There’s nothing as satisfying as ending the day feeling accomplished in all that you had planned to do. It may not be practical to have a tight everyday schedule because well, life happens, but it’s no doubt that calendars help keep us organized. Sharing events online where everyone can easily access is becoming more and more common. WordPress offers a number of plugins to choose from for this very purpose. WordPress calendar plugins are ideal for scheduling things like boardroom meetings, work events, family meetings, and other important dates.
These plugins have features like time tracking and event-hosting capabilities.
Though you can expect better features from premium plugins, here’s a list of some top free WordPress Plugins that can work just fine.
UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS: 500,000+ WordPress & Design Assets
Sign up for Envato Elements and get unlimited downloads starting at only $16.50 per month!
5 Top Free WordPress Plugins
You don’t need to have room in the budget to add a calendar feature to WordPress. In fact, there are several free plugins available to choose from. Let’s explore five top options now.
1. All-in-One Event Calendar
The All-in-One Event Calendar has a unique way of presenting events to users compared to other free plugins. It allows for the easy import and export of calendar feeds that make it possible for events on one website to automatically appear on a calendar opened on a different website. This makes it easy when scheduling important events that should not be overshadowed.
The plugin also allows you to assign different colored categories to tasks and events.
Some of its features include:
- Has widgets for scheduling upcoming events.
- Embedded Google Maps.
- Can be customized using theme options.
- Has a day, week, and month view.
2. Modern Events Calendar Lite
This type of plugin is a good choice if you’re running a booking or events website. The calendar design displayed to users is newer and more modern compared to other free plugins. You can access different calendar views like monthly view, daily view, full calendar, countdown, and carousel view.
There are many features available on this plugin like BuddyPress and some MailChimp integrations. There’s also a feature that allows you to directly import events from the Google events calendar in various file formats including XML, CSV, and JSON.
Some of its top features include:
- Provides different views for events.
- Can be used by multiple workers. Works well in a group setting.
- Offers customer customization for different categories.
3. My Calendar
The My Calendar plugin is built with ease of accessibility and use in mind. It provides flexibility to designers or developers who need a customized plugin calendar.
On My Calendar, you can create recurring events and edit them separately. It also offers widgets that show both upcoming events and events of the day.
If you want a more customized feel, you can easily change the font, margins, primary colors, padding, and borders.
Some of its features include:
- Has custom templates.
- Daily, weekly, and monthly view.
- Has list and grid view of events.
- Has email notifications.
4. The Events Calendar
The Events Calendar is the most popular and widely used free plugin for managing events. Whether your events require in-person or virtual meetings, the features available on this plugin are professional and easy to use.
The plugin gives you the option to specify the start time and end time of events. And for events that require venues, you can easily embed Google Maps on the calendar.
Some of Its features include:
- Can save venues.
- Has widgets for upcoming events.
- Is completely responsive.
- Has categories and tags for different events.
5. Easy Appointments
This plugin is easy to use and is recommended for websites that manage appointments with clients. These can be websites used by doctors, lawyers, hairdressers, and lecturers especially if you’re constantly cancelling and rescheduling events.
It allows you to create events for multiple people, locations, and services. You can also have separate calendars for specific services or locations.
With Easy Appointments, you get email notifications when an event has been cancelled or postponed. You can also have different appointment categories like canceled, reserved, and confirmed.
Some of Its top features include:
- Has email notifications.
- Has an extremely flexible calendar.
- Can be used by multiple people.
- Can be accessed in multiple locations.
4 Top Premium WordPress Plugins
Now, if you do have some room in your budget for a calendar plugin, rest assured there’s no shortage of high-quality ones available. Here’s some of our favorites:
1. Bookly PRO- Appointment Booking and Scheduling Software System
Bookly PRO is an add-on that requires the Bookly plugin for WordPress Websites. With this plugin, you don’t need to endure face-to-face meetings or long phone calls. Your clients can just book appointments directly on the website.
This paid premium plugin offers automated online booking and scheduling features with fully customizable booking forms that have online payment options, google calendar sync, and notifications.
Reviews from loyal users agree that Bookly PRO is a premium and easy to use plugin that saves you hours on chasing clients. The developers are constantly updating and including suggested features based on user votes.
Some of its top features include:
- Has a number of templates for customizable emails.
- Can be synchronized with Google calendar.
- Offers multi-language support.
- Has an unlimited number of services that can be put in different categories with unique colors.
2. Calendarize it! For WordPress
Calendarize it! is a flexible and feature-rich WordPress plugin that comes with add-ons which add even more functionality to the main plugin. You can use it for all day events and events with fixed timings.
The plugin also offers a number of views that can be customized like monthly view, week view, event grid view, event year view, and event map view.
Some of its top features include:
- Has multiple widgets.
- Has a number of pre-built color schemes.
- Has monthly view, weekly view, and day view.
- Users can customize colors, styles, fonts.
3. Booked – Appointment Booking for WordPress
Booked – Appointment Booking is a simple plugin that makes it easy for businesses to accept bookings online.
Some of its top features include:
- Has custom time slots.
- Has fields for additional information.
- Colors for customizing your calendar.
- Customizable emails.
4. WordPress Pro Event Calendar
The WordPress Pro Event Calendar is a professional looking calendar plugin that adds a stylish view to your event calendar.
Some of its top features include:
- Has an elegant design.
- You can create recurring events.
- You can import events from Facebook.
- Has a responsive layout.
Conclusion
When it comes to WordPress calendar plugins, finding one that works well for you is easy and doesn’t require any in depth knowledge to figure out how they work. A free plugin can work well if you need one for basic use. If you require a plugin for a more complex website with a lot of traffic, then premium is definitely the way to go. Either way, there’s no reason you can’t keep events more organized with one of these plugins in hand.