Best WordPress Event Calendar Plugins

The best WordPress event calendar plugin is the one that matches how your events work: The Events Calendar for a straightforward public calendar, Modern Events Calendar or EventON for heavy display options, Events Manager for bookings with payments, and Eventonomy if your events live inside a member community. We make Eventonomy, so it comes first and we say so. Everything below was checked against each plugin’s own pages in October 2026.

Plugin pages change often. Where a feature matters to your decision, confirm it on the plugin’s site before you buy anything.

In this guide

• What a WordPress events plugin actually has to do
• Which plugins made the list, and why
• Eventonomy, then six alternatives, each with real strengths
• A side-by-side table
• How to pick by use case: community RSVP events, paid ticketed events, venue and booking style
• How event pages look inside a community theme like Reign
• Questions people ask

What should a WordPress events plugin do?

A WordPress events plugin turns events into content you can list, filter, share and sign people up for. At minimum it gives you an event post type, a date and place for each event, and a calendar or list that visitors can browse.

Past that baseline, plugins split on a handful of features. These are the ones that decide most purchases:

• Recurring events. One event that repeats on a schedule, such as every Tuesday. Some plugins give this away, some sell it as an add-on.
• RSVPs. A free sign-up where people say they are coming. No payment involved.
• Ticketing. Selling a place at an event. This needs a payment method, and often a way to check people in at the door.
• Calendar views. Month grid, list, week, day and so on. Visitors have habits, and a missing view is annoying.
• Gutenberg blocks. Blocks are the building pieces of the WordPress editor. If an events plugin ships blocks, you can drop a calendar onto any page without a shortcode.
• Maps. A map of where the event is. Often a paid feature.
• Import and export. Moving events in from another plugin or a spreadsheet, and out to Google Calendar or CSV.
• WooCommerce. WooCommerce is the most common WordPress shop plugin. If you already run a shop, selling tickets through it means one checkout instead of two.

One more thing is easy to overlook. Events are not only a calendar problem. On a membership or community site, the question is who can post an event, who sees it, and where members find it afterwards.

Which plugins made this list?

This list covers seven plugins that are actively sold or distributed, each checked on its own site: Eventonomy, The Events Calendar, Modern Events Calendar, EventON, Events Manager, Sugar Calendar and WP Event Manager. Amelia is included in the use case section because it handles events as part of a booking plugin.

Two notes on who is missing. The All-in-One Event Calendar listing on WordPress.org says it was closed on August 21, 2025 and is not available for download there, so we left it out. If you still run it, plan a move. Timely, the company behind that plugin, blocked our automated check of its site, so we did not describe it rather than guess.

Order matters in a list like this. Eventonomy is first because we build it and want you to know that up front. The others are ordered by what they do, not by how much we like them.

Is Eventonomy a good WordPress events plugin?

Eventonomy is a good fit if your events belong to a community and members need to say “going”, “maybe” or “no”. It is made by Wbcom Designs, the company behind Reign, so treat our view as that of the maker. Details come from eventonomy.org as of October 2026.

What the plugin does, by area:

• Calendar views. Grid, list, month and upcoming views come in the base plugin. Week and day grids need a paid licence, check the product page.
• Recurring events. Daily, weekly and monthly series are in the base plugin, along with a calendar feed members can add to their own calendar apps. Yearly and rules like “second Saturday” need a paid licence.
• RSVPs. Going, maybe or no, with guest counts and capacity caps. Waitlists, guest RSVPs and custom RSVP questions are listed too.
• Ticketing. Paid tickets through Stripe, PayPal or WooCommerce, with coupons, tax and booking fees, need a paid licence. So does door check-in.
• Gutenberg blocks. The plugin ships 18 blocks, and the site says they are standard WordPress blocks that inherit your theme styles.
• Maps. Maps and geocoding need a paid licence.
• Import and export. CSV exports are in the base plugin. Our own guide to running events on Reign says one-click imports from The Events Calendar, Events Manager, EventON, WP Event Manager and Sugar Calendar are included. The eventonomy.org page itself does not list import sources, so check the product page for the current list.
• WooCommerce. Offered as one of the checkout options for paid tickets.
• Member features. A manage-events dashboard for members, member-submitted events with optional approval, and a public REST API.

Where Eventonomy is not the better pick: if you need a deep marketplace of paid add-ons for dozens of niche cases, the older plugins below have more of them. If you want a plain, public-facing calendar with no members at all, The Events Calendar has a longer track record.

Eventonomy runs on its own. It does not need any other Wbcom plugin to work.

What does The Events Calendar do?

The Events Calendar is a free calendar plugin with an optional paid layer on top, and it is the best known name in this space. Everything here is from its WordPress.org listing in October 2026.

• Views. Month with tooltips, list and day in the free plugin.
• Recurring events. Part of Events Calendar Pro, a paid add-on, along with extra views and calendar shortcodes.
• RSVPs and tickets. Handled by a separate plugin, Event Tickets, which is free. Event Tickets Plus adds full WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads integration.
• Blocks. The listing says it supports the block editor.
• Maps. Google Maps integration is in the free plugin.
• Import and export. A built-in CSV importer, and Google Calendar and iCal export. Event Aggregator, an add-on, pulls events from sources such as Google Calendar, Meetup and Eventbrite.
• Extras. Saved venues and organizers, JSON-LD structured data, REST API endpoints, and a Community Events add-on for front-end submissions.

Pick it when you want a calendar that works well on its own and plenty of people already know how to use it. The cost of that structure is that features you may want, such as recurring events, sit in different products.

What does Modern Events Calendar do?

Modern Events Calendar, usually shortened to MEC, is built around display choices and a booking module. The details come from its product page at webnus.net in October 2026.

• Views. The page lists 60+ display layouts, including monthly, weekly, daily, list, agenda, grid, masonry, timetable, yearly and slider.
• Recurring events. Single, multi-day and recurring events are supported in the Lite version.
• Booking and tickets. The Pro Booking module handles reservations. A Ticket and Invoice add-on sells tickets, emails them and checks attendees in with QR codes. Time-slot booking and a seating map add-on are also listed.
• Blocks and builders. Works with Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi and WPBakery.
• Maps. Location and map layouts are listed under Pro.
• Import. Migration from The Events Calendar, Events Manager, WP Event Manager, Eventbrite, Meetup, Google Calendar and others. The page did not describe export.
• WooCommerce. Listed as an integration for payments, alongside PayPal and Stripe.

It is the better pick if you want to design how the calendar looks and need a lot of layouts to choose from. The trade-off is a large settings surface, so give yourself an afternoon to learn it.

What does EventON do?

EventON is a calendar plugin that sells much of its range as separate add-ons. Details are from myeventon.com in October 2026.

• Views. Tile, schedule and “happening now” layouts. A full-month grid calendar is listed as an add-on.
• Recurring events. Repeating events are hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and custom.
• Tickets and RSVPs. Both are paid add-ons. Ticketing is described as WooCommerce-based.
• Blocks. Shortcode and Gutenberg block generators.
• Maps. Interactive maps and directions.
• Import and export. CSV import and Eventbrite sync are add-ons. Export was not described on the page.
• Extras. Virtual events with Jitsi and Zoom, time zone support, and schema markup.

EventON Lite is a free download. The page does not say which features Lite includes, so check before assuming a feature is free. It suits people who like to pay only for the pieces they use.

What does Events Manager do?

Events Manager is the strongest of the group when bookings are the main job. Details are from wp-events-plugin.com in October 2026.

• Display. Calendars, lists, grids, grouped listings and maps.
• Bookings. Multiple tickets, capacity and date limits, manual bookings, approval and cancellation, and check-in management.
• Payments. PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net and offline payments. WooCommerce integration is sold separately.
• Locations. Physical venues, Google Maps, link locations and online events via Zoom.
• Front-end management. Guests and members can submit and manage events and bookings without the admin area.
• Import and export. iCal (import only), CSV and Excel, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, Meetup, and limited Facebook import.
• Automation. Triggers on event times or booking status that send emails, call webhooks or connect to Zapier.

The page I read did not cover recurring events or blocks, so check both if they matter to you. It is the better pick for a venue, a class series or any event where every seat has to be counted and paid for.

What does Sugar Calendar do?

Sugar Calendar is a lighter calendar plugin with a clean editing experience. Details are from sugarcalendar.com in October 2026.

• Recurring events. Duplicate any event, or set automatic daily, weekly, monthly or yearly repeats.
• Ticketing. Tickets sold through Stripe or WooCommerce.
• Blocks. Gutenberg and Elementor blocks, plus shortcodes.
• Maps. Save venue details once and show Google Maps on events.
• Import. An Event Import feature is listed. The page did not list view types or export.

It suits a small site that wants a tidy calendar and a few ticketed events without learning a big settings panel.

What does WP Event Manager do?

WP Event Manager is a listing-style events plugin where most features are sold as separate add-ons. Details are from its WordPress.org listing in October 2026.

• Base plugin. Event listings in grid or list views, search and filters, a front-end submission form, a field editor, organizer and venue management, and shortcodes with Gutenberg and Elementor support.
• Paid add-ons. The listing names Event Calendar, Registrations, Recurring Events, ticket selling with WooCommerce, an organizer app for mobile check-ins, Google Maps, and iCal and Google Calendar integrations.

The listing counts over 37 add-ons, so a full setup is assembled from parts. It works well for a public directory of events where visitors submit listings.

How do the seven plugins compare?

The table below shows only what each plugin’s own pages state, as of October 2026. “Not covered” means the page I read did not say, not that the feature is missing. Wbcom makes Eventonomy.

Plugin	Recurring events	RSVPs and tickets	Calendar views	Blocks	Maps	Import and export	WooCommerce
Eventonomy (ours)	Daily, weekly, monthly in base; more rules need a paid licence	RSVPs in base; paid tickets and check-in need a paid licence	Grid, list, month, upcoming; week and day need a paid licence	18 blocks	Needs a paid licence	CSV export; imports from other plugins per our guide	Checkout option for tickets
The Events Calendar	Paid Pro add-on	Event Tickets plugin for RSVPs and tickets	Month, list, day free; more in Pro	Block editor support	Google Maps in free	CSV import; Google Calendar and iCal export	Event Tickets Plus
Modern Events Calendar	In Lite	Pro booking module; ticket add-on with QR check-in	60+ layouts	Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi, WPBakery	Listed under Pro	Import from many sources; export not described	Integration listed
EventON	Hourly to yearly and custom	Paid add-ons	Tile, schedule, happening now; month grid add-on	Block generators	Yes	CSV import add-on; export not covered	WooCommerce-based ticketing
Events Manager	Not covered	Bookings with multiple tickets and check-in	Calendars, lists, grids	Not covered	Google Maps	iCal import, CSV, Excel, Google Calendar and more	Sold separately
Sugar Calendar	Daily to yearly	Tickets via Stripe or WooCommerce	Not covered	Gutenberg and Elementor	Google Maps	Event Import; export not covered	Supported
WP Event Manager	Paid add-on	Registrations and ticket add-ons	Grid and list; calendar add-on	Gutenberg and Elementor support	Google Maps add-on	iCal and Google Calendar add-ons	Ticket add-on uses WooCommerce

How do I pick by use case?

Start from what your attendees do, not from the longest feature list. Three setups cover most sites.

Which plugin suits community RSVP events?

Choose a plugin where RSVPs are built in, not bolted on. Community events are usually free: a meetup, a live call, a workshop for members. People want to say they are coming, see who else is, and get a reminder.

Eventonomy is built for this case, with going, maybe and no answers, guest counts, capacity caps and a calendar feed. The Events Calendar can do it by adding Event Tickets, which is free. Both are fair choices. Eventonomy is the closer fit if your members need profiles and a place inside a community site. The Events Calendar fits if the audience is the public and you do not mind two plugins.

If this is your setup, our guide to running community events on a Reign site walks through it step by step.

Which plugin suits paid, ticketed events?

Choose a plugin where payment, refunds and check-in belong to the product, and ask which payment gateway you can use. This is where the plugins differ most.

• If you want WooCommerce as the checkout, look at Event Tickets Plus for The Events Calendar, the EventON ticketing add-on, Sugar Calendar, or Eventonomy.
• If you want a built-in booking flow with payment gateways listed, look at Events Manager or the MEC booking module.
• If you want check-in at the door, MEC lists QR code check-in, Eventonomy lists a door check-in scanner, Events Manager lists check-in management, and WP Event Manager lists mobile check-in through an organizer app add-on.

For Eventonomy, paid tickets, payment processors and door check-in need a paid licence, check the product page. Taxes and refunds depend on where you sell, so check your local rules.

Which plugin suits a venue or booking-style business?

Choose booking-first software if events are one of several things you sell. A yoga studio, a coworking space or a tutor who runs classes and one-off workshops needs time slots and capacity more than a community feed.

Events Manager is the strongest match on the lists above, with capacity limits, approval flows and automation. MEC also lists time-slot booking. Amelia is worth a look too: its events page describes event booking forms, tickets with an e-ticket QR code, recurring events, WooCommerce and Stripe or PayPal payments, and links to Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. Its page did not describe maps or import and export, so confirm those if you need them.

How do event pages look inside a community theme?

A good events plugin should look like part of your site, not a pasted-in widget. Event pages are where this goes wrong most often, because themes style posts and pages and plugins style events, and the two can clash.

With Eventonomy under Reign, the plugin keeps its own consistent styling under any theme, including dark mode, according to our event management guide. You can set your brand colours in the Reign Customizer and then switch on the matching accent in Eventonomy, so buttons and highlights follow. On phones, the view selector becomes a scrolling strip of tabs and the Register button stays large enough to tap. The plugin’s blocks are standard WordPress blocks that inherit theme styles.

For a closer look at how Reign handles colours and layout, see our Reign customization guide.

The other plugins can also be styled to match a theme. MEC and EventON both offer a lot of display settings. The Events Calendar has its own templates that many themes style well. What matters is to test an event page, the calendar and the register button on your own theme before launch, on a phone as well as a desktop.

Reign is a community theme with five header layouts, colour tokens, and dark mode, and it needs no code to change any of it. It styles BuddyNext, BuddyPress, BuddyBoss Platform, PeepSo and the Wbcom plugins without add-ons. If you already run Reign and want to move the community onto BuddyNext, read Keep your Reign site, upgrade the community.

How do I test a plugin before committing?

Install it on a staging site, add three real events, and run the whole visitor journey. Do not judge a plugin by its feature page. Do this:

1. Create a recurring event. Make one that repeats weekly and has one exception. To confirm it worked, open the calendar and check that the exception is gone.
2. Sign up as a visitor. RSVP or buy a ticket from a logged-out browser. To confirm it worked, check the confirmation email and the attendee list.
3. Check the mobile view. Open the calendar on a phone. To confirm it worked, make sure you can pick a view and tap Register without zooming.
4. Try the import. If you are moving from another plugin, import ten events. To confirm it worked, compare dates and venues against the originals.
5. Check the exit. Look for a CSV export. To confirm it worked, open the file and see if the attendee list is in it.

The last step matters more than people think. A plugin you cannot leave is a bigger commitment than its price suggests.

What if I run a full community site, not just a calendar?

Then events are one feature among several, and the plugin choice should fit the rest. A community site usually has members, a feed, forums, courses and rewards, and each needs to look like it belongs to the same site.

That is the case Reign was built for. The theme styles the pieces in one place, and Wbcom’s plugins fit together without needing each other. Eventonomy covers events, Jetonomy covers forums, Learnomy covers courses, and WB Gamification covers points. Each runs standalone. For examples, see adding points and badges to a Reign community and building a members-only area.

If you sell memberships and want events for paying members only, building a paid membership community with Reign covers that kind of setup. Associations, schools and churches have their own needs, which this directory guide covers.

And if you are leaving a stack of separate paid tools, our StellarWP move guide shows one Reign site running Learnomy, Eventonomy and BuddyNext together.

Questions people ask

What is the best free WordPress events plugin?

The Events Calendar and Eventonomy both have a free base. The Events Calendar gives you month, list and day views, Google Maps and CSV import for free, and puts recurring events in a paid add-on. Eventonomy includes recurring events and RSVPs in its base plugin. Which is better depends on whether you need RSVPs or a public calendar first.

Do I need a separate plugin for RSVPs?

Sometimes. The Events Calendar uses Event Tickets for RSVPs and tickets, and EventON sells RSVPs as an add-on. Eventonomy has RSVPs in the base plugin. If you want one install, check where RSVPs live before you choose.

Can I sell tickets through WooCommerce?

Yes, with several plugins. Event Tickets Plus, the EventON ticketing add-on, Sugar Calendar, WP Event Manager’s ticket add-on and Eventonomy all list a WooCommerce route. Events Manager sells its WooCommerce integration separately. Check each plugin’s page for what is included.

Can I move events from one plugin to another?

Often, yes. MEC lists imports from The Events Calendar, Events Manager, WP Event Manager, Eventbrite, Meetup and Google Calendar. Our Eventonomy guide lists imports from five other plugins. Always test with a handful of events first, since recurring series and attendee lists are the parts that break.

Will the events plugin match my theme?

Mostly, if the theme is well built, but you must test it. Eventonomy’s blocks inherit theme styles and its accent colour can follow Reign’s. For any plugin, check the calendar, a single event page and the register button on your own site, on mobile too.

If your events live inside a member community, Reign gives them a home that matches the rest of the site. It styles BuddyNext, BuddyPress and the Wbcom plugins, Eventonomy included, from one set of colour and layout settings. See the Reign theme page for features and demos, or look at Eventonomy directly to see how its calendar and RSVPs work.