5 Open-Source Event Tools You Can Use for Free (and Support via Kivach)

Organizing events could be complex, expensive, and time-consuming, but it doesn’t need to be that difficult. Some open-source and free software tools for this purpose are already in the wild, available to anyone who may need them. From registrations and ticketing to scheduling and planning, we can take advantage of all these functions without costly apps.

However, if you find them useful and want to support them, there’s a simple way to do it with crypto. The Obyte-based donation platform Kivach lets anyone send some coins to any GitHub repository, even if the project’s team never set up anything beforehand.

With that in mind, let’s discover five community-driven tools for online and in-person events that keep things open and flexible.

Hi Events

Released in 2024 by Dave Earley, this platform was designed to be an open alternative to brands like Eventbrite or Ticket Tailor. Hi Events offers a self-hosted and free option for managing sales and ticketing in all kinds of events, from small meetups and venues to large conferences and festivals. Plus, they don’t keep any data from organizers or users.

Their features include instant Stripe payouts, QR-code check-in, ticket creation, attendee lists, capacity management, branding design, custom fees, and multiple ticket types. They can be free, paid, or customizable. For those who prefer not to self-host, Hi Events also offers its own fully managed cloud with no setup. It has different pricing that buyers may or may not absorb in the tickets, depending on the organizers.

Updates for this software are community-driven, and the funding doesn’t come from big companies. Besides the additional service in the cloud, developers accept donations via GitHub Sponsors, Open Collective, and Buy Me a Coffee. To send them some crypto, Kivach is an easy option.

OSEM

This one was designed for the online community, and especially for developers. Short for Open-Source Event Manager, OSEM was launched in 2016 by Henne Vogelsang under the umbrella of the openSUSE community. It mainly works to run conferences and developer events, including submissions, scheduling, and registration in one place.

By using OSEM, speakers can submit their proposed papers and talks, reviewers can score them, and organizers can build schedules from accepted sessions. Attendees register through the same system, and they can see comprehensive calendars with full-detailed presentations. Meanwhile, organizers can see stats of their event in real time.

Anyone can contribute code to this tool on GitHub, so improvements come from their own community. If you want to support them with their funding, you can donate crypto via Kivach.

Ontime

Many events could quickly turn chaotic if the timing isn’t right. That’s what Ontime does: help teams keep live and strict schedules under control. Published in 2021 by Carlos Valente, this tool enables real-time collaboration, ensures smooth communication, and handles last-minute changes. It can work for conferences, touring shows, broadcasters, theaters, and more.

Basically, the app gives everyone involved a visual rundown showing what’s happening now, what’s next, and how delays ripple through the schedule. The timer is at its core functions, but it also offers data like activities, cuesheets, and operator screens. Notes and customizable views are also available, all of this by downloading on different operating systems or directly on the browser. The app could be either self-hosted (for free) or use the Ontime Cloud for an additional fee.

Ontime is actively maintained, with frequent updates and community feedback shaping new features. Besides the cloud, its author also accepts donations via GitHub Sponsors and Buy Me a Coffee. For contributions in crypto, you can use Kivach.

Wedding Invitation

Something simple could be useful and pretty for a big day. If you’re organizing a personal event like a wedding, an already-built digital invitation on an animated website could come in handy. This Wedding Invitation template, designed by Vinit Shahdeo in 2020, allows anyone to create their own set of wedding invitations for free by changing a few details.

The site lets attendees download their invitation card, find the venue on Google Maps, visit social posts, and check the timer until the date. Organizers can write their own data in the code (including names, date, and place), and change the background melody for any mp3 track of their preference. Besides English, there’s also a Hindi version of the same webpage.

The author would like to read your wedding story with his designed invitation via X (formerly Twitter). If you'd like to tip, he accepts donations through GitHub Sponsors and Buy Me a Coffee. For cryptocurrency contributions, you can find this repository on Kivach.

FlowAgenda

Beyond big events, individual users also have their own calendars and tasks. FlowAgenda is designed for them. It began showing activity on GitHub in 2023, developed by Qi Yijiazhen as an open project focused on making event planning less rigid. Instead of complex forms or long setup steps, its main job is to turn simple written descriptions into structured events.

The way it works is refreshingly direct. Write something like a short sentence describing an event (for instance, "Lunch with Sarah next Tuesday, noon"), and the system extracts dates, times, places, and names using language models. Each detail appears as its own card, which can be reviewed and adjusted before saving. Events can then be exported as .ics files for use in common calendar apps. This suits workshops, meetings, study sessions, or quick planning during busy event days.

Contributions are welcome from anyone interested. There’s no company backing or paid product attached to it, so small donations are meaningful. They help sustain development without steering the project away from its open and flexible direction. To send a tip in crypto, you can go to Kivach.

Don’t Forget to Tell Them

Kivach is quite easy to use. You only need to visit the website, type or paste your favorite repo, and click “Donate.” Then it’s just a matter of selecting the network or chain in which your funds are, the token or coin you want to donate, and the amount. This is an important detail, though: don’t forget to tell the developer team about your donation! They don’t need to set up anything before receiving it, but they’ll need an Obyte wallet to fully claim it.

If you’re a developer, you’ll need to pass a brief GitHub attestation via chatbot through the Obyte wallet. This process is free, and it only takes minutes. Once your profile is verified, you’ll be able to claim the donated tokens. It’s possible to donate a part to other repos (as in cascading donations), or to just keep the full amount.

Want to see other useful and open tools? Check out previous entries in this series below:

Featured Vector Image by Kampus / Freepik