Bookster – WordPress Appointment Booking Plugin vs SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar

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. 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! 🚀

SimplyBook.me is the easiest way to start collecting bookings on your WordPress website. The plugin will allow you to register your free account and immediately publish your booking calendar on the front-end of your site. With a few clicks, you can easily add your services and service providers, and design the most beautiful booking widget. You will be collecting appointments and reservations in no-time! Easy appointment scheduling Simple plugin onboarding and configuration Manage your calendar and bookings using the powerful mobile app (iOS and Android) Accept touchless payments via the app on your onsite checkout High email deliverability for reservation confirmations and appointment reminders. Create multiple services, providers, categories and locations Send email and SMS notifications to your customers for their bookings Add “Book now” buttons on your Instagram, Facebook and Google Business Profile Sell Memberships, packages & gift cards Manage bookings for Classes & Events Increase sales by offering products and service add-ons in the booking process Marketing campaigns by emails and push notifications Waiting Lists and “Make me look busy” features Offer Coupons and a Loyalty System to enhance brand loyalty Insights and statistics about your bookings, reservations, cancellations, workload and revenues Adjust time zone settings if you have clients in different time zones Create individual schedules for staff Create multiple users related to providers Accepting payments and/or deposits to confirm the bookings in the booking process Easily implement your booking widget with a Gutenberg block, Elementor Widget or a shortcode SimplyBook.me can be used for free up to 50 appointments per month. In addition, you can use one of the Special features for free! You will automatically be signed up for a Free 14-day trial, which allows you to test the Special Features without any restrictions, including advanced scheduling tools. Why SimplyBook.me? SimplyBook.me is an advanced online booking system that creates a professional booking widget on your WordPress site where your clients can book your services at any time. You will then have access to an admin interface where you can manage your bookings, calendar, and settings. On top of that you will get an admin app where you can manage all your bookings, handle appointments, adjust scheduling, and accept payments on the go. Thousands of clients all over the world have selected our booking system to make their business easy and comfortable to use (see our testimonials). SimplyBook.me provides users with a broad range of features so that you can tailor the system to your needs, irrespective of what industry you are in. For a more detailed understanding of the SimplyBook.me service, you can explore at the following link: https://simplybook.me/ This plugin is developed by SimplyBook.me, is ISO27001 compliant and utilizes its API to transmit and store all information, including settings and details of bookings, as well as other personal client data, directly on SimplyBook.me. Before using the plugin, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the privacy policy and terms of use of SimplyBook.me at the following links: Privacy Policy Terms of Use This will help you better understand the terms of use of the plugin and ensure your confidentiality. This is the official SimplyBook.me plugin, developed by SimplyBook.me and Really Simple Plugins About Really Simple Plugins: Really Simple Plugins is the creator of most-used plugins Really Simple Security and Complianz. With a total of ~6 million installs, we focus on making the most user-friendly and easy-to-use plugins. We work with SimplyBook.me to make the most powerful booking system available directly in your WordPress dashboard. Benefits of the Online booking system Integrating an online booking system like SimplyBook.me is crucial for service businesses aiming to improve customer experience and extend their market reach. By enabling clients to book appointments outside of traditional office hours, an online scheduling and booking system increases accessibility and customer satisfaction. This system simplifies the entire appointment process, automates important reminders, and reduces scheduling errors, freeing up staff to concentrate on delivering superior service. Additionally, an online booking system offers powerful analytics that provide deep insights into customer behaviors and preferences. This data is essential for making informed adjustments to service offerings and planning effective marketing strategies. Last but not least it´s the best way to boost your sales by offering service add-ons and products for sale in the booking process, by sending tailored marketing email campaigns, offering coupons on less busy days, by prompting tips during check out and so much more, the options are endless!