Eventbrite and Ticket Tailor are useful starting points for ticketed events. Luma suits community meetups, while Whova and Zoho Backstage deserve attention for conferences and attendee engagement. Cvent and Bizzabo are stronger candidates for organizations managing complex event programs.
The right choice depends on what happens beyond registration. A 40-person workshop needs a straightforward checkout and reliable reminders. A three-day conference may need session reservations, speaker management, sponsor reporting, and separate experiences for online and onsite attendees.
This guide evaluates seven platforms using official product information and published pricing. It is a research-based buying guide, not a hands-on performance review. Prices were checked in November 2026; regional charges, taxes, and contract terms can differ.
What Does Event Software Do?
Event software helps organizers manage activities before, during, and after an event. Depending on the platform, those activities include:
- Building event websites and registration forms.
- Selling tickets and managing attendee information.
- Sending confirmations, reminders, and updates.
- Organizing speakers, sessions, and schedules.
- Checking in guests and printing badges.
- Supporting networking, livestreams, and audience interaction.
- Reporting attendance, revenue, and engagement.
Ticketing software focuses on selling admission and managing entry. Broader event management platforms connect more of the event lifecycle.
That distinction matters. An attractive registration page does not necessarily include a virtual venue, session capacity controls, or an attendee networking app.
Event Software at a Glance
The “best fit” assessments below reflect workflow suitability rather than a universal ranking. Pricing details are explained and sourced in the individual sections.
| Platform | Best fit | Pricing approach | Main buying consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eventbrite | Public workshops, classes, and ticketed gatherings | Free events; fees on paid tickets | Percentage and fixed fees affect margins |
| Ticket Tailor | Organizers prioritizing straightforward ticketing | Usage fees or prepaid ticket credits | Payment processing costs are separate |
| Luma | Networking events and recurring communities | Free tier; Plus subscription | Free tier charges a platform fee on paid events |
| Zoho Backstage | Teams needing registration, sessions, and virtual features | Free tier, subscriptions, or per-event plans | Attendee limits and features vary by tier |
| Whova | Conferences and association events | Custom quote | Confirm app, registration, and add-on scope |
| Cvent | Complex conferences and organizational event programs | Custom quote | Solutions and contract scope determine cost |
| Bizzabo | Recurring business events and marketing teams | Annual subscription plus optional extras | Minimum annual commitment is substantial |
7 Event Platforms Worth Considering
1. Eventbrite: Best for Public Ticketed Events
Eventbrite combines ticketing with an event discovery marketplace. Its published features include event pages, registration forms, ticket types, reminders, waitlists, mobile check-in, and reporting.
Its US pricing page lists 3.7% plus $1.79 per paid ticket, alongside 2.9% payment processing per order. Free events have no ticketing fees. Organizers can absorb fees or pass them to buyers; advertising and expanded marketing services can cost extra. These figures should not be treated as worldwide rates.
Practical fit: A trainer selling seats for a public workshop can handle booking and entry while gaining a listing where people already search for events.
Tradeoff: Marketplace visibility does not guarantee sales. Fixed fees also have a larger proportional impact on inexpensive tickets. Check the buyer’s final checkout price before deciding who pays the charges.
2. Ticket Tailor: Best for Straightforward Ticketing Costs
Ticket Tailor uses flat ticketing fees rather than taking a percentage of each ticket’s face value. Organizers can pay as tickets sell or purchase credits upfront.
The pricing page retrieved during research displayed £0.60 per paid ticket, or prepaid credits from £0.22 per ticket, plus VAT where applicable. The lowest prepaid rate depends on purchase volume. It also lists up to 5,000 free tickets annually without ticketing charges. Payment processing remains separate. Ticket Tailor
The platform supports event pages, attendee emails, check-in, time slots, reserved seating, and reporting.
Practical fit: A charity dinner or workshop series with an existing audience can prioritize ticket sales without needing an extensive conference platform.
Tradeoff: Budget for your own promotion and any separate virtual-event technology. Ticket Tailor connects with Stripe, PayPal, and Square, but available currencies depend on the processor.
3. Luma: Best for Community and Networking Events
Luma’s free plan includes unlimited events and guests, registration approvals, reminders, check-in, and CSV imports and exports. Paid events carry a 5% platform fee, plus payment processing.
Luma Plus costs $59 per month billed annually and removes the platform fee. It also adds higher invitation limits, Zapier workflows, and API access. Stripe processing fees still apply.
Practical fit: A founder community hosting monthly networking evenings can maintain a recurring calendar and manage invitations without building a large event website.
Tradeoff: Unlimited guests does not mean unlimited invitation sends. Free accounts have a weekly invitation and newsletter allowance.
For budgeting, the $708 annual Plus subscription equals 5% of $14,160 in annual ticket revenue. Above that revenue, removing the platform fee could offset the subscription alone, assuming otherwise identical costs.
4. Zoho Backstage: Best for Small Teams Needing Broader Features
Zoho Backstage combines event websites, registration, session management, check-in, and webcasting.
Its free tier supports 100 attendees, three sessions, and three speakers per event, with sessions limited to 45 minutes. The official USD listing showed Essentials at $99 per month billed annually, including 200 attendees per event. Subscription and per-event purchasing options are available.
Higher tiers add capabilities such as multilingual websites, lead capture, recordings, and Zoho CRM integration. Essentials includes bilingual websites and scheduled attendee emails.
Practical fit: A small organization running educational events can start with a limited program and upgrade as its sessions and audience grow.
Tradeoff: Check the specific tier carefully. A free plan that accommodates your audience may still fail your session-length requirements. Zero ticketing commission also does not eliminate payment gateway charges.
5. Whova: Best for Conference Engagement
Whova brings together registration, agenda building, speaker coordination, check-in, badge printing, and event reporting. Its attendee tools include messaging, networking, polls, and Q&A, with support for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.
Pricing requires a quote based on event size and selected services. Some functionality, including speed networking, is a paid add-on.
Practical fit: An association conference where delegates need to find sessions, meet peers, and interact with exhibitors.
Tradeoff: Engagement features need an adoption plan. Include attendee onboarding in your communications and give people a specific reason to use the app, such as arranging meetings before arrival.
Ask for an itemized quote covering registration, the attendee app, ticket charges, onsite equipment, and support.
6. Cvent: Best for Complex Event Operations
Cvent offers registration, personalized booking paths, session management, event websites, and housing and travel management. Its Attendee Hub supports engagement and virtual experiences, while OnArrival covers check-in, badges, and attendance tracking.
Pricing is quote-based. Professional customers license selected solutions; Enterprise packages include broader capabilities.
Practical fit: A conference with different delegate categories, accommodation requirements, multiple tracks, and controlled session access.
Tradeoff: A broad platform creates more configuration decisions. Establish who owns registration rules, reporting, and staff training before purchase.
Request a demonstration using your actual registration exceptions—for example, members receiving discounted admission while sponsors receive complimentary passes.
7. Bizzabo: Best for Recurring Business Event Programs
Bizzabo’s published annual starting price is $17,999, with a three-user minimum. Its core offering includes event websites, registration, email campaigns, a mobile app, and reporting.
Premium add-ons include virtual experiences, advanced onsite tools, CRM integrations, networking, and API access. These should be priced explicitly in the proposal.
Practical fit: A marketing team running several business events and needing consistent registration processes and reporting.
Tradeoff: The annual commitment is difficult to justify for an occasional small event. Evaluate cost across the full program, including staff time and required integrations.
Define the reporting outcome first: registrations, qualified conversations, sales opportunities, or customer engagement. A dashboard is useful only when it answers the team’s actual questions.
How to Calculate the Real Cost
A subscription price rarely tells the whole story.
Total event technology cost = subscription or event license + ticketing fees + payment processing + add-ons + equipment and support.
Ask vendors to separate:
- Platform charges: Monthly subscriptions, annual contracts, or single-event licenses.
- Usage charges: Paid tickets, registrations, attendees, or excess email sends.
- Payment charges: Card processing, currency conversion, refunds, and disputes.
- Optional services: Badge printers, branded apps, integrations, streaming, and onsite assistance.
For illustration, suppose 300 tickets sell for $50 each. A hypothetical platform charging $1 per ticket plus processing of 2.9% and $0.30 per transaction would cost $825, assuming one ticket per transaction and no additional fees.
Passing charges to attendees changes who pays; it does not remove the cost. Also check payout timing: money arriving after the event may not help cover an earlier venue deposit.
Features to Test Before Choosing
Registration and Check-In
Create a test booking with multiple attendees, a discount, and a dietary request. Then change one attendee’s details and process a cancellation.
Check whether buyer information and attendee information are stored separately. One person purchasing five tickets should not automatically become five identical guest records.
For onsite events, test scanning, duplicate-ticket handling, accessibility, and the process during an internet outage.
Session Scheduling and Hybrid Access
An agenda displays a schedule. Session booking controls attendance. Confirm whether your chosen platform supports the level you need.
For hybrid events, verify remote access, captions, recordings, moderation, and concurrent streams. A livestream embedded on a page is only one part of the experience.
Ask how remote questions reach the onsite moderator and whether virtual attendees receive their own instructions.
If your event includes online workshops or smaller interactive sessions, our Google Meet vs Zoom guide explains meeting limits, recording options, and participation tools.
Integrations and Reporting
Request a demonstration of the exact data flow into your CRM, email service, or accounting system.
Can it distinguish registered attendees from actual attendees? Does a refund update the connected record? Is the integration included or separately licensed?
For a workshop, attendance and satisfaction may be sufficient. A sponsored conference may also need session participation and exhibitor lead reporting.
If your team needs to organize attendee relationships and follow up on sales opportunities, explore our guide to CRM software for managing event leads.
International Events: Check These Details Early
Organizer eligibility and attendee access are different questions. A platform may welcome international guests while its payment provider cannot onboard an organizer in every country.
Luma depends on Stripe and explicitly excludes accounts served through Stripe’s Paystack extended network, including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana. Ticket Tailor’s currencies vary by connected processor. Luma Help
Before committing, verify:
| Requirement | What to check |
|---|---|
| Currency | Ticket currency, settlement currency, and conversion charges |
| Language | Checkout, confirmations, app navigation, and support |
| Time zones | Event time, attendee-local display, calendar invites, and daylight-saving changes |
| Privacy | Data location, retention, deletion, access permissions, and sponsor sharing |
| Tax handling | Tax-inclusive pricing, invoice fields, collection settings, and responsibility for remittance |
| Support | Availability during your event’s local operating hours |
Treat privacy and tax capabilities as procurement questions. Request documentation appropriate to your organization and jurisdiction rather than assuming a software setting resolves every obligation.
FAQs
What is the best free event software?
For free community gatherings, Luma is worth considering. Eventbrite offers free-event ticketing, while Zoho Backstage provides a limited free tier with broader event tools. Choose according to registration, communication, and session requirements.
Which platform suits a fundraiser?
Ticket Tailor and Eventbrite are reasonable ticketing shortlists. However, an event ticketing tool may not cover auctions, recurring donations, donor records, or acknowledgment workflows. Define those requirements separately before selecting a platform.
Do small events need an attendee app?
Not necessarily. A single-room workshop may work well with confirmations, reminders, and a check-in list. An app becomes more useful when attendees need changing schedules, networking, maps, or session interaction.
Is virtual-event support the same as video conferencing?
No. Video conferencing handles the live conversation. Event management adds registration, access control, communications, scheduling, and reporting. Verify how these parts connect and which video licenses are included.
Final Words
Choose two platforms that match your event format and budget, then run the same registration-to-reporting test in both.
For a first event, prioritize a smooth booking process, reliable communication, and manageable fees. For a recurring conference program, give more weight to session management, integrations, staff workflows, and support. The best event software is the one your team can operate confidently when guests arrive.