The Events Calendar: Category Colors vs ACF Color Swatches (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
The Events Calendar: Category Colors
5.0K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, The Events Calendar: Category Colors has a higher user rating (5/5 from 61 reviews) and leads in active installations (5.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. The Events Calendar: Category Colors has accumulated 445K+ total downloads while ACF Color Swatches has 19K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | The Events Calendar: Category Colors | ACF Color Swatches | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 | |
| Total Reviews | 61 | ◄ | 1 |
| Active Installs | 5.0K+ | ◄ | 1.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 445K+ | ◄ | 19K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 6 months ago | ◄ | 7 years ago |
| First Released | 2012 | 2018 | |
| Age | 14 years | 8 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.3+ | 4.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 5.6+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 7.4.2 | 1.0.7 |
Rating Breakdown
The Events Calendar: Category Colors
ACF Color Swatches
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, The Events Calendar: Category Colors averaged approximately 21 daily downloads while ACF Color Swatches averaged 4.
Recent Reviews
The Events Calendar: Category Colors Reviews
[Solved] Not usable
Has not been working since I installed it 6 weeks ago :/ edit: solved with latest release This topic was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by elmanuuu. This topic was modified 1 year, 4 m
Disappointed
Officially recommended by Events Calendar (/knowledgebase/the-events-calendar-category-colors/), bugged with new versions of the plugin and time needed for a fix is incredibly long.
Incredible Support
Support was extremely responsive to an update issue. This makes an already stellar plugin even better.
ACF Color Swatches Reviews
The missing ACF color swatch
Great addition to the ACF family.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Events Calendar: Category Colors or ACF Color Swatches more popular?
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.