MotoPress Timetable or Events Calendar – Which of Our Plugins to Choose?
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We’ve decided to compare two WordPress schedule plugin options – MotoPress Timetable vs Events Calendar to help you choose what meets your expectations and needs. Both plugins are from MotoPress, and both allow you to create a timetable – but which one is the better choice for you? Find out in our comparison below.
What is the MotoPress Timetable & Event Schedule Plugin?
Before diving into a detailed analysis of each schedule plugin WordPress supports and their core features, let’s learn more about them first.
The MotoPress Timetable & Event Schedule plugin provides essential functionality and useful features when it comes to adding a customizable timetable. Thanks to its responsive design, the schedules provided by this plugin will be easily displayed on any modern device. Thanks to offering a Gutenberg widget and supporting shortcodes, you can also change how you want your schedule to appear on a website. As for its pricing, the plugin is offered for free and can be downloaded on the MotoPress website or via the WordPress plugin catalog.
Key features:
- Responsive timetable design;
- Easy event filtering;
- Optimized for Gutenberg & Elementor;
- Flexible shortcode settings;
- Timetable data import & export.
| Name | Developer | Price | Installations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timetable & Event Schedule Plugin | MotoPress | Free | 30k+ |
What is the MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin?
As for MotoPress Events Calendar, this plugin provides slightly different opportunities and tools for owners of WordPress websites. For example, if you need a solution that supports multiple calendars and works well with recurring events, this plugin can be just what you need. Built for Gutenberg, it has a built-in calendar widget that can be easily customized.
Besides, it provides a visual builder for your events calendar. To add an event, you simply need to click on a desired date and add an event – pretty much like in Google Calendar.
Unlike MotoPress Timetable, the Events plugin for WordPress is provided for a yearly payment.
Key features:
- Easy-to-use visual calendar builder;
- Support for unlimited calendars;
- 4 calendar views;
- Full support for any recurring events;
- Shortcode & Gutenberg block support.
| Name | Developer | Price | Installations |
|---|---|---|---|
| MotoPress Events Calendar | MotoPress | $49/year | 100+ |
Timetable Plugin vs. Events Calendar: Top Features
Now that we know more about each of the MotoPress timetable plugins, let’s explore what they can do in detail.
While these plugins may seem quite similar at first, there are certain differences in their features. From being optimized for different page builders to providing user-friendly and manual tools for adding and updating events, both plugins have diverse advantages. To compare them, we have selected the following aspects of each plugin’s core functionality:
- Adding and updating events;
- Event categories;
- Widgets;
- Import and export of timetable data.
| Features | MotoPress Timetable Plugin | MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Event management | Yes | Yes |
| Responsive design | Yes | Yes |
| Timetable mode | Yes | Yes |
| Visual calendar builder | No | Yes |
| Recurring events support | No | Yes |
| Multiple calendar views | No | Yes |
| Multi-day events | No | Yes |
| Event details pop-up | No | Yes |
| Color-coded events | Yes | Yes |
| Event page | Yes | No |
| Event link | Yes | No |
| Tags and categories | Yes | Yes |
| Shortcodes | Yes | Yes |
| Page builder support | Yes | Yes |
Adding and Updating Events
One of the core features of any WordPress event schedule plugin is the ability to add and manage events. The Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress provides a classic way of adding them – using posts as events. However, to create one and specify a timeslot for it, you need to add columns first. Columns define how everything is displayed on a timetable of when events start and finish. Those can be custom columns with custom names (not necessarily a calendar – like in this demo example). Adding columns takes just a few clicks but afterward, you can configure an event, its start and end times, choose the event head, and customize its looks.
If you need something simpler and more user-friendly, the Events Calendar plugin by MotoPress provides a more straightforward way of adding events.
It uses an event builder designed to help you schedule events in a few simple steps without switching to other pages. After opening the “Events” tab in the dashboard, all you have to do is simply click on a desired calendar date and enter the name for your new event or select an existing one. After that, you can specify the necessary event details, choose its color coding, make it recurring, and more.
| Features | MotoPress Timetable Plugin | MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| User-friendly event editing | No | Yes |
| Visual event builder | No | Yes |
| Custom post types for events | Yes | No |
| Event pages | Yes | No |
| Event color coding | Yes | Yes |
| Event description | Yes | Yes |
| Location | Yes | Yes |
| Organizer | Yes | Yes |
Event Categories
Next on the list of core features for schedule plugin WordPress comparison is all about categorizing events and adding tags to them. This feature is almost identical if we compare both plugins. For example, the MotoPress Timetable plugin allows you to add categories and tags the usual way as when you add a blog post or a page. After adding an event, you can edit categories and tags manually using separate tabs in the dashboard. The Timetable plugin also allows for adding parent categories. This is the only difference from the Events Calendar WordPress schedule plugin, which also supports manual category and tag editing during or after adding an event.
| Features | MotoPress Timetable Plugin | MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Categories | Yes | Yes |
| Tags | Yes | Yes |
| Editing during event management | Yes | Yes |
| Manual editing | Yes | Yes |
Widgets & Shortcodes
When it comes to displaying event calendars and schedules on your WordPress website, both MP schedule plugins are quite capable. Providing widgets and shortcodes, the MotoPress Timetable plugin allows you to easily add the timetable using an Elementor or Gutenberg block in a few clicks. Alternatively, you may Timetable shortcode.
Navigate to the “Help & Shortcode” tab in your site’s dashboard to learn how to create a shortcode manually. Here are some of the supported parameters:
- Column & event IDs;
- Event categories;
- Event heads (organizers);
- Filter labels;
- Subtitles of events etc.
As for the MotoPress Events Calendar, this WordPress calendar schedule plugin also supports shortcodes with various options. Ranging from calendar selection to time slot customization, you can include anything you need in the timecode to make the event schedule display properly.
Besides, the plugin provides support for Gutenberg with a separate calendar block. Its customization is more user-friendly than a shortcode while offering similar options.
| Features | MotoPress Timetable Plugin | MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Shortcode support | Yes | Yes |
| Customizable shortcode | Yes | Yes |
| Elementor widget | Yes | No |
| Gutenberg block | Yes | Yes |
Import and Export
Sometimes when using a WordPress conference plugin, it is also necessary to have an option for importing or exporting your data. This feature is provided by the MotoPress Timetable Plugin as it allows you to save and load your timetable data with XML files. Both of these actions can be done in the “Export/Import” tab of the plugin in just a few seconds. After completing the necessary actions your timetable will be updated (in case you imported any data) and reflect new changes.
Similarly to modern event calendar plugins, the MotoPress Events Calendar WordPress schedule plugin also has import/export functionality. Unlike the MotoPress timetable & Schedule plugin, this solution uses ICS, a universal calendar format, for importing and exporting. Both actions are straightforward and can be done in just a few clicks. Additionally, when importing you can select a calendar you want to import alongside tags and categories allowing you to easily search and manage imported events and display them online.
| Features | MotoPress Timetable Plugin | MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Data import & export | Partial | Partial |
| iCal import/export | No | Yes |
| XML support | Yes | No |
Other Features
Aside from the abovementioned features, there are other notable differences between both plugins. For example, the MotoPress Timetable plugin supports event filtering and can also provide separate pages for events since every event is created through a custom post type. Besides, when you provide information about an event, you can specify an event URL and not just a description that the WordPress event schedule plugin offers.
MotoPress Events Calendar also has certain features that differ from what the free event scheduler plugin provides. For example, you can specify the location when adding an event to the calendar. Moreover, you can change how the calendar is displayed by toggling not just the weekly view but also the daily and monthly ones. Most importantly, this plugin provides support for recurring events, making it a preferable choice for many businesses and websites, including:
- Online courses;
- Fitness centers;
- Event agencies;
- Community websites.
| Features | MotoPress Timetable Plugin | MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Event URL | Yes | No |
| Customizable calendar view | Yes | Yes |
| Repeatable event support | No | Yes |
| Event filtering | Yes | No |
| Event cancellation | No | Yes |
What to Choose: MotoPress Timetable Plugin or Events Calendar?
As you see, both plugins are quite capable of presenting your events and classes online. These plugins don’t provide advanced functionality you may often find in more expensive alternatives, such as ticketing or event submission & registration. Still, when it comes to easy-to-use event planning and presentation, both Timetable & Events Calendar plugins can be quite useful. But which of them is a better option for your website? This depends on your budget and preferences.
In case you are looking for a modern & user-friendly solution with an integrated event builder and several calendar views, you can’t go wrong with the WordPress Events Calendar plugin. Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress, in turn, is a worthy pick if you need a free solution that allows you to manually customize how a timetable looks on your website. Lastly, unlike the Events Calendar plugin, it works more seamlessly with Elementor offering you more customization options.
| MotoPress Timetable Plugin | MotoPress Events Calendar Plugin |
|---|---|
| Classic event management | Visual event builder |
| Multiple calendars | Unlimited calendars |
| Event filters | Recurring events support |
| Event links | Event cancellation |
| Separate pages for events | Multi-day event support |
| Event filters | Customizable event availability |
| Weekly calendar view | Monthly, weekly, daily, and timetable calendar view |
| Optimized for Gutenberg, Elementor & shortcodes | Optimized for Gutenberg and also works with shortcodes |
| Free to download and use | Annual subscription-based pricing |
Conclusion
We hope this overview of MotoPress Timetable and Events Calendar proved to be useful to you and guided you toward the most appropriate solution for your website. Whether you need to showcase your events or create a responsive timetable for online courses, both of these plugins have the necessary potential to do the job you need. However, if you still wonder how to choose a timetable or calendar plugin for your website, consider the following:
- Define your requirements and budget: Before choosing a timetable plugin for your website, you need to define the budget as well as specific expectations and requirements for it. The Events Calendar is a paid option, while the Timetable plugin is free.
- Check for compatibility and ease of use: When selecting a WordPress class schedule plugin, don’t forget to check for its compatibility with your current version of WordPress. For most modern plugins, having the latest CMS version is recommended. Additionally, we advise you to go for plugins that are easy to use for both website users and owners.
- Consider performance and speed: Plugins that don’t perform well can make even a simple timetable update a great trouble. For that reason, it is necessary to ensure the tools you use for creating a timetable are not only reliable but also well-optimized.
- Test free and paid options: If you have already chosen several options for a WP schedule plugin to use on your website, don’t forget to test them first. Even if you want to install a premium plugin, there’s a high chance it has a free version with basic functionality that you can install and test for free. For example, you can test the Events Calendar plugin by registering a free account.
