Events Manager vs Modern Events Calendar
Updated 11 Oct 2026. 20 features compared side by side.
Free events and bookings plugin with recurring events, locations, front-end submissions and BuddyPress support; Pro adds payments, PDF tickets and check-in.
Feature-dense events calendar from Webnus with dozens of layouts, a free Lite edition and a Pro version for bookings, tickets and integrations.
Choose Events Manager if…
- Clubs, community and membership sites, and multisite networks that need free event registrations with room to add payments later
Choose Modern Events Calendar if…
- You need event schema for SEO and seating charts
- You want the more complete feature set (98/100 vs 87/100)
- You want the lower entry price ($99/yr vs $129/yr)
Modern Events Calendar has 2 that Events Manager lacks, including Event schema for SEO and Seating charts. Both include 18 of the 20 features we track.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Events Manager Modern Events CalendarCreating events6/66/6
Free version handles complex recurrence patterns with exclusion dates and timeslots.
Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and custom repeat rules are available without the Pro flag.
Reusable locations with archive pages; no separate organiser profiles are mentioned.
Reusable locations and organisers in Lite; Pro adds images for them and location maps.
Online locations via URL are free; Zoom meetings/webinars use a separate integration add-on.
Paid Virtual Events ($39/yr), Zoom ($39/yr) and Webex ($39/yr) add-ons.
Free event categories for organising and filtering events.
Events can be grouped with categories, tags and labels.
Guests and members can submit events for approval, including via BuddyPress.
Front-end event submission, including guest submissions, is in Lite.
I/O add-on (from $49, included in Pro Plus) imports iCal, CSV, Google Calendar, Sheets and Meetup.
Imports from Google Calendar, Facebook and other event plugins; Advanced Importer add-on adds Eventbrite/Meetup.
Calendar & display4/55/5
Calendars, lists, grids and mini-calendars in several styles.
Monthly, weekly, daily, list and grid views free; yearly, timetable, masonry and map are Pro.
Google Maps for locations with radius geo searches and a filterable map view.
Location maps and advanced Google Maps are Pro; OpenStreetMap via the $49 Advanced Map add-on.
Search pages with filters, radius search and map filters.
Search bar and search filters for shortcodes are not marked Pro.
Gutenberg blocks for calendars, lists, locations and event details.
Works with Gutenberg, Elementor, Divi and WPBakery; dedicated Elementor builders are paid add-ons.
No built-in event schema listed; an old third-party add-on adds JSON-LD.
Schema-ready structured data, including event status, is listed as a core feature.
Tickets & attendees5/66/6
Free bookings can have priced tickets, but online payment gateways are in Pro.
Booking system with ticket types, limits and payment gateways is Pro-only.
Free bookings work as registrations for free events; Pro adds waitlists and approval options.
RSVP Events add-on ($69/yr) lets attendees reply without paying.
Events Manager for WooCommerce is a paid add-on sold on WooCommerce.com, not in Pro Plus.
Pro can take payment via WooCommerce; the $39 WooCommerce Integration add-on adds tickets to the cart.
Reserved seating is listed as coming soon to Pro Plus, not yet available.
Seat add-on ($119/yr) adds seat maps with per-seat pricing.
Pro includes QR code check-in; the check-in mobile app comes with Pro Plus.
Pro QR Code module verifies bookings by scanning tickets; Ticket & Invoice add-on adds fuller check-in.
Free booking and attendee management with approvals and CSV export.
Pro lets you add/remove attendees, edit bookings and export to CSV, Excel, JSON or XML.
Engagement & integrations3/33/3
Buttons for Google Calendar, Outlook, Office 365, Apple Calendar and iCal.
Add to Google Calendar and .ics download for iCal/Outlook are core features.
Free booking emails to attendees and admins; scheduled reminders are Pro.
Booking notifications, confirmations and reminders are Pro; Lite sends submission emails.
Pro adds webhooks (Zapier, Power Automate) and automation; free has Thrive Automator and REST API.
Pro integrates with Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign and more; Zapier is a $39 add-on.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Events Manager Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Pro 1 site | $129 per year, 1 site |
| Pro 5 sites | $299 per year, 5 sites |
| Pro Unlimited | $599 per year, Unlimited |
| Pro Plus 1 site | $169 per year, 1 site |
Modern Events Calendar Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Lite | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Pro 1 site | $99 per year, 1 site |
| Pro 5 sites | $199 per year, 5 sites |
| Pro 10 sites | $299 per year, 10 sites |
| Pro Unlimited | $999 per year, Unlimited |
Downloads trend
Events Manager
45,967 downloads last week
Modern Events Calendar
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
Verdict
Modern Events Calendar scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 87/100) and includes event schema for SEO and seating charts that Events Manager does not. Paid plans start at $129/yr for Events Manager and $99/yr for Modern Events Calendar. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Events Manager: third-party. Modern Events Calendar: included. Schema-ready structured data, including event status, is listed as a core feature.
Events Manager: not included. Modern Events Calendar: via add-on. Seat add-on ($119/yr) adds seat maps with per-seat pricing.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Events Manager or Modern Events Calendar?
Modern Events Calendar scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 87/100) and includes event schema for SEO and seating charts that Events Manager does not. Paid plans start at $129/yr for Events Manager and $99/yr for Modern Events Calendar. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
Modern Events Calendar includes 20 of the 20 features we track, against 18 for Events Manager. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Events Manager free?
Events Manager has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $129/yr.
Is Modern Events Calendar free?
Modern Events Calendar has a free version. Paid plans start at $99/yr.
Feature data last changed 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Events Manager or Modern Events Calendar. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.