For most sites the strongest alternative to Event Tickets is The Events Calendar, which comes from the same team and pairs a polished calendar with ticketing for a more complete events system. Events Manager is the best free option, covering bookings and tickets at no cost, while Tickera is the standout for dedicated ticket selling. We ranked these from our index of 55,000+ WordPress plugins.

Why people switch from Event Tickets

• Event Tickets is really a ticketing add-on, so sites wanting a full calendar move to The Events Calendar or Events Manager.
• Sellers who need robust paid ticketing and gateways switch to Tickera.
• Sites wanting bookings and tickets together for free choose Events Manager.
• Teams wanting rich calendar layouts and designs look to Modern Events Calendar or All-in-One Event Calendar.

The Events Calendar – Overall replacement

The Events Calendar is the flagship events plugin from the same team behind Event Tickets, providing calendars, event listings, and venues. Against Event Tickets, it gives you the full calendar experience that ticketing is meant to sit on top of. The drawback is that it is a calendar first, so recurring events and advanced views need paid add-ons.

Choose The Events Calendar if you want a complete calendar that ticketing plugs into.

Tickera – Dedicated ticket sales

Tickera is a specialist ticketing tool built for selling and checking in tickets, with WooCommerce integration. Against Event Tickets, it focuses squarely on ticket commerce, including barcode check-in apps. The drawback is that it leans on paid add-ons for extra gateways and features, and it has a smaller community than the big calendar plugins.

Choose Tickera if your priority is selling and scanning tickets at events.

Events Manager – Free bookings and tickets

Events Manager is a mature, free plugin that handles events, bookings, and ticketing together. Against Event Tickets, it bundles booking management and free ticketing without a separate calendar purchase. The drawback is that its interface feels dated and payment gateways beyond PayPal generally require the Pro version.

Choose Events Manager if you want free event bookings and tickets in one plugin.

modern-events-calendar-lite – Design-rich calendars

Modern Events Calendar from Webnus is known for a wide range of attractive calendar and event layouts. Against Event Tickets, it puts more emphasis on visual presentation and display styles. The drawback is that much of its functionality, including advanced booking and ticketing, sits behind the paid Pro version, leaving the lite tier limited.

Choose modern-events-calendar-lite if you want visually varied event layouts out of the box.

all-in-one-event-calendar – Hosted calendar sync

All-in-One Event Calendar from Timely offers calendar management with import and sync features tied to its own service. Against Event Tickets, it centers on calendar sharing and syndication rather than ticketing. The drawback is that it leans on Timely’s hosted platform and has seen slower development than the leading calendar plugins.

Choose all-in-one-event-calendar if you want calendar sharing and syncing across sites.

When to stay on Event Tickets

Stay on Event Tickets if you already run The Events Calendar and simply need to add tickets and RSVPs to existing events. The two are designed to work together, so within that ecosystem Event Tickets is the natural choice, and switching to a different platform only makes sense if you are rebuilding your events setup anyway.

How we ranked these

Every plugin here is scored by the WPS Score, a single 0 to 10 rating built from 21 signals covering maintenance, support responsiveness, compatibility, performance, and ratings quality across our index of 55,000+ plugins. Rankings are derived from that data, not editorial preference, and no plugin author can pay to change a score. How the WPS Score works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free alternative to Event Tickets?

Events Manager is one of the best free alternatives because it combines event listings, bookings, and ticketing in a single plugin at no cost. The Events Calendar also offers a strong free tier, though its ticketing comes through the companion Event Tickets plugin.

Do I need The Events Calendar to use Event Tickets?

Event Tickets can run on its own for basic tickets and RSVPs, but it is designed to work alongside The Events Calendar, which provides the full calendar and event management. Using them together gives the most complete experience, since they come from the same developer.

Which plugin is best for selling paid tickets?

For dedicated ticket sales, Tickera is purpose-built for selling and scanning tickets and integrates with WooCommerce. Event Tickets and Events Manager can also sell paid tickets, often through WooCommerce or PayPal, but Tickera focuses specifically on ticket commerce and check-in.

The verdict

The best all-round replacement is The Events Calendar for a complete, polished events system, while Events Manager wins on free bookings and tickets and Tickera on dedicated ticket sales. If you already use The Events Calendar, staying with Event Tickets for your ticketing is entirely sensible.