Purplepass vs Tickera (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Purplepass grades higher than Tickera: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Purplepass grades higher on the free plan, features and ease of use. Tickera grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Purplepass if
- Fits if you run a venue with assigned seating and a box office
- Works for events that sell printed tickets or wristbands
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell online: 3.0% card processing sits on top of the service fee
- Watch out: preprinted stock costs $0.06 to $0.12 a piece
- Tight if you sell at the door by card, at 2.5% + $0.25 a sale
- Not for you if you want the fee up front: the pricing page lists no tiers
Pick Tickera if
- Fits if you already run a WordPress site and want to keep every sale
- Works for organizers who want to skip per-ticket commissions
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't use WordPress, as it runs only inside it
- Watch out: payment gateway fees still apply, about 2.9% + $0.30 with Stripe
- Tight if you want seating charts: Standard doesn't have them
- Watch out: without an active license, app scanning stops and is limited to the WordPress admin
- Pricey if you count year one: the first year is $149 with a $50 activation fee
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPurplepassGood | 2.0GPATickeraFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo subscription. Online card processing is 3.0% on top of a service fee we could not see a figure for, and box-office card sales cost 2.5% + $0.25. | A$99 a year at renewal is about $8 a month, under 60% of the cheaper quarter's $20, and Lifetime is $399 once. Year one is $149, which includes a $50 activation fee. |
| Free plan and trial | BNo sign-up fee, free events cost nothing and there is no cap on events or ticket types. Paid tickets carry a per-ticket fee. | FNothing free: no free version and no trial are on record for this listing. |
| Features | BAssigned seating, a phone app and box-office terminals, reservations, recurring events and printed tickets. Nothing core is missing on the listing. | CTicket sales, payments straight to you, check-in apps and add-ons. But Standard has no seating charts, which need Bundle or Lifetime. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Seating maps and box-office setup take work. | DNo store rating on record. You need a WordPress site of your own to run it, which means hosting and setup. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Mailchimp, Constant Contact, WordPress and a few more. | BWordPress only, plus iPhone and Android scanning apps, with Stripe, PayPal, WooCommerce and Mollie. |
| Best for | per-ticket ticketing with box-office apps | WordPress ticketing plugin with no ticket commission |
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: Purplepass and Tickera. How we grade
Where they differ
- Tickera can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Purplepass also covers reports.
- Tickera also covers barcode scanning and qR codes.
At a glance
| Purplepass | Tickera | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $99 per year at renewal, after a first year at $149 |
| Free plan | No sign-up fee, no fee for free events, and no limit on events or ticket types. Paid tickets carry a per-ticket service fee instead of a subscription. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Purplepass.com | Tickera |
| Price read from | purplepass.com | tickera.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Purplepass
- Online card processing is 3.0% on top of the service fee, and box-office card sales are 2.5% + $0.25 per transaction.
- Bulk preprinted ticket stock is extra: $0.10 per thermal ticket, $0.12 per full-color custom ticket, $0.06 per Tyvek wristband and $0.12 per vinyl wristband.
- The pricing page lists no tiers or contract terms; box-office, comp-ticket, map-building and free-event fees are all stated as none.
Tickera
- It runs only inside WordPress.
- Payment gateway fees still apply, typically about 2.9% + $0.30 with Stripe according to the vendor.
- Year-one prices include a $50 activation fee. Without an active license, Checkinera app scanning stops and scanning is limited to the WordPress admin.
- Standard has no seating charts or other premium add-ons; those need Bundle or Lifetime.
Key features
Purplepass
- Assigned seating maps
- Seat maps are built to scale with color-coded price sections, partial-view flags, custom notes on seats and venue photos from a seat. Rows, tables and vendor booths can all be sold.
- Phone app and box-office terminals
- A smartphone app for iOS and Android scans tickets with the camera, looks up orders and shows live admission counts. Wireless iPad terminals add a card reader and a ticket scanner.
- Reservations and add-ons
- Reservations mode lets guests hold tickets and pay at the event. An advanced-selling mode sells merchandise, food and drink tickets alongside admission.
- Recurring and multi-day events
- One event page can cover a weekend or a repeating schedule, such as every Friday or a custom list of dates.
- Printed tickets and wristbands
- Purplepass sells preprinted thermal ticket stock and wristbands in bulk, priced per piece on its pricing page.
- Email and survey syncing
- Buyer contacts can be synced to Mailchimp, Constant Contact and SurveyMonkey, and a WordPress plugin and widget put ticket sales on an organizer's own site.
Tickera
- Ticket sales on your own site
- A branded checkout runs on the organizer's WordPress domain, with PDF tickets and email receipts.
- Payments straight to your account
- 19 gateways are built in, including Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net and Braintree. Bundle and Lifetime add Bridge for WooCommerce, which the page says unlocks Square, Klarna and more.
- Checkinera check-in apps
- Free iOS and Android apps scan QR codes and barcodes, with offline mode and multi-staff scanning. Any handheld barcode scanner also works.
- Seating charts
- Visual reserved seating is one of the 25 premium add-ons included in the Bundle and Lifetime plans.
- Add-ons for forms and discounts
- Add-ons include custom forms, bulk discount codes, a speakers add-on, an event calendar and CSV export.
- Integrations for payments and affiliates
- Mollie, Stripe Connect and AffiliateWP integrations are in the Bundle and Lifetime plans.
Plans
Purplepass
Non-profit$0
No subscription. Online service fee of 2.0% + $0.99 per ticket, plus 3.0% card processing online. By default the buyer pays the fees; the organizer can absorb them or split them.
For-profit$0
No subscription. Online service fee of 2.5% + $0.99 per ticket, plus 3.0% card processing online. By default the buyer pays the fees; the organizer can absorb them or split them.
Tickera
Standard$99
per year at renewal, after a first year at $149
Core plugin: unlimited sites, events and tickets, 19 payment gateways, Checkinera apps. Year one includes a $50 activation fee; add-ons are extra.
Bundle$149
per year at renewal, after a first year at $199
Everything in Standard plus all 25 add-ons, including Seating Charts and Bridge for WooCommerce. Year one includes a $50 activation fee.
Lifetime$399
one-time
Everything in Bundle with lifetime updates and priority support, future add-ons free, and the Checkinera iOS and Android source code.
Ways to pay less
Purplepass
No public discounts listed.
Tickera
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license
A $399 one-time payment covers every add-on, lifetime updates and priority support, with no renewals.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Purplepass or Tickera?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Purplepass publishes no starting price, and Tickera starts at $99 per year at renewal, after a first year at $149.
Which has a free plan, Purplepass or Tickera?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Purplepass has a free plan. Tickera does not.
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.