For most U.S. buyers, we recommend comparing final all-in totals and choosing the seller that backs the purchase with a clear guarantee, which is why our own Capital City Tickets marketplace is a reliable pick alongside SeatGeek and StubHub. Fee transparency, buyer protection and delivery options decide whether a deal is actually good. The comparison and checklist below let you confirm that for your event.
TL;DR:
- The FTC Fees Rule requires clear live event ticket totals; by April 2026, StubHub had agreed to a $10 million settlement over alleged pricing deception.
- Compare identical seats and quantities at the final checkout screen, recording fees and delivery charges because listed prices can conceal the true cost.
- For last minute purchases, favor instant or near instant delivery; mailed tickets risk arriving too late, while mobile transfers may depend on seller action.
- Most ticket sales are final; canceled event refunds may exclude fees, while postponed tickets usually remain valid and refunds depend on organizer and platform terms.
Table of Contents
- How do SeatGeek, StubHub and Capital City Tickets compare side by side?
- How do you compare final prices under the FTC Fees Rule?
- What should you check before choosing a marketplace?
- How do ticket delivery methods and timing differ?
- How are refunds and cancellations handled?
- Which site is easier to navigate?
- What should you expect from the mobile apps?
- How good is customer service?
- How do inventory and event variety compare?
- What do resale policies and seller protections mean for you?
- Are there loyalty programs or rewards?
- Our perspective on reliability
- Where can you find the tickets you want?
- FAQ
- Sources
How do SeatGeek, StubHub and Capital City Tickets compare side by side?
We compared the three marketplaces on what changes your outcome: the final price you pay, what happens if a ticket fails, and how the ticket reaches you. The table summarizes the dimensions, and the notes after it give each platform's best use. Prices and inventory vary event by event, so treat the table as a framework for your own side-by-side check, not a fixed ranking.
| Dimension | SeatGeek | StubHub | Capital City Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-in total cost | Check the final total at checkout | Check the final total at checkout | Check current prices on our site |
| Fee transparency | Confirm mandatory fees before paying | Confirm mandatory fees before paying | Compare the all-in total shown before you buy |
| Buyer protection | Marketplace buyer protection | Marketplace buyer protection | authenticity and delivery guarantee |
| Delivery methods | Varies by event and seller | Varies by event and seller | Check the event listing for delivery options |
| Refund policy | Read the policy per event | Read the policy per event | Guarantee covers authenticity and delivery |
| Comparing identical seats | Seat-view tools on many listings | Large inventory to scan | Filters by city, venue, date and category |
- SeatGeek: best for buyers who want a wide selection of resale listings across concerts, sports and theater. Its standout is a large inventory with detailed seat-view tools on many listings, though availability varies by event.
- StubHub: best for buyers who want a broad reseller marketplace, sometimes with last-minute inventory for high-demand events. Its standout is its reach and a long history in the U.S. resale market.
- Capital City Tickets: best for buyers who put a guaranteed purchase first. Our standout is the ticket authenticity and delivery guarantee, plus event filters for city, venue and date.
How do you compare final prices under the FTC Fees Rule?
The all-in total price is the full amount you pay for a ticket, including every mandatory fee and charge. It is the only number that lets you compare two marketplaces fairly, because a low listed price that grows at checkout is not actually cheaper. The Federal Trade Commission has made this a regulatory priority. Its Fees Rule requires clear, prominent disclosure of the total price for live-event tickets, and the rule took effect on May 12, 2025.
Enforcement followed quickly. In May 2025 the FTC warned StubHub that some ticket prices appeared to omit mandatory fees and that noncompliance could bring civil penalties.
As of April 2026, StubHub agreed to a $10 million settlement with the FTC over alleged deceptive ticket pricing, with funds going to eligible consumers. Fee disclosure is now something regulators actively police, so you should check it yourself on every site.
Here is how to confirm the real price before you buy:
- Pick the exact section, row and quantity you want, and use the same selection on every site.
- Advance to the last screen before payment, where the full total appears.
- Write down the ticket price, each fee line and any delivery charge.
- Compare the grand totals, not the listed prices.
- Check whether the total changes when you switch delivery methods.
Pro Tip: Open each marketplace in its own browser tab with the same seats and quantity, then flip between the final checkout screens. This often reveals a bigger gap than any fee table.
For more on spotting inflated prices, our guide to verifying face value walks through quick checks.
What should you check before choosing a marketplace?
Use this order of priorities, then match it to your situation:
- Confirm the final total for the same seat on every site.
- Confirm the delivery method and when the ticket arrives.
- Verify the guarantee and the refund process in writing.
- Check seller ratings or marketplace reviews.
Three common scenarios shifts which step matters most:
- On a budget: put step one first. A few dollars in fees on each ticket adds up fast for a family.
- Buying last minute: step two decides everything. Instant-download or mobile transfer beats any option that depends on mail.
- Risk-averse: step three is your priority. A clear, specific guarantee is worth more than a small price edge. Our overview of how resale guarantees work explains what to look for.
Once you pick a platform, screenshot the checkout total and the guarantee terms, pay with a card that offers dispute protection, and save the confirmation email until the event is over. Timing also matters for price, and our data-backed look at when to buy concert tickets helps you avoid overpaying.
How do ticket delivery methods and timing differ?
Delivery is where a cheap ticket becomes an expensive problem. Most live events today use some form of digital delivery: an instant PDF download, a mobile transfer into an app wallet, or, less often, physical tickets by mail or will-call pickup. Which one you get depends on the event and, on resale sites, on the seller.
Instant download is the simplest. You get the file right after purchase, though you should confirm the barcode matches the event. Mobile transfer moves the ticket from the seller's account to yours, so it can take longer if the seller is slow to act. Mail is the riskiest for late purchases, because shipping time can eat your whole window.
Before you pay, check these points on any platform:
- The stated delivery method for your specific listing, not the site's general policy.
- The expected delivery date relative to the event date.
- What happens if the transfer never arrives.
For last-minute buying, prioritize listings marked for instant or near-instant delivery. At Capital City Tickets, our guarantee covers delivery as well as authenticity, so you have a defined recourse if a ticket does not arrive. Other marketplaces have their own buyer-protection terms, and you should read them for the particular order. If something does go wrong, our ticket scam checklist and recovery timeline lays out the steps to take and in what order.
How are refunds and cancellations handled?
Refund rules are the most misunderstood part of buying tickets. Most live-event tickets are sold as final, so your protection usually depends on the marketplace's guarantee and on the event's own cancellation terms, not on a general right to return.
There are three situations to understand:
- Event canceled: you can generally expect a refund of the ticket price, but whether fees come back depends on the platform and the event organizer.
- Event rescheduled or postponed: tickets typically stay valid for the new date. Refund eligibility, if any, is set by the organizer and the platform.
- Ticket invalid or never delivered: this is where a marketplace guarantee matters most.
Read the policy for your specific order before checkout, because terms can differ between events and sellers. Look for plain answers to these questions: Who issues the refund? How long does it take? Are fees included? What proof do you need?
If you are comparing us with SeatGeek or StubHub, ask the same questions of each and keep the answers with your order confirmation. Pay by credit card where possible, since your card issuer's dispute process is an additional layer of protection independent of any marketplace.
Which site is easier to navigate?
A good ticket site helps you compare identical seats quickly. That means clear filters, readable seat maps and a checkout that does not surprise you.
SeatGeek is known for seat-view tools on many listings, which help you judge sightlines before buying, although coverage varies by event. StubHub offers a large marketplace with broad inventory, which gives you plenty to scan but can feel crowded on popular events. Our own site focuses on straightforward browsing: you can filter events by city, venue, date and category, and we support promo codes at checkout.
When you test any interface, look for these things:
- Can you sort by price and filter by quantity without losing your place?
- Does the seat map clearly show section, row and view?
- Is the total visible before the final payment screen?
- Can you return to your search without restarting?
The best test is practical. Pick one event and try to find the same two seats on each site. Time how long it takes, note how many clicks it needs and watch where the price changes. A site that makes this easy is also making the all-in comparison easy, which is exactly what you want when fees are under scrutiny.
What should you expect from the mobile apps?
Many ticket buyers complete purchases on a phone, and for mobile-delivered tickets the app is the ticket. That makes app quality a real buying factor, not just a convenience.
Features worth checking include saved payment methods, push alerts for price changes or transfers, a wallet for storing tickets offline, and a clear way to see your upcoming events. Offline access matters at crowded venues where cell service drops, so confirm that your ticket loads without a connection.
Performance is also practical. A slow or crashing app during a high-demand on-sale can cost you the seats. Before a big purchase, log in ahead of time, confirm your payment details are saved and test that you can reach checkout quickly.
App details change often, so check the current store listings and release notes for SeatGeek and StubHub rather than relying on a feature list from an older article. If you buy through our site, you can complete the purchase from any phone browser, which removes the need to install anything before the show.
Whatever you use, screenshot your ticket and confirmation once it arrives, and keep your account email accessible. If your phone dies at the gate, a printed or emailed copy can save the night.
How good is customer service?
Customer service is invisible until something breaks, and then it is everything. The questions to ask are simple: how can you reach a person, how fast do they respond and how clearly do they resolve the issue?
Check the contact options on each site before you buy. Look for phone, chat and email, along with stated hours. An event day problem needs a fast channel, so a site that offers only a slow email form is a weaker choice for last-minute purchases.
Review sentiment is worth reading, but read it with care. Complaints cluster around the same few themes on every marketplace: delayed transfers, confusing fee changes and slow refunds. Look for patterns across many recent reviews rather than judging by a single story, and weigh how each company responds publicly.
The strongest protection is documentation. Keep your order confirmation, the listing details, the guarantee terms and any messages. If you need to escalate, that record makes the case for you.
We back our orders with an authenticity and delivery guarantee, and we want you to contact us before the event if anything looks wrong with a ticket. Whichever marketplace you choose, contact support early, in writing when possible, and do not wait until the day of the show.
How do inventory and event variety compare?
SeatGeek and StubHub are both large marketplaces, and both list concerts, sports and theater from many sellers. That breadth is their main strength: for a popular event you will usually find many listings to compare, at many price points.
Availability, however, is event-specific. A seat that appears on one site may not appear on another, and prices for the same section can differ. This is why experienced buyers never assume one platform is always cheaper. The reliable method is checking the same seats on several sites and comparing final totals.
Our catalog covers concert, sports and theatre tickets across a wide range of genres and locations nationwide. You can browse by category, including concert tickets, sports tickets and theatre tickets, then narrow by city, venue and date.
A practical approach for high-demand events:
- Check at least two marketplaces for your exact seats.
- Watch listings over several days, because inventory and pricing move.
- Be flexible on section or date if the total is lower elsewhere.
- Avoid paying more just because a listing appears first.
Smaller events and local theater shows often have fewer listings, so a single site may be your only source. In that case, the guarantee and delivery terms matter even more than price.
What do resale policies and seller protections mean for you?
Resale tickets come from third-party sellers, which means the marketplace sits between you and the person who owns the seat. Your protection depends on the rules that marketplace sets for sellers and on the guarantee it extends to you.
Key things to understand as a buyer:
- Who guarantees the ticket: the individual seller, the marketplace or both.
- What triggers a remedy: an invalid barcode, a missing transfer or an event cancellation.
- What the remedy is: replacement tickets, a refund or a credit.
- How quickly you must report a problem.
Resale prices are set by sellers, so a ticket can sell above or below face value. That is normal for the secondary market, and it is another reason the all-in total matters more than any listed number.
Sellers face their own rules about transfer timing and listing accuracy, and marketplaces can penalize those who fail to deliver. As a buyer, you benefit from a platform that enforces those rules and stands behind the result.
Our guarantee covers authenticity and delivery on purchases made through our marketplace. For a deeper look at how verification and transfers work, see our explainer on verified resale tickets and the FTC rule. If you ever feel a listing is suspicious, stop and check the seller details and terms before paying.
Are there loyalty programs or rewards?
Loyalty perks can lower your cost over time, but they should never outweigh the all-in total for a single purchase. A reward that saves a few dollars later is not worth paying more now.
When you evaluate any program, ask a few practical questions:
- Does it give credits, points or discounts, and how do you redeem them?
- Do rewards expire?
- Are there conditions, such as minimum spend or specific event types?
- Does the perk apply to fees or only to the ticket price?
Because marketplace programs change, check each site's current terms directly instead of relying on older summaries. We do not want you to choose a platform on the strength of a promised reward that has since changed.
On our site, the savings tool to know about is promo code support. You can apply a code at checkout. As with any code, confirm that the discount lowers your final total and that it does not remove a protection you would otherwise have.
A smart habit is to treat rewards as a tiebreaker. If two sites show nearly the same all-in total and similar guarantees, then the better loyalty perk can decide it. Otherwise, price, delivery and protection come first.
Our perspective on reliability
After years in this business, we believe the real measure of a ticket marketplace is not how many listings it shows but what happens when something goes wrong. That is why we put an authenticity and delivery guarantee behind our orders. For you, it means a defined answer if a ticket is invalid or never arrives, instead of a dispute with a stranger. Use the checklist above, compare final totals on every site and choose the seller whose protection you actually understand.
— Capital City Tickets
Where can you find the tickets you want?
When you are ready to buy, we make it simple to compare the final total and check out with a guarantee behind your order. Our authenticity and delivery guarantee, promo code support and filters by venue and date help you find the right seats.
Start with the page that matches your event:
- Concert tickets for tours, festivals and single shows.
- Sports tickets for games and matchups nationwide.
- Theatre tickets for musicals, plays and touring productions.
Open your event, check the all-in total before you pay and complete your purchase knowing you are covered.
FAQ
How do I know if my tickets are real on SeatGeek?
Check that the event, date, section and barcode match your order, and confirm the delivery method the seller promised. Read the marketplace's guarantee terms and report any mismatch right away, in writing. Our guide to spotting ticket scams lists the warning signs to check.
Does StubHub or SeatGeek have more fees?
It depends on the event, the seats and the seller, so neither is always cheaper. The reliable method is to compare the final all-in total for the same seat on both sites. Under the FTC Fees Rule, the total price must be clearly disclosed for live-event tickets.
Why can't I sell my SeatGeek tickets?
Common causes include tickets that are not yet transferable, event or venue restrictions on resale, and listing errors. Check the event's resale rules and your ticket's delivery status first. If the problem continues, contact the marketplace's support with your order details.
What is the most trustworthy site for tickets?
No site is trustworthy on every event, so judge each purchase by its guarantee, delivery terms and clearly disclosed total. We stand behind our own orders with an authenticity and delivery guarantee. Whichever site you use, save your confirmation and pay by card for dispute protection.
Sources
- Federal Register :: Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees
- With NFL’s 2025 Schedule Set to be Announced, FTC Warns Ticket Reseller StubHub it Must Comply with Agency’s New Rule on Unfair and Deceptive Fees | Federal Trade Commission