Timely alternative scorecard Event Schedule vs Timely
An event calendar with ticketing built in, a free plan, and zero platform fees.
11/24
lines where Event Schedule has the edge.
The other 13 are a match or go to Timely.
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 Timely, in 24 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 | Timely |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Fees 2 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| Free plan (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included forever | Not offered 30-day free trial |
| Paid plan price | $5/mo (7-day free trial) | From $9/mo, billed annually |
| Platform fees (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | 0% | 2.5% + $0.90 per paid ticket (add-on) |
| Payment processing | Stripe/PayPal/Payfast/Razorpay (processor rates apply) | Timely Pay/Stripe/Square/PayPal/Authorize.net |
| Events & Ticketing 1 of 7 to Event Schedule | ||
| Ticketing | Included free RSVP, paid on Pro | Included paid add-on |
| QR check-ins | Included Free | Included add-on |
| Ticket waitlist | Included Pro | Included add-on |
| Recurring events | Included Free | Included |
| Online events | Included Free | Included |
| Free event RSVP (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Included $0.90 per registration |
| Promo/discount codes | Included Pro | Included add-on |
| Integrations 2 of 2 to Event Schedule | ||
| Calendar sync, both ways (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Imports feeds (two-way sync not listed) |
| Newsletters (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Mailchimp integration (Growth plan and up) |
| Customization 2 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| Custom domains | Included Enterprise | Included Professional and up |
| Remove branding (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Included Enterprise |
| Custom fields | Included Pro | Included add-on, up to 8 |
| Built-in analytics (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Included Professional and up |
| Unique Features 0 of 3 to Event Schedule | ||
| Embeddable calendar | Included Free | Included |
| Private/password-protected events | Included Enterprise | Included logged-in users only |
| Team collaboration | Included Enterprise | Included 1 to 4 users by plan |
| Platform 4 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| REST API (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Included Enterprise |
| Webhooks (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Included Enterprise |
| Open source (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
| Selfhosting (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
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.
11 of the 24 lines above carry a diamond. Here are the 6 advantages over Timely that most often decide it, in plain language rather than table cells.
A Free Plan
Event Schedule has a free plan with unlimited events and the embeddable calendar. Every Timely plan is paid, billed annually, after a 30-day trial.
0% Platform Fees
Timely's ticketing add-on charges 2.5% + $0.90 per paid ticket and $0.90 per free registration. Event Schedule takes no platform fee on any plan.
Two-Way Calendar Sync
Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync both ways, free. Timely imports calendar feeds on an hourly schedule and does not list two-way sync.
Built-in Newsletters
Email the people who follow your schedule from inside the app. Timely connects to Mailchimp from its Growth plan up.
API and Webhooks on Pro
The REST API and webhooks come with Pro at $5/mo. On Timely both are Enterprise features.
Open Source
Read the code and selfhost it on your own server. Timely is a hosted service only.
Both columns
Read both sides before you sign.
About Timely
Timely (time.ly) is hosted event calendar and event management software used by nonprofits, schools, universities, tourism boards and media companies. Its plans are billed annually, and registration and ticketing are sold as an add-on.
Timely's strengths
- Many calendar views, including stream, tile, posterboard, map and year
- A registration and ticketing add-on with time-slot bookings, badge printing and QR check-in
- Built for institutions, with WCAG 2.1 AA, SSO on Enterprise and community event submissions
Why choose Event Schedule?
Three things decide it against Timely: 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
- Free registration with no monthly ceiling, and a ticket scanned at the door on every plan
- Refunds from the Sales page on Pro, in full or in part, that send the money back through Stripe, PayPal or Razorpay
- 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 on every plan, a ticket with a price on it is Pro, and refunds go back through the same account.
Free forever. Upgrade when you're ready.
Free registration for as many people as you like. When you start charging, zero platform fees on every plan - the only deduction is your payment processor's own.
Everything you need to publish a schedule and fill the room, for as long as you like.
- Unlimited events, sub-schedules and recurring dates
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync
- Unlimited free registration and RSVPs, scanned at the door
No expiry, and no card asked for.
Start charging, and the rest of the selling kit arrives with it.
- Sell paid tickets, with 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 Timely.
Is it easy to switch from Timely to Event Schedule?
Yes. Create a free schedule, then paste event details or upload a flyer and the AI parser fills in the event for you to check. Visitors can follow the schedule, sign up by email, or subscribe to its live calendar feed.
How does Event Schedule pricing compare to Timely?
Timely plans start at $9/mo billed annually, with no free plan, and its ticketing add-on charges 2.5% + $0.90 per paid ticket. Event Schedule has a free plan, and Pro is $5/mo with zero platform fees on ticket sales.
Can I embed the calendar on my website like Timely?
Yes, on every plan. The embeddable calendar shows your upcoming events on any website, and each event links to its own page, where people can register or buy tickets.
Are free registrations charged per person?
No. Free registration and RSVP are unlimited on every plan, with no per-registration fee. You can set a capacity, and each guest gets a ticket with a QR code that is scanned at the door.
Free forever, 0% platform fees
That is the card. Now sign it.
Final tally: 11 of 24 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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