The best event ticket plugin for WooCommerce is the one that matches how your event runs: general admission or reserved seats, QR check-in at the door or none, one event or a hundred. Event Tickets Plus, Tickera, FooEvents, Event Booking Manager and Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner are the usual shortlist for selling tickets through a WooCommerce checkout. This guide covers each one, what it is for, and what to check before you commit.
What an event ticket plugin does for a WooCommerce store
WooCommerce already knows how to take a payment, send an order email and track stock. It does not know what a ticket is. A ticket plugin adds that missing layer: ticket types with their own stock, attendee details collected at checkout, a ticket file with a unique code, and a way to check people in at the door.
The reason to run this inside your own store is control. Attendee data, revenue and branding stay with you, and you are not paying a marketplace a cut on every sale. You also keep your existing payment gateways, tax setup and order emails, which matters if the store sells merchandise or memberships next to tickets.
Two designs exist, and it helps to know which one you are looking at. Some plugins turn each ticket into a WooCommerce product, so the cart, orders and refunds are plain WooCommerce. Others run their own checkout and bookings system and only bridge to WooCommerce as an option. Both work. The first is simpler to run if your store is already busy. The second can offer deeper event features, such as seating plans, but you manage a second set of orders.
How to set up ticket sales in WooCommerce
Most ticket plugins follow the same flow, so you can plan it before you pick one.
- Update WordPress and WooCommerce, and confirm a payment gateway is live in test mode.
- Install the ticket plugin and any add-on it needs for the features you want.
- Create the event, then add ticket types with a name, a price, a stock number and a sales window.
- Choose what attendees receive: a PDF, an email with a code, or a link to a wallet pass.
- Buy a ticket yourself in test mode, check the order email, then scan the code.
- Decide how check-in works on the day, and test it on the phone or scanner your staff will actually hold.
Step six is the one people skip. A ticket that scans fine on your desk can fail at a venue with poor signal, so check whether scanning works offline and how the list syncs afterwards.
How to choose: seven questions to answer first
- Do you need seat selection? Reserved seating is a separate feature set. Not every plugin has it, and some only offer it in a paid tier.
- How do people get in? A printed list is fine for a small workshop. A festival needs a scanning app and a way to stop a code being used twice.
- Do you sell free and paid tickets? RSVP-only events need a different flow from paid ones.
- Will you run recurring events? Weekly classes and monthly meetups need a schedule model, not a copy of the same event.
- Who else sells tickets? If other organisers sell on your site, you need payouts and per-organiser reports.
- What does the free version stop at? Many plugins are free for listing and RSVPs, and paid for the parts that handle money. Read the feature table on the vendor page before you build on it.
- Is it maintained? Check the last update date on the wordpress.org page. A ticketing plugin that stops getting updates is a risk with real customers’ money.
The event ticket plugins worth comparing
Event Tickets and Event Tickets Plus
Event Tickets comes from the team behind The Events Calendar. The free plugin sells tickets and collects RSVPs through its own Tickets Commerce, with Stripe and PayPal connections. Event Tickets Plus is the paid upgrade that connects ticketing to WooCommerce, so you can use any gateway your store already has. It is a sensible choice if you already use The Events Calendar for listings, because the two are built to work together. See the Event Tickets page on wordpress.org.
Tickera
Tickera sells tickets, designs PDF tickets in a drag and drop ticket designer, delivers them with QR codes or barcodes, and checks people in at the door. It can run on its own, and its Bridge for WooCommerce add-on lets you sell tickets as WooCommerce products while Tickera handles ticket delivery and check-in. Mobile check-in apps are a paid extra. It suits organisers who want a dedicated ticketing tool with a clear check-in story. See Tickera on wordpress.org.
FooEvents
FooEvents is a long-running WooCommerce ticketing and booking plugin that charges no commission or per-ticket fees. It covers ticket sales, attendee details, bookings and check-in using your own WooCommerce store. It is sold from the vendor site rather than the wordpress.org directory, so read the feature list there. A good fit for agencies that set up ticketing for clients on WooCommerce. See FooEvents.
Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce
This plugin, also branded Evently, creates events, sells tickets and manages attendees inside WooCommerce, using the checkout and payment gateways you already have. It supports recurring events, RSVPs and an event calendar, and some extras sit in a Pro tier. It is one of the most direct answers to the question of how to turn WooCommerce into an event shop without bolting on a second checkout. See Event Booking Manager on wordpress.org.
Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner
This plugin turns a WooCommerce product into a ticket: each purchase gets a unique QR code and a downloadable PDF, and a built-in mobile scanner lets staff redeem tickets at the entrance. It lists seating plans, a point of sale for door sales and no per-ticket commission. Because the scanner ships with the plugin, it is worth a look if check-in is your main worry. See Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner.
Event Tickets Manager for WooCommerce
This one creates event-based products so you can run an events calendar, check-in management, recurring events and event locations from your WooCommerce store. It covers real and virtual events. A paid version adds meeting integrations such as Zoom and Google Meet. It suits stores that sell a mix of products and events. See Event Tickets Manager on wordpress.org.
WP Event Manager
WP Event Manager is an event listings plugin first. You publish events, take registrations and sell tickets with QR codes, and use WooCommerce compatibility to take the payment. It also offers an organiser app for tracking attendance. Choose it when the public event directory matters as much as the ticket sale. See WP Event Manager.
Eventin
Eventin is an event calendar, registration and management plugin for in-person, virtual, hybrid and recurring events. Tickets can be sold through WooCommerce, Stripe or PayPal, with QR code check-in tickets and confirmation emails. It also has features for live classes and webinars, which helps if your events teach something. See Eventin.
WooCommerce Box Office
Box Office is sold by Woo itself on the WooCommerce marketplace. It lets you sell tickets for events, concerts, functions, fundraisers and conferences directly from your site. It is a plain, product-based approach that suits stores that want the extension from the same vendor as WooCommerce. See WooCommerce Box Office.
Events Manager
Events Manager is a full event calendar and booking system with recurring events, bookings and ticketing. It runs its own booking flow. Its WooCommerce integration is a separate paid add-on, so treat it as a bookings system that can reach WooCommerce, not a WooCommerce-first ticket plugin. See Events Manager.
Event Espresso
Event Espresso handles event registration, ticket sales and payments with its own checkout. The free Decaf edition is on wordpress.org and the paid edition adds more. It is a registration system in its own right, so choose it when events are the business and you are happy to keep it separate from the shop. See Event Espresso Decaf.
Eventonomy, for sites that also run a community
If your events sit inside a larger community site, Eventonomy is worth a look. It is our own events plugin, and it installs free. The free version gives you event listings, calendars, daily, weekly and monthly recurring events, RSVPs and attendee management. Paid tickets, door check-in, advanced recurrence rules, calendar sync and organiser payouts are in Eventonomy Pro. So for free RSVP events you need nothing extra, and for paid tickets you need Pro. Read the Eventonomy page for how it fits with the Reign theme.
Quick comparison
| Plugin | Checkout | Check-in | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event Tickets Plus | WooCommerce (paid upgrade) | Yes | The Events Calendar users |
| Tickera | Own, WooCommerce via add-on | Yes, apps are paid | Dedicated ticket sales |
| FooEvents | WooCommerce | Yes | Client builds, bookings |
| Event Booking Manager | WooCommerce | Attendee tools | Event shop inside Woo |
| Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner | WooCommerce | Built-in scanner | Door scanning, seating plans |
| Event Tickets Manager | WooCommerce | Yes | Mixed product and event stores |
| WP Event Manager | WooCommerce compatible | QR and organiser app | Event directories |
| Eventin | WooCommerce, Stripe, PayPal | QR codes | Classes and webinars |
| Box Office | WooCommerce | Check vendor page | Stores that prefer Woo extensions |
| Events Manager | Own, Woo add-on | Bookings | Calendar and bookings first |
| Event Espresso | Own | Registration tools | Event-led businesses |
| Eventonomy | RSVPs free, paid tickets in Pro | Door check-in in Pro | Community sites |
Things that go wrong on event day
Most ticket problems are not plugin bugs. They are setup gaps that only show under load.
- Emails land in spam. Ticket emails carry the whole product. Set up a proper sending service and test with Gmail and Outlook addresses before launch.
- Overselling. If you also sell the same capacity another way, shared stock matters. Confirm the plugin reduces stock at the right order status.
- Refunds and transfers. Decide in advance whether a refund voids the code, and whether an attendee can hand a ticket to someone else.
- Mobile layout. Most buyers purchase on a phone. Run the whole purchase on a phone before you announce the event.
- Tax and invoices. Ticket sales are still sales. Check your tax settings apply to ticket products.
Where the theme fits
A ticket plugin handles the sale. Your theme decides whether the event page looks trustworthy. If the site is more than a shop, with members, groups, forums and a directory of events, Reign is the WordPress theme for building a complete community site: social network, courses, member directory, marketplace and job board on one install. See the live demos, read how to build an online community, or look at the event directory use case. For theme licence terms, see pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best event ticket plugin for WooCommerce?
There is no single best one, because it depends on your event. Event Tickets Plus suits sites already on The Events Calendar, Tickera and Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner suit organisers who care about door check-in, and FooEvents and Event Booking Manager suit stores that want everything inside WooCommerce. Shortlist two, then run a test purchase on each.
Can WooCommerce sell tickets without a plugin?
Yes, but only as ordinary products. You can create a virtual product with a stock number, and customers receive an order email. You get no unique codes, no attendee fields tied to each seat and no scanning. For anything beyond a small meetup, a ticket plugin saves a lot of manual work.
Do event ticket plugins charge a fee per ticket?
The plugins in this guide state that they take no commission on tickets, as the vendors describe them. You still pay your payment gateway’s normal processing fee. Always read the vendor’s own terms, because a paid add-on or app can carry its own subscription.
How does QR code check-in work?
Each ticket gets a unique code. At the door, staff scan it with a phone or scanner, and the plugin marks that ticket as used so it cannot be scanned twice. Check whether scanning works offline and how often it syncs, because venue Wi-Fi is often unreliable.
Can I sell reserved seats on WooCommerce?
Some plugins offer seating plans, and Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner lists them among its features. Others sell general admission only, or put seat selection in a paid tier. If seats matter, confirm this on the vendor page before you build the event.
Does Eventonomy sell paid tickets for free?
No. Eventonomy free covers event listings, calendars, recurring events, RSVPs and attendee management. Paid tickets, door check-in, advanced recurrence rules, calendar sync and organiser payouts are in Eventonomy Pro.
Which plugin is best for virtual events and webinars?
Eventin describes live classes and webinars as a use case, and Event Tickets Manager for WooCommerce lists virtual events with meeting integrations in its paid version. Check which meeting tool you use before choosing, and confirm the integration is in the tier you buy.
Try it on a real site
Pick your ticket plugin, then see how the pages look inside a finished community site. Open the Reign demos to try the theme, and follow the marketplace build guide if you also plan to let others sell on your site.