The Freaky Blog
Flywheel5.1/10Sugar Calendar8.1/10

Flywheel vs Sugar Calendar

Sugar Calendar wins 2 of the 3 points we can measure. Here's how they compare on price, features, ratings and deals.

At a glance

FeatureFlywheelSugar Calendar
Our score5.1/108.1/10 (better)
Starts at$25/month$49.50/year
Free versionNoYes (better)
Refund window60 days (better)14 days
BillingSubscriptionSubscription
Active installs–10K+
Last Black Friday––
CategoryOther toolsOther tools
VendorWP EngineSugar Calendar
Black Friday 2026Not announcedNot announced

Which should you choose?

Choose Flywheel if…

  • Designers and agencies building client sites
  • Freelancers who want a workflow-focused managed host
Flywheel reviewVisit Flywheel (opens in a new tab)

Choose Sugar Calendar if…

  • Sites that sell event tickets
  • Clubs and small organizations running events
  • You want to start free
Sugar Calendar reviewVisit Sugar Calendar (opens in a new tab)

Features

Flywheel

  • Staging sites
  • Local development environment
  • Nightly backups
  • CDN powered by Fastly
  • Free SSL per site
  • Plugin security alerts

Sugar Calendar

  • Recurring events
  • Ticket sales
  • Registration forms
  • Calendar blocks and widgets
  • Migration from The Events Calendar
  • Calendar feeds and sync

Pros and cons

Flywheel

  • Staging, nightly backups and free SSL on every plan
  • 60-day money-back guarantee on eligible new plans
  • Billing can be transferred to a client
  • Starter plan covers one site and 25,000 monthly visits
  • Each extra site costs $20 per month on top of the plan
  • Agency and custom plans are excluded from the 60-day guarantee

Sugar Calendar

  • Free version on WordPress.org
  • Sells tickets with Stripe or WooCommerce
  • One-click migration from The Events Calendar
  • 14-day money-back guarantee on all plans
  • Integration credits are capped at 1,000 to 5,000, depending on the plan
  • The Basic plan includes basic support only
  • Only annual subscriptions are offered

Pricing plans

Flywheel

  • StarterStarts here

    $25/month

    1 site

    • 25,000 monthly visits, 10GB storage
    • Billed at $300/year, includes 2 months free
    • Nightly backups kept for 30 days

  • Freelance

    $96/month

    Up to 10 sites

    • 100,000 monthly visits, 20GB storage
    • Billed at $1150/year, includes 2 months free
    • Additional sites at $20/month each

  • Agency

    $242/month

    Up to 30 sites

    • 400,000 monthly visits, 50GB storage
    • Billed at $2900/year, includes 2 months free
    • Agency and custom plans excluded from money-back guarantee

Sugar Calendar

  • BasicStarts here

    $49.50/year

    1 site

    • 1,000 integration credits
    • Unlimited events, calendars and attendees
    • Basic support

  • Plus

    $99.50/year

    1 site

    • 2,000 integration credits
    • Premium addons
    • Premium support

  • Pro

    $199.50/year

    3 sites

    • 3,000 integration credits
    • Premium addons
    • Premium support

What Reddit says

Flywheel

Reddit users describe Flywheel as neglected since WP Engine acquired it, with reports of slow dashboards, weaker support, and accounts being moved to WP Engine. Local by Flywheel also draws complaints about slow performance, and some users are looking for alternatives.

Sugar Calendar

Not enough Reddit discussion yet.

Flywheel vs Sugar Calendar questions

Is Flywheel better than Sugar Calendar?

On our comparison Sugar Calendar comes out ahead on 2 of 3 measurable points. The right pick still depends on what you build.

Which is cheaper, Flywheel or Sugar Calendar?

Flywheel starts at $25/month and Sugar Calendar starts at $49.50/year.

Can I get Flywheel or Sugar Calendar cheaper on Black Friday?

Both are on our Black Friday tracker. We'll add each discount the moment it goes live.

Both products

Related comparisons