Both StubHub and SeatGeek sell the same resale tickets from largely the same pool of sellers, so the winner is decided by one thing: the total you actually pay. On that measure, SeatGeek wins more often than it loses in 2026. Its fees typically land lower, and it built its name on showing you the full price from the first screen. StubHub still has the deeper catalog, especially for international events and sold-out shows, and its FanProtect guarantee is excellent. But if the same seat is listed on both, the SeatGeek checkout is usually the cheaper one, and below we show the math.
StubHub vs SeatGeek at a Glance
| Category | StubHub | SeatGeek |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer fees | No fixed percentage; commonly reported around 15% to 25% of the ticket price, plus a fulfillment fee | Typically around 10% to 20% of the ticket price |
| Price display | All-in totals now required in the US; rollout was uneven after the FTC rule, with the app lagging the website | Shows fees upfront by default; first resale marketplace to lead with all-in pricing |
| Buyer guarantee | FanProtect: valid tickets or your money back, comparable replacements, 120% credit or cash refund if an event is canceled and not rescheduled | BuyerTrust: valid tickets delivered on time, or comparable replacements or a refund |
| Selection | Largest resale catalog, strongest international coverage | Smaller resale pool, plus official primary ticketing for partner teams and leagues |
| Standout feature | Scale: if a ticket exists for resale, it is probably here | Deal Score, which grades each listing’s value, plus realistic seat views |
| Best for | Sold-out and international events | Everyday US concerts and sports where price matters most |
Fees: Where the Difference Actually Is
Neither company publishes a fixed fee schedule, and both adjust fees by event, demand, ticket price, and how close the event is. StubHub says openly that there is no set percentage for its buyer fee. Based on checkout examples and reported buyer experiences, StubHub’s buyer-side fees commonly land in the 15% to 25% range on top of the ticket price, plus a fulfillment fee on the order. SeatGeek’s fees typically land in the 10% to 20% range. Those ranges overlap, which is why any single listing can break the pattern, but across many orders the center of SeatGeek’s range sits lower.
Sellers pay too, and that feeds back into prices. StubHub’s seller fee is typically reported at 10% to 15% of the sale price, and SeatGeek’s seller commissions sit in a similar band. The platforms are closer on the seller side than the buyer side, which is why so many sellers list the same seats on both and let the buyer-side math decide where the sale happens.
A Worked Example: The Same $100 Ticket
Example only. Imagine the same seat listed at a $100 base price on both sites, before fees, and apply the middle of each platform’s commonly reported fee range:
- StubHub: $100 ticket + roughly 20% in service fees ($20) + a fulfillment fee of about $5 = about $125 before tax. Across the full 15% to 25% fee range, the same ticket lands between roughly $120 and $130.
- SeatGeek: $100 ticket + roughly 15% in fees ($15) = about $115 before tax. Across the typical 10% to 20% range, the same ticket lands between roughly $110 and $120.
That is an illustration, not a quote for a specific event, and taxes are excluded. But the pattern it shows is the one buyers report consistently: a gap of about $5 to $15 on a $100 ticket, growing with the ticket price. On a $300 premium seat, the same percentage gap is worth $15 to $45. Fees this size are why comparing the all-in total, never the list price, is the whole game. Our guide to the best concert ticket sites runs the same comparison across every major marketplace.
All-In Pricing: The Rule That Changed Both Sites
Historically, StubHub’s prices looked lower than they were because fees appeared late in checkout. That era is over, at least in the US. The Federal Trade Commission’s rule on unfair and deceptive fees took effect on May 12, 2025, requiring the total price, mandatory fees included, to be shown up front and more prominently than any other price.
SeatGeek adapted early and was the first resale marketplace to put fee-inclusive totals at the start of the buying process. StubHub’s rollout dragged: its website complied before its app did, and in April 2026 the FTC announced that StubHub would pay $10 million to settle charges that it advertised prices without clearly disclosing the full total during May 12 to 14, 2025, the first days the rule was in force. The settlement also binds StubHub to show the total price first going forward. Today, both sites show all-in totals to US buyers. If you ever see a StubHub price that looks too clean, open the filters on the event page and switch on the fee-inclusive display under Price Display Options.
Guarantees: FanProtect vs BuyerTrust
This round is close. StubHub’s FanProtect guarantee promises valid tickets in time for the event or your money back, comparable replacement tickets when there is a problem with an order, and, if an event is canceled and not rescheduled, your choice of a cash refund or a credit worth 120% of what you paid. That 120% credit option is the most generous cancellation term in resale. One limit worth knowing: for postponed or rescheduled events there is no refund, and your original tickets simply stay valid for the new date.
SeatGeek’s BuyerTrust guarantee covers the same core ground: tickets will be valid and delivered before the event, or SeatGeek will find comparable replacements or refund you. It lacks a signature perk like the 120% credit, but in day-to-day use, wrong tickets, dead barcodes, and no-show sellers are handled the same way on both platforms. If guarantees are your deciding factor, read our full breakdown of whether StubHub is legit before you buy.
One more wrinkle: because sellers set their own prices and often list different prices on each platform, the fee gap is not the only gap. The same section and row can be listed at $95 on one site and $105 on the other before fees are even applied. That is why the comparison has to happen at the total, every time, and why a five-minute check of both sites is the highest-value habit a ticket buyer can build.
Selection, Apps, and the Buying Experience
StubHub is the bigger marketplace, full stop. It has the deepest resale inventory in the business and by far the stronger international catalog, which matters for festivals, soccer, and anything outside the US. If an event is sold out everywhere else, StubHub is the most likely place to still have seats.
SeatGeek fights back with a better shopping experience. Its Deal Score grades every listing from great to weak based on price and seat quality, so you can spot a genuinely good deal instead of just a cheap one. Seat views show a realistic picture from the section, and SeatGeek also sells primary tickets as the official box office for a growing list of teams and leagues, which occasionally means face-value seats StubHub cannot offer. For a head-to-head against the no-buyer-fee model, see our TickPick vs StubHub comparison.
Which One Should You Use?
- Same seat on both: take the lower all-in total. That will be SeatGeek more often than not.
- Sold-out or international event: start with StubHub’s deeper catalog.
- Buying far in advance: check SeatGeek’s partner-team primary inventory for face-value seats before paying resale markups anywhere.
- Always: compare the final totals side by side, because seller pricing, not the platform fee alone, decides the winner on any given night.
The Bottom Line
SeatGeek is the cheaper default for most US events in 2026: lower typical fees, totals shown upfront from the first screen, and a Deal Score that makes value easy to spot. StubHub remains the right call when selection is the problem, thanks to the biggest catalog in resale and a guarantee with the best cancellation term in the business. Neither is a bad choice. The only losing move is buying on the first site you open without checking the other one’s total.
Founder & Editor at Durofy
