Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin

Reviewers like how simple it is to put a responsive Google Calendar on a site and keep praising fast, helpful support, though a few say the Google API key setup is fiddly and the pro add-on can lose its connection.

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.

wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.

137 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 112 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.

Directory rank vs rivals

wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 17 months ago; the previous band took 2.3 years to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. — Version 4.0.7 Fix: Removed unnecessary Google API key/OAuth requirement when creating a Grouped Calendar. 4.0.7
2. — Version 4.0.6 Fix: Optimize admin & fronend performance, throttle OAuth token checks, and reduce redundant API calls. 4.0.6
3. — Version 4.0.5 Fix: Fixed a PHP 8.3 ValueError by replacing sprintf() with string concatenation to safely handle literal percent signs in translations. 4.0.5
4. — Version 4.0.4 Fix: Fixed text domain loading by hooking into init. Dev: Added validation before unserialize() to prevent errors during OAuth failures. 4.0.4
5. — Version 4.0.3 Dev: Ensured compatibility with WordPress 7.0. Fix: Trimmed historical changelog entries to resolve WordPress.org length warnings. Dev: Add an [if-event] conditional template tag Dev: Allow the url argument in the [link] 4.0.3
6. — Version 4.0.2 Dev: Added a new connect page in admin enhancing the onboarding experience. Dev: Redesigned settings and add-ons pages with a modern layout. 4.0.2

All 7 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (4.3.1). Sites still on an older version should update.

1. Patched Medium · 5.3 Google Calendar Events <= 3.5.9 - Unauthenticated Insecure Direct Object Reference ↗
   2025-12-18 CVE-2025-68979 Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key Affects <= 3.5.9 Patched in 3.6.0
2. Patched Medium · 6.1 Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin <= 3.4.2 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2024-09-24 CVE-2024-8549 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.4.2 Patched in 3.4.3
3. Patched Medium · 6.4 Google Calendar Events <= 3.2.7 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via shortcode ↗
   2023-11-28 CVE-2023-49151 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.2.7 Patched in 3.2.8
4. Patched Medium · 4.3 Simple Calendar <= 3.2.4 - Cross-Site Request Forgery via duplicate_feed ↗
   2023-10-20 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects < 3.2.5 Patched in 3.2.5
5. Patched Medium · 4.3 Google Calendar Events <= 3.2.5 - Cross-Site Request Forgery via bulk_actions ↗
   2023-10-18 CVE-2023-46189 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 3.2.5 Patched in 3.2.6
6. Patched Medium · 4.3 Simple Calendar <= 3.1.42 - Cross-Site Request Forgery to Transient Cache Clearing ↗
   2023-05-11 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 3.1.42 Patched in 3.1.43
7. Patched Medium · 6.1 Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin < 2.0.4 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2014-10-08 CVE-2014-7138 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.0.4 Patched in 2.0.4

Translated into 130 languages, 1 at 90% or more

Plus 106 more locales with partial translations.

Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.

This plugin’s searches fall outside the topics measured so far. See the topics measured so far.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2025-06-08 60K+ → 50K+ down after 857 days in tier
2. 2023-02-02 70K+ → 60K+ down after 819 days in tier
3. 2020-11-05 80K+ → 70K+ down after 177 days in tier
4. 2020-05-12 90K+ → 80K+ down after 742 days in tier
5. 2018-05-01 80K+ → 90K+ up after 360 days in tier
6. 2017-05-06 70K+ → 80K+ up after 415 days in tier
7. 2016-03-17 60K+ → 70K+ up after 137 days in tier
8. 2015-11-01 70K+ → 60K+ down after 17 days in tier

Competes with

The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin: 50K+ active installs, 3.8★ (397 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-04. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/google-calendar-events