Bookster – WordPress Appointment Booking Plugin vs Events Shortcodes For The Events 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! 🚀

Events Shortcodes extends the functionality of The Events Calendar plugin by adding shortcode, Gutenberg Block, and Bricks Builder component support for displaying events anywhere on your website. This events calendar extension allows you to insert event listings into pages, posts, landing pages, or custom sections using simple shortcode attributes or the integrated block editor interface. If you are looking for The Events Calendar shortcode, this addon provides a simple and flexible solution. It helps you present events created with The Events Calendar plugin in multiple layouts including list view, timeline format, and minimal list styles that help visitors quickly understand event schedules and details. 👉 View Plugin Demos: (FREE) Events List | Events Timeline | Events Minimal List 👉 View Plugin Demos: (PRO) Events Grid | Events Accordion | Events Masonry | Highlighted Layout Events Carousel | Events Slider | Events Filter Bar | View All Demos Events Shortcodes Plugin Features The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block Insert events into any content area of your website using a dedicated Gutenberg events block or a simple shortcode for The Events Calendar. You can place an event feed inside posts, landing pages, or widgets without modifying your theme files. [events-calendar-templates category="all" template="default" style="style-1" date_format="default" start_date="" end_date="" limit="10" order="ASC" hide-venue="no" time="future" socialshare="no"] Bricks Builder Integration: Easily display The Events Calendar events inside Bricks Builder using the dedicated Events component. Add event listings to any Bricks page or template, customize layouts visually, and create dynamic event sections without using shortcodes or custom code. Multiple Event Layouts & Styles Choose between list, timeline, and minimal list layouts to showcase a list of events in different visual styles. These layouts help organize event dates, titles, and details in a structured format that works well for event pages, schedules, and activity listings. The Pro version adds additional layouts such as grid, carousel, slider, accordion, and masonry views. Date Filters in Shortcode Filter events by date range or event type such as future events, past events, or all event archives. This allows you to create separate sections for upcoming schedules or previous event archives. You can also choose any date format to match your website’s regional settings. Event Category, Sorting & Limit Display events from specific categories and control how they appear on the page. You can sort events in ascending or descending order and limit how many events are shown in each listing. This helps create focused event sections such as featured events, category-based listings, or homepage event highlights. Events Shortcodes Pro Features The Pro version extends the core functionality of the plugin by providing additional layouts, filtering options, and advanced display controls. These features help website owners create more interactive event sections and present event information in visually engaging formats. Events Search Filter Bar Add an advanced filter bar on the frontend that allows visitors to search and filter events directly from the page. Users can quickly search events based on categories, venues, organizers, or other available filters. This feature is useful for websites that publish a large number of events and want to provide an easy way for visitors to explore schedules and program listings. Advanced Event Layouts Access premium event layouts designed for modern websites. These layouts help present event information in different visual formats that can fit various page designs and website structures. Available layouts include Grid for structured event cards, Carousel for sliding event showcases, Masonry for dynamic grid arrangements, Accordion for compact event listings, and Calendar style displays for schedule-based views. Display Events by Venue, Organizer, or Tag The Pro version provides advanced filtering options that allow you to display specific groups of events based on event metadata. This helps you organize event listings across multiple pages and create more targeted event sections. List of Events by Venue Show events happening at a particular location. This is useful for venues, conference halls, coworking spaces, or community centers that host multiple events. List of Events by Organizer Display events organized by a specific organizer or organization. This allows event platforms or multi-organizer websites to create dedicated event sections for each organizer. List of Events by Tag Filter events using tags to create topic-based event lists such as workshops, webinars, meetups, or training sessions. Show Only Featured Events Highlight selected events that you want to promote on your homepage or landing pages. Featured event lists help draw attention to important announcements, upcoming conferences, or special events. Why Use Events Shortcodes with The Events Calendar? Many websites need a quick way to highlight upcoming activities on the front page. With this plugin, you can create homepage event sections that show the latest schedules, upcoming sessions, or featured programs to help visitors stay informed. Content creators and bloggers can embed schedule blocks inside articles, announcements, or event recap posts using shortcode. This makes it easy to connect written content with relevant schedules or upcoming activities. Upgrade The Events Calendar from a simple display to a modern events calendar. Instead of relying only on the default calendar view, this plugin introduces structured layouts such as lists and timelines that make event information easier to read and navigate. Since the plugin uses a shortcode, it works with almost any WordPress theme. You can show list of events on websites built with popular themes such as Astra, GeneratePress, OceanWP, Kadence, Blocksy, and Neve, as well as custom-developed themes. In addition to shortcodes and Gutenberg blocks, the plugin also includes a dedicated Events Widget component for Bricks Builder, making it easy to display events inside custom Bricks layouts without writing any code. Using Events Shortcodes addon alongside The Events Calendar plugin gives you more control over how event information appears across your website. It improves your site’s event management and event display in an easy way. Who Can Use Events Shortcodes? This plugin is useful for many types of WordPress websites, including: Non-profit and charity websites that need to promote public events Business websites that publish workshops, webinars, or training sessions Conference and summit websites that need structured program listings Schools, colleges, and universities that share academic events Community groups that manage local meetups and activities Agencies and developers who need flexible event output inside custom layouts More Addons For The Events Calendar If you are building an event-based website using The Events Calendar plugin, you may also benefit from these additional addons developed by Cool Plugins. These addons help improve event presentation, create custom layouts, and integrate events with popular WordPress page builders. Together they allow you to build a more flexible and professional event management website without custom development. Event Single Page Builder Create fully customized single event pages. This addon allows you to control how event details appear on individual event pages, including sections for event descriptions, schedules, venue information, ticket details, and other event metadata. It helps website owners design event pages that match their branding, typography, and overall website layout. Event Speakers & Sponsors Add dedicated sections for speakers and sponsors within event pages or event listings. This addon is especially useful for conferences, workshops, summits, and professional events where speaker profiles and sponsor information need to be presented clearly. It helps highlight guest speakers and showcase sponsor logos. Events Widgets for Elementor Use Elementor widgets designed specifically for The Events Calendar to display event listings inside Elementor layouts. The widgets allow you to present events in list, grid, or carousel formats while taking advantage of Elementor’s visual page builder controls. This integration makes it easier for Elementor users to create dynamic event sections. Events Calendar Modules for Divi Display event information inside Divi Builder layouts using dedicated event modules. These modules allow Divi users to insert event lists and other event-based elements directly within their page designs. It provides a seamless way to integrate event content into Divi-powered websites while maintaining full design control within the builder interface. Other Plugins by Cool Plugins Cool Plugins develops a range of WordPress plugins designed to extend popular tools and simplify website functionality without complex configuration. These plugins are used by website owners, developers, and agencies to add new features, automate tasks, and improve the overall user experience of WordPress websites. Cool Timeline – Create visually engaging vertical or horizontal timelines to present company history, project milestones, product journeys, or storytelling content on WordPress websites. The plugin allows you to organize chronological information in a structured timeline layout that improves readability and presentation. Cool FormKit – Extend Elementor forms with advanced features such as additional input fields, conditional logic, calculations, multi-step forms, and enhanced form styling options. This plugin helps Elementor users create more dynamic and functional forms without needing custom scripts or complex form builders. AutoPoly – Automate multilingual website translation for WordPress sites using Polylang. The plugin integrates AI-powered translation services to help convert content into multiple languages quickly, making it easier to manage multilingual websites. LocoAI – Enhance the Loco Translate plugin with AI-assisted translation capabilities. It allows users to translate WordPress themes and plugins more efficiently by using intelligent translation tools that help speed up localization workflows and improve translation accuracy. Third-Party Services: To improve user experience this plugin offers optional usage tracking and optional feedback submission on deactivation. Data is sent only after explicit user consent. No hidden tracking is performed, and no frontend visitor or site user data is collected. For more details, please review our Data Usage Policy, TOS, and Privacy Policy. This plugin also utilizes the Codestar Framework (licensed under GPL) and Google Fonts to provide integrated typography options. Disclaimer: Events Shortcodes For The Events Calendar plugin is developed and maintained by the Cool Plugins team and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to The Events Calendar plugin or its parent company, StellarWP. Some links in this plugin and readme file may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Special thanks to the famous The Events Calendar ⇗ plugin authors for creating an awesome event plugin for events management. ✍ 200+ Reviews by Happy Users ★★★★★ Great Plugin and Great Support Makes shortcodes so much easier to display. I’ve had to contact support in the past for a plugin, but Vishali with Cool Plugins went above and beyond to help me out with my issues. I highly suggest using their products. ★★★★★ Block based I used it several years ago. Now I needed it again for a client. The best thing: It’s already block based with lot’s of customization. Great job, thanks! (It would be perfect to be able to select custom fonts that are being added through Kadence Custom Fonts plugin) ★★★★★ Highly recommended Very fast and helpful support. The translation issue was resolved quickly, competently, and without complications. I am very satisfied with the plugin and the service. Highly recommended! 🙂 ★★★★★ Great Plug-in : Simple & Efficient Great plug-in, so simple to use, with huge effect! Event Calendar is great but really to poor in its free version. Great but I was about to stop it because of the lack of possibilities to make custom layouts. “Events Shortcodes For The Events Calendar” plug-in solved part of this pb and I kept going with Event Cal. and now, I’m finaly willing to buy Events Calendar full version! ★★★★★ Great addon for the Events Calendar Great tool to simplify and shorten your design/dev time ★★★★★ Great addon With this addon it’s easy to create a modern and good looking view at your calendar events!