7+ Best WordPress Event Plugins in 2026 (Compared)

Running an event is hard enough. Managing the calendar, registrations, tickets and reminders on top of it should not be. We went through the most popular WordPress Event Plugins of 2026. We looked at what each one does well, what the free version really includes, and what you will pay once you need more.

In this blog, we have added a quick comparison to look at a glance. Then we move one by one to our editorial pick. That’s not end, we also added a event management plugin alternative.

Let’s find the right one for you.

Quick comparison table

In a hurry? Here is how the best WordPress event plugins stack up at a glance. You will find a quick comparison table, our list of the 7+ best plugins, a simple guide to choosing the right one, and our editorial pick at the end.

Plugin	Best for	Free version	Ticketing	Recurring events	Starting price
The Events Calendar	Classic public calendars	Yes	Via free Event Tickets (2% fee)	Paid	Paid plans from $259/year
Events Manager	Free bookings	Yes	Yes	Free	Pro from about $99/year
Modern Events Calendar	Visual layouts	Yes	Pro	Free	Pro from $75/year
EventON	Design-focused calendars	No	Add-on	Yes	$29 one-time
Amelia	Events plus appointments	Lite (no events)	Yes	Yes	From $69/year
Event Organiser	Complex recurring events	Yes	Pro	Free	Pro from £50
WP Event Manager	Event directories	Yes	Add-on	Add-on	Add-ons from $49/year
EventPrime	Hybrid events	Yes	Yes	Free	Premium from $69/year
My Calendar	Accessibility	Yes	Pro	Free	Pro from $69/year

Prices change often, so always check the plugin’s own pricing page before you buy.

The 10 best WordPress event management plugins

The Events Calendar

Overview: The Events Calendar is the most installed event plugin on WordPress, with over 600,000 active sites. If you want a clean, reliable public calendar that just works, this is where most people start. We like it for community sites, churches, venues and local businesses.

Key features:

• Month, list and day views in the free version
• Venue and organizer pages built in
• Free RSVPs and ticket sales through the companion Event Tickets plugin
• Google Maps on event pages
• Import from Google Calendar, Meetup and iCal (paid)
• Recurring events, photo and map views in the paid plans

Starting price: Free. Paid plans now start at about $259/year after the 2026 pricing change. Note that ticket sales through the free Event Tickets plugin carry a 2% fee.

Events Manager

Overview: Events Manager is the plugin we recommend when budget is tight. It puts bookings, registration and recurring events in the free version, which most competitors charge for. The interface feels a little dated, but the value is hard to beat.

Key features:

• Free event registration and booking management
• Recurring events in the free version
• Multiple ticket types per event
• Locations with Google Maps
• Zoom integration for online events
• PayPal and offline payments (more gateways in Pro)

Starting price: Free. Pro starts at about $99/year.

Modern Events Calendar

Overview: Modern Events Calendar (MEC) is the plugin for people who care how their calendar looks. It offers dozens of layouts, so your events page never feels like a plain list of dates. The Pro version also adds a full booking system.

Key features:

• Calendar, grid, list, slider, countdown and timetable views
• Recurring events in the free version
• Front-end event submission
• Booking, ticketing and invoices (Pro)
• Virtual event support (Pro)
• Import from Google Calendar and other event plugins

Starting price: Free Lite version. Pro starts at about $75/year.

EventON

Overview: EventON is a premium plugin sold on CodeCanyon, and it is famous for its design. Its tile-style calendar is one of the most polished in WordPress. You pay once for the core and buy add-ons only for what you need.

Key features:

• Signature tile and accordion calendar layouts
• Recurring events in the core plugin
• Event maps and location pages
• Social sharing and search
• Add-ons for tickets, RSVPs, countdowns and more
• Works with most themes out of the box

Starting price: $29 one-time. Most add-ons cost around $25 each.

Amelia

Overview: Amelia is really two tools in one: appointment booking and event booking. If you run a business that offers one-to-one sessions and group events, like a coach or a fitness studio, Amelia saves you from running two plugins.

Key features:

• Event booking and appointment scheduling together
• Automated email and SMS notifications
• Built-in payments with Stripe and PayPal
• Customer and employee panels
• Recurring events
• Mobile-friendly booking forms

Starting price: Amelia Lite is free but covers appointments only. Paid plans with events start at about $69/year.

Event Organiser

Overview: Event Organiser is a quiet favorite for complex schedules. If your events repeat on odd patterns, like the third Tuesday of every fourth month, this plugin handles it without a fuss. It is lightweight and developer-friendly too.

Key features:

• Advanced recurring event patterns
• Venue management with maps
• Calendar and list widgets
• iCal feed export
• Bookings and payments (Pro)
• Clean code that developers can extend

Starting price: Free. Pro starts at £50.

WP Event Manager

Overview: WP Event Manager is the best fit when you want other people to submit events to your site. Think city event guides, community boards, or association websites. Organizers post their own listings from the front end, and you stay in control.

Key features:

• Front-end event submission
• Organizer dashboards
• Event listings with search and filters
• Lightweight and works with almost any theme
• Modular add-ons for tickets, calendars and registrations
• WooCommerce ticket selling via add-on

Starting price: Free. Add-ons start at about $49/year, and bundles cost more.

EventPrime

Overview: EventPrime is a strong choice for hybrid events that mix in-person and online sessions. It keeps venues, performers, organizers and bookings in one place, so you are not stitching three plugins together.

Key features:

• Free and paid event bookings
• Single-day, multi-day and recurring events
• Venue, performer and organizer profiles
• Event galleries
• Live seating, coupons and Stripe (extensions)
• Modern drag-and-drop calendar in the admin

Starting price: Free. Premium starts at about $69/year.

My Calendar

Overview: My Calendar is built with accessibility first. If your audience includes people who use screen readers, or you work with schools, councils or nonprofits that must meet accessibility rules, this is the plugin we point you to.

Key features:

• Accessibility-focused calendar output
• Multiple calendars and categories
• Location management
• Recurring events in the free version
• Front-end event submission (Pro)
• Ticketing and registration links (Pro)

Starting price: Free. Pro starts at about $69/year.

How to choose an event plugin

Still not sure which one fits? Here at Brainywp, we always ask readers five simple questions before recommending a plugin. Answer them honestly, and the right choice usually becomes obvious.

Check both the calendar and ticket system

This is the biggest question. Some sites only need to show upcoming events, like a church, a library or a local club. Others need to sell seats and collect payments. If you just want a clean public calendar, The Events Calendar or My Calendar will do the job. If money changes hands, look at Eventin, Events Manager or Amelia, which handle tickets and payments properly.

Check event repetition features

Weekly yoga classes, monthly meetups and yearly conferences all need different tools. Many plugins lock recurring events behind a paid plan. If your events repeat often, Events Manager and Modern Events Calendar include recurring events for free. If your schedule is truly unusual, Event Organiser handles the trickiest patterns.

Consider online, in-person meetings

Online events need Zoom or Google Meet links sent to the right people at the right time. In-person events need venues, maps and maybe QR check-in at the door. Hybrid events need both. Eventin and EventPrime are strong here because they handle virtual and physical events in one place.

Who adds the events?

If you are the only person posting events, any plugin on this list will work. But if you want organizers, members or partners to submit their own events, you need front-end submission. WP Event Manager is built for this, and Modern Events Calendar and My Calendar (Pro) support it too.

What is your real budget, including fees?

Do not just compare the sticker price. Some plugins take a cut of every ticket you sell, like the 2% fee on The Events Calendar’s free ticketing. Others look cheap until you buy three add-ons. Before you choose, add up the yearly licence, any add-ons you need and any ticket fees. A plugin that costs $89 a year with no commission can be cheaper than a “free” one once your ticket sales grow.

Our quick rule of thumb

• Just showing events? Start with a free calendar plugin.
• Selling tickets? Pick a plugin with built-in ticketing and no commission.
• Running classes or courses rather than one-off events? You may need an LMS instead, which we cover below.

One last tip from our team: always check that the plugin works with your theme and page builder before you commit. Most of these plugins have free versions or demos, so take ten minutes to test before you pay.

Our editorial pick and alternatives

Brainywp editorial pick: Events Manager. Want bookings and recurring events without paying a cent? Events Manager gives you both in the free version. It takes a little longer to set up, but you will not hit a paywall on day one.

Need an LMS rather than an event plugin? Try Batu LMS.

Sometimes what you are running is not really an event at all. A workshop series, a bootcamp, a training program or a certification course needs lessons, progress tracking and certificates, not just a date on a calendar. An event plugin will fall short there. Batu LMS is built for exactly this, and it is made for developers and agencies who build learning websites for their clients.

Conclusion

There is no single best event plugin for everyone. The right one depends on what you are running and how much you want to spend. Our advice from the Brainywp team: start with the free version first. Most of these plugins let you test the core features at no cost, so you can see what fits before you pay. Got a question about any of them? Drop it in the comments, and we will help you pick.