Flock vs. every other app that tried.
We went down the list. Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, Partiful, Meetup, Airbnb Experiences, Luma, DICE, Resy, Instagram, TicketSwap. We win every axis that matters.
14/14 capabilities
No competitor gets above 4.
No buyer fees
Hosts pay 5% + $0.45, card processing included. Nothing added at checkout.
Zero ads. Forever.
Your attention is not inventory.
Flock
The social OS for your city
14
/ 14
We win on every axis. On purpose.
Eventbrite
Ticketing utility
2
/ 14
Higher fees, no social layer, treats organizers like line items.
Ticketmaster
Ticket monopoly
1.5
/ 14
Service fees added at checkout. Hard to see the total before you commit.
Partiful
Group invites
3.5
/ 14
Glorified group text. No discovery, no ticketing, no venues, no depth.
Meetup
Legacy group finder
1
/ 14
Dying. Stagnant. Organizer tax on events that rarely happen.
Airbnb Experiences
Tourist experiences
1
/ 14
Skims 20% off hosts. Optimized for tourists, not locals.
Luma (lu.ma)
Tech meetup platform
3.5
/ 14
Clean. Limited to tech events. No city depth, no friend graph.
DICE
Music ticketing
3.5
/ 14
Music-only. No social. Waitlists but no signature moments.
Resy
Restaurant reservations
2.5
/ 14
Food only. No events, no crews, no nightlife.
Content feed
1.5
/ 14
Shows you last week. Sells your attention. Doom-scroll by design.
TicketSwap
Resale marketplace + backward social
1.5
/ 14
15% total fees. No primary ticketing. No host tools. Shows your attendance history, not tonight's plans.
| Capability | Flock 5% + $0.45, card fees included | Eventbrite 6.95% + $1.79 | Ticketmaster Service fees set per event | Partiful Free (no ticketing) | Meetup Group subscription ($25/mo) | Airbnb Experiences ~20% | Luma (lu.ma) Free / 5% paid | DICE Variable booking fee | Resy Restaurant-paid | N/A — attention economy | TicketSwap ~15% total (5% seller + 10% buyer fee) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crew-aware discovery Surfaces events based on WHO's going, not just what | |||||||||||
Real-time friend presence See who's out tonight without creeping | |||||||||||
Crew chemistry scoring 4-dimension compatibility per crew | |||||||||||
Honest, itemized fees Breakdown upfront, no surprise add-ons | |||||||||||
Zero ads, ever No algorithm selling your attention | |||||||||||
First-class conferences Multi-day agendas, speakers, matchmaker | |||||||||||
AI attendee matchmaker Find your 1:1s at the conference | |||||||||||
Suburban & rural mode Small-town coverage, not NYC-only | |||||||||||
Built-in split pay Group tickets split in-app | |||||||||||
Hand-curated venues Real tastemakers, tiered vetting | |||||||||||
Smart waitlist drops Real-time ticket-release notifications | |||||||||||
Organizer owns audience Export lists, no platform lock-in | |||||||||||
Dual ratings (friends vs public) Your friends' taste beats strangers' | |||||||||||
Signature moments TheNudge, TheReveal, Monthly Wrapped | |||||||||||
| Total capability score | 14/14 | 2/14 | 1.5/14 | 3.5/14 | 1/14 | 1/14 | 3.5/14 | 3.5/14 | 2.5/14 | 1.5/14 | 1.5/14 |
What organizers actually keep
$30 ticket × 100 buyers = $3,000 gross. Here's the math.
Partiful
Free (no ticketing)
$3,000
you keep
Resy
Restaurant-paid
$3,000
you keep
Luma (lu.ma)
Free / 5% paid
$2,850
you keep
Flock
5% + $0.45, card fees included
$2,805
you keep
DICE
Variable booking fee
$2,700
you keep
Eventbrite
6.95% + $1.79
$2,626
you keep
Airbnb Experiences
~20%
$2,400
you keep
The five things nobody else ships
Chemistry scoring
Crews rated on 4 compatibility axes. Real signal.
Signature moments
TheNudge, TheReveal, TheSpark, Wrapped.
Crew-aware discovery
Ranked by who of yours is going.
Suburban mode
Conyers + Covington, GA. Not NYC-only.
Zero ads forever
Fee-funded. Your attention is yours.
Full TicketSwap breakdown
Fee table, 12-dimension head-to-head, and why resale-only platforms can't match Flock's 5% + $0.45.
Flock wins the only comparison that matters.
The social OS for your city. Transparent fees. Better signal. Hand-curated. No ads. Ever.