Events Manager vs FooEvents for WooCommerce
Updated 11 Oct 2026. 20 features compared side by side.
Free events and bookings plugin with recurring events, locations, front-end submissions and BuddyPress support; Pro adds payments, PDF tickets and check-in.
Premium WooCommerce ticketing plugin that turns products into events, with QR tickets, free check-in apps, Zoom, and seating and multi-day extensions.
Choose Events Manager if…
- You need front-end event submissions
- You want the more complete feature set (87/100 vs 79/100)
- You want to start with a free version
- You prefer the more widely used option
Choose FooEvents for WooCommerce if…
- You need seating charts
- You want the lower entry price ($99/yr vs $129/yr)
Events Manager includes 1 feature that FooEvents for WooCommerce lacks, including Front-end event submissions; FooEvents for WooCommerce has 1 that Events Manager lacks, including Seating charts. Both include 17 of the 20 features we track. 1 feature is not yet verified for one or both plugins.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Events Manager FooEvents for WooCommerceCreating events6/65/6
Free version handles complex recurrence patterns with exclusion dates and timeslots.
No repeat rules; Multi-day extension covers chosen or sequential days (Premium/POS).
Reusable locations with archive pages; no separate organiser profiles are mentioned.
Venue details and map coordinates per event; no reusable venue or organiser profiles.
Online locations via URL are free; Zoom meetings/webinars use a separate integration add-on.
Links events to Zoom meetings or webinars and registers attendees on purchase.
Free event categories for organising and filtering events.
Events are WooCommerce products, so product categories and tags organise them.
Guests and members can submit events for approval, including via BuddyPress.
Help centre confirms visitors cannot submit events from the front end.
I/O add-on (from $49, included in Pro Plus) imports iCal, CSV, Google Calendar, Sheets and Meetup.
FooEvents Calendar (free, also in bundles) can import events from Eventbrite.
Calendar & display4/54/5
Calendars, lists, grids and mini-calendars in several styles.
Calendar and list views via FooEvents Calendar (free on WP.org; in Basic/Premium).
Google Maps for locations with radius geo searches and a filterable map view.
Google Maps integration with venue coordinates on the event product.
Search pages with filters, radius search and map filters.
Relies on WooCommerce shop search; Calendar list filters by day, week, month or year.
Gutenberg blocks for calendars, lists, locations and event details.
Event Listing, Attendee Listing and Calendar blocks.
No built-in event schema listed; an old third-party add-on adds JSON-LD.
No event structured data feature found in FooEvents documentation.
Tickets & attendees5/66/6
Free bookings can have priced tickets, but online payment gateways are in Pro.
Sells event tickets as WooCommerce products with any WooCommerce gateway.
Free bookings work as registrations for free events; Pro adds waitlists and approval options.
Free events can issue tickets or registrations without payment.
Events Manager for WooCommerce is a paid add-on sold on WooCommerce.com, not in Pro Plus.
Built on WooCommerce checkout, coupons, taxes and orders.
Reserved seating is listed as coming soon to Pro Plus, not yet available.
Paid Seating extension; included in Premium and POS bundles.
Pro includes QR code check-in; the check-in mobile app comes with Pro Plus.
Free iOS and Android Check-ins apps scan QR or barcode tickets, with offline mode.
Free booking and attendee management with approvals and CSV export.
Attendee records with CSV export, including billing details if needed.
Engagement & integrations3/33/3
Buttons for Google Calendar, Outlook, Office 365, Apple Calendar and iCal.
Ticket emails include calendar links and .ics attachments.
Free booking emails to attendees and admins; scheduled reminders are Pro.
Branded HTML ticket emails with configurable copy and reminder alerts.
Pro adds webhooks (Zapier, Power Automate) and automation; free has Thrive Automator and REST API.
Built-in Mailchimp and Zoom; documented to work with AutomateWoo and LearnDash.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Events Manager Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Pro 1 site | $129 per year, 1 site |
| Pro 5 sites | $299 per year, 5 sites |
| Pro Unlimited | $599 per year, Unlimited |
| Pro Plus 1 site | $169 per year, 1 site |
FooEvents for WooCommerce Premium
| Plugin only | $99 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Basic Bundle | $169 per year, 1 site |
| Bookings Bundle | $199 per year, 1 site |
| Premium Bundle | $249 per year, 1 site |
| Point of Sale Bundle | $399 per year, 1 site |
Downloads trend
Events Manager
24,280 downloads last week
FooEvents for WooCommerce
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
Verdict
Events Manager scores higher on our feature checklist (87/100 against 79/100) and includes front-end event submissions that FooEvents for WooCommerce does not. FooEvents for WooCommerce still has the edge on seating charts. Only Events Manager has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Events Manager: included. FooEvents for WooCommerce: not included. Guests and members can submit events for approval, including via BuddyPress.
Events Manager: not included. FooEvents for WooCommerce: via add-on. Paid Seating extension; included in Premium and POS bundles.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
Which would you choose?
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FAQ
Which is better, Events Manager or FooEvents for WooCommerce?
Events Manager scores higher on our feature checklist (87/100 against 79/100) and includes front-end event submissions that FooEvents for WooCommerce does not. FooEvents for WooCommerce still has the edge on seating charts. Only Events Manager has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
They are level: both include 18 of the 20 events & calendars features we track.
Is Events Manager free?
Events Manager has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $129/yr.
Is FooEvents for WooCommerce free?
FooEvents for WooCommerce is premium only. Paid plans start at $99/yr.
Feature data last changed 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Events Manager or FooEvents for WooCommerce. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.