Selling Event Tickets with WooCommerce: Best Add-Ons & Setup

Event ticketing has gone digital, and with the right tools, your WooCommerce store can easily transform into a full-fledged ticketing platform. Whether you’re organizing webinars, concerts, conferences, or local meetups, WooCommerce provides the flexibility and scalability you need to sell, manage, and scan tickets like a pro.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

• Setting up ticket sales in WooCommerce
• Types of tickets you can sell
• QR codes and check-in tools
• Attendee management
• Payment integrations

Before you can start selling tickets, you need a solid foundation.

• WordPress Website: You’ll need a self-hosted WordPress site.
• WooCommerce: This free, powerful plugin turns any WordPress site into an e-commerce store. It handles all the core e-commerce functions like products, carts, and checkout.

Once you have these two in place, the real magic happens with the addition of a specialized event ticketing plugin.

WooCommerce Bookings Add-on

The WooNinjas WooCommerce Bookings Add-on lets you add booking and appointment features directly to your WooCommerce store. It’s made to be cheaper and easier to use than many other booking plugins.

Main Features

• Easy Setup – The plugin is simple to install and use, with a clean design so you can start quickly without dealing with complicated settings.
• Different Booking Types – Works for many businesses such as appointments (like salons, clinics, consulting), rentals (cars, bikes, equipment), hotels or other places to stay, and online meetings through Zoom
• Live Availability – Shows a live calendar so customers can see what’s available and avoid double bookings.
• Flexible Pricing – Set different prices, like per hour, per day, or special rates for holidays and long stays.
• Custom Booking Forms – Add extra fields so customers can share specific details or preferences.
• Staff & Resource Management – Assign bookings to certain staff or items, making scheduling easier and avoiding conflicts.
• Buffer Time – Add breaks between bookings, useful for cleaning, setup, or preparation.
• Good for Customers & Admins – Customers can easily see their booking details in the cart, at checkout, and in their account.
• Budget-Friendly – Costs less than many other booking plugins, with options for a one-time lifetime payment.

Strengths

• Flexible Booking Options – This is the main feature. The plugin lets you set booking rules for almost any type of business that sells time. 
• Book by different time lengths – You can allow bookings by minutes, hours, days, or months. This works for quick calls, daily rentals, or long-term hires.
• Fixed or flexible times – You can offer set booking times (like a 1-hour class) or let customers choose their own start and end dates (like a hotel stay).
• Extra time between bookings – You can add gap time between bookings for things like cleaning or setup.

Dynamic Pricing 

The add-on gives you strong and flexible pricing options, not just a single fixed price.

• Pricing by date or time – You can set higher prices for busy times, weekends, or special dates (like holidays), and give discounts for longer bookings.
• Extra costs – You can charge for add-on services or items, so customers can customize their booking by paying for extras.

Efficient Availability Management 

The plugin gives you granular control over your schedule to prevent double-booking and manage your time effectively.

• Block-out rules – You can block out specific days, dates, or time ranges for holidays, personal time, or unexpected closures.
• Resource and staff management – You can assign bookings to specific resources (e.g., a specific room or piece of equipment) or staff members, and the system will automatically manage their availability.

• Last-minute booking restrictions: You can set a cut-off time to prevent customers from booking too close to the start time of a service.

Smooth Payment and WooCommerce Integration: 

Since it’s an official WooCommerce add-on, it works perfectly with all WooCommerce features.

• Payment options – It supports any payment gateway WooCommerce offers, so you can give customers many ways to pay.
• Order handling – Bookings show up as regular WooCommerce orders, making them easy to manage just like normal product sales.

Standout attribute

• Cost – The WooNinjas add-on is significantly cheaper, especially with its lifetime license option, whereas the official WooCommerce plugin is more expensive with a yearly subscription model.
• Ease of Use – The WooNinjas add-on has a more straightforward and less overwhelming setup process, making it more beginner-friendly. The official WooCommerce Bookings plugin is noted for its complexity and a steeper learning curve.
• Features – The WooNinjas add-on focuses on a clean and intuitive user experience without “bloated” settings. It includes features like Zoom integration and custom fields, making it a robust all-in-one solution for many businesses.

Tickera

Tickera is a WordPress plugin that lets you sell event tickets right from your own website. There’s no middleman, no extra fees and no sending customers to another site. You can use it on its own or connect it with WooCommerce for more payment and selling options.

Key Features of Tickera:

• Sell Tickets on Your Website – There are no outside platforms and you can also control the price, design, and checkout process.
• Offer Different Ticket Types – Sell general admission, VIP, early bird, or group tickets. Each ticket type can have its own price, quantity, and sales dates.
• Built-in QR Codes – Every ticket gets a unique QR code. Scan tickets with the Tickera Check-in App or other compatible scanners.
• Manage Attendees Easily – View, export, and update attendee lists. Assign tickets to certain people or groups. Ask for extra info with custom forms.
• Payment Options – Works with built-in gateways like PayPal and Stripe. Optional WooCommerce add-on supports 100+ payment gateways. Accept coupon codes and offline payments too.
• PDF Tickets via Email – Tickets are sent automatically as PDFs. Use the visual builder to customize how they look.
• Mobile Check-In App – iOS and Android apps for scanning tickets at the door. Real-time sync and instant ticket validation.

FooEvents

FooEvents is a WordPress plugin that turns your WooCommerce store into a complete event ticketing and management system. It’s popular for concerts, conferences, training sessions, and virtual events, and it works smoothly with WooCommerce.

Core Features of FooEvents:

• Sell Tickets via WooCommerce – Leverages all WooCommerce features (cart, checkout, email, coupons). There are also no third-party fees, which means that you control everything on your site.
• Custom Ticket Types – Create multiple ticket types (e.g., general admission, VIP, early bird). Each ticket can have custom prices, quantities, and dates. Supports free tickets, group tickets, and recurring events.
• QR Code & Barcode Integration – Each ticket includes a unique QR code or barcode. Supports scanning via the free FooEvents Check-In App (iOS & Android).
• Attendee Management – View and manage attendees from the WordPress dashboard. Collect custom attendee info (name, email, phone, etc.). Assign multiple attendees to one order. Export attendee lists to CSV for external use.
• Payment Integration – Fully integrated with WooCommerce payment gateways. Supports Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer, and any gateway compatible with WooCommerce. Enables offline and manual payments.
• Digital Tickets – Automatically sends PDF tickets to buyers via email. Customizable ticket templates and email notifications.
• Check-In App – Free app for Android and iOS. Scan tickets using QR codes or barcodes. Offline mode is available for events without internet.

Event Tickets Plus

Event Tickets Plus is a premium add-on for the free “Event Tickets” plugin, which itself is part of The Events Calendar suite. It’s designed to provide advanced ticketing and e-commerce functionalities. How does it work? Well, it works by integrating with popular e-commerce plugins to handle the sales process.

Core Features of Event Tickets Plus:

• E-commerce Integration – This is a core function of Event Tickets Plus. It integrates with major e-commerce plugins like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads, allowing you to leverage their full suite of features, including payment gateways, coupons, and tax settings.
• Custom Attendee Registration Forms – Go beyond just collecting a name and email. With Event Tickets Plus, you can create custom fields on your registration forms to gather specific information from attendees, such as dietary preferences, T-shirt sizes, or other relevant data.
• QR Code & Barcode Check-in – Each ticket generated includes a unique QR code or barcode. This allows you to check in attendees quickly and efficiently on the day of the event using the free Event Tickets Plus mobile app for iOS and Android. The app supports real-time or offline check-in, with data syncing once you are back online.
• PDF & Apple Wallet Tickets – You can automatically generate and email tickets to attendees as a PDF attachment. Additionally, the plugin allows attendees to add their tickets to their Apple Wallet for easy access on their mobile devices.
• Shared Stock – This feature allows you to sell tickets for the same event from different locations (e.g., from The Events Calendar, a page, or a post) while sharing a single inventory of tickets, preventing overselling.
• Ticket Stock Countdown – Display a countdown of remaining tickets to create a sense of urgency and encourage sales.
• Detailed Reporting – Generate sales and attendee reports on an event-by-event and ticket-by-ticket basis to gain valuable insights into your sales performance.
• Support – As a premium product, Event Tickets Plus comes with dedicated premium support from The Events Calendar team.

Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – WpEvently

WpEvently is a complete event booking and event manager plugin for WordPress that integrates easily with WooCommerce. It is designed to make event registration and ticket sales much easier. It also provides an all-in-one solution for a wide range of events, from concerts to classes. The plugin has a free version with core features and a Pro version that offers a wider array of advanced tools and integrations.

Core Features of WP Evently:

• WooCommerce Integration – WpEvently is built to work directly with WooCommerce. This means it leverages all of WooCommerce’s features, including various payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.), coupon codes, and tax options. It allows you to sell event tickets and other products from your store independently or in the same order.
• Multiple Ticket Types & Pricing – Create different ticket types for a single event (e.g., VIP, General Admission, Child). Each ticket type can have a unique price, stock quantity, and description.
• Flexible Event Scheduling – WP Evently allows for easy creation of events with flexible date and time options. A key feature is the ability to create and manage recurring events with daily, weekly, or custom schedules.
• Custom Attendee Registration Forms – The plugin enables you to build professional and customizable registration forms. You can use conditional logic to show or hide fields based on the ticket type selected by the attendee, ensuring you collect only the most relevant information.
• Attendee Management – The Pro version provides a comprehensive attendee management dashboard. You can view and manage attendee details and export the attendee list to a CSV file for external use. It also offers bulk editing for event cancellations or date changes.
• QR Code Check-in – With the Pro version, each ticket includes a unique QR code. This facilitates a smooth and efficient check-in process on the day of the event using a QR code scanner on a mobile device.
• Digital Tickets – Upon a successful booking, the plugin automatically generates and sends a PDF ticket to the buyer via email. The ticket content can be customized to match your branding.
• Integrations – WpEvently offers a number of integrations to extend its functionality, particularly with the Pro version and add-ons. These include virtual events, maps, external calendars, and SMS notifications.
• Front-end Event Submission – The plugin includes an add-on that allows other users to submit events to your calendar from the front-end of your website, with moderation options to approve submissions.

The Key Takeaway

Picking the right ticketing or booking tool for your WooCommerce store comes down to your needs. If you want flexibility, affordability, and an easy-to-use system for a wide range of services, the WooNinjas WooCommerce Bookings add-on is hard to beat. With its clean design, powerful dynamic pricing, and affordable lifetime license, it’s perfect for managing appointments, rentals, and virtual consultations. It works best as a general-purpose booking tool for selling time or resources.

If your business revolves around large-scale event ticketing, specialized tools like Tickera and FooEvents are better suited. They’re built for events, with features like QR codes for every ticket, mobile apps for fast check-ins, and advanced attendee management. Event Tickets Plus is another strong choice, especially if you use The Events Calendar, which adds features like custom registration forms and Apple Wallet/PDF tickets. WpEvently is also worth noting, with free and premium versions that support recurring events, QR code check-in, and integrations with Zoom and Google Maps.

While the WooNinjas add-on can sell tickets, these event-specific tools are purpose-built for handling complex event logistics. WooNinjas shines as an all-in-one booking system, integrating smoothly with WooCommerce and treating bookings like regular orders for easy management. With features like dynamic pricing, custom fields, and staff scheduling, it offers both power and simplicity. For businesses wanting a flexible, powerful, and affordable way to sell time and services directly from their WooCommerce store, WooNinjas is the top choice.

Ready to Take Bookings to the Next Level?

With WooNinjas WooCommerce Bookings add-on, you get full control and lifetime affordability all without the bloat of event-only tools. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling coaching sessions, equipment rentals, or online consultations. WooNinjas makes it simple to manage your calendar, customize booking forms, and scale your business. Start selling your time and services smarter. So, don’t wait any longer! Get WooNinjas WooCommerce Bookings today.