12 Best WordPress Event Calendar Plugins Compared for 2026
We tested and compared 12 WordPress event calendar plugins based on pricing, booking, ticketing, customization, integrations, performance, and ease of use. Use the comparison table below to find the best event calendar plugin for your WordPress website.
WordPress Event Calendar Plugin Comparison
Choosing the best WordPress event plugin starts with the workflow you need to support, not the longest feature list.
We reviewed and tested current product documentation, live demos, public pricing, and available free editions to compare how leading tools handle, Event display, Recurring schedules, Frontend submissions, Bookings, Ticket sales, Payments, Integrations.
This guide covers both free and paid options and highlights the cost of the base product as well as important add-ons or higher tiers.
Use it to identify the best WordPress calendar plugin for your budget, design requirements, and event-management model. Our review criteria include:
- Setup clarity
- Backend usability
- Frontend presentation
- Booking and ticketing depth Integrations Support
- Total operation costs
| Feature | Modern Events Calendar | The Events Calendar | Eventin | Amelia | Eventon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Version | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Starting Prices | $99/year | $259/year | $99/year | $50/year | $50/year |
| Premium Support | Yearly | Yearly | Yearly | Yearly | Yearly |
| Customizable Booking Form | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price per Date for Tickets | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Time Slots for Events | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Seat Charts | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Shortcode Generator | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Search-Bar Shortcode | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Event Sponsors | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Recurring / repeating events | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Split Payment via PayPal | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Event Gallery | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable Email Notifications | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Check-in App for Android/ISO | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Appointments | Yes | Through addon | No | Yes | No |
| Auto update | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Attendee Management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Breadcrumb | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| BuddyBoss integration | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
WordPress Calendar Plugins Compared
The two focused tables compare the four primary candidates through the decisions that most affect ownership:
the realistic cost path, how booking and ticketing are assembled, whether recurrence and frontend submissions are included early, the depth of design and Elementor control, integration cohesion, and support access.
Entry price alone can be misleading when essential workflows require additional products, higher tiers, or annual add-ons.
| Plugin | Entry price | Cost structure | Support access | Overall purchase point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Events Calendar | $99/year; 1 site | Free version includes recurrence, views, and submissions; Pro adds booking. Specialist commerce and Elementor tools are optional add-ons. | Knowledge base plus chat, email, tickets, and one year of premium support. | Best overall balance of capability, design control, integrations, and support. |
| The Events Calendar | $259/year; Essentials | Free core; paid plans bundle recurrence, tickets, submissions, and progressively deeper commerce tools across companion products. | Free forum checked about weekly; Paid target is 24-48 business hours. Recent transition feedback is mixed. | Largest mature ecosystem, but higher cost and plan complexity reduce predictability. |
| EventON | $50 one-time; core | $120/year ticketing plus separate submission, RSVP, and booking add-ons. | Six months marketplace support; weekday vendor helpdesk. | Low-cost visual core, but operational add-ons can erase the price advantage. |
| WP Event Manager | Free core; bundles from $99/year | Free listings and submissions; paid bundles add calendar, recurrence, tickets, registrations, and WooCommerce tools. | Free resources; licensed support and updates with paid bundles. | Strong directory framework with a modular rather than all-in-one cost path. |
| Plugin | Booking and ticketing | Recurrence and submissions | Design and Elementor | Ownership implications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Events Calendar | Booking in Pro; tickets share MEC event records; WooCommerce is an add-on. | Both are available in Lite. | Largest layout library and dedicated Elementor builders. | Connected event, attendee, booking, and display data; price specialist add-ons. |
| The Events Calendar | Event Tickets and plan bundles supply commerce; advanced controls vary by tier. | Both require paid products or plans. | Native single-event templates; dynamic and premium widgets need paid TEC and/or Elementor Pro. | Mature, but workflows span several products and the recent transition adds support risk. |
| EventON | WooCommerce ticketing, bookings, and RSVP are separate add-ons. | Recurrence is core; submissions require ActionUser. | Polished cards; mainly settings, blocks or shortcodes, and template overrides. | Every added workflow creates another license and compatibility surface. |
| WP Event Manager | Ticketing, registrations, attendee data, and paid listings begin in higher bundles. | Submissions are free; calendar and recurrence are paid. | Tight Elementor compatibility and customizable listing forms. | Efficient for directories, but bundle selection determines operational depth. |
Free vs Premium Plugins
Free editions are available for Modern Events Calendar, The Events Calendar, EventON Lite, WP Event Manager, Amelia, My Calendar, Events Manager, Event Organiser, Sugar Calendar Lite, Eventin, Event Espresso Decaf, Booking Calendar, Pie Calendar, and Timely.
Calendarize It! and Stachethemes Event Calendar are premium-only marketplace products.
A free plugin is usually enough for publishing basic event details, recurring listings, simple calendars, or limited registration workflows, but the exact limits differ by product.
Choose a premium plan when events generate revenue or require operational controls such as ticket inventory, online payments, approval workflows, advanced recurrence, frontend organizer dashboards, automated reminders, WooCommerce, calendar synchronization, custom fields, or direct vendor support.
Compare the cost of the required workflow rather than the lowest advertised license:
a low base price can become more expensive when ticketing, submissions, payment gateways, page-builder widgets, or support are separate add-ons.
Modern Events Calendar
The All-in-One Solution
Overall position: MEC offers the strongest cost-to-capability balance, combining broader connected workflows, deeper design control, and a more direct support path than the other three primary candidates.
Pricing: Modern Events Calander Pro starts at $99 per year for one site. Lite includes recurring events, views, and frontend submissions; Pro adds booking. Price WooCommerce, invoices, seating, reports, and Elementor single-event builders separately when required.
Modern Events Calendar (MEC) is swiftly re-establishing itself as a frontrunner among best WordPress calendar plugins for event management and the optimal all-in-one solution for event organizers. In a recent update, it also introduced appointment management as a native feature in its premium version.
MEC’s robust range of features makes every event unique. From simple layouts for small meet-ups to a macro-view calendar for large-scale festivals, this plugin’s adaptability makes it a top choice.
The main features that stand out are:
- Numerous calendar views (monthly, weekly, daily, list, and tile)
- An exhaustive booking system for ticket sales
- Social media sharing and add to calendar widget
What really stands out is MEC’s seamless integration with Elementor and Gutenberg. This compatibility lets you easily customize the look and functionality of your calendars using its add-ons. You can simply drag and drop event features into your pages, making the setup process quick and hassle-free—even if you’re not tech-savvy. Combined with its advanced features, MEC isn’t just another plugin—it’s a complete event management solution.
Visual Insights into Modern Events Calendar (MEC) Plugin:
Potential Limitations
- In broader review aggregators, a few users have noted that in very complex setups (for example, sites with many plugins and heavy WooCommerce usage), MEC can require extra configuration to avoid conflicts.
- In the Lite support forum, there are occasional threads about minor issues such as certain view styles needing adjustments, event dates requiring re‑saving after updates, or translation strings being updated over time, which suggests that some users encounter small, fixable quirks rather than systemic problems.
If you’re an event organizer looking for a reliable and flexible tool that simplifies the entire process,from setup to ticket sales, MEC is a smart choice.
So whether you're coordinating a local workshop or a multi-day conference or hosting a community calendar, MEC offers a streamlined, intuitive solution that adapts to your needs, making it a standout option in today's WordPress ecosystem.
The Events Calendar
A Trusted Classic
Overall position: The Events Calendar remains the largest mature ecosystem, but its higher entry price, companion-product structure, and recent support inconsistency make ownership less predictable than MEC.
Pricing: Paid plans start at $259 per year for Essentials, then $399 for Pro and $599 for Elite. Ticketing, recurrence, submissions, imports, and WooCommerce support vary by plan; remove all older $149 add-on references.
The Events Calendar by StellarWP is a household name in the event management market and has long been the go-to solution for professional organizers. What sets The Events Calendar apart is its intuitive interface and proven ability to scale, making it suitable for everything from small community calendars to high-traffic, ticketed events. It makes creating, editing, and managing events straightforward, even for beginners who need a reliable “out-of-the-box” experience.
Key strengths include:
- Rock-solid reliability for high-traffic sites and large event calendars
- A comprehensive feature set delivered through tiered plans (including event search & filters, event importing, and front-end submissions)
- Native Gutenberg Blocks and shortcodes for deep WordPress integration
If you host regular activities like classes or workshops, the plugin’s recurring event feature (available in paid plans) is a real time-saver. For those needing synchronization, it supports importing events from Google Calendar and iCal/ICS feeds via the built-in Event Import tools. While the free version covers the basics, advanced features such as recurring events, filtering, additional views, and enhanced embedding options require a paid subscription.
Visual Insights into The Events Calendar Plugin:
Potential Limitations
- Several WordPress.org reviewers describe reliability challenges, with comments like “extremely unreliable” and warnings that you may need to “fix critical errors monthly” in their own experience.
- Some users have also criticized performance and SEO behavior; one review mentions “SEO issues stating duplicate pages for every event created,” while others note the plugin made their site “noticeably slow” after activation.
This plugin still resembles a “Swiss Army Knife” in how it can fit many use cases.
However, as of 2026, it’s important to note the shift to a fully bundled, premium pricing model due to acquisition by Liquid Web.
Despite the higher price compared to earlier years, developers and larger organizations continue to choose TEC as a standard-bearer for stability, scalability, and professional support.
Developers and organizers looking for a trusted event management solution will find that The Events Calendar remains a classic choice that delivers on what it promises.
EventON
Visually Stunning Calendars
For event organizers who prioritize aesthetics and user experience, EventON is a standout WordPress plugin in 2026.
Known for its visually stunning designs and extensive customization options, EventON allows you to create calendars that not only function well but also enhance your website’s overall appeal.
EventON’s primary strength lies in its sleek, modern design. The plugin offers a variety of layout options, including grid, list, and tile views, all of which are fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices.
Visual Insights into EventOn Plugin:
It also supports advanced features like multi-day events, recurring events, and event categories out of the box but to expand functionality you’ll need to purchase add-ons like RSVP Events, Event Tickets, and Virtual Plus (e.g., Zoom).
While the base plugin is affordable at $50, many of its advanced features and frankly key features require paid add-ons, which can be a slight burden on your budget.
In the end, EventON is perfect for businesses and organizations that want their event calendars to stand out visually. Those who value style and flexibility will find enjoyment in the ability to create visually appealing event calendars that captivate audiences.
WP Event Manager
Lightweight and Flexible
WP Event Manager is a top contender for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a fast, minimalist event solution. This plugin is designed to be lightweight, meaning it won't bloat your site's load times. It treats events almost like job listings, making it highly effective for community portals and directories.
Features that define the experience:
- Modular Design: Only install the features you actually need.
- Front-end Submission: Allow users to submit and manage their own events.
- Exceptional Performance: One of the fastest-loading calendars on the market.
It integrates perfectly with Google Maps for locations and WooCommerce for ticket sales. Its modularity is its greatest asset; if you don't need a map, you don't install the map add-on, keeping your database clean.
Visual Insights into WP Event Manager Plugin:
Ideal for community bulletins or niche directories, it offers a "Pay-as-you-go" style model with bundles starting at $99/year. While the free version is very basic, the ability to scale up with specific add-ons makes it a budget-friendly choice for developers who want total control over the plugin's footprint.
Visual Insights into WP Event Manager Plugin:
Its modular design lets you pick and choose the features you need, such as recurring events, calendar views, or email notifications, available through affordable add-ons.
This plugin is ideal for small businesses, freelancers, and community organizations that need a straightforward way to manage events. It’s commonly used for local meetups, workshops, job fairs, and small conferences.
The front-end submission function is one of the most useful to sites that let their users submit not only their own events they organize by themselves, but also community bulletins or directories that are on niche topics.
It’s worth noting that the free version has limited features, and advanced options like ticketing or calendar views require paid add-ons. The premium version of the plugin offers 4 different tiers.
The base version (Event Manager plus) starts at $99 and the complete version (All Events Manager Pro) costs $399 for one site. While the plugin is flexible, creating a visually striking design may take some extra effort and customization.
It’s worth noting that the free version has limited features, and advanced options like ticketing or calendar views require paid add-ons. While the plugin is flexible, creating a visually striking design may take some extra effort and customization.
If you’re an event organizer who values simplicity, fast performance, and flexibility, WP Event Manager offers a reliable and budget-friendly solution to help you manage events with ease.
Amelia
A Dual Solution for Booking and Events
Amelia is a standout WordPress plugin in 2026 for businesses that need both event management and appointment booking in one streamlined tool.
Amelia’s intuitive interface allows users to create and manage events or appointments with minimal effort. Its modern, polished design ensures that event calendars and booking forms look professional and are fully responsive across devices.
The plugin supports recurring events, multi-day events, and group bookings, making it versatile for various industries.
Amelia’s seamless integration with payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe, enable businesses to accept payments directly through their website.
Visual Insights into Amelia Plugin:
Advanced features like automated email and SMS notifications, attendee management, and real-time availability updates further enhance its functionality.
Amelia is perfect for businesses that need to manage both one-on-one appointments (like consultations or coaching sessions) and larger events (like workshops or conferences).
For example, a fitness studio can use Amelia to schedule personal training sessions while also promoting and managing group fitness classes or special events.
Amelia is particularly well-suited for service-based businesses such as salons, spas, fitness studios, and coaching services. It’s also a great fit for any event planner who needs to manage both individual appointments and group events seamlessly.
Amelia offers a professional, user-friendly, and highly efficient platform for businesses looking for an all-encompassing solution. The free version is available on the WordPress repository and its premium license is offered in 4 tiers starting at €49 and ending on €797.
My Calendar
Accessibility and Simplicity
For event organizers who prioritize inclusivity and accessibility, My Calendar remains the gold standard. It is one of the few plugins built specifically to follow WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), ensuring that all visitors—including those using screen readers—can navigate your events.
Core highlights:
- Highly Accessible: Best-in-class for screen readers and keyboard navigation.
- Developer Friendly: Extensive hooks and filters for custom CSS and templates.
- Community Core: Built for transparency and ease of use in non-profit settings.
My Calendar doesn't try to be a "flashy" marketing tool; instead, it focuses on being a reliable utility. For organizations that need ticketing, it integrates with the separate "My Tickets" plugin, keeping the core calendar lightweight.
Visual Insights into My Calendar Plugin:
Starting at $69/year for the Pro version, it is a stable, ethical choice for government bodies, universities, and non-profits. While it lacks the drag-and-drop builders of MEC or Eventin, its commitment to universal access makes it an essential tool for public-facing community groups.
Visual Insights into My Calendar Plugin:
My Calendar’s Pro version is offered in 3 tiers starting at $69 for three sites and $399 for unlimited licenses. Its ticketing option is sold as a separate plugin for $29.
This plugin is a great fit for small businesses, nonprofits, and community groups that need a straightforward, inclusive event calendar. It’s especially handy for local events like workshops, fundraisers, or club meetings, where ease of use and accessibility are top priorities.
With its focus on simplicity, accessibility, and optional ticketing features, My Calendar is an excellent choice for organizers looking for a no-fuss solution that works for everyone. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of premium plugins, its affordability and user-friendly design make it a standout option for managing smaller-scale events.
Extra Event Calendar Tools to Explore
Calendarize It!
Calendarize It! Calendarize it! is a highly user-friendly and feature-rich WordPress event calendar plugin, offering easy customization through Visual Composer and a range of pre-built designs. With its affordable pricing and standout features like the Visual CSS Editor and reliable support, Calendarize it! proves to be a valuable tool for developers and designers seeking efficient event calendar solutions.
Event Espresso
Event Espresso emerges as a versatile and revenue-generating WordPress event calendar plugin, suitable for a wide range of event organizers. By seamlessly integrating event submission and registration functionalities, Event Espresso empowers website administrators to easily manage events, set ticket options and prices, and provide a smooth payment experience.
Timely
Timely All-in-One Events Calendar is a powerful and cloud-based WordPress event calendar plugin built for scalability and ease of use. With its intuitive interface and robust event management tools, Timely simplifies event creation, scheduling, and promotion while offering built-in social sharing features. Its PosterBoard dashboard and seamless synchronization between the web app and WordPress make Timely a strong solution for organizations managing high-volume or collaborative event calendars.
Eventin
Eventin is an all-in-one WordPress events plugin that offers a feature-rich solution for your events.
Eventin focuses on providing event owners with the possibility of creating various repeating events with several event management features.
This fun plugin might not be the most popular plugin in the market, but has been welcomed tremendously by new WP users.
Eventin claims that their plugin will increase event revenue and customer satisfaction, and has supported the creation of over 50,000 events.
Event KOI
Event KOI is a lightweight and modern WordPress event management plugin designed to simplify the process of creating and displaying events. With a clean interface and essential event features, Event KOI enables users to manage events efficiently without unnecessary complexity. Its focus on simplicity, performance, and ease of setup makes it a suitable option for users seeking a straightforward event calendar solution.
Event Organiser
Event Organiser provides a comprehensive solution for creating and managing events in WordPress, offering a user-friendly interface and extensive functionalities. With its high popularity and positive reviews, Event Organiser is a reliable choice, translated into multiple languages. While the free version offers features like venue creation, calendar display, and event import/export, the Pro version provides advanced capabilities such as event search, booking, and payment gateways, making it a versatile tool for organizing events effectively.
Why Do You Need an Events Calendar Plugin?
Managing events can become complicated, especially when juggling multiple dates, attendees, and ticketing options. WordPress users are in for a treat, they can simply use an events calendar plugin and get a head start.
If you’re not using an events calendar plugin, organizing your events may have involved manually tracking schedules, creating individual event pages, and handling RSVPs or ticketing separately.
This fragmented approach is time-consuming and increases the chances of errors, such as double bookings or miscommunicated details.
Additionally, it’s difficult to provide a seamless experience for visitors who are looking for event information quickly and efficiently.
Events calendar plugins centralize all your event details in one place.
This means you can easily create, edit, and manage events directly from your WordPress dashboard. With features like recurring events, custom event categories, and automated reminders, these plugins save you hours of manual effort.
A well-designed calendar makes it simple for visitors to find the events they’re interested in. Many calendar plugins offer stylish layouts, filterable calendar views, and responsive UI.
For example, users can search events by date, category, or location, ensuring quick and easy access to relevant information.
Other key features in an events calendar plugin include RSVP forms, ticketing/booking, map location, and social media share buttons to make it easier to promote events. Most event calendar plugins also offer email notifications and countdown timers to keep the audience informed and engaged.
Seamless integration with third-party tools like Google Calendar, Zoom, and alternative payment gateways allows you to cast a wide net on the type of events you can host. This reduces the need for separate solutions and keeps your workflow efficient and cohesive.
To top it off, many WordPress calendar plugins are optimized for search engines which improves your site’s visibility in search results, increasing the chances that people will discover your events online.
So whether you’re running a small community meetup, managing corporate events, or promoting large-scale conferences, choosing the right WordPress events calendar plugin can transform your workflow and deliver a professional experience for both organizers and attendees.
Key Features to Look for in the Best WordPress Event Calendar Plugins
When choosing a perfect event calendar plugin for your WordPress site, you need to look for features beyond user-friendly interface and attractive layout.
Here's a rundown of the most important features to look out for in the ideal calendar plugin:
Event Creation and Management
The right events calendar plugin should be easy to set up and use with regard to the event creation and management.
Event pages with descriptions and widgets should include any detailed information you may want to add.
Mobile Responsiveness and Ease of Use
Since phones contribute to more than half of web traffic, mobile responsiveness is non-negotiable. An ideal plugin should be beautiful on different-sized screens and easy for the users to navigate.
It should also ensure that the plugin is featured with a user-friendly dashboard that can be set up within minutes with little training needed.
Ticketing, RSVPs, and Payment Integration
When it comes to ticketing and RSVP features for monetized or limited-capacity events, they are seriously essential.
A plugin that supports popular payment gateways like PayPal or Stripe or better yet WooCommerce leads to minimal issues in dealing with transactions.
A well-thought-out RSVP tracking and attendee management section will keep you organized and help your events run smoothly.
Recurring Events and Automation
If you host weekly classes, monthly meetings, or annual conferences, then you will greatly appreciate being able to set them once and forget about them.
Automating future event dates makes sure you save on time and your calendar events update uniformly.
Alongside that, automated notifications will keep your audience informed without the need for manual follow-ups.
Search, Filters, and Customization Options
Sophisticated search and filter options in a plugin let visitors quickly find relevant events according to date, category, or location.
Customization and styling options allow you to tailor the calendar’s appearance to match your website’s design.
Looking for these features to make a judgement call on your plugin of choice will not only simplify event management but also provide an engaging experience that boosts attendance and streamlines operations.
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