Guide: Top 7 best WordPress plugins for events

Top 7 WordPress plugins for events (2024)

Written by Casey Burridge Marketing Coordinator at GravityKit since 2021, Casey is an expert on Gravity Forms, WordPress, and marketing.

Last updated:

Categories General WordPress

Are you looking for the best WordPress plugin for events?

Having the ability to manage events is a necessity for many nonprofits, website owners and event organizers. There are a range of WordPress plugins designed to simplify this task. But with so many options available, how do you choose the right one for your needs? 

When it comes to event registration and planning, choosing the right plugin for the job is key! In this post, we review our picks for the top event registration plugins in 2024. We compare each plugin in terms of its features, user base, popularity, and pricing.

1. GravityView

GravityView—Turn Gravity Forms entries into anything

GravityView is an add-on for Gravity Forms that enables you to display form entries on your website using different layouts. A popular use case for GravityView is managing and showcasing events!

Using Gravity Forms, you can collect event data. GravityView then enables you to showcase that data in a searchable, directory-style layout with geolocation functionality, conditional logic filters, and other powerful features!

Using Gravity Forms to add new events gives you full control over the data you collect. You can also create a public form that allows site visitors to submit events without needing Admin access to your site!

Gravity Forms also provides a way for users to register for upcoming events—simply embed a registration form into your event page.

A map with a list of events underneath; you can see the name of the event, the date, the time, description, and ticket price.

Key features

  • Drag and drop builder for creating layouts and applications
  • Includes searching, sorting and filtering capabilities
  • Allow users to post and edit their own events
  • Built-in approval functionality: Choose to approve new events before they show up on your site
  • Restrict events based on user role or login status

How popular is GravityView?

GravityView is trusted by thousands of small business owners, developers, and web agencies. At the time of writing, it powers over 40,000 WordPress websites! 

Pricing

GravityView starts at $99/year for the core plugin. GravityView Pro starts at $24, and includes additional extensions and layouts.

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a flexible, no-code framework for showcasing and managing events on your website, GravityView is a great option. Furthermore, there are a variety of extensions and layouts available in the Pro package that add additional functionality.

2. The Events Calendar

A calendar of events

The Events Calendar plugin for WordPress allows you to create and manage events on your website. The Events Calendar provides several ways to display events, including on a calendar, in a list, or on a map.

You can create new events in the WordPress Admin, and because events are a custom post type, you can use categories and tags to organize them. For each event, you can also assign a venue and an organizer, which are custom taxonomies added by the plugin.

Key features

  • Create recurring events
  • Organize events using categories and tags
  • Sleek user interface
  • Easy to set up for less technical users

How popular is The Events Calendar?

The free version of The Events Calendar has over 700,000 active installations, with an average rating of 4.5/5 stars.

Pricing

The basic plugin is free, with the Pro version starting at $99 for a single site.

Bottom line

The Events Calendar plugin works well for creating simple calendars. If you want to get set up quickly, this is a good choice. However, be aware that there is no built-in booking functionality.

3. GravityCalendar

A graphic showing a calendar. Above it reads 'Gravity Forms entries into calendar events'.

GravityCalendar is an add-on for Gravity Forms that enables you to display form entries on a dynamic, customizable calendar. The plugin enables you to display class schedules, business events, personal itineraries, and more! You can also customize the calendar layout and edit events directly from the front end.

With GravityCalendar, users can submit events through a public form, which you can then approve on the backend. GravityCalendar integrates with both Google Calendar and iCal, it has an intuitive user interface, and support for Gutenberg blocks.

Key features

  • Connect your calendars to Google or Apple calendar
  • Lightweight design and fast entry loading
  • Display events using different layouts (day, week, month, etc)
  • Export events to an ICS file
  • Supports recurring events with a free add-on
  • Display calendars with a block or shortcode

How popular is GravityCalendar?

GravityCalendar is made by GravityKit (that’s us 👋), a Gravity Forms Certified Developer. It’s used on thousands of websites for showcasing events and itineraries.

Pricing

GravityCalendar starts at $99 for a single site license.

Bottom line

If you’re already familiar with Gravity Forms, GravityCalendar provides a simple way to display events on your site, with an intuitive user interface. GravityCalendar does not include booking functionality.

4. Events Manager

A calendar showings times and events

Events Manager is a popular event management plugin for WordPress with a clean backend interface. The plugin enables you to sell tickets, display a simple calendar, or display details about upcoming events. Like GravityCalendar, Events Manager also integrates with Google Calendar and iCal.

Events Manager also lets you embed a Google map in the event page to show the location of physical events.

Key features

  • Support for recurring events
  • Manage bookings
  • Support for online and physical events

How popular is Events Manager?

The free version of Event Manager has over 90,000 active installations, with an average rating of 4.3/5 stars.

Pricing

The basic plugin is free, with the Pro version beginning at $89–$119 for a single site license.

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a simple, all-in-one event calendar plugin that includes booking functionality and a Google Maps integration, this may be the plugin for you.

5. WP Event Manager

Images of people with a button labeled 'Join Table'

WP Event Manager is a simple plugin for creating events and showcasing them on your website. A quick look on the plugin repository page reveals a good rating and attentive customer support staff. However, after seeing several 1-star reviews, we advise proceeding with caution.

WP Event Manager enables you to create events in the WordPress dashboard, group them by location, and display listings using a shortcode.

Key features

  • Personalize events using custom fields
  • Allow users to search and filter events from the front end
  • Users can find events based on their current location

How popular is WP Event Manager?

WP Event Manager has a rating of 4.5/5 stars on WordPress.org and over 20,000 active installations.

Pricing

The basic version of WP Event Manager is free, with the premium version starting at $99.

Bottom line

If you’re looking for a simple, lightweight solution for creating and managing events on your website, check out this plugin. It’s worth noting that a lot of functionality is missing from the free version, and only available in more expensive plans.

6. Amelia

A collection of landing pages for different types of businesses, such as a yago studio, a barbershop, etc

Amelia is a WordPress plugin targeted towards enterprises and large websites looking for a way to manage bookings. The plugin helps to automate event registrations and appointment scheduling.

Amelia also includes an event list view, allowing you to showcase events and manage registrations. Amelia prides itself on having a well-designed, modern-looking user interface that’s easy to navigate. 

With notifications built in, Amelia enables you to notify customers or employees visa SMS, Email, or WhatsApp.

Key features

  • Accept online payments through PayPal or Stripe
  • Customize the design to match your business
  • Create automated reminders

How popular is Amelia?

Amelia Lite (the free version) currently has over 60,000 active installations, with a rating of 4.6/5 stars.

Pricing

There is a free version of Amelia called Amelia Lite, with limited features and functionality. The paid version starts at $49 for a single site “Starter” license.

Bottom line

If you run a salon, yoga studio, or coaching business, Amelia is a solid all-in-one booking solution that can help streamline your business.

7. WpEvently

A list of events; shown in an image, the title, price, description, organizer, and location

WpEvently was previously called “Event Manager for WooCommerce”. The plugin enables you to create and sell tickets to events through your WooCommerce store.

With WpEvently, you can easily create events from inside your WordPress Admin dashboard. When creating new events, you can also assign an organizer, category and add a featured image.

For each new event you create, you can add different types of tickets with varied pricing. You can also configure notification emails for when new users sign up.

Key features

  • Display events using shortcodes
  • Integrates with Google Maps
  • Integrates with WooCommerce 

How popular is WpEvently?

WpEvently currently has over 9,000 active installations and a 4.7/5 star rating on WordPress.org.

Pricing

There is a free version available in the WordPress plugin repository. The premium version starts at $59 for a standard, single site license.

Bottom line

WpEvently is not as popular as other event management plugins on this list. However, if you’re running a WooCommerce store, and you want a way to create events using a similar interface, WpEvently may be a good option.

Which is the best WordPress plugin for events?

So, which is the best WordPress plugin for events? The plugin you choose will depend on the needs of your website/organization. 

For example, if you need a flexible plugin for displaying user-submitted events (and other content) on your website, consider GravityView or GravityCalendar. However, if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution that includes booking functionality, consider Amelia or Events Manager.

Wrapping up

Many organizations and businesses need a way to manage events, or take bookings through their website. There are several WordPress plugins that meet this need. However, each of these has its own interface, supporting different features and functionality.

In this post, we reviewed and compared 7 of the best event plugins for WordPress to help you choose the right one for your organization. If you found this post useful, subscribe to our newsletter below so we can notify you when we publish new content!

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