Are we locked into a contract?

No. There is no setup fee and no exit fee for EventTicketGo. On the Free plan you pay nothing up front, only the payment fee on money you collect. Community is $399 a year or $39 a month if you want every product and no limits. See pricing.

Your data leaves with you. Open any event under Tickets and use Download attendees (CSV) in the Attendees section. It lists every ticket, the buyer, the seat, and the check in time. Every buyer is also saved in People, your one contact list.