Events Manager vs The Events Calendar
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| Feature | Events Manager v7.4.11 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.2/5 Visit Details | The Events Calendar v6.18.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.2/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 60,000+ | 600,000+ |
| Last updated | October 25, 2026 | October 15, 2026 |
| Editions | Events Manager · Events Manager Pro ($) | The Events Calendar · Events Calendar Pro ($) · Event Aggregator ($) |
| Pros | Calendar, list and map shortcodes and blocks; Recurring events and location pages in the free core; Works with BuddyPress, bbPress and Yoast SEO | Core calendar with venues, organisers and iCal export included; Works with Elementor, Yoast SEO and WPML; Zapier automation hooks included in the free plugin |
| Cons | Paid tickets, payments and timeslots need Events Manager Pro; Large feature set with many admin screens to learn | Recurring events, ticketing and automatic imports need paid add-ons; Event Aggregator import needs a licence key; Large plugin with many modules, so setup takes time |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | events_calendar shortcode, events_list shortcode, locations_map shortcode, events_gcal shortcode for Google Calendar, Recurring event series post type, Opt-in EU right of withdrawal form, Timeslots, which need Events Manager Pro ($) | iCal export of events, Venues and organisers as linked posts, Embedded maps for event venues, Zapier automation, Event Aggregator imports ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Plugins | Yoast SEO, BuddyPress, bbPress | Elementor, Yoast SEO, WPML, Divi |
| Other | Expo push notification service, GitHub (MCP adapter release lookup), WordPress.org plugin directory | Zapier, Google Maps |
| Requires WordPress | 6.1 | 6.9 |
| Requires PHP | 7.0 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | plugins.svn.wordpress.org, ps.w.org, exp.host, api.github.com | maps.google.com, maps.googleapis.com, theeventscalendar.com, api.telegram.org, maker.ifttt.com, api.sendgrid.com, licensing.nexcess.com, software.liquidweb.com, herald.nexcess.com, licensing.stellarwp.com, app.trustedlogin.com |
| Blocks | 4 | — |
| Shortcodes | 27 | — |