PayPal Events vs Events Manager
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| Feature | PayPal Events v1.4.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Events Manager v7.4.11 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.2/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 1,000+ | 60,000+ |
| Last updated | August 22, 2026 | October 25, 2026 |
| Editions | Easy PayPal Events & Tickets · Easy PayPal Events Pro ($) | Events Manager · Events Manager Pro ($) |
| Pros | Ticket buttons placed with one shortcode; Orders listed in the admin with bulk actions; Confirmation emails to buyer and site admin; PayPal sandbox mode for testing | Calendar, list and map shortcodes and blocks; Recurring events and location pages in the free core; Works with BuddyPress, bbPress and Yoast SEO |
| Cons | Free edition limited to three items per event; Pro upgrade needed for tax, custom button image and return URL per event; Relies on PayPal only, with no other gateway | Paid tickets, payments and timeslots need Events Manager Pro; Large feature set with many admin screens to learn |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Event and ticket button admin, Shortcode to place ticket buttons, Orders list with bulk actions, Order confirmation emails to buyer and admin, QR code ticket scan page, PayPal sandbox mode setting | events_calendar shortcode, events_list shortcode, locations_map shortcode, events_gcal shortcode for Google Calendar, Recurring event series post type, Opt-in EU right of withdrawal form, Timeslots, which need Events Manager Pro ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | PayPal | — |
| Plugins | — | Yoast SEO, BuddyPress, bbPress |
| Other | — | Expo push notification service, GitHub (MCP adapter release lookup), WordPress.org plugin directory |
| Requires WordPress | 3.5 | 6.1 |
| Requires PHP | 5.6 | 7.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | — | plugins.svn.wordpress.org, ps.w.org, exp.host, api.github.com |
| Blocks | — | 4 |
| Shortcodes | 1 | 27 |