Juggling appointment scheduling, staff calendars, and payment collection often means running three or four separate plugins that barely talk to each other. This Amelia plugin review looks at a different approach: one WordPress plugin that handles booking, employee management, and payment processing together. For a salon, clinic, or consulting practice tired of stitching together free tools, that consolidation is the entire pitch.
The real question is whether paying a one-time license fee for that consolidation beats sticking with a freemium competitor and adding features as needed.
Quick Verdict
Amelia suits salons, clinics, consultants, and other service businesses that need employee scheduling and multi-service booking in a single system, not just a simple one-person calendar. Businesses with a tight startup budget or only basic single-provider scheduling needs may find freemium alternatives a better fit until they outgrow them.
Pros
- Combines employee management with appointment and event booking in one plugin, rather than requiring separate tools
- Connects natively to PayPal, Stripe, WooCommerce, Mollie, and Razorpay for handling payments
- Syncs two-way with Google Calendar and Outlook, and generates Zoom meeting links automatically
- Offers a flexible notification setup, supporting PHP Mail, WP Mail, SMTP, Mailgun, and Outlook Mailer for email plus native SMS
- Installs directly through the WordPress plugin uploader, with no need to extract the zip file first
Cons
- Carries a high one-time cost compared to freemium booking plugins that offer a free core version
- Its enterprise feature set, covering employee management and multiple integrations, takes longer to configure than a simple one-on-one scheduler
Core Features
Installing Amelia on WordPress 6.5 and PHP 8.4 and completing the basic setup took about 2 minutes. The plugin package, codecanyon-22067497-amelia-enterpriselevel-appointment-booking-wordpress-plugin-9.9.zip, could be installed directly through Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin without needing to extract the zip file first.
Online Appointment Scheduling
Amelia’s booking core runs on an appointment scheduling calendar that handles the date and time logistics of client bookings from a single dashboard. Rather than treating scheduling as an add-on, it’s built as the plugin’s central feature, with the calendar view acting as the operational hub for every booking that comes through the site.
For a salon, clinic, or consultant, this means clients pick an available slot and the booking lands directly in a calendar you control, without manual back-and-forth over email or phone. Because the calendar sits at the center of the plugin, changes to availability or staff schedules propagate through to what customers see when they book.
Event Booking
Alongside one-on-one appointments, Amelia supports event booking, letting a business list group sessions, workshops, or ticketed activities separately from standard service slots. This puts appointment-based and event-based booking in the same plugin rather than requiring a separate tool for group activities.
A tour operator running scheduled group excursions, or a clinic hosting a seminar, can manage both formats without switching platforms. Keeping events and appointments under one system also means notifications and payment handling apply consistently across both booking types.
Service Management
Service management in Amelia is handled through service catalog management, where a business defines the list of bookable services, their duration, and how they map to staff. This is the layer that determines what customers actually see when they open the booking form.
For businesses offering multiple service types, such as a spa with different treatment lengths or a photography studio with different session packages, this catalog structure keeps offerings organized and lets each service carry its own booking rules. It’s a foundational piece that the scheduling calendar and employee assignments both depend on.
Employee Management
Amelia includes a dedicated employee management dashboard, extending the plugin beyond simple appointment booking into staff-level scheduling. Employees can be tied to specific services, and their availability feeds directly into what time slots customers see.
This is where Amelia’s enterprise positioning shows most clearly: a business with multiple staff members, such as a multi-stylist salon or a multi-practitioner clinic, can assign services per employee rather than treating every booking as interchangeable. It’s a feature set that goes noticeably further than plugins built around a single provider calendar.
Customer Notifications
Notifications run through Amelia’s built-in notification system, which supports email delivery via PHP Mail, WP Mail, SMTP, Mailgun, or Outlook Mailer, alongside a native SMS option separate from third-party SMS services. Sender details, reply-to behavior, and calendar file (.ics) attachments can all be configured within this system.
For a business that needs clients to actually show up, this combination of configurable email routing and native SMS reminders reduces no-shows without requiring a separate notification plugin. The .ics attachment support also means bookings can be added straight to a client’s own calendar app.
Payment Integrations
Payment handling is managed through dedicated payment integration settings, and Amelia connects natively with PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, and Razorpay, alongside a WooCommerce integration that routes bookings through WooCommerce checkout using its own payment gateways. The WooCommerce route works primarily as a payment layer, auto-creating a hidden backend product to bridge the booking into the cart rather than turning services into standard store inventory.
This gives a service business several ways to collect payment at the time of booking, from a direct Stripe or PayPal charge to a full WooCommerce checkout flow if the site already runs an online store. Regional processors like Mollie broaden that reach for businesses operating outside the US market.
Amelia also connects natively with Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Zoom, syncing bookings two ways so that calendar deletions update Amelia and existing busy blocks prevent double-booking, while automatically generating meeting links for virtual appointments.
Installation and Setup
- Purchase Amelia through the CodeCanyon marketplace and download the plugin ZIP file to your computer.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin.
- Select the downloaded ZIP file and upload it directly — the file can be installed as-is, without needing to extract it first.
- Click Install Now, then activate the plugin once installation completes.
- Open the new Amelia menu item in the dashboard to begin configuring services, employees, and working hours.
- Set up notification settings, including email delivery (PHP Mail, WP Mail, SMTP, Mailgun, or Outlook Mailer) and any calendar or Zoom integrations you plan to use.
- Configure your payment settings, connecting whichever gateways your business needs — PayPal, Stripe, WooCommerce, Mollie, Razorpay, Square, or Barion are all supported.
- Test a booking from the front-end interface to confirm the calendar, notifications, and payment flow all work as expected.
On a test installation running WordPress 6.5 with PHP 8.4, the entire process — from upload to a working, activated plugin — took roughly two minutes.
Compatibility and Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Software version (vendor-stated) | WordPress 7.0.x |
| Compatible browsers | Internet Explorer 11, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Chrome, Edge |
| Files included | JavaScript (JS), HTML, CSS, PHP |
Amelia’s CodeCanyon listing states WordPress 7.0.x as its compatible software version. No minimum PHP version is published on the listing, though a test install running a currently supported PHP version (PHP 8.4) installed and activated without issue. Running any WordPress site on an end-of-life PHP version is worth avoiding regardless of what a specific plugin requires, since unsupported PHP branches no longer receive security patches.
Amelia Pricing
Amelia is sold as a one-time license through CodeCanyon rather than a subscription, and there is no free tier. Two license types are available, each covering a single end product.
Regular License — $299
Covers a single end product where end users are not charged for access. This tier includes 6 months of support, which can be extended to 12 months for an additional $110.25. The final checkout total includes the license price plus a buyer fee applied by the marketplace.
Extended License — $1,495
Also covers a single end product, but permits charging end users for access — the option needed if you plan to resell booking access as part of a paid service or product. This tier includes 6 months of support as well, extendable to 12 months for an additional $257.25, with the same buyer fee added at checkout.
Both licenses are one-time purchases rather than recurring fees, though the support window is time-limited unless extended. Businesses that only need booking functionality for their own site will find the Regular License sufficient; the Extended License is aimed specifically at agencies or developers building a chargeable product around Amelia.
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Alternatives to Amelia
Amelia isn’t the only WordPress booking plugin on the market, and businesses with simpler needs may find a lighter tool sufficient. Here’s how it stacks up against a well-known alternative.
| Product | Key Difference | Best For | Price Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amelia | All-in-one enterprise booking with built-in employee management, event booking, and native payment/calendar integrations | Service businesses needing multi-employee scheduling and integrated payments without add-ons | Paid |
| Bookly | Core plugin is free, with paid add-ons unlocking extended functionality | Businesses that want to start free and add features incrementally as budget allows | Freemium |
Competitor data is sourced from publicly available information as of 2026 and may have changed.
The right pick depends on how your business operates. If you need employee scheduling, event ticketing, and payment routing bundled into one license, Amelia’s all-in-one structure avoids piecing together add-ons. If you’d rather start free and pay only for the specific features you need later, Bookly’s freemium model offers a lower barrier to entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What payment gateways does Amelia support?
Amelia integrates with PayPal, Stripe, WooCommerce, Mollie, and Razorpay, along with additional options like Square and Barion. PayPal and Stripe handle direct online payments and card checkouts, while the WooCommerce integration routes bookings through the WooCommerce cart, giving access to any gateway that platform supports. Mollie adds regional European payment processing.
Does Amelia integrate with Google Calendar or Zoom?
Yes, Amelia natively integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and Zoom, along with alternatives like Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. The Google Calendar connection offers two-way syncing, so bookings made in Amelia appear in the calendar, cancellations sync back, and existing busy blocks prevent double-booking. Zoom and Google Meet links are generated automatically for appointments that need a virtual meeting.
Does Amelia work with WooCommerce?
Yes, Amelia includes a WooCommerce integration that routes service bookings through the WooCommerce checkout. When enabled, it replaces native payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal with WooCommerce’s payment options and automatically creates a hidden backend “Appointment” product to bridge the two systems. It functions primarily as a payment routing layer rather than turning services into standard store inventory.
Is there a free version of Amelia?
No, Amelia is a premium-only plugin with no free tier. It is sold under one-time license fees through its marketplace listing, starting with a Regular License at $299.
Who developed the Amelia booking plugin?
Amelia was built by TMS Outsource, also known as TMS or TMS Plugins. The same developer is known for wpDataTable, another WordPress data management plugin.
Does Amelia send SMS notifications?
Yes, Amelia includes native SMS notifications through its own built-in messaging system rather than a direct Twilio integration. Third-party automation plugins or custom bridges can be used to route texts through services like Twilio if needed. On the email side, Amelia supports PHP Mail, WP Mail, SMTP, Mailgun, and Outlook Mailer, with options to customize sender details and attach calendar (.ics) files.
How much does the Amelia plugin cost?
Amelia’s Regular License costs $299 as a one-time fee, covering a single end product where end users are not charged. An Extended License, required for sites where end users can be charged, costs $1,495. Both licenses include 6 months of support, with 12-month extensions available for an added fee, and the total charged also includes a buyer fee on top of the listed item price.
Download & Pricing Options
🔍 Try Before You Buy
Amelia does not have an official free tier. To evaluate it before purchasing, a GPL-licensed copy is available for sandbox testing purposes only.
👉 Download GPL Evaluation Copy
This is a GPL-licensed redistributed copy for testing only — not an official developer product.
💎 Get Amelia (Best Available Price)
👉 Check Current Pricing for Amelia
Pricing and availability may change — use the link above for current rates.
