Lovable
Builds event pages, RSVP and Stripe Checkout with a Supabase backend.
Events · updated 2026-11-03
Can you vibe code an Eventbrite-style ticketing site?
Medium: Yes, with care Yes for your own events with Stripe Checkout; payments, refunds, sales tax and check-in at the door are where care is needed.
6–14 h
MVP build time
$0–$65/mo
Your running cost
Fees only
Eventbrite Paid tickets
Depends on sales
Saved per year
The honest verdict
For a meetup, workshop or small conference you run yourself, an event page with Stripe Checkout and QR-code tickets is very buildable, and it avoids Eventbrite's per-ticket service fee. The trade-offs are that you handle refunds, chargebacks, sales tax or VAT, capacity limits and a check-in app that works on bad venue Wi-Fi. You also lose Eventbrite's discovery marketplace. For free events, a simple RSVP form is easy.
Eventbrite is event pages, ticket sales, check-in and promotion for organizers of all sizes. This page is about building your own version for personal or internal use, or to learn how this kind of product works, not about copying Eventbrite to compete with it. How we grade.
What's easy and what's hard
Easy with AI
- Event page with details, agenda and speakers
- Free RSVP form with capacity limit
- Confirmation email with calendar file
- Attendee list export
Hard (where AI won't save you)
- Paid tickets: Stripe webhooks, refunds and chargebacks
- Capacity and overselling under concurrent purchases
- Sales tax or VAT on tickets in different jurisdictions
- Check-in app with QR scanning that works offline
- Discovery and promotion that Eventbrite's marketplace provides
Eventbrite feature checklist
Difficulty is for a solo builder using an AI coding tool. Skip means not worth building yourself.
| Feature | Difficulty | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Event page | Easy | Static content plus an Open Graph image. |
| Free RSVP with capacity | Easy | Count confirmed RSVPs in a transaction. |
| Paid tickets via Stripe Checkout | Medium | Create the ticket only after a verified checkout.session.completed webhook. |
| Ticket tiers and promo codes | Medium | Use Stripe prices and coupons. |
| QR tickets and check-in | Medium | Signed ticket IDs in QR codes; a mobile check-in page. |
| Refunds and transfers | Medium | Stripe refunds API plus ticket status updates. |
| Tax and invoicing | Hard | Use Stripe Tax or an accountant; rules vary by country. |
| Discovery marketplace | Skip | Promotion is the part you cannot vibe code. |
Build time and running costs
Your own version vs Eventbrite, at personal or small-team scale.
Build time
- Working MVP for yourself
- 6–14 h
- Polished, relied on daily
- 4–9 days
Eventbrite price (checked 2026-11-03)
Paid tickets: Fees only
Free events are free; for paid tickets in the US the service fee is 3.7% plus $1.79 per ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order, usually passed to buyers.
Source: eventbrite.com/organizer/pricing. Prices change; check before deciding.
| Running cost | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | $0–$20 | Free tier for most events. |
| Database | $0–$25 | Free tier. |
| Ticket emails | $0–$20 | Transactional email; size it to your attendee count. |
| Stripe | $0 | No monthly fee; about 2.9% + 30c per card payment in the US. |
| Total | $0–$65/mo | Eventbrite charges fees, so savings depend on your sales volume. |
Recommended vibe coding tools
Starter prompt
Paste it into your tool, then ask for a plan before any code. Edit the specifics to match what you need.
prompt.txt
Build a ticketing site for events that I organize myself (one organizer, a few events a year). Features: - Event pages with title, date, venue or online link, description, speakers and ticket tiers. - Free RSVP and paid tickets. Paid tickets use Stripe Checkout; a ticket is issued only after a signature-verified Stripe webhook. - Capacity per tier enforced in a database transaction so tickets never oversell; hold seats for 15 minutes during checkout. - Ticket email with a QR code and .ics calendar file. - Organizer dashboard: sales, attendee list, CSV export, refunds via Stripe, promo codes. - Mobile check-in page for staff that scans QR codes and works offline, syncing later. Data model: events, ticket_tiers, orders, tickets (id, order_id, tier_id, attendee_name, email, qr_token_hash, status, checked_in_at). Security: - QR codes contain random signed tokens, not ticket IDs. - Staff check-in requires login; attendees cannot see other attendees. - Verify Stripe webhook signatures and make handlers idempotent. - Rate limit RSVP and checkout endpoints.
Security pitfalls to check
AI tools often get these wrong by default. Check each one before anyone else uses the app.
- 01Issuing tickets on the Stripe success redirect instead of a verified webhook lets people get tickets without paying.
- 02QR codes that encode sequential IDs can be forged; use random signed tokens and mark them used at check-in.
- 03Attendee lists readable from the client leak names and emails.
- 04Non-idempotent webhook handlers create duplicate tickets when Stripe retries.
- 05Check-in pages without auth let anyone mark tickets as used.
Indie makers who built a real events business
They went far past the prototype: support, payments, reliability and years of iteration. Their profiles show what that took.
Jens Kuerschner built Add to Calendar PRO
Add-to-calendar buttons, event landing pages and RSVP management.
$20K/moLukas Hermann built Stagetimer
Remote-controlled countdown timer for presenters and events; reported $20K/mo.
$35K/moBrian Shin built Once
Shared disposable-camera app for events; reported $35K/mo.
Or just use these indie-made tools instead
If you need Eventbrite's job done rather than a project, these are built and supported by independent makers.
Add to Calendar PRO
add-to-calendar-pro.com
Add-to-calendar buttons, event landing pages, RSVP management and ics generation.
by Jens Kuerschner
Stagetimer
stagetimer.io
Remote-controlled browser countdown timer for presenters and events.
$20K/moby Lukas Hermann
Once
once.film
Private disposable-camera app for events where guests join by QR code and the shared album unlocks after the event.
$35K/moby Brian Shin
What building it teaches you
Ticketing is a compact lesson in payments, idempotency, inventory under concurrency and offline-capable mobile web apps.
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Vibe coding Eventbrite: FAQ
Can you vibe code an Eventbrite-style ticketing site?
Medium. Yes for your own events with Stripe Checkout; payments, refunds, sales tax and check-in at the door are where care is needed.
How long does it take to vibe code an Eventbrite-style ticketing site?
A working personal or internal MVP takes about 6–14 h with a tool like Lovable. A polished version you would rely on every day takes about 4–9 days, mostly spent on paid tickets: stripe webhooks, refunds and chargebacks.
How much does it cost to run your own Eventbrite alternative?
Expect $0–$65/mo at personal or small-team scale (hosting, database, ticket emails, stripe). Free events are free; for paid tickets in the US the service fee is 3.7% plus $1.79 per ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing per order, usually passed to buyers.
Can I sell event tickets without Eventbrite?
Yes. A simple event page with Stripe Checkout lets you sell tickets directly, paying only card processing fees. You take on refunds, chargebacks, taxes and check-in yourself.
How much are Eventbrite fees in 2026?
For paid tickets in the US, Eventbrite lists a service fee of 3.7% plus $1.79 per ticket and a 2.9% payment processing fee per order, checked on 2026-11-03. Free events have no fees.
How do I make QR code tickets for my event?
Generate a random token per ticket, store a hash of it, and encode the token in a QR code in the ticket email. At the door, a staff-only page scans the code, looks up the hash and marks the ticket as checked in.
Is it legal to build your own Eventbrite clone?
Building your own tool that solves the same problem is common and generally fine. Copying Eventbrite's code, design assets, brand name or content is not. Use your own name and design, respect their terms of service, and get proper advice if you plan to sell it. This page is not legal advice.