Bookster

<p>Managing appointments through phone calls, texts, and emails is chaotic.</p>
<p>You lose track of bookings, double-book appointments, and spend hours on scheduling instead of serving customers.</p>
<p><strong>Bookster turns your WordPress site into a 24/7 booking system.</strong></p>
<p>📌 <a href="https://docs.yaycommerce.com/bookster/price-plans" rel="nofollow ugc">Documentation</a> | <a href="https://demo.wpbookster.com/pet-care/" rel="nofollow ugc">Quick Demo</a></p>
<p>Customers book appointments themselves, see real-time availability, and receive automatic confirmations.</p>
<p>You manage everything from one dashboard.</p>
<h3>💫 Perfect For</h3>
<ul>
<li>Hair salons and barbershops</li>
<li>Spas and beauty clinics</li>
<li>Massage therapists and wellness centers</li>
<li>Personal trainers and fitness coaches</li>
<li>Consultants and coaches</li>
<li>Tutors and education services</li>
<li>Medical and dental practices</li>
<li>Any service business that takes appointments</li>
</ul>
<h3>💙 How It Works</h3>
<p>Customers visit your booking page, choose a service, pick their preferred staff member, select an available time slot, and <strong>book instantly</strong>.</p>
<p>You receive an <strong>email notification</strong> and can view all appointments in your calendar dashboard. No more back-and-forth scheduling.</p>
<h3>🔥 Key Features (100% Free)</h3>
<h3>Unlimited Bookings & Services</h3>
<ul>
<li>Create unlimited services with custom names, descriptions, and photos</li>
<li>Organize services into categories (e.g., Haircuts, Coloring, Spa Treatments)</li>
<li>Set individual duration and pricing for each service</li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/bookster-taxation/" rel="ugc">Add taxes</a>, <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/bookster-discounts-fees/" rel="ugc">fees and discounts</a> to bookings</li>
<li>No limits on number of appointments per month</li>
<li>Offer <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/bookster-extra-options/" rel="ugc">service add-ons and upsell options</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Smart Scheduling</h3>
<ul>
<li>Set your working hours for each day of the week</li>
<li>Configure different availability for different services</li>
<li>Add buffer time between appointments (e.g., 15-minute cleanup)</li>
<li>Block off days for vacations or holidays</li>
<li>Set minimum advance notice for bookings (e.g., require 24-hour notice)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Staff Management</h3>
<ul>
<li>Add unlimited team members from <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Agents</strong> menu</li>
<li>Set individual working hours for each staff member</li>
<li>Assign specific services to specific team members</li>
<li>Let customers choose their preferred agent or assign automatically</li>
<li>Track performance and bookings per agent</li>
</ul>
<h3>Customer Booking Experience</h3>
<ul>
<li>Clean, mobile-friendly booking form that works on all devices</li>
<li>Multi-step process: choose service <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> select staff <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> pick time <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> enter details <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> confirm</li>
<li>Customers see only available time slots (no double-booking)</li>
<li>Optional customer account dashboard to view and manage their bookings</li>
<li>Customers can cancel or reschedule appointments themselves</li>
</ul>
<h3>Payment Options</h3>
<ul>
<li>Accept cash/check for in-person payment</li>
<li>Accept PayPal payments online (customers pay when booking)</li>
<li>Stripe integration available via addon for credit card payments</li>
<li>Mark bookings as paid or unpaid manually</li>
<li>Track revenue in the analytics dashboard</li>
</ul>
<h3>Automatic Notifications</h3>
<ul>
<li>Email confirmation sent to customers immediately after booking</li>
<li>Reminder emails sent before appointment</li>
<li>Email notifications sent to admin when new bookings arrive</li>
<li>Customize email templates with your branding</li>
<li>All emails sent automatically – no manual work required</li>
</ul>
<h3>Admin Dashboard</h3>
<ul>
<li>View all appointments in <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Calendar</strong> menu</li>
<li>Switch between day, week, and month calendar views</li>
<li>Click any appointment to view or edit details instantly</li>
<li>Filter appointments by status (confirmed, pending, cancelled)</li>
<li>Search for specific customers or appointments</li>
<li>Drag appointments to different dates to reschedule</li>
<li>Color-coded by service or staff member for quick overview</li>
</ul>
<h3>Analytics & Reports</h3>
<ul>
<li>Track total bookings and revenue right from dashboard</li>
<li>View performance by service (which services are most popular)</li>
<li>Monitor individual agent performance</li>
<li>Make data-driven decisions about staffing and services</li>
</ul>
<h3>Premium Addons (Optional)</h3>
<p>Upgrade your booking system with these customizable options:</p>
<p><strong>Booking Form</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Customize booking form steps (reorder, add, or remove steps)</li>
<li>Add custom fields to collect specific information</li>
<li>Enable recaptcha, brand logo, timezone selector, and more for your booking system.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Advanced Features</strong> (coming in future addons)</p>
<ul>
<li>Group bookings and classes</li>
<li>Recurring appointments</li>
<li>Multiple locations management</li>
<li>SMS notifications via Twilio</li>
<li>Design Toolkit for Block Editor and Elementor</li>
</ul>
<h3>Getting Started</h3>
<h3>Adding the Booking Calendar to Your Site</h3>
<p><strong>Method 1: Shortcode (Works Anywhere)</strong><br />
Add <code>[bookster_booking_form]</code> to any page, post, or widget area.</p>
<p><strong>Method 2: Block Editor</strong><br />
1. Edit the page where you want the booking form<br />
2. Click the <strong>+</strong> button to add a block<br />
3. Search for “Bookster”<br />
4. Select the <strong>Bookster Booking Form</strong> block<br />
5. Publish the page</p>
<p><strong>Method 3: Classic Editor</strong><br />
Paste <code>[bookster_booking_form]</code> directly into your content.</p>
<h3>Viewing and Managing Appointments</h3>
<ol>
<li>Go to <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Calendar</strong> in your WordPress dashboard</li>
<li>You’ll see all appointments in calendar format</li>
<li>Click any appointment to view details or make changes</li>
<li>Use the view buttons at top to switch between day/week/month views</li>
<li>Use filters to show appointments based on agents or booking status</li>
</ol>
<h3>Creating a Manual Booking (For Walk-Ins or Phone Bookings)</h3>
<ol>
<li>Go to <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Calendar</strong></li>
<li>Click the <strong>+ New Appointment</strong> button (or click an empty time slot)</li>
<li>Select the service and staff member</li>
<li>Choose date and time</li>
<li>Enter customer information (name, email, phone)</li>
<li>Select payment method</li>
<li>Click <strong>Create Appointment</strong></li>
<li>Customer automatically receives confirmation email</li>
</ol>
<h3>Troubleshooting</h3>
<h3>Booking calendar not showing on my page</h3>
<p><strong>Check 1: Verify the shortcode</strong><br />
Make sure you added <code>[bookster_booking_form]</code> exactly (with square brackets).</p>
<p><strong>Check 2: Clear cache</strong><br />
If using a caching plugin, clear your cache: <strong>WP Rocket <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Clear Cache</strong> or similar.</p>
<p><strong>Check 3: Theme conflict</strong><br />
Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (Twenty Twenty-Five) to test. If it works, there’s a theme conflict.</p>
<h3>Customers not receiving email confirmations</h3>
<p><strong>Check 1: Email settings</strong><br />
Go to <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Integrations <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Email tab</strong> and confirm email notifications are enabled.</p>
<p><strong>Check 2: Check spam folders</strong><br />
Ask customers to check spam/junk folders. Add your domain to their contacts.</p>
<p><strong>Check 3: WordPress email issues</strong><br />
WordPress email can be unreliable. Install an SMTP plugin like <strong>YaySMTP</strong> to improve email delivery:<br />
1. Install YaySMTP plugin<br />
2. Connect it to Gmail, SendGrid, or Mailgun<br />
3. Send a test email to verify</p>
<p><strong>Check 4: Test with yourself</strong><br />
Create a test booking using your own email to confirm emails are sending.</p>
<h3>Time slots not showing as available</h3>
<p><strong>Check 1: Working hours configured</strong><br />
Go to <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Settings <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Schedule</strong> and verify hours are set for the day in question.</p>
<p><strong>Check 2: Agent availability</strong><br />
If using staff members, check <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Agents</strong> and verify the agent works on that day.</p>
<p><strong>Check 3: Minimum advance notice</strong><br />
Check <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Settings <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> General <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Restrictions</strong>, if you require 24-hour notice, today’s appointments won’t show.</p>
<p><strong>Check 4: Service duration</strong><br />
If your service is 2 hours but only 1 hour remains before closing time, that slot won’t appear.</p>
<h3>Double bookings happening</h3>
<p>This shouldn’t happen with Bookster. If it does:</p>
<p><strong>Check 1: Multiple admin users</strong><br />
If multiple people manage bookings, ensure everyone refreshes the calendar before creating appointments.</p>
<p><strong>Check 2: Contact support</strong><br />
If this persists, contact Bookster support with specific examples.</p>
<h3>PayPal payments not working</h3>
<ol>
<li>Go to <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Settings <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Payments tab</strong></li>
<li>Verify your PayPal email address is correct</li>
<li>Confirm PayPal is enabled (toggle should be blue/on)</li>
<li>Test in PayPal sandbox mode first</li>
<li>Check if PayPal account is verified and can accept payments</li>
<li>Review PayPal transaction logs for error messages</li>
</ol>
<h3>Calendar showing wrong timezone</h3>
<ol>
<li>Go to <strong>Settings <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> General</strong> in WordPress</li>
<li>Set your city timezone correctly (e.g., “New York” or “Berlin”)</li>
<li>Save changes</li>
<li>Go to <strong>Bookster <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Settings</strong> and verify timezone matches</li>
<li>Clear browser cache and reload</li>
</ol>
<h3>Third-Party Services</h3>
<p>Bookster uses these external services to provide full functionality:</p>
<p><strong>FullCalendar.io</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Purpose: Renders the interactive booking calendar</li>
<li>Privacy: No personal data sent to FullCalendar</li>
<li>Terms: https://fullcalendar.io/license</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Stripe.com</strong> (Optional – only if using Stripe addon)</p>
<ul>
<li>Purpose: Process credit card payments</li>
<li>Data shared: Customer name, email, payment amount</li>
<li>Privacy: https://stripe.com/privacy</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>PayPal.com</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Purpose: Process PayPal payments</li>
<li>Data shared: Customer name, email, payment amount  </li>
<li>Privacy: https://www.paypal.com/privacy</li>
</ul>
<p>When customers make payments, they’re redirected to Stripe or PayPal’s secure servers. Bookster does not store credit card numbers.</p>
<h3>Support</h3>
<p>Need help? We’re here for you:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Documentation</strong>: Visit Bookster’s <a href="https://docs.yaycommerce.com/bookster/management/dashboard" rel="nofollow ugc">detailed guides</a></li>
<li><strong>Support Forum</strong>: Post questions in the <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/bookster/" rel="ugc">WordPress.org support forum</a></li>
<li><strong>Email & Live Chat Support</strong>: Contact us through the <a href="https://wpbookster.com/support/" rel="nofollow ugc">Bookster website</a></li>
<li><strong>Video Tutorials</strong>: Watch setup videos on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@wpbookster" rel="nofollow ugc">YouTube channel</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Response time: We typically respond within 4 hours on business days and 12 hours on weekends.</p>
<h3>We’d Love Your Feedback ❣️</h3>
<p>If Bookster helps your business, please leave us a review on WordPress.org! It takes 60 seconds and brightens our day. <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/bookster/reviews/?filter=5" rel="ugc">Click here ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to share your experience</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Have a feature request?</strong> We’re actively developing new features based on user feedback. <a href="https://feedbo.io/board/bookster/" rel="nofollow ugc">Submit your ideas here</a>.</p>
<h3>Compatibility</h3>
<p><strong>Works With All Major WordPress Themes:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Brandy</li>
<li>WP Shadcn</li>
<li>GeneratePress</li>
<li>OceanWP</li>
<li>Divi</li>
<li>Avada</li>
<li>And thousands more</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Page Builders:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Elementor</li>
<li>Gutenberg (Block Editor)</li>
<li>Classic Editor</li>
<li>Beaver Builder</li>
<li>WPBakery</li>
</ul>
<h3>What’s Next?</h3>
<p>After installing Bookster:</p>
<ol>
<li>Run the setup wizard</li>
<li>Add the booking calendar to a page</li>
<li>Create a test booking to see the customer experience</li>
<li>Customize email templates with your branding</li>
<li>Share your booking page link with customers</li>
<li>Start accepting appointments 24/7!</li>
</ol>
<p>Your new booking system is ready to help you grow your business. Welcome to Bookster! 🚀</p>


Bookster – WordPress Appointment Booking Plugin

Manage real-time bookings with ease. Accept online or in-person payments seamlessly on your WordPress site.

Simpma

Cal.com

<p>Cal.com is an open-source alternative to Calendly that allows easy appointment booking and meeting scheduling.</p>
<p>This plugin enables you to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Embed your Cal.com booking calendar inline, as a popup, or as a floating widget.</li>
<li>Customize UI with theme colors, layout, and event details visibility.</li>
<li>Pre-fill user information and add UTM tracking parameters.</li>
<li>Use the new admin widget customizer for real-time previews.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://simpma.com/plugins/cal-com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Watch Demo</a></p>
<h3>Shortcodes</h3>
<p><strong>[cal url=”/username/meetingid” type=1]</strong></p>
<p>Embed inline calendar.</p>
<p><strong>[cal url=”/username/meetingid” type=2 text=”Schedule a call”]</strong></p>
<p>Embed popup trigger button.</p>
<p><strong>[cal_custom url=”/demo/30min” type=1 prefill=”true” utm=”source:localhost” ui='{“theme”:”dark”,”cssVarsPerTheme”:{“dark”:{“cal-brand”:”#a3ffcb”}},”hideEventTypeDetails”:true,”layout”:”week_view”}’ config='{“layout”:”week_view”,”useSlotsViewOnSmallScreen”:true,”disableMobileScroll”:true}’]</strong></p>
<p>Embed customizable widget with full UI control, prefill, and UTM support.</p>
<h3>Shortcode Attributes</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>url:</strong> URL of the booking calendar.</li>
<li><strong>type:</strong> Embed type (1 = inline, 2 = popup, 3 = floating button for <code>[cal_custom]</code>).</li>
<li><strong>text:</strong> Button text for popup embeds.</li>
<li><strong>prefill:</strong> Set to <code>true</code> to prefill user info if available.</li>
<li><strong>utm:</strong> Comma-separated UTM tracking parameters (e.g., <code>source:newsletter, medium:email</code>).</li>
<li><strong>ui:</strong> JSON object for theme, layout, and visibility customization.</li>
<li><strong>config:</strong> JSON object for advanced widget configuration (slots view, scrolling, etc.).</li>
</ul>
<h3>CSS Customization</h3>
<p>Customize popup/button text via CSS targeting <strong>#calcom-embed-link</strong>:</p>
<pre><code>#calcom-embed-link, .calcom-embed-link {
    background-color: #222222;
    padding: 15px;
    color: #fff;
    font-size: 16px;
    text-align: center;
    cursor: pointer;
}
</code></pre>
<h3>Use of  3rd Party Software</h3>
<p>This plugin relies on <a href="https://cal.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Cal.com embed</a>. See their <a href="https://cal.com/privacy" rel="nofollow ugc">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="https://cal.com/terms" rel="nofollow ugc">Terms of use</a>.</p>


Embed Cal.com booking calendar in WordPress with custom UI and admin widget support.

Bookster – WordPress Appointment Booking Plugin vs Cal.com