“Are you open?” is the question local businesses get most. A business hours plugin shows the answer automatically, everywhere on your site, and updates it in real time. Here is how to compare the options.
1. Live open / closed status
The main reason to use a plugin instead of typing hours by hand: a badge that says “Open now”, “Closes in 30 min” or “Closed – opens tomorrow at 9:00”, calculated with your time zone.
2. Multiple slots per day
Restaurants and shops often close for lunch. Check that each day can have two or more time slots, and that hours past midnight work for bars.
3. Holidays and exceptions
This is where most plugins fall short. You need single-day closures, special hours on specific dates and date ranges for annual leave, which apply automatically and expire afterwards. See how to show holiday opening hours.
4. Display options
- A compact badge for the header or home page.
- A full weekly table for the contact page and footer.
- Today’s hours only, for small spaces.
Blocks, shortcodes and widgets make placement easy.
5. Several locations or services
If you have two shops, or different hours for the shop and the workshop, check that you can create several schedules.
6. Caching compatibility
If your pages are cached, a status calculated on the server may be outdated. Plugins that update the status in the browser stay correct even on cached pages.
7. Consistency with Google
No plugin updates Google for you. Keep your Google Business Profile hours identical to your site, especially for holidays. More in how to add an open now badge.
Checklist
- Live status with time zone
- Several slots per day
- Holidays, special dates, date ranges
- Badge + table + today
- Correct on cached pages
Our option
OpenHours covers several slots per day, overnight hours, holidays and date ranges, a live badge that updates by itself even on cached pages, hours card and badge blocks, shortcodes and LocalBusiness structured data, with a one-time price. See the live status on the opening hours demo, and read the essential plugins for local businesses.
Frequently asked questions
Why not just type my hours in the footer?
You can, but you must update them by hand for every holiday, and visitors do not see whether you are open right now.
Will the status be correct on cached pages?
Only if it is calculated in the browser or the cache is refreshed. Check this before choosing.
Can I show hours for several shops?
Yes, if the plugin supports multiple schedules.