WordPress Event Plugin Lifetime License: Sell Tickets, Check In Guests and Take Registrations

• $149 WpEvently Pro for 1 site, the lowest price in the table

• 25 Months until Tickera Lifetime beats its annual plan

• 90,000+ Active installs of the free version behind Amelia

• 11 WordPress booking deals with a lifetime license in our catalog

Lifetime WordPress event plugins at a glance

The table shows the entry lifetime tier of three plugins that sell tickets or take registrations for events. All prices are in US dollars and come from each vendor’s pricing page. The payback row shows after how many months the one-time price is lower than paying the annual plan. Note the sites row: Tickera Lifetime covers unlimited sites from the start, the other two begin with 1 site.

Is a WordPress event plugin lifetime license worth it?

Yes, if you run events for more than about two and a half years. Events repeat: the spring workshop, the yearly conference, the weekly class. Once ticket types, forms and emails are set up, you keep them. All three plugins pay off after 24 to 31 months against their annual plans. After five years, Tickera Lifetime has saved you $596 against renewing every year. How to read payback periods in general is explained in lifetime license vs subscription.

How to sell event tickets on WordPress

To sell event tickets on WordPress you need four things: an event page with date and venue, ticket types with a price and a limit, a checkout that takes the payment and a ticket the guest can show at the door. Event plugins differ mostly in where the payment runs and what happens at the entrance. Decide first which kind of event you sell most.

1. 1Ticketed events with an entranceConcerts, parties, conferences: many guests, one date, a scan at the door. That is Tickera Lifetime.
2. 2Events in an existing shopYou already sell with WooCommerce and want tickets in the same cart and checkout. That is WpEvently Pro.
3. 3Classes next to appointmentsA studio or a trainer who books single sessions and sells group classes. That is Amelia.
4. 4Rooms or tours instead of seatsNights and trips are a different job, covered in our guide to WordPress hotel and travel booking plugins with a lifetime license.

Eventbrite alternative for WordPress: ticketing without platform fees

Most organizers who look for an Eventbrite alternative for WordPress want two things: no fee on every ticket sold, and the guest data on their own site. A ticketing plugin with a lifetime license does both. You pay the plugin once, each sale costs only the fee of your payment gateway, and the buyer list stays in your WordPress database. What you give up is the reach of a ticket marketplace, so you bring the visitors yourself.

Tickera Lifetime: QR tickets, all add-ons and unlimited sites

Tickera from Tickera has been around since 2012 and sells event tickets directly on your WordPress site. Buyers pay through one of 19 built-in payment gateways or through WooCommerce, then receive a PDF ticket with a QR code. The free version runs on 2,000+ sites and is rated 4.5 on wordpress.org.

The lifetime plan costs $399 for unlimited sites and includes every add-on, today’s and future ones, with lifetime updates and priority support. It pays off after 25 months against the annual plan of $199. The refund window is 7 days, so set up a test event on the day you buy. For a single small event, the price is high; for an organizer who runs events every year, it is the most complete package here.

QR code ticket check in app at the door

A QR code ticket check in app turns any phone into a scanner. Tickera ships the Checkinera apps for iOS and Android: staff scan the code on the ticket, the app marks it as used and shows who is already inside, so a copied ticket is caught at the second scan. The lifetime plan even includes the source code of the apps. Test the scan with your venue’s mobile signal before the doors open, and keep a printed guest list as a backup.

WordPress seating chart plugin for venues and theatres

Theatres, cinemas and gala dinners sell seats, not just tickets. A WordPress seating chart plugin lets buyers pick their seat on a map of the room, and a seat sold once cannot be sold again. In this guide, only Tickera offers seating charts, as an add-on that is included in the lifetime plan. Draw the chart once per venue and reuse it for every show there.

WooCommerce event tickets plugin for shops

If your site already runs a shop, a WooCommerce event tickets plugin puts tickets into the cart next to your products. Customers pay with the gateways your shop already uses, get the usual order emails and find the ticket in their account. You keep one checkout, one set of taxes and one order list. Shop extensions with a lifetime license are collected in our guide to WooCommerce plugins with a lifetime license.

WpEvently Pro: ticket types, extra services and attendee forms

WpEvently from MagePeople sells tickets through the WooCommerce checkout. Each event can have several ticket types, extra services such as a meal or a T shirt and its own attendee form. PDF tickets with a QR code and front end event submission are separate add-ons. The free version runs on 7,000+ sites and is rated 4.5 on wordpress.org.

The lifetime license costs $149 for 1 site with lifetime updates and priority support, refund window: 7 days. It pays off after 24 months against the annual plan of $75. WooCommerce is required, so it is not the right pick for a site without a shop.

Recurring events in WordPress: workshops, courses and club nights

Recurring events in WordPress save you from copying the same event every week. You set the rhythm once, for example every Thursday at 7 pm, and the plugin creates the dates with their own ticket limits. WpEvently Pro supports recurring events directly. Amelia offers recurring appointments, which suits a fixed weekly class booked by the same people.

Both sell tickets with QR codes, one with its own checkout, one through WooCommerce. Put them side by side in our free comparison of Tickera Lifetime and WpEvently Pro, or compare the event and class side in the comparison of WpEvently Pro and Amelia.

WordPress event registration plugin for classes and appointments

Not every event needs a ticket at the door. Yoga studios, coaches and training providers need a WordPress event registration plugin: people sign up for a class, pay online and get a reminder. When the same business also books single sessions, one plugin for both saves a second customer list and a second calendar.

Amelia: events and appointments in one plugin

Amelia from Melograno Venture Studio handles appointments and events with no limit on appointments, events or locations. It syncs with Google, Outlook and Apple calendars, creates Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams links, sends SMS notifications and takes payments through Square, PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, Razorpay and WooCommerce. The free version runs on 90,000+ sites and is rated 4.6 on wordpress.org.

The lifetime Standard plan costs $249 instead of $299 for 1 site and pays off after 31 months against the annual plan of $99. Packages, the cart, refunds and the event waiting list start with Pro, so a sold out class with a waiting list needs a larger tier. The appointment side is compared in our WordPress booking plugin comparison and in Amelia vs Bookly PRO.

Event plugin features compared

• Own checkout without a shop

  Tickera Lifetime and Amelia.

• Tickets through the WooCommerce checkout

  WpEvently Pro, plus a WooCommerce bridge in Tickera Lifetime and WooCommerce payments in Amelia.

• PDF tickets with a QR code

  Tickera Lifetime, and WpEvently Pro as an add-on.

• Check in apps for iOS and Android

  Tickera Lifetime.

• Seating charts

  Tickera Lifetime, included in the lifetime plan.

• Recurring events and custom attendee forms

  WpEvently Pro.

• Appointments, calendar sync and video meetings

  Amelia.

Event plugin tiers for agencies and several sites

Agencies that build event sites for clients should count sites before they compare prices. Tickera Lifetime covers unlimited sites with its single lifetime plan. WpEvently Pro sells larger tiers: 1 site for $149, 5 sites for $449, 10 sites for $699. Amelia has more tiers as well: 1 site for $249, 5 sites for $559, unlimited sites for $899, and the larger ones add features such as packages and the cart. Our guide to lifetime deals for unlimited websites lists more plugins with no site limit.

How to choose a WordPress event plugin: checklist

1. 1Name what you sellTickets for a date, seats in a room or places in a class. The answer already narrows the choice to one plugin.
2. 2Decide where the payment runsWith a shop, WooCommerce keeps one checkout. Without one, a plugin with its own gateways saves you a shop setup.
3. 3Plan the entranceMany guests at one time need QR tickets and a scanner app, not a list on paper.
4. 4Count the add-onsQR tickets, seating and waiting lists are add-ons or higher tiers with some vendors. Add them to the price.
5. 5Check updates and supportTwo of the three state lifetime updates. For the third, read the terms on the pricing page.
6. 6Use the refund windowRun one full test sale with a real payment and a scan at the door. Our lifetime deal checklist lists what else to check.

Which lifetime event plugin suits you

• Concerts, parties and conferences

  Tickera Lifetime with QR tickets and the check in app.

  Fits

  • Tickera Lifetime$399

• Theatre or venue with numbered seats

  Tickera Lifetime with the seating chart add-on.

  Fits

  • Tickera Lifetime$399

• Shop that also sells events

  WpEvently Pro through the WooCommerce checkout.

  Fits

  • WpEvently Pro$149

• Weekly workshops on a small budget

  WpEvently Pro with recurring events for $149.

  Fits

  • WpEvently Pro$149

• Studio with classes and single sessions

  Amelia for events and appointments in one calendar.

  Fits

  • Amelia$249

• Agencies with many event sites

  Tickera Lifetime for unlimited sites.

  Fits

  • Tickera Lifetime$399

Frequently asked questions