Are you searching for the best free and premium WordPress calendar plugins because want to take your appointments, booking and events to the next level?
Manage it all like a boss (with EASE & COMFORT).
That’s why all growing businesses integrate a comprehensive calendar into their website.
But how to choose the best plugin? (Yup, it can be frustrating, we know!)
Writing down the features you need is an excellent place to start.
This post covers:
- What to look for in a WP calendar plugin?
- Top WordPress calendar plugins
- Best free WordPress calendar plugins
- FAQs about WordPress calendar plugins
Then use the list below to find the plugin that fits your needs QUICKLY! (Everything you need is at your fingertips.)
We’ve come up with the twelve best tools after numerous tests.
The time to organize your business is now!
What We Looked For In A WP Calendar Plugin
We wanted to bring you a collection of calendar plugins that tick all your boxes.
For this reason, we created a list of calendar plugins that ticks all the boxes. If the first one doesn’t do the trick for you, one of the next will!
We researched thirty relevant plugins in great detail, starting with ratings, user reviews/feedback and update frequency.
Ten were out, so we were left with twenty promising ones we installed on our demo website to perform additional testing.
The first question we wanted to answer was whether or not the plugin slows down the site.
Many did!
We also wanted to guarantee that the plugin we added to this list is 100% compatible with the latest WordPress and PHP version.
From here on, we dug deeper into features and settings, responsiveness and overall user/beginner-friendliness.
And reading through the documentation and contacting the support team gave us more proof of which calendar plugin ROCKS and which SUCKS.
These twelve ROCK!
THE ULTIMATE 2:
- Best Overall Calendar Plugin: Calendarize it!
- Best Free Calendar Plugin: The Events Calendar
We also have a full guide on installing WordPress plugins successfully, which you may read if it’s your first time.
Top WordPress Calendar Plugins
1. Booknetic
Booknetic is simply much more than just a WordPress calendar plugin.
Think of it as a versatile, extremely flexible booking system. We had a BLAST trying and testing it! But we also have a full list of the best free WordPress booking plugins.
You can easily set up appointments, take payments, and manage your client base with Booknetic.
This makes this plugin the best option for businesses like gyms, SPA and beauty salons, clinics, and so on.
Booknetic features:
- 9,100+ sales
- 4.9/5 ratings
- Integrates a form builder
- Excellent business automation
- Price: $79 (may vary)
2. Calendarize it!
During our test, Calendarize it! immediately proved that it is an all-rounder.
Unlike numerous plugins we have used in the past, this WordPress calendar plugin is both easy to learn and powerful.
Let us explain: On one hand, you have a clean, minimalist dashboard to work with.
At the same time, the plugin offers numerous free and premium add-ons (upcoming appointments WP widget, map view of appointments, etc.) that you can easily integrate.
Besides, Calendarize it! has one of the best VISUAL CSS EDITORS that allowed us to customize the styles and colors of calendars in just a few clicks.
Calendarize it! features:
- 12,700+ sales
- 4.3/5 ratings
- Easy to translate with any modern WP plugin
- Works with WP shortcodes
- Price: $29 (may vary)
3. Stachethemes Event Calendar
Our next suggestion is PERFECT if you need a WordPress calendar plugin that perfectly combines WooCommerce stores.
Stachethemes has surprised us in a good way with numerous unique features and a fully responsive layout.
What we like most about this plugin is that it combines the classic calendar concept with advanced features.
For example, your website visitors can view a minimalistic agenda (calendar), which at the same time will contain all the details you want to include.
The plugin integrates with Elementor and we had no issues creating appealing event pages and event registration forms. (Do you need a WP event registration plugin in particular?)
Stachethemes features:
- 6,400+ sales
- 4.5/5 ratings
- WordPress Multisite ready
- Front-end user submission
- Price: $74 (may vary)
4. EventON
Think of our next selection as a traditional calendar. In fact, EventON is the perfect WordPress calendar plugin for anyone who needs a QUICK way to organize events.
You can add and edit information like address, date and time, and manipulate elements like the colors and fonts of your layout with simple customization options.
It’s very easy to present your branding elements, while providing all the information about upcoming meetings, classes, etc., with EventON.
This is the premium plugin you should go for if ease of use is important to you!
Note: You can even enable an RTL calendar!
EventON features:
- 62,500+ sales
- 4.4/5 ratings
- Numerous calendar layouts
- Virtual event integration (e.g. Zoom, Jitsi)
- Price: $25 (may vary)
5. Calendar Anything
Do you want to create a calendar out of anything? Now you can!
You can easily create or customize styles to make personalized calendars for upcoming events of any kind with Calendar Anything.
Apart from its affordable price, we liked that Calendar Anything allows the administrator to add different views (month/list/base/agenda) and import or export themes.
This WordPress calendar plugin is also a TOP-NOTCH solution for blogs, as the plugin integrates custom post types.
Although this plugin is not as powerful as Booknetic, it offers everything a business needs to create calendars in WordPress fast.
Calendar Anything features:
- 790+ sales
- 4.9/5 ratings
- 11 customizable calendar themes
- Allows multiple calendars on the same post/page
- Price: $26 (may vary)
Best Free WordPress Calendar Plugins
6. The Events Calendar
There are few instances when a free plugin is unenviable compared to premium choices. Well, this was one of those rare occasions.
The Events Calendar is a comprehensive WordPress calendar plugin that has everything a pro needs! (Yes, you!)
First of all, the plugin offers all the advanced features we look for when creating a calendar: from customizable templates and template tags to hooks, filters, and more.
If you add that The Events Calendar supports all modern devices and is compatible with Gutenberg, it becomes one of the best calendar plugins on the market.
Free. For. The. WIN!
The Events Calendar features:
- 700,000+ active installations
- 4.4/5 ratings
- SEO-friendly
- Detailed events taxonomies
- Caching support (Do you want to speed up your website? Then check these WP caching plugins.)
7. Events Manager
Events Manager is the answer if you are looking for a simple plugin to help you register events and manage tickets effortlessly.
From Zoom webinars to school assemblies, there’s NOTHING you can not organize with this plugin.
But how is this plugin different from our previous picks? Well, we can safely say this is one of the easiest WordPress calendar plugins.
We all like easy!
We also haven’t encountered any reliability issues or bugs while reviewing this plugin.
And customizing bookings and ticket forms was so easy. What’s more to ask for?
Events Manager features:
- 90,000+ active installations
- 4.5/5 ratings
- Multiple add-ons/widgets
- Supports BuddyPress
- Plenty of payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, etc.)
8. Timely
For our next suggestion, let us start with this: Timely is used by well-known companies and organizations such as Harvard University and UPS.
Say. What?!
So it should come as no surprise that we completed adding an events calendar to three clients’ sites with ease.
This WordPress calendar plugin has everything you need to create and successfully promote events.
Timely is SEO optimized and allows you to add WP buttons for sharing on social networks. Reaching a larger audience for your upcoming events is OH SO happening!
It’ss also the best choice for non-English websites with its advanced multilingual theme support.
Timely features:
- 60,000+ active installations
- 4.1/5 ratings
- 100% mobile-friendly
- Lightweight software
- Integrated search
9. Booking Calendar
Booking Calendar has been one of the most popular WordPress calendar plugins for 10+ years.
The reason is simple: It provides everything you need to create a booking system quickly.
It’s a great choice for businesses like hotels and clinics that have numerous appointments/bookings and need a COMPREHENSIVE system to organize them.
The dashboard is simple to learn and all bookings are stored in your website’s database.
Booking Calendar features:
- 60,000+ active installations
- 4.6/5 ratings
- Beginner-friendly
- Works with Gutenberg
- Sync bookings with 3rd-parties
10. Event Calendar
As one of the most user-friendly WordPress calendar plugins, Event Calendar easily made it to our selection.
This plugin has all the essentials for an immediate start.
If you do not have a lot of time, but you want your calendars to look good, Event Calendar is the plugin for you.
We created 2 different calendars with all the elements we needed within 5 minutes.
Customizing colors, fonts and settings is a BREEZE with this plugin.
It’s quite underrated (in our opinion) and is one of the most popular plugins for the future!
Event Calendar features:
- 2,000+ active installations
- 4.8/5 ratings
- Recurring events
- Create unlimited calendars
- 10+ free layouts available
11. Amelia
With some of the easiest-to-learn back-end and front-end features, Amelia Lite was a WordPress calendar plugin we (JUST) couldn’t uninstall after our review.
This plugin offers everything beginners and professionals need to create booking forms that are UI- and UX-friendly.
Finally, Amelia has the largest collection of available languages (20+). For a free calendar plugin, this is pretty impressive, right?
Amelia is ready to organize any business!
Amelia features:
- 60,000+ active installations
- 4/5 ratings
- Supports Elementor, Gutenberg & Divi
- 3-step setup (!)
- Video tutorials
12. Booking Package
With hundreds of calendar plugins out there, being the 12th best plugin on our list is a success.
Yup, Booking Package DESERVES this spot!
This plugin is a comprehensive tool that allows you to create, organize and manage a booking system while interacting with your clients.
What surprised us about Booking Package is that the developers have created tutorials in 3 languages: English, Japanese and Spanish. (Legends!)
When you add the numerous payment and subscription options, this plugin fully deserves its place as one of the best WordPress calendar plugins.
Booking Package features:
- 10,000+ active installations
- 4.5/5 ratings
- Automatic email notification
- Unlimited booking calendar
- Edit visitor/client information
FAQs About WordPress Calendar Plugins
What are WordPress calendar plugins?
WordPress calendar plugins add interactive calendars to your website. They are used for displaying events, bookings, or schedules. These plugins offer various views (like monthly, weekly, daily) and features such as event management, integration with other tools, and customizable designs.
Can calendar plugins sync with external calendar services?
Yes, many WP calendar plugins offer synchronization with external calendar services like Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook.
Do these plugins support recurring events?
Most WordPress calendar plugins support recurring events. You can set events to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, making them ideal for regular events like classes, meetings, or webinars.
Are WordPress calendar plugins customizable in appearance?
WordPress calendar plugins typically offer a range of customization options. You can adjust colors, fonts, and layouts to match your website’s design. Some plugins also provide different viewing options, such as list view, day view, or month view.
Can users register or RSVP for events through calendar plugins?
Many WP calendar plugins include functionalities for user registration or RSVPs for events. This can be integrated with email notifications to efficiently manage attendance and communicate with attendees.
How do I add a calendar to my WordPress site?
To add a calendar to your site, first install a calendar plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory. After activating the plugin, you can usually create a new calendar or event list through the plugin’s settings. Then, use a shortcode or a Gutenberg block to insert the calendar into a page or post.
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Note: This article was originally published on May 5, 2022. But our team regularly reviews it and updates it with necessary improvements for accuracy.
