Free WooCommerce Event Tickets Manager plugin

What Is the Event Tickets Manager for WooCommerce Plugin?

The Event Tickets Manager for WooCommerce is a free plugin developed by WP Swings. It allows you to add event-based products to your WooCommerce store and sell tickets for those events — directly from your own website, without paying a single rupee or dollar in commission to any marketplace. You can create both in-person and virtual events. Customers browse your events, buy tickets through your normal WooCommerce checkout, and automatically receive a PDF ticket by email. You manage everything — ticket stock, check-ins, event dates, and attendee details — right from your WordPress dashboard. This plugin is ideal for: – Yoga studios, dance academies, and fitness coaches running workshops – Music teachers, photographers, and tutors hosting classes or seminars – Restaurants and venues organising ticketed dining or entertainment events – Any small business that wants to sell event tickets without the Eventbrite fee The plugin is available free on WordPress.org and works alongside any WooCommerce-powered website.

Free vs Pro: What Do You Get in Each Version?

The free version of the plugin is genuinely useful and covers the basics very well. Here is what you get at no cost: – Create and sell tickets for real and virtual events – Display event date, time, and location on the product page – Send PDF tickets to customers by email automatically – QR code check-in for attendees – Ticket stock management from the WooCommerce admin panel – Customers can download their tickets from the My Account page – Basic recurring event support – Two user types (e.g., Adult, Child) for ticket pricing – Shortcode support for displaying event listings on any page – Compatible with Gutenberg blocks and WPML The Pro version by WP Swings adds more advanced functionality, including: – Google Maps integration to show live event location – Zoom and Google Meet integration for virtual events – WhatsApp and SMS (Twilio) ticket notifications – Unlimited user types for tiered ticket pricing – Recurring events on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis – Multiple event locations for a single event – Facebook event sharing – Ticket transfer to another attendee – Fully customisable PDF ticket templates with your logo – Attendee waitlist management For most small business clients I work with, the free version is enough to get started. You can always upgrade later if you need those extra features.

Requirements Before You Install

Before you install this plugin, make sure your website meets these basic requirements: – WordPress installed and running (latest version recommended) – WooCommerce plugin installed and activated — this is essential, as the event tickets plugin works on top of WooCommerce – A WooCommerce-compatible theme (I almost always use Astra or Hello Elementor with Elementor for my clients) – PHP 7.2 or higher If you have not set up WooCommerce yet, do that first. I have a separate tutorial on my site walking you through the WooCommerce setup from scratch.

How to Install the Event Tickets Manager Plugin (Step by Step)

Installing this plugin is straightforward. There are two ways to do it.

Method 1: Install Directly from the WordPress Dashboard (Recommended)

This is the easiest method and the one I always recommend to clients. – Step 1: Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard – Step 2: Go to Plugins → Add New – Step 3: In the search bar, type “Event Tickets Manager for WooCommerce” – Step 4: Find the plugin by WP Swings in the search results – Step 5: Click Install Now, then click Activate That is it. WordPress handles all the file transfers automatically and you never need to leave your browser.

Method 2: Manual Upload via ZIP File

If you prefer to download the plugin file first: – Step 1: Go to WordPress.org and search for “Event Tickets Manager for WooCommerce” by WP Swings – Step 2: Click Download to get the .zip file – Step 3: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin – Step 4: Choose the .zip file and click Install Now – Step 5: Once installed, click Activate Plugin Note: If you are installing the Pro version at a later stage, make sure the free version is already installed and activated first. The Pro plugin requires the free version to function.

How to Create Your First Event and Set Up Tickets

Once the plugin is activated, you will notice a new menu option appear in your WordPress dashboard under WooCommerce. Here is how to create your first event product: – Step 1: Go to Products → Add New in your WordPress dashboard – Step 2: Give your event a name (e.g., “Saturday Morning Yoga Workshop”) – Step 3: In the Product Data section, you will now see a new “Events” tab added by the plugin — click on it – Step 4: Fill in the event details: start date, end date, start time, end time, and venue/location – Step 5: Set the ticket price in the General tab (you can set a regular price and a sale price if needed) – Step 6: Set your ticket stock quantity under the Inventory tab — this controls how many tickets are available – Step 7: Add a featured image and product description for the event – Step 8: Click Publish Once published, your event will appear on your WooCommerce store just like a regular product. Customers can add tickets to their cart and complete their purchase through the normal WooCommerce checkout. After a successful order, they will receive an email with a PDF ticket attached automatically. One tip I always give my clients: use a clear, high-quality featured image for your event product. It makes a huge difference to how professional the listing looks on your store.

How to Configure General Plugin Settings

After the plugin is installed, head to WooCommerce → Events in your dashboard to access the plugin settings. Here are the key settings worth reviewing: – General Settings: You can enable or disable features like QR code check-in, ticket PDF sending, and user type pricing. You can also set whether tickets are sent when an order is marked Completed or already at the Processing stage. – Ticket Settings: Upload your default logo that will appear on the PDF tickets sent to customers. You can also choose from multiple ticket layout options. – Email Reminder Settings: Set up automated email reminders to notify attendees before the event starts. You can customise how many days in advance the reminder is sent and personalise the email content using shortcodes for the event name, date, and your site name. – CSS Customisation: There is a dedicated field where you can enter custom CSS to adjust the look of your event pages and ticket templates without touching any plugin files. Handy if you want everything to match your brand colours. – Check-in Settings: Configure how the QR code check-in process works for your events. Attendees can be checked in by scanning the QR code on their PDF ticket. I recommend spending 10 minutes going through all these settings before you publish your first event. Getting the email and PDF settings right from the start saves a lot of back-and-forth with customers later.

How Customers Buy and Receive Their Tickets

Here is what the buying experience looks like from your customer’s side — and this is something I always walk my clients through so they can explain it confidently to their own customers. – Step 1: The customer visits your WooCommerce store and finds the event listing – Step 2: They see the event details including date, time, and venue right on the product page – Step 3: They select the number of tickets and add them to the cart – Step 4: They complete the checkout using any of your existing WooCommerce payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, bank transfer, etc.) – Step 5: Once the order is marked as Completed, an email is automatically sent to the customer with a PDF ticket attached – Step 6: The customer can also log in to their My Account page to view, download, or print their tickets at any time At the event, you or your staff can verify tickets by scanning the QR code printed on each PDF ticket. The plugin tracks check-in status so you always know who has arrived. Customers in the free version can also transfer their ticket to another person if they cannot attend — a small but genuinely useful feature that reduces refund requests.

Key Features You Should Know About

Let me highlight the features that I think matter most for small business owners using this plugin: – PDF Tickets by Email: Every customer automatically receives a professionally formatted PDF ticket after purchase. They can also download it from their My Account page. No manual work required from you. – QR Code Check-In: Each ticket includes a unique QR code. Scan it at the door to verify attendance. This is especially useful for workshops and paid classes where you need to control entry. – Ticket Stock Control: The plugin uses WooCommerce’s existing stock management system to track how many tickets are available. You can see in real time how many have sold and get low-stock alerts. – Events Calendar Widget: There is an interactive calendar widget you can add to any sidebar or page to display upcoming events in a list or grid view. Great for the homepage or a dedicated events page. – Recurring Events: You can set up events that repeat on a regular schedule. In the free version, basic daily recurring events are supported. The Pro version unlocks weekly and monthly recurrence. – Shortcodes: Display your event listings on any page using the provided shortcodes. This makes it easy to create a dedicated events page with Elementor — just drop a shortcode widget onto your page. – WPML Compatible: If your site serves a multilingual audience, the plugin works with WPML for language translation.

Free vs Pro: When Should You Upgrade?

Honestly, for most of my clients — yoga studios, workshop organisers, coaches, small venues — the free version covers everything they need. You can sell tickets, send PDF tickets, manage stock, and check people in at the door. Here are the situations where I would suggest considering the Pro version: – You run virtual events and need Zoom or Google Meet links embedded in tickets – You have a physical venue and want Google Maps showing the exact location on the event page – You need tiered pricing for more than two user types (e.g., Adult, Child, Senior, Student) – You want to send WhatsApp or SMS notifications to attendees – You need weekly or monthly recurring events, not just daily – You want fully customised, branded PDF ticket templates The plugin supports all standard WooCommerce payment gateways — PayPal, Stripe, bank transfer, and more — in both the free and Pro versions, so payment is never a limiting factor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Event Tickets Manager for WooCommerce plugin really free?

Yes, the core plugin is completely free and available on WordPress.org. It includes all the essential features you need to sell event tickets, send PDF tickets, and manage check-ins. There is a paid Pro version available from WP Swings if you need advanced features like Zoom integration, Google Maps, or unlimited user types.

Do I need WooCommerce to use this event tickets plugin?

Yes, this plugin is built as a WooCommerce extension, so WooCommerce must be installed and active on your WordPress site. Your events are created and sold as WooCommerce products, which means you can use any WooCommerce payment gateway you already have set up.

How do customers receive their event tickets after purchase?

Once an order is marked as Completed in WooCommerce, the plugin automatically sends an email to the customer with a PDF ticket attached. Customers can also log in to their My Account page to view and download their tickets at any time.

Can customers use a QR code to check in at the event?

Yes. Each PDF ticket includes a unique QR code that can be scanned at the event entrance to verify attendance. The plugin tracks check-in status so you always have an accurate count of who has arrived.

Can I sell tickets for virtual events like webinars?

The free version supports virtual event ticket sales. If you want the webinar or Zoom link to be embedded directly in the customer’s ticket, you will need the Pro version, which includes Zoom and Google Meet integration.

How do I display my events on a page in Elementor?

The plugin provides shortcodes that you can use to display event listings on any page. In Elementor, simply add a Shortcode widget to your page layout and paste the provided shortcode into it. The plugin is also compatible with Gutenberg blocks if you prefer the block editor.

What happens when tickets sell out?

The plugin uses WooCommerce’s built-in stock management system. When your ticket quantity reaches zero, the product is automatically marked as out of stock and customers will no longer be able to purchase. You can manage and update ticket stock any time from the product edit page.

Can I set different ticket prices for adults and children?

Yes, the free version supports up to two user types — for example, Adult and Child — each with its own price. If you need more than two user types, you will need to upgrade to the Pro version, which supports unlimited user types.

Final Thoughts

That covers everything you need to get the free WooCommerce Event Tickets Manager plugin installed, configured, and selling tickets on your site. As I have seen across hundreds of local business websites — from dance studios to photography workshops to community events — this plugin gives you a clean, professional way to handle event ticketing without paying fees to anyone else. Your events, your checkout, your customers. I have also recorded a detailed video tutorial walking through this entire setup on screen, so if you are more of a visual learner, make sure to watch that on my YouTube channel. If you have any questions about your specific setup — or if something is not working the way you expect — drop a comment below and I will do my best to help. And if you would rather have someone just set it all up for you, feel free to reach out to me directly through the contact page. I am always happy to help.