Events Calendar by FooEvents vs Bookster – Appointment Booking Management System

Managing appointments through phone calls, texts, and emails is chaotic. You lose track of bookings, double-book appointments, and spend hours on scheduling instead of serving customers. Bookster turns your WordPress site into a 24/7 booking system. 🌐 View All Demos Customers book appointments themselves, see real-time availability, and receive automatic confirmations. Accept online or in-person payments seamlessly on your WordPress site. You manage everything from one dashboard. 📌 Documentation | Core Pro vs All Access 💫 Perfect For Hair salons and barbershops Spas and beauty clinics Massage therapists and wellness centers Personal trainers and fitness coaches Consultants and coaches Tutors and education services Medical and dental practices Any service business that takes appointments 💙 How It Works Customers visit your booking page, choose a service, pick their preferred staff member, select an available time slot, and book instantly. You receive an email notification and can view all appointments in your calendar dashboard. No more back-and-forth scheduling. 🔥 Key Features (100% Free) Unlimited Bookings & Services Create unlimited services with custom names, descriptions, and photos Set individual duration and pricing for each service Add taxes, fees and discounts to bookings No limits on number of appointments per month Offer service add-ons and upsell options Smart Scheduling Set your working hours for each day of the week Configure different availability for different services Add buffer time between appointments (e.g., 15-minute cleanup) Block off days for vacations or holidays Set minimum advance notice for bookings (e.g., require 24-hour notice) Customer Booking Experience Clean, mobile-friendly booking form that works on all devices Multi-step process: choose service → select staff → pick time → enter details → confirm Customers see only available time slots (no double-booking) Optional customer account dashboard to view and manage their bookings Customers can cancel or reschedule appointments themselves Payment Options Accept cash/check for in-person payment Accept PayPal payments online (customers pay when booking) Stripe integration available via premium addon for credit card payments Mark bookings as paid or unpaid manually Track revenue in the analytics dashboard Automatic Notifications Email confirmation sent to customers immediately after booking Reminder emails sent before appointment Email notifications sent to admin when new bookings arrive Customize email templates with your branding All emails sent automatically – no manual work required Admin Dashboard View all appointments in Bookster → Calendar menu Switch between day, week, and month calendar views Click any appointment to view or edit details instantly Filter appointments by status (confirmed, pending, cancelled) Search for specific customers or appointments Drag appointments to different dates to reschedule Color-coded by service or staff member for quick overview Analytics & Reports Track total bookings and revenue right from dashboard View performance by service (which services are most popular) Monitor individual agent performance Make data-driven decisions about staffing and services Premium Addons (Optional) Upgrade your booking system with these customizable options: Staff Management Add unlimited team members from Bookster → Agents menu Set individual working hours for each staff member Assign specific services to specific team members Let customers choose their preferred agent or assign automatically Track performance and bookings per agent Booking Form Customize booking form steps (reorder, add, or remove steps) Add custom fields to collect specific information Enable recaptcha, brand logo, timezone selector, and more for your booking system. Advanced Features (coming in future addons) Group bookings and classes Recurring appointments Multiple locations management SMS notifications via Twilio Design Toolkit for Block Editor and Elementor Getting Started Adding the Booking Calendar to Your Site Method 1: Shortcode (Works Anywhere) Add [bookster_booking_form] to any page, post, or widget area. Method 2: Block Editor 1. Edit the page where you want the booking form 2. Click the + button to add a block 3. Search for “Bookster” 4. Select the Bookster Booking Form block 5. Publish the page Method 3: Classic Editor Paste [bookster_booking_form] directly into your content. Viewing and Managing Appointments Go to Bookster → Calendar in your WordPress dashboard You’ll see all appointments in calendar format Click any appointment to view details or make changes Use the view buttons at top to switch between day/week/month views Use filters to show appointments based on agents or booking status Creating a Manual Booking (For Walk-Ins or Phone Bookings) Go to Bookster → Calendar Click the + New Appointment button (or click an empty time slot) Select the service and staff member Choose date and time Enter customer information (name, email, phone) Select payment method Click Create Appointment Customer automatically receives confirmation email Troubleshooting Booking calendar not showing on my page Check 1: Verify the shortcode Make sure you added [bookster_booking_form] exactly (with square brackets). Check 2: Clear cache If using a caching plugin, clear your cache: WP Rocket → Clear Cache or similar. Check 3: Theme conflict Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (Twenty Twenty-Five) to test. If it works, there’s a theme conflict. Customers not receiving email confirmations Check 1: Email settings Go to Bookster → Integrations → Email tab and confirm email notifications are enabled. Check 2: Check spam folders Ask customers to check spam/junk folders. Add your domain to their contacts. Check 3: WordPress email issues WordPress email can be unreliable. Install an SMTP plugin like YaySMTP to improve email delivery: 1. Install YaySMTP plugin 2. Connect it to Gmail, SendGrid, or Mailgun 3. Send a test email to verify Check 4: Test with yourself Create a test booking using your own email to confirm emails are sending. Time slots not showing as available Check 1: Working hours configured Go to Bookster → Settings → Schedule and verify hours are set for the day in question. Check 2: Agent availability If using staff members, check Bookster → Agents and verify the agent works on that day. Check 3: Minimum advance notice Check Bookster → Settings → General → Restrictions, if you require 24-hour notice, today’s appointments won’t show. Check 4: Service duration If your service is 2 hours but only 1 hour remains before closing time, that slot won’t appear. Double bookings happening This shouldn’t happen with Bookster. If it does: Check 1: Multiple admin users If multiple people manage bookings, ensure everyone refreshes the calendar before creating appointments. Check 2: Contact support If this persists, contact Bookster support with specific examples. PayPal payments not working Go to Bookster → Settings → Payments tab Verify your PayPal email address is correct Confirm PayPal is enabled (toggle should be blue/on) Test in PayPal sandbox mode first Check if PayPal account is verified and can accept payments Review PayPal transaction logs for error messages Calendar showing wrong timezone Go to Settings → General in WordPress Set your city timezone correctly (e.g., “New York” or “Berlin”) Save changes Go to Bookster → Settings and verify timezone matches Clear browser cache and reload Third-Party Services Bookster uses these external services to provide full functionality: FullCalendar.io Purpose: Renders the interactive booking calendar Privacy: No personal data sent to FullCalendar Terms: https://fullcalendar.io/license Stripe.com (Optional – only if using Stripe addon) Purpose: Process credit card payments Data shared: Customer name, email, payment amount Privacy: https://stripe.com/privacy PayPal.com Purpose: Process PayPal payments Data shared: Customer name, email, payment amount Privacy: https://www.paypal.com/privacy When customers make payments, they’re redirected to Stripe or PayPal’s secure servers. Bookster does not store credit card numbers. Support Need help? We’re here for you: Documentation: Visit Bookster’s detailed guides Support Forum: Post questions in the WordPress.org support forum Email & Live Chat Support: Contact us through the Bookster website Video Tutorials: Watch setup videos on our YouTube channel Response time: We typically respond within 4 hours on business days and 12 hours on weekends. We’d Love Your Feedback ❣️ If Bookster helps your business, please leave us a review on WordPress.org! It takes 60 seconds and brightens our day. Click here ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to share your experience. Have a feature request? We’re actively developing new features based on user feedback. Submit your ideas here. Compatibility Works With All Major WordPress Themes: Brandy WP Shadcn GeneratePress OceanWP Divi Avada And thousands more Page Builders: Elementor Gutenberg (Block Editor) Classic Editor Beaver Builder WPBakery What’s Next? After installing Bookster: Run the setup wizard Add the booking calendar to a page Create a test booking to see the customer experience Customize email templates with your branding Share your booking page link with customers Start accepting appointments 24/7! Your new booking system is ready to help you grow your business. Welcome to Bookster! 🚀

The Events Calendar by FooEvents is the simplest way to display any post, page or custom post type in a dynamic events calendar on your WordPress website. Whether you use a third-party events plugin, list events using posts, or create landing pages for each event using your favorite page builder, the Events Calendar by FooEvents makes it possible to display any event in an events calendar on your website. Try the live demo 📅 How it Works Simply enable the event features on a post, page or custom post type and set the date and time of the event. Any post, page, or custom post type that is enabled as an event will then display in your events calendar. This unique and flexible approach means that almost any post type can be treated as an event and displayed in an events calendar. This gives you complete flexibility to create events using custom code, a third-party events plugin, or simply create a custom event page using your favorite page builder and display it in the calendar. Adding the events calendar to the front-end of your website is done using a simple events calendar shortcode or events calendar widget. Both the events calendar shortcode and events calendar widgets include various options that can be configured to determine which posts, pages or custom post types are displayed in the calendar. ✨ Features Add event details to any post, page or custom post type and display these items in an events calendar. Add an events calendar on any page with the events calendar shortcode or events calendar widget. The shortcode seamlessly integrates with most page builders and only takes a few seconds to add. Click on an event displayed in the calendar and proceed to the relevant post or page. Display multiple events calendars on a single page using multiple shortcodes. All you need to do is make sure that each shortcode has a different ID. In addition to the traditional events calendar view, you can also display events in a list format. You can set the list view to filter the events by day, week, month or year. When configuring an event, you can set the background and text color of the event label that is displayed in the events calendar view. For the list view, a colored dot will appear next to the event’s name. By default, the events calendar shortcode will display the current month by default, however, you can set the events calendar to load a specific future or past date. Set the event calendar to start the week on either Monday or Sunday based on what suits you best. Specify the number of events to display in both the events calendar and list views. The time format is adjustable, allowing you to present it as per your preference. Configure the time format to display based on your preference. Set the events calendar to hide weekends if your events only take place during the week. Set the events calendar to only show specific events or posts using their ID’s. Change the look of your events calendar using our built-in events calendar themes. Works with almost any WordPress theme. Integrates perfectly with the FooEvents for WooCommerce plugin making it possible to also sell tickets and bookable services. ⚡ Use Cases School activity events calendar: Display school-related activities in an events calendar on your school website. This is perfect for students, teachers, and parents to stay up to date with important dates, holidays, activities, shows, sporting events etc. Company events calendar: Inform employees and stakeholders about internal events, training sessions, product launch dates, wellness activities, company holidays, and corporate milestones. Meetups: Organize informal gatherings or groups with shared interests and display upcoming meetings, topics, and locations in an events calendar. Community Center: Showcasing events, classes, workshops, and gatherings taking place at the community center. Activities events calendar: Often used by restaurants, resorts, cruise ships or holiday destinations to inform guests of daily or weekly activities, shows or available excursions. Event Management: Promoters, venues or organizations can showcase upcoming events like concerts, webinars, or workshops. Users can view event details and book tickets when used together with the FooEvents for WooCommerce plugin. Recreational clubs: Sports and recreation clubs can display training sessions, matches, and other club-related events for members in an events calendar. Community or local government: Publicizing community events, town hall meetings, trash collection days or other important local dates in an events calendar. Holiday special events calendar: Retailers or e-commerce sites can use an events calendar to highlight special sales, promotions, or product launches aligned with specific dates or holidays. Health & fitness: Gyms or health clubs can list fitness classes, sessions with personal trainers or special wellness events in an events calendar on their website. Cultural & religious groups: Places of worship or cultural organizations can post schedules for religious ceremonies, festivals, and cultural events relevant to their community on their website using the events calendar. 🎟️ Sell Tickets and Bookable Services The Events Calendar by FooEvents is also fully compatible with the FooEvents for WooCommerce plugin which makes it possible to sell branded tickets to more advanced events such as multi-day events and bookable services. FooEvents offers many advanced features that add event management functionality to your website including free ticket themes and a free check-ins app. FooEvents for WooCommerce (core plugin): Sell tickets with no commission or ticket fees and manage free registration for practically any type of physical or virtual event such as a concert, class, conference, tour, webinar, fundraiser or sports fixture. FooEvents Bookings: Sell access to bookable events, venues, classes and services. Let your customers check availability on your website and book a space or slot. No phone calls or emails, 100% self-service. The Events Calendar by FooEvents plugin integrates seamlessly with FooEvents Bookings. Each bookable slot is displayed in the calendar and can be selected when clicked. FooEvents PDF Tickets: Attach event tickets or confirmations as PDF files to the email that is sent to the attendee or ticket purchaser. FooEvents Custom Attendee Fields: Capture customized attendee fields at checkout so you can tailor FooEvents according to your unique event requirements. This is useful for acquiring additional information from attendees such as clothing sizes, meal preferences, demographic information, waiver acceptance etc. FooEvents Multi-day: The FooEvents Multi-day plugin is an extension for FooEvents that lets you sell tickets to events that run over multiple calendar or sequential days. This is an essential plugin if you have an event that runs longer than a day or single session and requires multiple check-ins for each attendee. When installed, the FooEvents Multi-day plugin will also add multi-day capabilities to posts, pages and custom post types. FooEvents Seating: The FooEvents Seating plugin is an extension for FooEvents that allows your guests or attendees to select their seats at checkout based on the layout of your venue. This plugin can be used to specify rows and seats in a conference room or theater, tables and the number of chairs at the table etc. You can create VIP sections or restrict attendees to seats in other higher or lower tiered areas. FooEvents Express Check-in: The FooEvents Express Check-in plugin is an extension for FooEvents that makes checking in and managing attendees at your event a fast and effortless process. The intuitive interface allows you to search for attendees in a matter of seconds or you can connect a Bluetooth or USB barcode scanner to your computer in order to scan tickets instead of typing. You also have the option of automatically checking in attendees to further speed up the process. Check-ins App: There’s no need to struggle with clumsy spreadsheets or kill trees when you can manage event check-ins with our free, easy to use iOS and Android apps. The FooEvents Check-ins app gives you the tools to manage access to your event like a pro and it even works in offline mode and supports 15 different languages! FooEvents Ticket Themes: Transform the appearance of your tickets and make your event stand out with our FREE Ticket Themes. If you have some basic coding knowledge, the Starter Theme can be used as a template to design your own tickets from scratch. 🔌 Integrations Straight out of the box, the Events Calendar by FooEvents can be used by any third-party plugin that creates events using a custom post type. All you need to do is head to the Events Calendar by FooEvents settings and add the custom post type as a supported event post type. Documentation and Support The most current documentation for the Events Calendar by FooEvents plugin can be found in the FooEvents Help Center. You can also purchase a support package for the Events Calendar by FooEvents plugin should you require any technical support.