email and telephone support for ticket buyers, but the latter is temporarily unavailable due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Purplepass, they help clients order and purchase tickets at no extra cost.

Get 24/7 customer care support at no extra cost with Purplepass

Purplepass offers 24/7 support at no extra cost via phone calls, emails, and texts. We also support ticket buyers and help them place orders or buy tickets. Where necessary, we conduct training and orientations on-demand.

When you list our services, we assign you a support representative to learn and understand your events and client needs and deliver personalized support services.

5. Assigned Seating

Brown Paper Tickets offers free custom seating charts at no fee.

Get custom seating charts at no extra cost With Purplepass

Purplepass also offers free seating maps and more:

• Total control over building and managing of maps: Although we build venue maps for our clients at no cost, we also allow you to make customizations such as by adding logos, texts, and additional graphics.
  
  
• Stage customization: Once we have the map, we color-code the seats based on prices and sections to enable your guests to easily make purchasing decisions.
  
  
• More detailed stage view: We include bird's eye view overlays for large venues to enable guests to look at the whole stage and pick seats at a glance.

6. Custom Ticket Options

Both Purplepass and Brown Paper Tickets support will-call, print-at-home, mobile, and physical ticketing options. However, Purplepass has more custom ticket stock options when it comes to material. 

• Thermal Boca tickets: Seven color options, cost $0.10 each, and has a turnaround time of under 24 hours. These tickets have barcode serial numbers, guilloche patterns, and holograms for top-notch security.
  
  
• Full-color tickets: $0.12 each, have sequential tracking numbers, a turnaround time of within the same day, come with barcode serial numbers, and are made of high-quality paper. Event organizers can print logos, artwork, and any additional text on them.
  
  
• Wristbands: Five types of wristbands depending on your ticketing needs. Tyvek, Regular vinyl, custom full-color wristbands, heavy-duty vinyl and poly sublimation wristbands.
  
  
  

7. Tickets and Registration

Both Purplepass and Brown Paper Tickets have

• No setup fees
• No long-term contracts
• Zero sales fees

Brown Paper Ticket - $0.99 + 5.0%/ticket 

Tickets: Flat-rate fee of $0.99+5.0%

Delivery: They have no additional costs for delivery by first class mail, UK royal mail, and UK airmail. They also offer online ticket access, print-at-home, and will-call ticketing options at no extra cost.

• $7.75 to $35.00 for priority mail
• $10.00 for special delivery
• $10.00 for UK Airsure
• $26.35 to $59.00 for express mail

Credit card processing: Flat-rate fee of $0.99+5.0%

Seating charts: Changes after tickets have been purchased or reserved: $30.00 + $0.99 per ticket sold/reserved prior to change).  

Physical tickets: $0.99 each for free events and $0.99 per ticket for cancelled events. 

Purplepass - $0.99 + 2.5%/ticket

Tickets: 2.0 %+$0.99/ticket for nonprofit events and 2.5%+$0.99/ticket for profit-taking events. We do not charge for client support, free events, complimentary tickets, map building, and box office services.

Delivery: 

• First Class USPS
• Priority USPS
• Express USPS
  
  

Credit card processing: 3.0% if it's online and 2.5%+$0.25/transaction if it's through the box office.

Seating charts: We build custom seating maps for free. Ticket transferring is also free. 

Physical tickets: You can also order pre-printed ticket stocks

• $0.10 for thermal tickets
• $0.12 for full-color custom tickets
• Custom TYVEK wristbands at $0.06
• VINYL wristbands at $0.12

8. Digital Mobile Ticketing

Both Purplepass and Brown Paper Tickets have digital ticketing and scan-from-home options; the only difference is the pricing.

Brown Paper Tickets

Brown Paper Tickets bills 5% +$0.99 of the ticket price regardless of the nature of the event or payment method. Brown Paper Tickets also allow buyers to change their seating arrangements or transfer tickets to friends online.

This service costs $30.00+$0.99 for each ticket.

Cheaper remote mobile digital ticketing with Purplepass

At Purplepass, we charge 2.0%+$0.99/ticket for non-profit events and 2.5%+$0.99/ticket for profit-taking events. With the prevailing COVID-19 circumstances, mobile ticketing has become the new norm.

9. Equipment Rentals

Both Brown Paper Tickets and Purplepass have free scanning apps, but the former has no equipment options for rentals.

Purplepass offers equipment rentals

At Purplepass, we rent out pro scanners, mobile terminals, receipt printers, and other event equipment as needed. 

Above all, before you decide on a ticketing company, ensure they are trustworthy. Can you and your customers trust them with your money? Are they honest with their offerings? If not, look for an alternative.