Spring is in the air and it’s time to cure your cabin fever with some fresh, local entertainment!
This time of year has it all (and a lot of it) ranging from events like concerts to sports games to theatre. Living near a big city like Philadelphia means that there are many events close-by that attract students like us. SJU’s Student Union provides students with the opportunity to attend some of these events through their trips, but unfortunately there’s a limited amount of tickets. Being college students, we know it hurts to spend $120 on a Flyers game ticket when the Student Union sells them to you for $45, but lucky for you, we’ve got the answer. Finding tickets that are both good and affordable is almost impossible at times. So, we’ve taken on the task of reviewing the best apps for finding easy-access, good-deal tickets for all. We reviewed free apps like: GameTime, SeatGeek, Vivid Seats and StubHub, and the results were not disappointing at all. Here are our reviews:
Gametime
Looking for constant alerts?
When using a mobile ticket app, I always look for two things: convenience and low prices. Gametime is the first app I can where I can honestly say I’ve found both. It’s the perfect app for last minute tickets, as well. You simply enter your city, and it prints a list of the upcoming events. However, it isn’t just for sporting events, as it allows you view a list of concerts, musicals, and other miscellaneous ticketed events in your city. If you’re looking for low prices, you can search for events under $50. Their service fees are low, and there are still a ton of great ticket deals the day before or the day of the event. One of my favorite things about the app is that it allows you to share your tickets easily with friends who are also attending. They’ll get a text message alerting them that a ticket has been shared with them, and all they need is the app to receive their ticket, so they don’t have to worry about searching through email or printing an e-ticket. If you’re looking to sell an extra ticket, all you have to do is snap a picture of it, and they take care of the rest.
Rating: 10/10
SeatGeek
Looking for a high usable experience?
SeatGeek is a popular destination for people who desire to purchase tickets for a variety of events. On the App Store for the iPhone, it boasts an impressive full five star rating. I can say it gets the job done for a fact. It is highly usable, on both mobile device and pc. It does, however, have a few drawbacks. For starters, the location wasn’t 100% accurate. On the PC it placed me in Philadelphia, where I am. When I accessed it on my phone, it placed me in Haverford, PA. This is easily fixed though a quick change of location. They acknowledge the faults with the program, and try to make the experience better for their users. The second drawback is that it didn’t feel like a unique experience. Nothing really set it apart from the endless supply of other apps. Stubhub has the customization factor when you enter the app, while SeatGeek doesn’t have anything. If you want to customize, you have to go out of your way, instead of being prompted when you first enter. It’s also not aesthetically pleasing, it’s actually quite bland. The scheme is just a white background, with black font, and the performers picture. Overall, I would say it still deserves the five stars. It is very usable, and it gets the job done. I believe making it a more engaging experience would go miles for the company. If you are looking for something to purchase on this highly usable app after learning the ins and outs, Jay-Z and Beyonce tickets for $64 is a can’t miss opportunity.
Rating: 9.5/10
Vivid Seats
When looking to buy sports, concert, or theater tickets, it’s hard to find an honest company, with a solid guarantee, a good reputation, excellent customer support, and cheap ticket prices. Vivid Seats is one of those real, legitimate businesses that provides customers with quality service. Vivid Seats allows users to personalize their content according to the city their in and the type of event one is looking for. For college students, this app is a Godsend as it frequently provides discounts for its users, making tickets easily accessible in every possible way. For example, Vivid Seats is currently offering tickets for The Cleveland Cavaliers vs. The Seventy-Sixers game for $100, whereas buying them through TicketMaster would cost $140+. The service fees at Vivid Seats are not too high either. The only issue with this app is that you have to buy the tickets you want a few weeks in advance so they don’t turn out as expensive as if you bought them at the last minute. Other than that, I would definitely recommend you download this app for your next event adventure!
Rating: 9/10
StubHub
Looking for live music?
Much like it’s competitors, StubHub separates its discounted tickets in the following categories: Happening Today, Concerts, Sports, Theater & Comedy, and Venues. I would say that it’s not completely college budget friendly, but if you have a little extra spending money, StubHub is worth a browse. The app’s profile section allows you to tailor notifications based on your preference of entertainment, taste, sports team etc. The trick to these websites is to constantly monitor the fluctuation of ticket prices, seats, and availability. While StubHub offers decent discounts in most other the major entertainment sections, I noticed that the better deals for the upcoming month are in concert and theater tickets. In terms of Phillies and 76ers prices, I would definitely suggest using the other mentioned apps, or even trying to get a ticket through SJU’s SUB. However, StubHub is currently offering great deals for the first week in April for: Lorde ($57), James Bay ( $200), and 5 Seconds of Summer ($202). If you can be flexible during the week and are looking for a local concert in Philly, StubHub is the app to search!
Rating: 8/10
Final Verdict:
All of the four apps we tried seemed to be perfect for college students and the Spring season. All of them have different qualities that make them unique and of great use: Vivid Seats with its low service fees, StubHub with its live music specialty, SeatGeek with its easy-for-all format, and Gametime with its constant alerts. But out of these four, the overall best was the Gametime App. It stood out the most because of its perfect balance between availability, price and quality. Philadelphia has a lot to offer and these apps have got it all. So, if you’re looking to close out the school year with the perfect event, these apps are definitely for you!
