Looking for the best WordPress events plugin? We've put together a list of the top 7 events plugins for WordPress sites - scheduling, ticketing, and more!
If you want a WordPress event plugin, you aren't alone. The fact is that events are difficult to manage. So if you don't have a professional events coordinator on your team, an event management plugin can really help.
Here's the deal: we are writing this post in 2020. In-person events have become... complicated, to say the least. But despite this, there are still loads of online opportunities for events (Zoom webinars, for example). The show must go on!
In this post, we are going to let you know some of the best event booking plugins for WordPress. But actually, these plugins do much more than just help with bookings. They can also help with events pages to show upcoming events on your WordPress website, for instance.
Before we get to the list of our best events plugins, let's cover a few basics:
- Why use an events management plugin?
- What are the top features of events plugins?
Why use events management plugins on your WordPress site?
There are a few reasons why you'll need a great events plugin for your WordPress site.
First of all, there are a lot of elements when it comes to events. In general, these are:
- Event schedules & calendars
- Event booking systems & forms
- Email notifications
Of course, there are many elements if you want to get granular too. The fact is that automating as much of your event registration process as possible will go a long way.
After all, you want to spend your time running the event rather than doing event admin, right?
Having event admin details handled by a plugin can free up your time, and it can also free up your budget. Fewer administrators equals more money in your pocket. With that in mind, don't skip the paid options on this list for free ones instinctively!
Having said that, this list will feature the best free events plugins for WordPress in addition to paid options. So no matter what your budget is, you'll find a solution here.
Top features of WordPress events registration plugins
If you head to the WordPress.org plugin directory and search for a keyword phrase like "best free events calendar plugin for WordPress" you are going to get a ton of results.
Many of the plugins that appear won't be suitable, but of the decent plugins that appear, how do you choose? It helps to know what to look for.
Here's a list of the top features the best WordPress events plugins have:
- Google Maps integration
- WooCommerce integration
- Registrations forms
- Event alerts & emails
- Contact management
- Email platform integration
- Extended Views options
- Frontend submission forms
- Twitter Integration
- Discount codes
- Payment gateways (like Stripe)
To be honest, there are many more features that the best WordPress events plugins have. The above list is what you should look for as an excellent starting point, however.
Without further ado, let's crack into our list of the top events management plugins for WordPress sites!
The best events plugins for WordPress
1. Formidable Form Builder
At their core, the best WordPress event plugins consist of three main elements:
For those features and more, the best plugin may surprise you! It's a WordPress form builder. In this case, it's one of the best on the market: Formidable Forms.
The thing that makes Formidable so great for events? It can actually facilitate your entire website, not just your events. That means all your forms of course. But it also means a lot more.
The main difference when we compare Formidable to other form builders? It has a nifty feature called "Views". With Views, you can take any form data you want, and turn that into a visual display. This means you can add events to your site, plus a whole lot more.
That means you can create an "event creation" form, which will automatically create your event registration and information page. You fill out the event creation form and based on that data, it will generate every element of the page! Your page can include any number of elements, including a calendar.
Conversely, you can set up your event registration forms for customers as well. And really, the possibilities are endless. You can set up a registration form so that a user profile is automatically created when a new user registers, for example.
More than just events
And of course, you can also set up email notifications to trigger when an events registration form is filled out. Or you can connect your preferred email platform to send an entire email campaign before and after the event. With Formidable Forms, it's all possible!
Since Formidable has a broader range of features than a typical events plugin, you better believe there is an amazing support team to back it all up. They'll be there every step of the way to help you build a customized event website.
While many other events plugins are "plug and play", they'll never match the power of Formidable. Formidable has a few premium plans to choose from (pro versions) as well as a powerful free version too. Check them out!
2. WP Event Manager
If you are looking for the best free WordPress events calendar plugin, this might be it! WP Event Manager has a very slick interface that is focused on events only. Although it doesn't do anything else, it will help your events management process immensely.
The default designs are responsive, which is what you would expect in a WordPress calendar plugin of any kind these days. But more than that, the designs actually look good out of the box, which is a bit rarer.
Besides that, it features an AJAX-powered interface in the frontend, which makes things run very smoothly overall. The base plugin is free too, which is great. If you want features like Google Maps, WooCommerce integration, and event alerts, you'll need the pro version.
3. All-in-One Event Calendar
The all-in-one experience is here. Courtesy of All-in-One Event Calendar, of course. Though "all-in-one" may be a slight exaggeration, this plugin does have a wide range of features. Included in those features are actually a few that aren't found elsewhere.
Impressive are the free features included, like Google Maps and recurring events. These are often found in premium plugins, so that's a nice bonus.
If you pay for the pro version, you'll a bunch more features. This includes a suite of "Super Widgets" made to help you design your events pages easier. It's a different approach that gives users a bit more flexibility when it comes to layout.
4. The Events Calendar
Don't let the name "The Events Calendar" fool you. This plugin actually does a lot. It might even be the best event ticketing plugin for WordPress. And it's full of other event management features too.
For starters, it's easy to use. Which isn't something we can exactly say about all the plugins on this list. Definitely, all these plugins are easier to use than say, programming events manually. But there is a special emphasis on ease of use in this plugin.
For starters, it has a very intuitive UI on the front end and the back end in your WordPress admin. If you upgrade to the pro version, it gets even better. That said, many reviews rave about the power of the free plugin version. For example, RSVP and tickets are included in the free version.
5. Event Organiser
Here we are at the fifth option to sell tickets to your events: Event Organiser. No surprises here, this plugin will help you organize your event. If you like plugins that extend the backend of your WordPress site, rather than create a new UI, then this will be great for you.
Of course, it does have custom UI options that add more functionality, but to unlock those you'll need the premium version for those. Premium features include a booking form customizer, a dedicated UI, customizable emails, and more.
6. Event Espresso 4 Decaf
Decaf espresso sounds like an oxymoron. But that's just the name for the free version of one of the best WordPress event plugins, Event Espresso. This plugin has been around for a while and it has some powerful features. For more advanced features, you can upgrade to the full version.
Depending on what you need, it may be that the free version can take care of it. It comes with features like event ticketing and event registration as well. One standout feature: it has an Android and Apple app you can use to scan event tickets on-site!
7. EventOn
To round out the list, here's a plugin that doesn't have a free version: it's 100% premium. The good news is you only need to pay once to get this plugin for life. The bad news is that support is limited and it will run out after a few months passes.
Having said that, this is one of the most well-reviewed events plugins for WordPress on the premium market. If you want to kickstart your events without fiddling around with free plugins, this could be a great option.
One great thing about this plugin, and most premium plugins, is that the design is superior. The layouts look beautiful on every device. You can choose from multiple layouts too. Certainly worth a look for a low-priced premium plugin.
Wrapping up the best events plugins
There you go - a number of our choices for best WordPress events plugins.
Building an events website? Formidable Forms can help with that! Try our free plugin to get started, or give our premium plugin a try with our money-back guarantee.
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The views feature really seem like a powerful one and I definitely have to check it out.
A bit stretched but thorough review!
Thanks for the comment. Views are definitely a game changer...And they are only going to get better.
Great POst
I love the Events Calendar plugin, thanks for sharing!
Great post,I like it. I own a site and this will definitely helpe.
Always great to know what the current bests are!