Compare today’s fee-included lowest prices on Gametime and Vivid Seats for every NFL game on TicketScanner’s NFL page.
Which Ticket Site Has the Lowest Fees? Fees at Three Sites, and Why the Total Matters More
by TicketScanner Team
Key Takeaways
- None of six ticket sites we checked on Oct. 8, 2026 publishes a buyer fee percentage.
- On the cheapest seat, fees were a median 16.3% of the seller’s price on Gametime (listing pages), 19.7% on StubHub and 21.7% on SeatGeek (checkout).
- A lower fee share did not always mean a lower price. At the Chiefs game, StubHub’s fee share was higher than SeatGeek’s, yet its seat cost $9.67 less per ticket with fees included.
- Compare the fee-included total for the same seat and quantity, not the fee rate.
Which ticket site has the lowest fees?
By fee share, Gametime was lowest of the three sites that showed us a fee line on Oct. 8, 2026. On the same basis, fees divided by the seller’s price on the cheapest seat, the median was 16.3% on Gametime across seven games (read from its listing pages), 19.7% on StubHub and 21.7% on SeatGeek across five games (at checkout).
That ranking does not tell you which site has the lowest final price. What you pay depends mostly on the seller’s price, which differs from site to site, and only partly on the fee.
| Site | In the shown price | Added at checkout | Fee share we measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gametime | Fees | Sales tax | Median 16.3%, 7 games |
| StubHub | Mandatory fees | Taxes, shipping, add-ons | Median 19.7%, 5 games |
| SeatGeek | Mandatory fees | Taxes, shipping, add-ons | Median 21.7%, 5 games |
| Vivid Seats | Fees | Tax where it applies | Not shown before the email step |
| Ticketmaster | Face value and required fees | Tax, some delivery fees | Not measured |
| TickPick | Says no buyer fees added | Terms mention transaction fees | Not measured |
Source: each site’s own help, fee and terms pages, Gametime listing pages and StubHub and SeatGeek checkout screens, Oct. 8, 2026. Fee share is fees divided by the seller’s price, on the cheapest seat for two tickets. Gametime’s 15.5%, quoted elsewhere on this blog, is a different measure: the median across all 1,754 seated listings at its seven games.
Same game, different sites: what you would pay
On the evening of Oct. 8, 2026, we took the cheapest seat for two tickets at five games to the checkout of StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats. Each cell is the price per ticket with fees, before tax, with the fee share in brackets where the site showed one.
| Game | StubHub | SeatGeek | Vivid Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers at Eagles, Oct. 18 (NFL) | $188.60 (19.7%) | $195.27 (19.8%) | $198.00 |
| Chargers at Chiefs, Oct. 18 (NFL) | $289.49 (19.1%) | $299.16 (18.7%) | $309.00 |
| Knicks at Celtics, Oct. 23 (NBA) | $190.85 (19.7%) | $194.66 (21.7%) | $191.00 |
| Ducks at Rangers, Oct. 19 (NHL) | $95.92 (22.5%) | $107.44 (23.5%) | $105.00 |
| Knicks at Bulls, Oct. 28 (NBA) | $64.99 (25.3%) | $67.81 (27.9%) | $66.00 |
Source: Oct. 8, 2026, per ticket, before tax. StubHub and SeatGeek: first checkout page (ticket and fee lines). Vivid Seats: the listing’s price marked “Estimated fees included”; no fee line was shown before the email step. The cheapest seat was a different seat on each site; at the Bulls game all three listed Section 306, Row 16, possibly as different listings.
StubHub had the lowest fee-included price at all five games, though at the Celtics game only by $0.15 over Vivid Seats, which is effectively a tie. Against SeatGeek, StubHub’s seat was $2.82 to $11.52 cheaper per ticket. Its fee share was also lower at four of the five games, so the share might look like the reason. At three of the five games, most of the gap came from the seller’s price instead; only at the Celtics and Bulls games was the fee the bigger part.
The Chiefs game shows it most plainly. StubHub’s fee share was the higher one, 19.1% against SeatGeek’s 18.7%, and its seat still came out $9.67 cheaper, because the seller’s price was $243.00 against $252.00. Gametime points the same way at the Eagles game, recorded about two hours earlier: its cheapest seat carried a 15.5% fee on a $168.00 seller’s price and came to $194.00, $5.40 more than StubHub’s seat at 19.7%. Vivid Seats, which showed no fee line at all, landed between StubHub and SeatGeek at three of the five games.
These are one evening’s cheapest seats at five games, not a ranking. Sellers set different prices on each site, so a fee share alone cannot tell you who is cheaper.
Two more things the checkouts showed
Cheaper seats paid a larger share. On SeatGeek, a $53.00 seat paid 27.9% and a $252.00 seat 18.7%; on StubHub, $51.87 paid 25.3% and $243.00 paid 19.1%. On Gametime, the $427.00 seat at the Packers game paid 11.8%. A fee share quoted from expensive seats will understate what a cheap seat pays.
The prices above exclude tax. StubHub showed tax on its own line, $1.31 to $4.65 per ticket at these games, and rounded the order total up to the next whole dollar. SeatGeek and Vivid Seats showed no tax before the email step.
Why there is no published “lowest fees” ranking
Many ticket-site rankings rely on fee percentages that the sites themselves do not publish. Ticketmaster’s help pages give no fee percentage or dollar amount. StubHub says its buyer fee is a percentage of the seller’s price but does not say what percentage. SeatGeek, Vivid Seats and Gametime give no rate either, and Gametime’s terms say it may add or amend fees at any time. Any rate, even a measured one, is a snapshot.
What daily fee-included prices show
TicketScanner records the lowest listed price on Gametime and Vivid Seats for each tracked game once a day, with each site’s fees included.
| League | Lower more often | Share of daily checks | Typical gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Vivid Seats | 58.8% of 8,327 | 3.9% |
| NHL | Vivid Seats | 45.4% of 38,659 | 3.6% |
| NBA | Gametime | 45.2% of 16,993 | 3.1% |
| MLB | Gametime | 44.5% of 3,780 | 6.7% |
Source: TicketScanner price data. NFL July 29 to Oct. 7, 2026; NHL Aug. 29 to Oct. 6; NBA Aug. 29 to Oct. 5; MLB July 12 to Sept. 26. NBA figures are mostly listed prices for upcoming games. Typical gap is the median difference between the two lowest prices.
Which site had the lower price more often varied by league and by the timing of the checks. For the full breakdown, see Gametime vs Vivid Seats and Vivid Seats fees.
Gametime’s fee, listing by listing
Gametime shows the fee split on its listing page, so we could count every seated listing. Across 1,754 seated listings at seven games, the median fee was 15.5% of the seller’s price, and 15.1% to 15.9% per game. The cheapest seated listing at each game:
| Game (Gametime) | Seller’s price | Fees | Fee share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers at Cowboys, Oct. 8 | $54.00 | $8.64 | 16.0% |
| Bears at Packers, Oct. 11 | $427.00 | $50.21 | 11.8% |
| Panthers at Eagles, Oct. 18 | $168.00 | $26.00 | 15.5% |
| Cardinals at Cowboys, Nov. 1 | $85.00 | $14.00 | 16.5% |
| Rangers at Capitals, Oct. 9 | $63.00 | $10.92 | 17.3% |
| Mammoth at Bruins, Oct. 8 | $49.00 | $8.00 | 16.3% |
| Wizards at Knicks, Oct. 8 | $57.00 | $10.00 | 17.5% |
Source: Gametime listing data seen without an account, two tickets per listing, Oct. 8, 2026. The Knicks game was preseason.
The lowest-priced listing was not always for a seat: at both Cowboys games and the Eagles game, Gametime’s cheapest listing was standing room.
What each site says
Gametime says the price you see already includes fees; its listing detail reads “each including all fees.” Vivid Seats says buyers see the cost of a ticket, including fees, once they start shopping, with tax added where it applies. StubHub says “The price displayed on StubHub includes all mandatory fees,” and that the buyer fee is a percentage of the seller’s price. SeatGeek says “The price displayed on SeatGeek includes all mandatory fees associated with the ticket,” and that those fees may be set by SeatGeek or by teams, venues, leagues and other partners. Ticketmaster says its up-front price includes face value and all required fees, generally before tax. TickPick says it does not add buyer fees at checkout, though its User Agreement, last updated Aug. 5, 2026, says a purchase may include transaction fees.
Each site has its own guide: Gametime vs TickPick, Gametime last-minute tickets, Vivid Seats fees, StubHub fees, SeatGeek fees and Ticketmaster fees.
What the law requires every site to show
The FTC’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (16 CFR Part 464) took effect May 12, 2025, and covers live-event tickets, resale marketplaces included. Any business that shows a ticket price must show the total price more prominently than other price details. Only taxes, shipping and optional add-ons may be left out, and they must be disclosed before you pay. The rule does not cap fees: the FTC said it does not prohibit “any type or amount of fee.”
State laws can go further. New York requires the total cost in the listing before you select a ticket, with no price increase during checkout apart from reasonable delivery fees for paper tickets. California’s SB 478, in force since July 1, 2024, bars prices that leave out required fees other than certain taxes and shipping. That is why the shown price on most sites already carries the fee.
How to compare totals for the same seat
- Pick one game, one section and one quantity.
- On each site, select the same delivery method and proceed to the final checkout screen before you pay. Do not buy.
- Write down the final total with tax and delivery.
- Check the ticket type. A standing-room ticket is not the same product as a seat.
- Treat parking and other add-ons as separate purchases, and compare on the same day.
Where TicketScanner fits
TicketScanner compares daily fee-included lowest prices on Gametime and Vivid Seats; it says it reflects fee-inclusive pricing where possible and that final prices may vary. It has no price records for StubHub, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster or TickPick, and it does not sell tickets. For other options, see Vivid Seats and Gametime alternatives.
How we measured
On Oct. 8, 2026, we read each site’s own help, fee and terms pages and recorded what they state about fees. We also opened ticket listings without an account and without buying anything. Gametime shows the fee split on its listing page: we recorded the seller’s price, fees and total for 1,754 seated listings across seven NFL, NHL and NBA games. On StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats, we chose the cheapest seated listing for two tickets at five NFL, NBA and NHL games and went to the first checkout page, stopping at the email field without entering anything. StubHub and SeatGeek showed the ticket price and fees as separate lines there; Vivid Seats showed only the fee-included price. We could not view a fee breakdown on Ticketmaster or TickPick. Fee percentages here are fees divided by the seller’s price, per ticket, before tax. Vivid Seats dollar amounts are the fee-included prices from the listing data its page loaded, for the same listings shown on screen.
TicketScanner records the lowest listed price (the get-in price) for each tracked game once a day, around 9 a.m. ET, with each site’s fees included; sales tax may or may not be in it, depending on the site and the state. A daily price check is one game on one day with a price on both Gametime and Vivid Seats, and percentages use those checks as the base. Season tickets and parking were excluded, but the lowest listing can still be standing room. Source: TicketScanner price data.
Data as of Oct. 8, 2026 (prices recorded through Oct. 7, 2026).
FAQ
Which ticket site has the lowest fees?
No site publishes a fee rate. On Oct. 8, 2026, the median fee on the cheapest seat was 16.3% of the seller’s price on Gametime (listing pages), 19.7% on StubHub and 21.7% on SeatGeek (checkout). The lowest share did not always mean the lowest price, so compare totals for the same seat.
Which site was cheapest with fees for the same game?
In our five-game check, StubHub’s cheapest seat had the lowest fee-included price at all five games, before tax, though only by $0.15 over Vivid Seats at the Celtics game. That was one evening, and sellers change prices daily.
Does TickPick charge fees?
TickPick says it does not add buyer fees at checkout. Its User Agreement also says a purchase may include transaction fees. Check the final total before you pay.
Do ticket sites have to show fees up front?
Yes. Since May 12, 2025, the FTC rule requires the total price to be shown up front. Only taxes, shipping and optional add-ons can be left out.
See today’s fee-included lowest prices for NHL games on TicketScanner’s NHL page.
Sources
- https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/rule-unfair-or-deceptive-fees-frequently-asked-questions (effective date, exclusions, itemization, resale marketplaces, state law)
- https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-464 (16 CFR Part 464 text, total price and prominence)
- https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/05/ftc-rule-unfair-or-deceptive-fees-take-effect-may-12-2025 (no cap on fee type or amount)
- https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/ACA/25.07 (New York total cost and no increase during purchase)
- https://oag.ca.gov/hiddenfees (California SB 478)
- https://gametime.co/nhl-hockey/rangers-at-capitals-tickets/10-9-2026-washington-dc-capital-one-arena/events/6a5966642da5c11be1387f50 (Gametime “each including all fees” and fee breakdown)
- https://gametime.co/nfl-football/panthers-at-eagles-tickets/10-18-2026-philadelphia-pa-lincoln-financial-field/events/695de0585d6937c07d3d54af (Gametime, Panthers at Eagles)
- https://gametime.co/policies/terms-of-service/ (Gametime may add or amend fees; no rate given)
- https://support.vividseats.com/support/solutions/articles/1000210417-how-are-ticket-prices-determined- (Vivid Seats prices shown with fees; no rate given)
- Vivid Seats blog post on its fee-included pricing, vividseats.com/blog (listed price is per ticket before tax)
- https://newsroom.stubhub.com/2026/06/04/understanding-ticket-fees-why-they-exist-and-what-they-cover/ (StubHub shown price, percentage fee, fee types)
- https://support.seatgeek.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036685293 (SeatGeek shown price includes mandatory fees; who sets fees; what checkout can add)
- https://seatgeek.com/terms (SeatGeek; no fee rate could be confirmed)
- https://help.ticketmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/9663528775313-How-are-ticket-prices-and-fees-determined (Ticketmaster up-front price, service fee, facility charge, checkout charges; no rate given)
- https://www.tickpick.com/ (TickPick’s statement on buyer fees)
- https://www.tickpick.com/terms/user-agreement/ (TickPick transaction fees clause; no seller rate stated)
- https://www.ticketscanner.live/faq (TicketScanner fee-inclusive pricing note)
- StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats checkout pages for the five games, Oct. 8, 2026 (event links in our StubHub fees, SeatGeek fees and Vivid Seats fees guides)
- TicketScanner price data (daily lowest listed prices on Gametime and Vivid Seats)
About TicketScanner
TicketScanner is an independent ticket price comparison platform built to help fans find the cheapest tickets available online. We aggregate publicly available ticket listing data from multiple marketplaces and present it in a structured, easy-to-compare format.
TicketScanner does not sell tickets and does not process payments. Instead, we provide pricing insights and redirect users to third-party marketplaces where transactions are completed.
StubHub Fees: How StubHub Sets Its Buyer Fee and What Gets Added at Checkout
At StubHub’s checkout for five games, fees were a median 19.7% of the seller’s price on the cheapest seat, with tax on its own line. What StubHub says.
Ticketmaster Fees: The Service Fee, the Facility Charge and What Gets Added at Checkout
Ticketmaster’s up-front price includes face value and required fees; tax and some delivery fees come at checkout. What its help pages say, line by line.
SeatGeek Fees: What SeatGeek Says Is in the Price, and What We Saw at Checkout
At SeatGeek’s checkout for five games, fees were a median 21.7% of the seller’s price on the cheapest seat. What SeatGeek says is in the price.