Pretix alternative scorecard
Event Schedule vs Pretix
A broader open source event platform with flat pricing and more built-in features.
20/42
lines where Event Schedule has the edge.
The other 22 are a match or go to Pretix.
Every line on this card is scored from the same table below. Nothing is averaged, weighted or rounded.
The card
Scored line by line.
A feature-by-feature comparison of Event Schedule and Pretix, in 42 lines across 6 sections. Our column names the plan behind every gated feature, because a comparison that hides the tier is not a comparison.
| Line | Event Schedule | Pretix |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Fees 3 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| Free plan (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included forever | Selfhosted only (Community Edition) |
| Hosted pricing (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | $5/mo (7-day free trial) | 2.5%/ticket (cap 15 EUR) |
| Platform fees (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | 0% | 2.5% per ticket |
| Payment processing | Stripe/PayPal/Payfast (processor rates apply) | Stripe/PayPal/Mollie |
| Events & Ticketing 2 of 14 to Event Schedule | ||
| Ticketing | Included Free | Included |
| Unlimited ticket sales | Included Pro | Included |
| QR check-ins | Included Free | Included pretixSCAN, offline-capable |
| Ticket waitlist | Included Pro | Included automated |
| Check-in dashboard | Included Pro | Included |
| Sale notifications | Included Pro | Included |
| Sales data export | Included Pro | Included |
| Recurring events | Included Free | Included Event Series |
| Online events | Included Free | Included Venueless integration |
| Free event RSVP | Included Free | Included free tickets |
| Event polls (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Promo/discount codes | Included Pro | Included vouchers + discounts |
| Post-event feedback (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Individual tickets | Included Pro | Included |
| Integrations 3 of 3 to Event Schedule | ||
| Calendar sync, both ways (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| CalDAV sync (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Newsletters (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | MailChimp integration |
| Customization 1 of 5 to Event Schedule | ||
| Custom domains | Included Enterprise | Included |
| Remove branding (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Partial (subtle branding) |
| Custom fields | Included Pro | Included |
| Custom CSS | Included Pro | Included via plugin |
| Built-in analytics | Included Free | Included |
| Unique Features 11 of 12 to Event Schedule | ||
| AI suite (event parsing, flyer gen, style gen) (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Parsing on Free, flyer and style on Enterprise | Not offered |
| Event graphics gen (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Sub-schedules (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Fan videos & comments (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Embeddable calendar (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Ticket widget only |
| Private/password-protected events (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Availability management (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| WhatsApp event creation (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Team collaboration | Included Enterprise | Included unlimited teams |
| Carpool matching (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Sponsor/partner logos (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Email scheduling (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Platform 0 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| REST API | Included Pro | Included |
| Webhooks | Included Pro | Included |
| Open source | Included | Included AGPLv3 |
| Selfhosting | Included | Included |
Selfhost Event Schedule and every one of those plan chips opens: a selfhosted install resolves to Enterprise, so no line on the card is held back by a plan. Either way, ticket sales run through your own Stripe or PayPal account and Event Schedule takes 0%.
Straight answers
Three lines we do not claim.
A card you can trust has to name what is missing from it. These three are true about Event Schedule no matter which platform you are holding it against.
No marketplace
You bring the audience
Your public events can be listed on the Event Schedule browse and search pages, but a listing is not a marketplace's built-in audience. What actually fills a room is your own schedule page, an embeddable calendar, a follower QR code, newsletters, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale.
Seat maps are Enterprise
Ticket types, then seats
On Free and Pro a ticket type has a name, a price and a quantity, and buyers are not choosing a specific seat. A reserved-seating house needs Enterprise, where a venue schedule draws the room once and buyers pick their seats from the map.
One team member on Free
Extra members are Enterprise
The free plan is one person per schedule. Adding team members is on Enterprise and is capped at five on the hosted platform, so do not plan on inviting a whole staff for nothing.
Everything else on this page is a line you can check for yourself. Back to the card
The margin marks
Where the marks fall our way.
20 of the 42 lines above carry a diamond. Here are the 6 advantages over Pretix that most often decide it, in plain language rather than table cells.
Flat $5/mo Pricing
No per-ticket fees ever. Pretix charges 2.5% per ticket on their hosted plan.
Calendar Sync
Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync included free. Pretix has no calendar integration.
Built-in Newsletters
Engage your audience directly. Pretix requires a separate MailChimp integration.
AI Event Parsing
Paste event details and AI extracts everything automatically. Not available on Pretix.
Fan Engagement
Let attendees share videos and comments on events. Pretix is purely a ticketing tool.
Simpler Setup
Simpler to selfhost than Pretix: just PHP and MySQL vs Docker, PostgreSQL, and Redis.
Both columns
Read both sides before you sign.
About Pretix
Pretix is an open source ticketing platform (AGPLv3) based in Germany, focused on ticket sales for conferences, festivals, and exhibitions. It offers a selfhosted Community Edition and a paid hosted service with per-ticket pricing.
Pretix's strengths
- Open source (AGPLv3) with full selfhosted Community Edition
- Seating plan editor with interactive graphical seat selection
- Offline-capable check-in app (pretixSCAN) and point-of-sale system
Why choose Event Schedule?
Three things decide it against Pretix: the money is yours, the code is public, and the calendar keeps itself in step with the one you already use.
What you get
- Zero platform fees on ticket sales, at every plan level, into your own Stripe or PayPal account
- Selling starts on the free plan, at 25 paid tickets a month, each one scanned at the door
- Refunds from the Sales page, in full or in part, that send the money back through Stripe or PayPal
- One checkout for tickets to several of your events, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale
- Passes, gift cards and installment payments on Pro, and allocated seating for venues on Enterprise
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync, free, so the public listing and your own diary cannot disagree
- Open source under the Attribution Assurance License, and selfhostable, which resolves to Enterprise
A fresh card
How to switch in 4 steps
Nothing has to move on day one. The schedule is useful the moment it exists, and the events and the list follow at whatever pace suits you.
01
Create your schedule
Free, no card, and it has its own address the moment it exists. Nothing has to move before it is useful.
02
Bring the events across
Paste a listing or upload the flyer and the parser fills in the name, date, time, venue and description for you to check. Fifty a day on the free and Pro plans (ten during a Pro trial), a hundred on Enterprise.
03
Bring your list across
Export the addresses you already have and paste them in or upload a CSV, up to ten thousand rows, on any plan. What the newsletter allowance counts is sending to them, not holding them.
04
Connect Stripe or PayPal and sell
Your own Stripe or PayPal account, so the money settles into it rather than into ours. Zero platform fees, the first 25 paid tickets a month are on the free plan, and refunds go back through the same account.
Free forever. Upgrade when you're ready.
Zero platform fees on ticket sales, on every plan. The only deduction is your payment processor's own.
Everything you need to publish a schedule, and enough selling to find out whether you need more.
- Unlimited events, sub-schedules and recurring dates
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync
- 25 paid tickets a month, each one scanned at the door
No expiry, and no card asked for.
The ceilings come off, and the rest of the selling kit arrives with them.
- Unlimited ticket sales and the live check-in dashboard
- Promo codes, add-ons, passes and gift cards
- The REST API, webhooks, and no Event Schedule branding
7-day free trial, cancel any time.
For a room with a seating chart, a team, and a domain of its own.
- Reserved seating, drawn once and reused every date
- Your own domain, and up to five team members
- Internal and unlisted events, and 1,000 newsletter recipients
Included free on every selfhosted install.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about switching from Pretix.
Is it easy to switch from Pretix to Event Schedule?
Yes. Create a free schedule and start adding events immediately. No data migration or server setup required. AI import can parse pasted event details to speed up the process.
How does Event Schedule pricing compare to Pretix?
Pretix Hosted charges per-ticket fees on each sale. Event Schedule Pro is a flat $5/mo with zero platform fees. Both platforms are open source, but Event Schedule is simpler to selfhost.
Is Event Schedule easier to selfhost than Pretix?
Yes. Pretix selfhosting requires Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, and significant server administration. Event Schedule runs on standard PHP hosting with MySQL, making it accessible to a much wider range of hosting environments.
Does Event Schedule have seating plans?
Yes, on Enterprise, and a selfhosted install resolves to Enterprise, so seating is included when you run it yourself. A venue schedule draws its room once, with sections, rows, tables, standing areas and wheelchair spaces, and buyers pick their seats from the map. On the hosted Free and Pro plans, ticket types have a name, a price and a quantity, without assigned seats.
Free forever, 0% platform fees
That is the card. Now sign it.
Final tally: 20 of 42 lines to Event Schedule.
Create your free schedule today. No credit card required, and nothing taken from your ticket sales.
Open source, and yours to selfhost whenever you want it.
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