Fee Overview
When in doubt, keep things simple. We took that to heart when creating our pricing, which can be broken down into three straightforward components:
1) Annual License Fee
UpStage operates on an annual license flat-fee structure that provides year-round support, updates, and maintenance for every aspect of our service. It’s the only hosted, managed service that delivers a truly unified platform designed for the arts and culture sector. The amount scales based on annual earned income combined with the number of admin users that need to access the system (patron user accounts are unlimited 🙌).
2) Successful Transaction Fee
You only pay for transactions that complete and if you ever have a stretch of time where there is limited to no earned income revenue generation, there are no additional costs or low-use fees. Fees are fixed and you benefit from volume-based discounts that apply automatically as you cross each usage tier. This affords the flexibility to adapt to changing revenue needs without overcommitting budgets.
3) Optional One Time Only Fees
Depending on the nature of the work, we can provide a firm flat-fee quote or provide an estimate for total time to complete the project and invoice via an hourly rate structure. Here are the most common areas where users encounter a need for this type of work:
- Data Migration: While there’s no requirement to import data, we know most users will need to bring over existing user, sales, and product data. UpStage will review your needs and provide a firm quote for all database migration work.
- Content Migration: Different from data migration, it applies to your website content, such as static page copy, media, event info, etc.
- Custom Design: Out of the box, UpStage looks fabulous and works like a dream. All of your branding elements will be implemented free of charge, but you can turn things up to 11 by going with a truly bespoke design.
- Custom Programming: Whether it’s a distinctive feature, custom functionality, or connecting to a third-party provider/service, we’re all about being accommodating. Once we learn more about your needs and spell out the scope, we will provide a firm quote for all work.
Once we learn about your unique needs, we can provide a custom value proposition.
Pricing Highlights
We designed our pricing to reflect our company’s core values; to that end, here are some key areas that help distinguish us from other providers.
Scales For Success
Our pricing structure is simple: fees decrease the more you use the system. As your income goes up, fees go down.
Your Money Is Yours
All transactions are processed by a payment gateway you own so all revenue goes right into your bank account.
No Fees On Donations
UpStage’s fees are applied only to earned income such as ticket sales, memberships, registrations, etc. and never donations.
No Required Multi-Year Agreements!
Can we get something off our chest?
We really dislike it when providers force users into multi-year agreements. The only side that benefits in this arrangement is the one doing the selling. UpStage views this as a predatory pricing practice and as a result, we work on an annual license fee model that runs from September 1 through Aug 31 for all users. One year at a time. That’s it.
If, at any time during your annual term, you’re so happy with the service and want a multi-year agreement, we’ll be happy to provide a special discount to reward your trust.
Third Party Provider Fees
Don’t you hate it when providers add their own costs on top of fees from third party providers? We certainly do. As a result, your organization will set up accounts with the following providers, who will invoice directly for their services so there’s never any worry about piggy-back fees.
Payment Gateway
We recommend using Stripe for payment processing. They offer nonprofit discounts and users with large payment volumes may qualify for additional discounts. Their pricing is simple and only applied to successful transactions. All costs related to integrating Stripe are included and if you prefer using a different payment gateway provider, we’re happy to accommodate and can provide a quote for that customization. Learn more about payment processing.
MailChimp
UpStage syncs with MailChimp, which serves as our recommended email marketing provider. They offer several pricing plans to meet a variety of needs and UpStage uses their transactional email service to generate all of your automated messages. MailChimp offers nonprofit discounts and most users won’t need more than the first few tiers of transactional email plans. Users are welcome to use a different provider and we can provide a quote for that customization. Learn more about marketing features.
Hardware Costs
Users that plan on redeeming tickets or processing credit cards in a point-of-sale environment will want to budget for related hardware expenses.
Mobile Device Ticket Scanners
UpStage maintains a list of mobile devices we recommend using with our Ticket Scanning app. Android and IOS devices are available to fit every budget and in addition to any hardware cost, UpStage charges a $75/year fee for each device that connects to the Ticket Scanning app.
Desktop, Laptop, and Tablet Devices
You can access all of UpStage’s apps using a current model device capable of running the latest versions of Windows, Mac, or Android OS. We recommend using a desktop or laptop device to access the CRM app while Wi-Fi enabled tablets with cameras are ideal for the Box Office and Ticket Scanning apps.
Ticket Printers
By default, UpStage connects to standard letter-size printers. For high volume in-person sales environments, we recommend purchasing a dedicated receipt printer, but we can also connect to a good ‘ol BOSCA printer if desired. Once we know which devices you want to consider, we can provide a quote for that customization.