PayPal Events vs The Events Calendar
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| Feature | PayPal Events v1.4.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | The Events Calendar v6.18.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.2/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 1,000+ | 600,000+ |
| Last updated | August 22, 2026 | October 15, 2026 |
| Editions | Easy PayPal Events & Tickets · Easy PayPal Events Pro ($) | The Events Calendar · Events Calendar Pro ($) · Event Aggregator ($) |
| Pros | Ticket buttons placed with one shortcode; Orders listed in the admin with bulk actions; Confirmation emails to buyer and site admin; PayPal sandbox mode for testing | Core calendar with venues, organisers and iCal export included; Works with Elementor, Yoast SEO and WPML; Zapier automation hooks included in the free plugin |
| Cons | Free edition limited to three items per event; Pro upgrade needed for tax, custom button image and return URL per event; Relies on PayPal only, with no other gateway | Recurring events, ticketing and automatic imports need paid add-ons; Event Aggregator import needs a licence key; Large plugin with many modules, so setup takes time |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Event and ticket button admin, Shortcode to place ticket buttons, Orders list with bulk actions, Order confirmation emails to buyer and admin, QR code ticket scan page, PayPal sandbox mode setting | iCal export of events, Venues and organisers as linked posts, Embedded maps for event venues, Zapier automation, Event Aggregator imports ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Payment | PayPal | — |
| Plugins | — | Elementor, Yoast SEO, WPML, Divi |
| Other | — | Zapier, Google Maps |
| Requires WordPress | 3.5 | 6.9 |
| Requires PHP | 5.6 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | — | maps.google.com, maps.googleapis.com, theeventscalendar.com, api.telegram.org, maker.ifttt.com, api.sendgrid.com, licensing.nexcess.com, software.liquidweb.com, herald.nexcess.com, licensing.stellarwp.com, app.trustedlogin.com |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |