Booknetic is a WordPress appointment booking plugin with Google Calendar sync built in as an add-on. Every appointment booked on your site lands in the staff member's Google Calendar, and every event already sitting in that calendar blocks the matching time slot on your booking page. Two directions, one source of truth.
This page covers what the sync does, how it is set up, and where the limits are, so you can judge whether it fits before you buy.
- Type
- Add-on (Google Calendar)
- Included in
- Standard, Premium and Elite plans; sold separately on Basic
- Sync direction
- Two-way: Booknetic to Google and Google to Booknetic
- Per staff
- Each staff member connects their own Google account and picks a calendar
- Busy slots from Google
- Live sync on every booking, or background sync by cron
What the Google Calendar sync does
- New booking, new event. When a customer books, the add-on creates an event in the staff member's Google Calendar with the title and description you define, using shortcodes such as {service_name}, {customer_name} and {staff_name}.
- Changes follow the appointment. Reschedule or cancel in Booknetic, and the Google event moves or disappears. Move the appointment to another staff member, and the event moves to that person's calendar.
- Google events block your slots. A dentist appointment, a holiday or a meeting added straight into Google Calendar is read back as a busy slot, so nobody can book over it.
- Attendees and invites. Optionally add the customer as an attendee so Google sends the invitation and the reminder, and decide whether attendees can see each other.
- Status filter. Choose which appointment statuses are sent to Google. Pending requests can stay out of the calendar until they are approved.
- Group appointments share one event. Bookings for the same service, staff, location and time are merged into a single Google event, and its attendee list grows as people join.
- Google events in the Booknetic calendar. Turn on the toggle and staff see their Google events, in Google's colours, next to Booknetic appointments on the admin calendar.
How the two-way sync works
Booknetic to Google is immediate: the event is created, updated or deleted the moment the appointment changes. Google to Booknetic has two modes, because reading calendars costs API calls.
| Mode | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Live sync | Booknetic asks Google for the staff member's events while the customer picks a time, and blocks those ranges on the spot | A small team where every booking must see the latest calendar |
| Background sync | A cron job copies 1, 2 or 3 months of events into Booknetic's busy-slot table; the booking page reads from there without calling Google | Many staff members, or sites where booking speed matters more than a few minutes of delay |
| Off | Appointments still go to Google, but Google events do not block slots | Teams that only need the calendar as a mirror |
Background sync has a lag. If your cron runs every 15 minutes, an event added to Google inside that window is not yet a busy slot. Events that Booknetic itself created are recognised and never double-block a slot.
Setting it up
- Create a project in the Google Cloud Console, enable the Calendar API and create OAuth credentials (Client ID and Client Secret). Paste them into Settings > Integrations > Google Calendar together with the redirect URI Booknetic shows you.
- Set the event title and description, the sync method, the sync interval, and whether customers are added as attendees.
- Open each staff member, click Sign in with Google, pick the calendar to use (calendars with write access are listed) and save. Tick Sync previous appointments to push existing bookings too.
- Turn on the Google Calendar toggle on the admin calendar if staff want to see their Google events there.
The Google Calendar documentation walks through the Cloud Console screens step by step. A staff member can sign out at any time, which deletes the stored token and the calendar link.
Who uses it
- Clinics and therapists whose staff already run their day from Google Calendar and need patient bookings to appear there without retyping. See the WordPress booking plugin for health and medical practices.
- Consultants and coaches who block personal time in Google and want it respected by the booking page. See legal and consulting.
- Salons and studios with several staff members, each on their own Google account, each with their own calendar. See spa and salons.
Related features
- Outlook Calendar integration for teams on Microsoft 365
- Zoom integration to add a meeting link to every online appointment
- Busy Slots to block time by hand without a calendar connection
- Workflows for email, SMS and WhatsApp reminders
Frequently asked questions
Is the Google Calendar sync two-way?
Yes. Appointments created, rescheduled or cancelled in Booknetic are created, moved or removed in Google Calendar, and events in Google Calendar block the matching time slots on the booking page.
Can each staff member use their own Google account?
Yes. The connection is made per staff member on the Staff edit page. Each person signs in with their own Google account and chooses which of their calendars to use.
Does a meeting I add in Google Calendar stop customers booking that time?
Yes, with live sync it is blocked immediately, and with background sync it is blocked after the next cron run (1 to 3 months of events are kept in sync).
Does the customer get a Google Calendar invitation?
Only if you enable "Add attendees". Then the customer is added to the event and Google can send the invitation and its own reminders.
Which plans include the Google Calendar add-on?
Standard, Premium and Elite. On the Basic plan it is available as a separate purchase.
Do I need a Google Workspace account?
No. A free Google account works. You do need a Google Cloud project with the Calendar API enabled to obtain the OAuth credentials.
