Bookster – WordPress Appointment Booking Plugin vs Event Calendar – 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! 🚀

Event Calendar is a flexible calendar plugin that allows you to connect to your database and show up your event days on a view. Calendar can render a Day, Week, Month and Resource calendar view. The also provides an interface for manipulating and formatting dates and times. Each event box has a link to the original event you defined in your calendar. Event Calendar Premium All Calendar Demo Types Event Calendar FAQ Event Calendar User Manual Support Forum Features Plugin for create a calendar with events. Intuitive event labels. Easy to customize. Use as a date picker or a full fledged calendar. 10 free themes with the option of select data ranges, mark events and others (4 versions of the event calendar type, 2 versions of the simple type, 2 versions of the flexible type and 2 versions of the timeline type) You can easily list your events on wherever you want on your page via shortcodes. Each event box has a link to the original event you defined in your calendar. Allows you to set the most appropriate navigation arrows, which will suit the best for your web site. The ability to display multiple events for a single day. Plugin lets you change the color and set it to the colors of your site. You can change the start and end date of the event. You can change the start and end time of events. You can customize the calendar color, font size and font family. The ability to change the color of the arrow and background color. Each species has a unique customizable settings. Add an unlimited number of events in one calendar. As you have already created a number of events, you can add via the shortcodes on your page as you need. Each calendar can be inserted in a page, post or widget shortcode. You can add photos to the events (all types) Total Calendar, Timeline, Crazy, Schedule and Full Year types each event has its own color. Possibility to preview the theme in calendar before putting it on the page. Premium version adds 3 beautiful customizable themes Crazy Calendar Theme Schedule Theme Full Year Calendar Theme Recurring events – Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly WeekDay Start – Can select that day, which must be the first in the week. Weekday – Ability to select the style of calendar week. Todays numbers Color – Can choose the date color, that will be displayed. Icon – Possibility select the right and the left icons, which are, for change the months by sequence. Color – The plugin allows to change the color and enter it in the colors of your site. Font – The plugin allows to change the color of the date, font size and font family. This opens up new useful functions and new possibilities. In addition to the features mentioned above, there are many other functions inside the plugin. You get the advantage of an intuitive user interface, that makes the plugin operation easy, easy to understand the calendar options, as well as many hooks and filters to control the output. Main features of Event. Event Title – You can give a name for event. Calendar Name – Choose that version of themes, in which you want to see the Events. Start Date – You Can select the start of the event (To display events in the calendar if you have a browser Safari, firefox or Internet explorer should write yyyy-mm-dd). End Date – You Can select the finish date of the event (To display events if you have a browser Safari, firefox or Internet explorer should write yyyy-mm-dd). Event URL – You can set external URL, which should be included in the event. Open in new tab – Choose, by clicking on the link should open in new tab or not. Start Time (Required field) – Can select the event start time (To display events in the calendar if you have a browser Safari, Firefox or Internet explorer should write hh:mm). End Time (Required field) – Can select the event end time (To display events if you have a browser Safari, Firefox or Internet explorer should write hh:mm). Event color – Select that color, which you want to see for your event, which shows in the calendar (Event Color option is only for Event Calendar Type.). Description – You can give a description for event. Event Image/Video – You can give a Image and Video(YouTube and Vimeo) for event. Event Image and Video option is available for all types. Insert plugin to the WordPress page, post, widget – Every calendar could be inserted into a page, post or widget with shortcode. Plugin works in Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer – Use your calendar with all the popular browsers. Navigation Arrow – Plugin allows you to get the most suitable navigation arrows that fit best for your website. The Plugin is Truly Wonderful – You can create a very nice and beautiful calendar for your website. The plugin is easily editable and functionality perfectly. Link – There is a special place for adding a Link to each event. Choose to open the Link in the new tab or not. Technical Support If you notice any errors or have any questions with our event calendar, you can notify us. We will investigate and solve the problem. Check out the Event Calendar Support Forum on our website. If you don’t find a solution to your question here, don’t hesitate to click here to contact us.Event Calendar is a flexible calendar plugin that allows you to connect to your database and show up your event days on a view. Calendar can render a Day, Week, Month and Resource calendar view. The also provides an interface for manipulating and formatting dates and times. Each event box has a link to the original event you defined in your calendar. Event Calendar Premium All Calendar Demo Types Event Calendar FAQ Event Calendar User Manual Support Forum Features Plugin for create a calendar with events. Intuitive event labels. Easy to customize. Use as a date picker or a full fledged calendar. 10 free themes with the option of select data ranges, mark events and others (4 versions of the event calendar type, 2 versions of the simple type, 2 versions of the flexible type and 2 versions of the timeline type) You can easily list your events on wherever you want on your page via shortcodes. Each event box has a link to the original event you defined in your calendar. Allows you to set the most appropriate navigation arrows, which will suit the best for your web site. The ability to display multiple events for a single day. Plugin lets you change the color and set it to the colors of your site. You can change the start and end date of the event. You can change the start and end time of events. You can customize the calendar color, font size and font family. The ability to change the color of the arrow and background color. Each species has a unique customizable settings. Add an unlimited number of events in one calendar. As you have already created a number of events, you can add via the shortcodes on your page as you need. Each calendar can be inserted in a page, post or widget shortcode. You can add photos to the events (all types) Total Calendar, Timeline, Crazy, Schedule and Full Year types each event has its own color. Possibility to preview the theme in calendar before putting it on the page. Premium version adds 3 beautiful customizable themes Crazy Calendar Theme Schedule Theme Full Year Calendar Theme Recurring events – Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly WeekDay Start – Can select that day, which must be the first in the week. Weekday – Ability to select the style of calendar week. Todays numbers Color – Can choose the date color, that will be displayed. Icon – Possibility select the right and the left icons, which are, for change the months by sequence. Color – The plugin allows to change the color and enter it in the colors of your site. Font – The plugin allows to change the color of the date, font size and font family. This opens up new useful functions and new possibilities. In addition to the features mentioned above, there are many other functions inside the plugin. You get the advantage of an intuitive user interface, that makes the plugin operation easy, easy to understand the calendar options, as well as many hooks and filters to control the output. Main features of Event. Event Title – You can give a name for event. Calendar Name – Choose that version of themes, in which you want to see the Events. Start Date – You Can select the start of the event (To display events in the calendar if you have a browser Safari, firefox or Internet explorer should write yyyy-mm-dd). End Date – You Can select the finish date of the event (To display events if you have a browser Safari, firefox or Internet explorer should write yyyy-mm-dd). Event URL – You can set external URL, which should be included in the event. Open in new tab – Choose, by clicking on the link should open in new tab or not. Start Time (Required field) – Can select the event start time (To display events in the calendar if you have a browser Safari, Firefox or Internet explorer should write hh:mm). End Time (Required field) – Can select the event end time (To display events if you have a browser Safari, Firefox or Internet explorer should write hh:mm). Event color – Select that color, which you want to see for your event, which shows in the calendar (Event Color option is only for Event Calendar Type.). Description – You can give a description for event. Event Image/Video – You can give a Image and Video(YouTube and Vimeo) for event. Event Image and Video option is available for all types. Insert plugin to the WordPress page, post, widget – Every calendar could be inserted into a page, post or widget with shortcode. Plugin works in Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer – Use your calendar with all the popular browsers. Navigation Arrow – Plugin allows you to get the most suitable navigation arrows that fit best for your website. The Plugin is Truly Wonderful – You can create a very nice and beautiful calendar for your website. The plugin is easily editable and functionality perfectly. Link – There is a special place for adding a Link to each event. Choose to open the Link in the new tab or not. Technical Support If you notice any errors or have any questions with our event calendar, you can notify us. We will investigate and solve the problem. Check out the Event Calendar Support Forum on our website. If you don’t find a solution to your question here, don’t hesitate to click here to contact us. Event Calendar – Calendar Contributors: totalsoft Donate link: https://total-soft.com/wp-event-calendar Tags: Calendar, event calendar, wp calendar, event, events, Requires at least: 3.4 Tested up to: 6.6 Stable tag: 1.5.9 License: GPLv2 or later License URI: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html Event Calendar plugin created for showing your events. Event Calendar is the best if you want to be original on your website.