You've got the room, the date and the lineup. Then you reach the ticket step and have to decide: charge for entry, or make it free and collect RSVPs?

On Beatmatch you can offer paid tickets, free tickets or RSVP-only entry, and you can mix free and paid options on the same event (Create an Event). Here's how to pick.

The short answer

• Choose free RSVPs when you're testing a new idea, building a list for a new crowd, or hosting a community meetup where turnout matters more than revenue.
• Choose paid tickets when space is limited, you have real costs to cover (the room, sound, performers), or you need to know who's actually coming.
• Use both when you want an easy yes for early arrivals or your core crowd and paid entry for everyone else.

What a free RSVP gets you

A fast yes. Nobody has to think about price, so people who don't know you yet are more willing to try your event. That makes free entry a good fit for a first event, a new series or a daytime meetup.

A list you can reach. Free RSVPs are set up as ticket options priced at $0 (Create Ticket Options), so the people who claim one become guests tied to your event. You can send them posts and text blasts before and after the event (Create a Post, Send a Text Blast). That list is where your next paid event starts.

The tradeoff: more empty spots. A free RSVP costs nothing to skip, so some people who claim one won't come. Plan for it:

• Cap the RSVP quantity at what the room can actually hold.
• Set a maximum per order so one person can't claim a big block of spots.
• Send a short text blast on the day of the event with the door time and address, so the people who said yes remember to come.

Photo: Helena Lopes on Pexels

What a paid ticket gets you

Guests who show up. Someone who paid has a reason to come, so your headcount is easier to plan around. That matters for the door team, the bar and how many people the venue lets in.

Money to run the event. Ticket sales can cover the room, sound and your performers, which gives you room to pay for a bigger lineup next time.

Tools to reward early buyers. Each paid option can have its own price, quantity and sale end date, so an early bird can close on schedule and the next tier opens. Promo codes give specific groups a discount with a cap on uses (Create a Promotion). How to Set Ticket Prices for a Party walks through a full price ladder.

The tradeoff: a harder first sale. A crowd that doesn't know you needs a reason to pay before they've been once. A clear description, a lineup people recognize and a strong flyer do most of that work. How to Write an Event Description That Sells Tickets has a template.

Free RSVP vs paid tickets, side by side

• Getting a yes: free is easier; paid takes a reason to buy.
• Who shows up: paid guests are more likely to come; free lists need a cap and a reminder.
• Covering costs: paid tickets help cover the event; a free event needs another way to pay for itself, like a venue that covers the room on a slow evening.
• Planning the room: paid gives you a firmer count; free gives you a softer one.
• Best stage: free for launching and testing; paid once you know your crowd will come.

How to put both on one event

Ticket options can be free, paid or a mix on the same event, and each one has its own quantity and sale dates. Some setups that work:

• Free early entry, paid after. A limited free option with a clear name, like "Free RSVP: Entry before 10 PM," plus a paid general admission option. Brief your door team so they know when the free window ends.
• Free launch, paid series. Make your first event free to build the list. Then announce the second event, paid, to that list before anyone else, and open an early bird for them. How to Turn a One-Off Party Into a Monthly Series covers the second event.
• Paid entry, a discount for regulars. Keep the event paid and send your returning crowd a promo code with a set number of uses.

Switching a free event to paid

If you've run free events and want to start charging, tell your crowd before the next one goes on sale. Give the people who came before a first shot at an early bird, keep the first price modest, and give them something new to pay for, like a bigger lineup or a better room. Once an event is live, Beatmatch lets you track RSVPs and view your attendee list (Create an Event), so you know exactly who to tell first.

Quick decision guide

• New crowd, new idea, or a community meetup: free RSVP with a capped quantity.
• Limited room, real costs, a lineup to pay: paid tickets with an early bird.
• You want a full room early and revenue later in the evening: both, with a time-limited free option and paid general admission.
• Your free events fill up every time: move to paid, and give your regulars first access.

Set up your tickets or RSVPs

Create your event on Beatmatch and add free, paid or both ticket options in one place. Create Ticket Options explains each setting.

Top photo: RDNE Stock project on Pexels