pretix vs Open Event Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted apps from related categories — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
pretix
Open-source ticketing for conferences and events
VS
Open Event Server
Self-hosted event management and ticketing backend
| Feature | pretix | Open Event Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CRM & Business Apps | Calendar & Contacts |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,476 | ★ 3,006 |
| First released | 2015 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Eventbrite, Ticketmaster | Eventbrite, Sched |
Why pick each one
Choose pretix if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose Open Event Server if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is pretix or Open Event Server better?
Neither is universally better. Open Event Server has the larger community, while pretix is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are pretix and Open Event Server free and open-source?
Yes. pretix is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Open Event Server under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run pretix and Open Event Server with Docker?
pretix: yes. Open Event Server: yes.