/ Plugin Category

/ E-commerce & Shopping

/ The Events Calendar

The Events Calendar

By Nexcess

E-commerce & Shopping /

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

The Events Calendar Review - In-Depth Analysis

The Events Calendar is the top calendar plugin for WordPress. Easily create and manage both virtual and in-person events on your site.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.36/10

User Rating

4.2/5 (based on 2459+ reviews)

Active Installations

600,000+

Update Frequency

Outstanding It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

6.68 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

The Events Calendar is a powerful plugin that allows you to create and manage an events calendar on your WordPress site. You can easily set up both in-person and virtual events with its user-friendly interface.

This plugin comes packed with features right out of the box, making it perfect for small businesses, musicians, venues, and non-profits. It is also customizable, allowing you to personalize your calendar to fit your needs.

With The Events Calendar, you can rapidly create events, save venues and organizers, and utilize various views such as month, list, and day views. The plugin supports Google Maps, event search, and even integrates with Google Calendar and iCal for exporting events.

Comparing to Alternatives

The Events Calendar is one of the most widely used WordPress event plugins, offering a mature feature set backed by a large user base. However, its recent ownership transition has opened the door for competitors offering simpler setups, more predictable support, or more transparent pricing.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Extensive feature set covering calendars, venues, organizers, and recurring events
Strong ecosystem with add-ons for ticketing and registration
Long track record and huge install base, meaning broad compatibility testing
Flexible display options (list, month, map views)

Weaknesses

Recurring events and advanced customization often require paid upgrades
Interface can feel complex or overkill for users who just want a simple calendar
Recent corporate changes have introduced friction not seen in leaner alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

With 2,453 ratings, The Events Calendar holds a 4.2/5 average, and the distribution is polarized: nearly 75% of users give 5 stars, but 13.3% give just 1 star, pointing to a vocal minority experiencing serious issues, particularly since its acquisition by Liquid Web/Nexcess.

Positive highlights

Mihal praised fast, precise support from the Liquid Web team, calling the response 'immediate' and 'actionable'
samicai called it 'the best event plugin on the market,' citing the fast, professional support team
carriebradley highlighted excellent customer service, noting the issue was 'fixed in no time at all'
mets69mets86 described a support rep who 'partnered' with them over months to resolve a Maps integration issue
paulwkleong reported a quick fix for a Google Maps issue and said they 'highly recommend' the plugin

Common complaints

Unresponsive or slow support, especially for billing and licensing issues since the Liquid Web/Nexcess acquisition
Sudden, unwanted insertion of a 'Liquid Web' admin menu that some users mistook for malware
Steep or unexpected price increases on license renewals
Key features like recurring events locked behind paid upgrades
Overly complex interface that is difficult to customize or navigate for simple use cases

Weaknesses

A long history of security vulnerabilities, including multiple high-severity unauthenticated SQL injection flaws
Support quality appears to have declined sharply following the change in ownership
Some updates have introduced unwanted admin UI elements without clear consent

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Site owners who need a robust, feature-rich event management system and are willing to navigate a larger, more complex plugin ecosystem, potentially with add-ons for ticketing and registration. It suits users comfortable managing WordPress plugin updates diligently and who value functionality over simplicity.

Not ideal for

Not ideal for anyone wanting a lightweight, simple event listing, or for those who need fast, reliable premium support, given ongoing user complaints about licensing and support since the Liquid Web/Nexcess takeover. Security-conscious site owners should also note the plugin's lengthy vulnerability history and ensure updates are applied immediately.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers solid core calendar functionality, including event creation, venue and organizer management, and multiple calendar views, making it usable as a standalone solution for basic needs.

Pro version (99 - 799 USD / year)

The paid tiers (Essentials/Pro/Elite) unlock recurring events, advanced views, additional customization options, and integrations, along with ticketing add-ons. However, numerous reviews report rising prices, licensing confusion, and unresponsive support since the Liquid Web/Nexcess acquisition, undermining the perceived value of upgrading.

Final Verdict

The Events Calendar remains a capable and feature-dense plugin with a loyal base, as reflected by its strong overall rating and many glowing reviews about historically excellent support. However, the sizable 16.4% share of 1-2 star reviews, concentrated around licensing chaos, unresponsive support, and an unwanted admin menu since its acquisition by Liquid Web/Nexcess, signals a real disruption to the user experience that shouldn't be ignored.

Combined with a long history of security vulnerabilities, including several high-severity SQL injection issues, prospective users should weigh this plugin carefully against lighter alternatives like Super Simple Event Calendar or CP Multi View Events Calendar if their needs are basic. For those requiring TEC's depth of features, staying rigorously updated and being prepared for a bumpier premium support experience is essential.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free The Events Calendar plugin.

Calendar

Event management

Events

Screenshots

FAQ

First, make sure that you’re running the latest version of The Events Calendar. If you’re running Events Calendar PRO or any other add-ons, make sure those are current / running the latest code as well.

The most common issues we see are either plugin or theme conflicts. You can test if a plugin or theme is conflicting by manually deactivating other plugins until just The Events Calendar is running on your site. If the issue persists from there, revert to the default Twenty Twenty theme. If the issue is resolved after deactivating a specific plugin or your theme, you’ll know that is the source of the conflict.

Note that we aren’t going to say “tough luck” if you identify a plugin/theme conflict. While we can’t guarantee 100% integration with any plugin or theme out there, we will do our best (and reach out the plugin/theme author as needed) to figure out a solution that benefits everyone.