Your ultimate guide to the best places to buy concert tickets
From concerts to festival season, you don’t want to miss out on seeing your favorite artists in 2026!
David Hoffman
- This guide details the top five online sites for purchasing concert tickets, including StubHub, SeatGeek, and Ticketmaster.
- Key factors for each ticket site are outlined, such as fees, ticket delivery methods, and transfer processes.
- It is generally safe to buy tickets from trusted online platforms, which often offer authenticity guarantees.
2026 is shaping up to be a monumental year for live music, with North America bracing for an absolute onslaught of stadium-sized tours. Between the high-energy showmanship of Bruno Mars on his Romantic Tour, the long-awaited return of BTS for their Arirang world tour and the rock-and-roll endurance of legends like Foo Fighters and Journey, the calendar is already overflowing.
If you haven't already, you are definitely going to need to start planning your next trip. To help you navigate the chaos, we’ve rounded up the top places to secure your seats in 2026, alongside a guide to the year’s biggest shows so you don't miss a single beat. From high-stakes stadium runs to the peak of festival season, shop our extensive concert ticket guide below.
Top 5 sites to buy concert tickets online
1. StubHub
- Fees: There aren't any set fees on tickets. Fees depend on the ticket price, when the ticket is bought, in comparison to the timing of the event, along with supply and demand. StubHub does include fees while searching for tickets.
- Deliverability: There's a variety of ways StubHub delivers your tickets, depending on the kind of ticket:
- Mobile transfer
- Mobile ticket
- Electronic or instant download E-ticket
- Paper
- Pickup
- Ticket transfer: It's easy to transfer tickets through StubHub. Check your order details and how they were delivered. Since most are delivered via mobile, you can go into the StubHub app, select those tickets and select "transfer" in most cases.
2. SeatGeek
- Fees: There aren't any set fees with SeatGeek. Fees depend on the type of event, your ticket cost and supply and demand. SeatGeek includes fees while browsing.
- Deliverability: Most tickets on SeatGeek are delivered electronically, depending on whether you purchased them as a mobile ticket or an electronic ticket (PDF download). Sometimes, if you purchased a ticket, it'll be delivered via the service, AXS, where it'll arrive in your email inbox.
- Other tickets purchased like physical/shipped tickets will be sent to you through the mail
- Local pick up/will call tickets mean you'll have to head to the box office the day of the event and pick them up
- Ticket transfer: It's easy to transfer tickets through SeatGeek. Simply go to the ticket section of your SeatGeek account, find the event, select transfer, find the ticket(s) you want to send, then enter the person's phone number or email to the desired person.
3. Vivid Seats
- Fees: There are standard fees with Vivid Seats; however, they do include all-in pricing, so you know as soon as you begin to shop.
- Deliverability: Like many ticketing sites, the main source of ticket delivery is through e-ticketing, whether it be via mobile or email. Most of those tickets are "instant download" and will arrive shortly for you. If it's an email delivery, it may not be as quick.
- Ticket transfer: After logging into your account, click the desired tickets you want to transfer. From there, select the "transfer" button. A new page will appear, where you enter the name and email of that person.
- Once completed, you should receive an email confirmation.
4. AXS
- Fees: There aren't any set fees with AXS. Every purchase includes a service and order processing fee. Every ticket shown in a listing includes the total price (all-in pricing) you'll be paying, so you'll never be charged extra fees once in your cart.
- Deliverability: The primary deliverability method is AXS Mobile ID, which are digital tickets for your phone. Be sure to have the AXS app for easy access into the venue. Delivery methods also depend on the venue, with some coming through the mail, will call or e-ticket.
- An e-ticket means you'll receive them in your email inbox, where you'll print them out via PDF.
- Exact delivery dates vary. Be sure to check the estimated arrival if you purchase a physical ticket.
- Even if there are delays, AXS affirms that you'll always receive your ticket before the event.
- Ticket transfer: If you're transferring AXS Mobile ID or e-tickets online, you'll have to sign into your AXS account, click "your tickets," click "transfer," select the ones you're transferring, then enter the person's name, email address and phone number of who you're transferring them to.
- Keep in mind, if the AXS app doesn't have a transfer button or it's grayed out, you cannot transfer them.
5. Ticketmaster
- Fees: There aren't any set fees with Ticketmaster. Fees depend on a variety of factors. To view how much the fees would be, click on your desired tickets and click the arrow next to the subtotal, where it'll show the service fees.
- Deliverability: The top deliverability options for Ticketmaster is mobile and print-at-home tickets. Mobile tickets are available almost instantly, depending on the event. Print-at-home tickets will be sent to your email, where the tickets will be sent in PDF form.
- If you have a physical ticket that has to be sent by mail, it will be delivered in 10-14 business days.
- If you have will call tickets, you'll need to head. to the box office with the credit card you used to purchase the tickets, along with a valid photo ID.
- Ticket transfer: After signing in to your account, you'll select the tickets you want to transfer. Then, enter that person's phone number or email address and then select, "transfer ticket."
What is the best site to buy concert tickets?
StubHub is the most popular platform for our readers, offering verified tickets and competitive pricing for concerts.
Even better, both StubHub and SeatGeek offer seat ratings, where you can get an accurate assessment of whether certain seats are priced too high based on the location.
AXS is another highly-regarded platform, as it includes a pop-up when you open an event that states the company's all-in pricing, which allows for full transparency on what you'll be spending.
Are concert tickets cheaper on StubHub or SeatGeek?
Prices vary by event, but SeatGeek often offers transparent pricing while StubHub provides a large resale marketplace.
Before purchasing tickets to an event, we advise checking various platforms to ensure you're getting the best price.
Is it safe to buy concert tickets online?
Yes, when purchasing from trusted platforms like StubHub, SeatGeek or VividSeats, each platform guarantees ticket authenticity.
StubHub and SeatGeek, for instance, includes the guarantee of valid tickets or your money back, along with aiding in finding replacement tickets if an issue occurs.
In addition, many platforms are also partnered with venues and events, which gives credibility to those tickets.
New concerts announced for 2026
ASAP Rocky 2026 'Don't Be Dumb' Tour
As of publication, tickets for 42 of A$AP Rocky's shows are still available, with the cheapest starting at $113 in Phoenix on June 23 and $126 in Boston on June 2.
Shop A$AP Rocky tour ticketsBarry Manilow 2026 Tour
As of publication, tickets are still available to all of Manilow's shows for his Las Vegas residency and U.S. arena tour. For the cheapest available tickets in Las Vegas, get tickets starting at $111 on Nov. 14. You can also get lower-level seating, closer to the stage starting at $158 on Nov. 14.
Additionally, find the least expensive tickets for Manilow's 16-date U.S. arena tour starting at $55 in Sunrise, Fla. on March 14.
Backstreet Boys at The Sphere
As of publication, tickets are still available for the Backstreet Boys' shows at The Sphere, with the cheapest starting at $535 for Feb. 13. There's also a Valentine's Day show with tickets starting at $611.
Shop Backstreet Boys concert ticketsBruno Mars 2026 The Romantic Tour
Tickets for each of Bruno Mars' shows are available but are selling quickly. As of publication update, the cheapest tickets available start at $273 in Pittsburgh, P.A., on Aug. 29.
Get Bruno Mars ticketsBTS 2026 Tour
The BTS World Tour kicks off on Thursday, April 9 in Goyang, South Korea. It officially comes to the U.S. on Saturday, April 25 in Tampa, Fla. They'll be in the U.S. for 25 dates.
David Lee Roth 2026 Tour
As of publication, tickets for all of Roth's shows are still available with the cheapest starting at $31 in Boston on May 24. Roth's 30-date tour begins on April 16 at Airway Heights in Washington.
Shop David Lee Roth ticketsFoo Fighters 2026 Tour
Tickets for all 12 North America tour location are available to see the Foo Fighters in person, beginning at only $79 at select locations.
Shop Foo Fighters 2026 ticketsHarry Styles 2026 'Together, Together' Tour
As of publication, tickets are still available to all of Styles' Madison Square Garden shows in New York, with the cheapest averaging between $351-$364. Styles will kick off his Madison Square Garden residency on Wednesday, Aug. 26 and wrap up on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31.
Shop Harry Styles NYC ticketsJourney 2026 Final Frontier Tour
The tour kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Hershey, Penn. before embarking on 60 total stops. As of publication, the cheapest available tickets to see Journey are starting at $88 in either Lexington, KY or Des Moines, Iowa.
But, if you want to catch Journey's final performance, that will take place in on Thursday, July 2 in Laredo, Texas with tickets starting at $104.
Shop Journey 2026 ticketsOlivia Dean 2026 'The Art of Loving Live' Tour
As of publication, tickets for all of Olivia Dean's U.S. shows are still available with the cheapest starting at $159 in Houston on Aug. 25. She'll be on tour for 19 dates in the U.S.
Shop Olivia Dean concert ticketsZayn Malik 2026 'The KONNAKOL' Tour
As of publication, tickets are still available to all of Zayn Malik's North American shows. The cheapest available tickets are starting at just $45 for Saint Paul, Minn. show on July 24.
Shop Zayn 2026 concert ticketsOur team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the Paste BN Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.