In 2025, online appointment booking is essential for any service-based business, from salons and clinics to consultants, trainers, and agencies. WordPress, powering a large portion of the web, offers a variety of appointment booking plugins that can automate your scheduling, save time, and provide a seamless experience for your clients. But with so many options, which plugins truly stand out this year?

This guide explores the best appointment booking WordPress plugins in 2025, their key features, and how to choose the right one for your business.

Why Use an Appointment Booking Plugin?

Manual scheduling is time-consuming and prone to errors. Appointment booking plugins let clients book, reschedule, and pay for appointments directly on your website, 24/7. The benefits include convenience, reduced no-shows through automated reminders, improved efficiency with real-time staff scheduling, integrated payments, and a professional image that builds client trust.

Top Appointment Booking WordPress Plugins for 2025

1. BookingPress
   Best for all-in-one scheduling with staff dashboards and payment flexibility. BookingPress suits a wide range of service businesses including health, wellness, gyms, salons, clinics, and professional services. It features separate dashboards for admins and staff, customizable booking forms, automatic notifications via email, WhatsApp, or SMS, Google and Outlook calendar sync, and supports over 20 payment gateways. The free lite version includes PayPal payments, while premium plans start at $79/year and unlock advanced features and add-ons.

2. Bookly
   Best for WooCommerce integration and flexible add-ons. Bookly is popular among salons, health practitioners, and consultants. It offers customizable booking forms, Google Calendar sync, group bookings, SMS and email notifications, and multiple payment gateways including PayPal and Stripe. The free version has limited features; premium licenses start at $99 with optional paid add-ons.

3. BirchPress
   Best for calendar integration and developer flexibility. BirchPress offers extensive calendar integrations (Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook) and customizable email notifications. It supports PayPal payments and WooCommerce for additional gateways. Developer-friendly with hooks and filters, BirchPress plans start at $99/year.

4. Amelia
   Best for professionals and businesses needing advanced scheduling. Amelia provides real-time scheduling, staff management, automated email notifications, multiple services and locations, recurring bookings, and WooCommerce integration. It has a free version with basic features; paid plans start at $59/year.

5. Booking Calendar
   Best for versatile booking and reservation management. Booking Calendar features user-friendly booking interfaces, supports multiple payment gateways including PayPal and Stripe, syncs with platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com, and stores bookings in your WordPress database. It offers a free version and premium plans starting at $60.

6. WP Simple Booking Calendar
   Best for simple availability management. WP Simple Booking Calendar suits rental properties or simple scheduling needs. It offers visual availability calendars, Google Calendar sync, and basic notifications. Free version available; premium starts at $39/year.

7. MotoPress Appointment Booking
   Best for real-time scheduling and staff management. MotoPress supports multiple services, locations, recurring appointments, and automated email reminders. Pricing varies by plan.

How to Choose the Right Appointment Booking Plugin

Consider your business size and needs, payment integration, customization options, calendar sync, ease of use, and support. Free versions are great to test features, while premium plans unlock advanced capabilities.

Setting Up Your Appointment Booking Plugin

Install and activate your chosen plugin, configure business hours and booking rules, create services and staff profiles, set up payment gateways, customize booking forms, enable notifications, embed booking forms on your site, and test the booking process.

Benefits of Using Appointment Booking Plugins

They save time, increase bookings, improve customer satisfaction, enhance revenue through upfront payments, and provide insights for better business decisions.

Final Thoughts

The best appointment booking WordPress plugins in 2025 combine flexibility, automation, and user-friendliness. BookingPress, Bookly, BirchPress, Amelia, and Booking Calendar are top choices catering to different needs and budgets. Investing in the right plugin saves time, reduces no-shows, and delivers a professional experience your clients will appreciate. Test free versions and upgrade as your business grows to unlock more features and streamline scheduling effectively.