Event Espresso vs Eventyay (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Event Espresso and Eventyay share a 2.4 GPA, both have a free plan, and Eventyay has no paid plan to buy, against $10.75 a month when paid by the year for Event Espresso.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Event Espresso grades higher on value for money. Eventyay grades higher on features. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Event Espresso
WordPress plugin for event calendars, registration and tickets
Which one is for you
Pick Event Espresso if
- Fits if you already run a WordPress site and can look after it
- Works for organisers who want to keep card payments on their own gateway
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not run WordPress, as it works only inside it
- Tight if you stay on Decaf, which takes a 3% fee and has no add-ons
- Pricey if you want the extras, since All Access is $399 a year
- Watch out: gateway fees still apply, and Core covers one live site only
Pick Eventyay if
- Fits if you run an open-source or community conference
- Works for teams that want to host their own ticketing
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want to run a server, as self-hosting means upgrades and backups are yours
- Skip it if you want the hosted service priced, since its fees aren't stated
- Too light for small sellers who want a quick sign-up, as it has no public pricing page
- Watch out: Docker set-up is a task for someone technical
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAEvent EspressoFair | 2.4GPAEventyayFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BCore is $129 a year, about $10.75 a month, inside the category's cheaper quarter ($15), though add-ons are sold separately and All Access is $399. | CThe code is free under Apache 2.0, but you have to host it, so it is a C. Fees for the hosted service are not shown. |
| Free plan and trial | BDecaf is free with unlimited events and ticket sales, but it takes a 3% fee, takes PayPal only and cannot use add-ons. | BThe code is free with no cap, though you need a server to run it. |
| Features | CCalendar, registration forms, ticket types, direct payments and check-in apps. Discount codes, waitlists and the scanning app are add-ons. | BTickets, orders, refunds, call for proposals, schedules, badges, check-in and a widget cover the conference job. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It needs a WordPress site you install and maintain yourself. | DIt is installed with Docker and you run deployment, backups and upgrades. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, through WordPress, with PayPal, Stripe, Square, Mailchimp, QuickBooks and Elementor connections. | BWeb with an API, plugin system and embeddable widget. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | WordPress sites that sell event tickets | open-source conference ticketing you host yourself |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Event Espresso and Eventyay. How we grade
Price against what you get
Event Espresso starts at $10.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Eventyay has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
Eventyay scores higher and starts $10.75 a month lower. Of the other event ticketing platforms on the chart, 13 score higher than Event Espresso for less, and none scores higher than Eventyay for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Eventyay is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Event Espresso also covers calendar.
At a glance
| Event Espresso | Eventyay | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $129 per year for 1 live site | Free |
| Free plan | Decaf: free plugin with unlimited events, registrations and ticket sales, PayPal payments and community support, with a 3% pay-as-you-go fee. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Event Espresso | FOSSASIA |
| Price read from | eventespresso.com | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Event Espresso
- It runs only inside WordPress, which you install and maintain yourself.
- The free Decaf edition charges a 3% pay-as-you-go fee and cannot use add-ons.
- Core covers one live site and sells add-ons separately; All Access bundles them for $399 per year.
- Payment processing fees from your chosen gateway still apply.
Eventyay
- Fees for the hosted service at eventyay.com are not stated on the pages read.
- Self-hosting means the operator handles deployment, backups, monitoring and upgrades.
- The listing shows a login and event listings but no public pricing page.
Key features
Event Espresso
- Event calendar
- Publishes events on your WordPress site in month, week, day, agenda and list views, with category colors and filters. Calendar+ is a separate add-on.
- Registration forms
- Custom forms per event with text, radio, dropdown and multi-select questions, plus group registrations for several attendees at once.
- Ticket types and dates
- Unlimited ticket types with sale start and end dates, capacity limits, and events or tickets that span several dates.
- Direct payments
- Payments go into your own gateway account such as PayPal, Stripe or Square, with no per-ticket commission on paid licenses, per the vendor.
- Check-in apps
- A mobile app scans tickets and tracks attendance in real time. It is listed among the add-on features of the All Access plan.
- Developer hooks
- A REST API, hooks, filters and logging let developers extend the plugin; the site lists 25+ translations.
Eventyay
- Ticketing and orders
- Ticket products and quotas, gift cards, order management, payment settings, refunds and cancellations.
- Talks and schedules
- Call for proposals, session review, speaker management and scheduling tools for conferences.
- Online events
- Online event pages with video rooms and streaming links.
- Badges and check-in
- Badge printing and attendee check-in.
- Embeddable widget
- A widget and a button for placing ticket sales on another site, with voucher and product filtering options.
- Self-hosting
- A Docker-based installation guide and an API and plugin system for operators running their own copy.
Plans
Event Espresso
Decaf$0
Unlimited events and ticket sales, PayPal payments, basic forms; community support, not compatible with add-ons, 3% pay-as-you-go fee.
Core$129
per year for 1 live site, plus staging sites
Decaf features plus custom forms, taxes, email support and no app fees; works with 30+ add-ons sold separately; 0% pay-as-you-go.
All Access$399
per year
Core plus every add-on (discount codes, recurring events, waitlists, mobile scanning app, gateways) and premium support.
Eventyay
Self-hosted$0
Apache 2.0 licensed code you run yourself with Docker; you handle hosting, backups and upgrades.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Event Espresso or Eventyay?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Eventyay is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $10.75 a month when paid by the year for Event Espresso. Event Espresso starts at $129 per year for 1 live site, and Eventyay is free.
Which has a free plan, Event Espresso or Eventyay?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Event Espresso and Eventyay have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.