Best Event Management Software in 2026

Event management software covers a lot of ground. At the simple end it means an event page, a registration form and a way to sell tickets. At the full end it adds a branded attendee app, a multi-track agenda, speaker and sponsor portals, badges, onsite check-in, lead capture and a virtual venue. The right platform depends more on what kind of events you run than on any feature list.

This guide compares six platforms that companies, associations and communities use for conferences, meetups and marketing events, whether in person, hybrid or virtual: Whova, Cvent, Bizzabo, Eventbrite, Splash and Luma. They differ most in how they charge. Eventbrite, Luma and Bizzabo publish their plan prices; Whova, Cvent and Splash ask you to book a demo first.

How We Compared

We compared these six platforms on published plans, fees and documented features. We did not run test events on them, and nothing here is based on hands-on testing.

• Pricing and fees were checked on each vendor's own pricing pages, help centers and legal terms on October 17, 2026. Figures are in US dollars and apply to US organizers unless we say otherwise. Fees change, so confirm them before you sign.
• Features come from each vendor's product pages and help documentation. Where a vendor doesn't document something, we say so rather than guess.
• G2 ratings: we could not verify a consistent rating and review count for any of these six products on G2, so we don't quote G2 scores in this article. Each tool card links to its G2 page.
• Quote-only tools: for Cvent, Splash and Whova's platform fee, no prices are published, and we don't repeat third-party estimates. If a number isn't on the vendor's site, it isn't in this article.

Whova review

Whova is built around the attendee. Its core is an event app that gives each attendee a personalized agenda, live polls, announcements, messaging and photo sharing, with networking tools such as business card scanning layered on top. Registration, the event website and onsite tools come bundled with that app rather than sold as separate products.

Key features

• Event app with personalized agendas, live polls, announcements, messaging and photo sharing
• Registration and ticketing with Stripe payouts and offline payments (check, cash, wire)
• Badges and kiosk self check-in, plus an event website builder with 20+ templates
• Networking including business card scanning; hybrid and virtual events with live streams
• Exhibitor and sponsor management with lead retrieval, plus abstract management and call for speakers

Pricing and fees

Whova does not publish platform prices. Its pricing page asks you to request a quote, and pricing is custom and set per event. There is no free plan. To try it, you book a 20-minute one-to-one demo and receive a trial afterward.

The ticket fee is published. Whova charges 3% of the ticket price + $0.99 per paid ticket, with no fee on free tickets and unlimited free tickets. Organizers can pass the fee on to registrants. Payments run through Stripe: you link your own Stripe account. Whova's pages don't say whether Stripe's own processing fee is charged on top, so ask about that in the demo.

On payouts, Whova offers early payouts. Funds are deposited into your Stripe account as tickets sell and can be transferred to your bank instantly, rather than held until after the event. That helps organizers who need cash for deposits before the event.

Registration is not sold on its own, so if you only need a ticketing page you'll be paying for an app you may not use.

Pros

• The attendee app, registration and networking come as one package instead of separately licensed modules
• Published per-ticket fee, with no fee on free tickets and the option to pass fees to registrants
• Early Stripe payouts let you use ticket revenue before the event

Cons

• No public platform pricing; every event needs a quote
• No free plan, and the trial is only available after a sales demo
• Registration isn't available as a standalone product

Who it's for

Whova suits conference and association organizers who want attendees to have a proper event app with agenda, networking and engagement tools, and who want registration and payouts handled in the same system. It covers corporate events, academic conferences, association meetings and trade shows, plus "MicroEvents" for smaller gatherings.

Cvent review

Cvent is the broadest platform here, selling registration, attendee apps, onsite check-in, virtual events, webinars and venue sourcing from one vendor. It is also a consolidator: Cvent acquired Splash (announced September 4, 2024) and closed its acquisition of webinar platform ON24 on April 1, 2026. Cvent itself has been privately owned by Blackstone since June 2023.

Key features

• Cvent Registration, Attendee Hub and branded mobile event apps
• OnArrival onsite check-in and badging
• Virtual, hybrid and webinar platforms
• Venue sourcing through the Cvent Supplier Network; exhibitor lead retrieval
• CventIQ AI features and reporting; API access and SSO on Enterprise

Pricing and fees

Cvent is quote-only. Its pricing page offers "Get a free quote" and "Get pricing" buttons and publishes no figures. It describes two packages:

• Professional (quote only): license Registration, Attendee Hub and OnArrival individually as needed; 15 user logins; exhibitor and speaker management, event reporting, venue sourcing and video storage.
• Enterprise (quote only): everything in Professional, plus bundled Registration, Attendee Hub, OnArrival and Essentials licenses; unlimited user logins; API access, SSO, MFA, and budget, task and resource management.

Cvent says it offers special rates to nonprofit organizations but gives no figures. 24/7 support is included for all customers. Cvent does not publish a ticket or payment fee schedule or payout timing, so those are questions for your sales call.

Pros

• The widest scope here: registration, apps, check-in, virtual events, webinars and venue sourcing from one vendor
• Venue sourcing through the Cvent Supplier Network, a feature none of the other five platforms document
• 24/7 support included for all customers

Cons

• No public prices of any kind
• Modular licensing on Professional: Registration, Attendee Hub and OnArrival are licensed separately
• Professional is capped at 15 user logins, and API access and SSO are Enterprise-only

Who it's for

Cvent is built for enterprises and associations running large, complex event programs: conferences, trade shows, seminars, training workshops, sales kickoffs, field marketing and internal events. Cvent says it is used by "89% of the Fortune 100." It makes most sense when you want everything under one contract and can negotiate a quote-based, modular deal.

Bizzabo review

Bizzabo positions itself as "#1 Event Management Software for B2B Conferences," and its pricing reflects that. It publishes a price, aimed at teams with a year-round event budget. It remains independent, and it sells Klik SmartBadge wearables as a separate product.

Key features

• Registration and ticketing with custom registration flows and email campaigns
• Event website and multi-track agenda builder
• Branded mobile event app, networking and matchmaking
• Virtual event venue and video streaming for virtual and hybrid events
• Onsite check-in, Klik SmartBadge wearables and sponsor lead capture

Pricing and fees

Bizzabo's main plan is the Event Experience OS at $499 per user per month, billed annually, with a minimum of 3 users. Bizzabo states it starts at $17,999 per year. That price includes unlimited events and registrations, ticketing, email campaigns, the website builder, the mobile app, the multi-track agenda builder, a speaker portal, sponsor lead management, the virtual event venue, community networking, video streaming, onsite check-in, curated onboarding and 24/7/365 support.

Klik SmartBadge is quote-only, with single-event and multi-event pricing available.

On ticket payments, Bizzabo's Organizer MSA says Bizzabo's fees are set in your Order Form. Payments go through a third-party payment processor you choose, and that processor's fees are in addition to Bizzabo's fees. Bizzabo doesn't handle payouts itself: you collect through your processor.

Pros

• A published price, unlike Cvent and Splash
• Unlimited events and registrations included in the subscription
• A long list of features in one plan, from agenda builder and speaker portal to virtual venue and onsite check-in

Cons

• High entry price: starts at $17,999 per year
• Annual billing with a 3-user minimum, so there is no way to buy it for a single event
• Payment processor fees are extra on top of Bizzabo's own fees

Who it's for

Bizzabo fits B2B marketing and event teams running a year-round program of conferences, field marketing events, internal corporate events and webinars, in person, virtual or hybrid. Because unlimited events are included, the price makes more sense the more events you run. If you run one conference a year, a per-event platform like Whova is the more natural comparison.

Eventbrite review

Eventbrite is the only platform here with a public discovery marketplace. Bending Spoons completed its acquisition of Eventbrite on March 10, 2026, and it still operates under the Eventbrite name. Publishing has been free since September 2024, so costs come from per-ticket fees and optional marketing extras.

Key features

• Online ticketing and registration with an event page builder
• Flexible ticket types, including reserved seating and timed entry, plus promo codes
• Discovery marketplace on eventbrite.com, plus Eventbrite Ads for sponsored placements
• Email marketing tools
• Organizer app for mobile check-in, ticket scanning and door sales, including Tap to Pay
• Real-time analytics, App Marketplace integrations, and scheduled or instant payouts

Pricing and fees

Publishing is free, for unlimited events, and there are no fees on free tickets. For paid tickets in the US, Eventbrite charges:

• Service fee: 3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket, calculated on the ticket price
• Payment processing fee: 2.9% of the total order, calculated on the order total including service fees and tax

You can pass fees on to attendees (added at checkout) or absorb them (deducted from your payout). One exception: for card sales through the Organizer app, the payment processing fee cannot be passed on. Fees vary by country, and legacy Essentials and Professional packages still exist in some non-US countries.

Eventbrite Premium costs $69 per month or $708 per year in the US (the annual plan saves $120). It adds promotion in Eventbrite's paid social campaigns, $20 per month in Eventbrite Ads credits, up to 2,000 marketing emails per day, priority support with live chat and 50% off Instant Payout fees. Premium is also sold in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and select European countries.

Eventbrite Pro, the older email marketing plan, is in an unclear state: Eventbrite's help center says new Pro subscriptions are no longer available, though existing subscribers keep their pricing. A Sales Partnership with custom pricing is available for large or high-volume events. Eventbrite Ads spend is not included in any plan.

Payouts: by default, Eventbrite sends your payout 3 business days after the event ends, and your bank then takes 2 to 3 business days in the US (5 to 7 outside the US). First-time organizers must wait until after their first event. After that, you can customize the payout schedule. Certain US organizers can use Instant Payouts at a 3% fee per payout (minimum $2.99, maximum $40), for USD sales, with 20% of net sales held in reserve; Instant Payouts aren't available after the event ends.

Pros

• Free to publish unlimited events, with no fees on free tickets
• Clear, published US fee schedule, with the choice to pass fees to attendees or absorb them
• A discovery marketplace that can bring in buyers who don't already know you

Cons

• On paid tickets, the 3.7% + $1.79 service fee plus 2.9% processing is the highest published per-ticket cost in this comparison
• Default payouts arrive only after the event ends, and first-time organizers can't be paid before their first event
• Instant Payouts are limited to certain US organizers, cost 3% (minimum $2.99, maximum $40) and hold 20% in reserve

Who it's for

Eventbrite suits organizers of public, ticketed events who want free publishing, pass-through fees and exposure on a discovery marketplace: concerts, festivals, nightlife, performing arts, fundraisers and parties, as well as corporate and virtual events.

Splash review

Splash is an event marketing platform built for teams that run many branded events as part of a pipeline strategy: field events, VIP dinners, partner events, user groups and webinars. Cvent announced its acquisition of Splash on September 4, 2024. The product is still sold under the Splash name at splashthat.com, and the site's forms and footer now reference Cvent.

Key features

• Branded event pages and registration with templates and central brand management
• RSVP and paid tickets through Stripe, with discount, early-bird, donation and add-on tickets
• Splash Host app (iOS, Android): QR check-in, kiosk mode, badge printing
• CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Cvent, Slack and Zoom; API (consulting required)
• Virtual Venue with streaming embeds and attendance synced to your CRM; approval workflows

Pricing and fees

Splash is quote-only. Its pricing page lists two plans, Pro ("for growth teams and high frequency event programs") and Enterprise ("for enterprise teams hosting events at scale"), with no prices. No free or self-serve plan appears on the pricing page. Splash says every plan includes unlimited events and unlimited attendees, and all paid plans include one user license, with more available. Phone support requires a paid support plan, and API access requires consulting.

For ticketing, sales run through your own connected Stripe account, so Stripe's processing fees apply. Splash doesn't publish its own per-ticket fee. Its ticketing page says Splash partners with 501(c)(3) organizations to offer discounted ticket fees, which suggests fees exist, but no amount is given. Tickets can be sold in any currency. Because money lands in your Stripe account, you control the payout schedule in Stripe.

Pros

• Strong brand control over event pages, registration and calendars across a whole event program
• Deep CRM and marketing automation integrations, with attendance synced back to your CRM
• Splash Host app covers onsite check-in, kiosk mode and badge printing

Cons

• No published prices; you need to talk to sales
• No free or self-serve plan on the pricing page
• API access requires consulting, and phone support requires a paid support plan

Who it's for

Splash fits marketing teams at mid-size and enterprise companies that run many branded, CRM-connected events, such as VIP dinners, roadshows, recruiting events and webinars, and that measure events by pipeline. It is less suited to a single large conference that needs a full attendee app.

Luma review

Luma (now at luma.com; lu.ma redirects there) is the lightest platform here. Guests register with a name and email, no account needed. It is built around calendars that people subscribe to, which makes it a natural fit for communities that host recurring events.

Key features

• Fast event pages; guests register with name and email, no account needed
• Calendars with subscribers, newsletters, event chat and paid memberships
• Paid tickets with ticket types, donation pricing, coupons, approvals and waitlists
• QR check-in in Luma's iOS and Android apps, plus Wallet passes; email, SMS, push and WhatsApp blasts
• Integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, HubSpot and Salesforce; Zapier and API on Plus

Pricing and fees

• Free ($0, forever): unlimited events and guests, up to 500 invites or newsletters per week, up to 3 calendar admins, check-in, ticket types, coupons, approval gating and Zoom integration. 5% platform fee on paid tickets.
• Luma Plus: $69 per month billed monthly, or $59 per month billed annually. 0% platform fee. Adds 5,000 invites or newsletters per week, tax collection, a check-in manager role, custom event URLs, 5 calendar admins (extra seats $12 per month, or $9 per month billed annually), Zapier, API access and priority support. Plus applies per calendar, not per account.
• Enterprise: custom pricing, with SSO, security restrictions and advanced integrations.

Extra weekly sends on Plus are sold as add-ons, from 10,000 sends for $50 per month up to 100,000 sends for $800 per month, billed annually. Nonprofits get 40% off Luma Plus.

Stripe's card fee comes on top of Luma's platform fee; Luma says it is typically 2.9% + 30 cents. Free events are free. Fees are deducted from each transaction, and Luma has no option to add a booking fee at checkout, so hosts who want attendees to cover fees raise the ticket price instead. Luma's own example: a $20 ticket costs $1.88 in fees on Free and $0.88 on Plus.

Stripe is the only payment processor. Luma doesn't support Stripe accounts in India or in Stripe's "Extended network" countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, and there is no PayPal or Razorpay. Payouts go to your Stripe account as tickets sell, on Stripe's rolling schedule (Luma says typically 2 days in the US).

Pros

• A real free plan with unlimited events and guests, and no fee on free events
• Luma Plus removes the platform fee entirely for $59 per month billed annually
• Very low friction for guests: no account needed to register

Cons

• No reserved seating or seat maps
• Stripe is the only processor, and India-based and Extended-network Stripe accounts aren't supported
• No option to add a booking fee at checkout; fees are absorbed or built into the ticket price

Who it's for

Luma suits community builders, meetup organizers, startup and tech communities, and companies hosting recurring brand or community events who want polished pages, calendars and good guest communication with no cost on free events. It is not built for multi-track conferences that need speaker management, sponsor portals or a full attendee app.

What 300 Tickets at $50 Cost in Fees

To make the fee schedules comparable, here is one example: 300 paid tickets at $50 each, $15,000 in ticket sales, sold by a US organizer. We used only the published US fee figures listed above. We ignored sales tax, which would raise Eventbrite's processing fee because it is calculated on the order total including tax. Subscription and platform charges are listed separately.

How the numbers work:

• Luma. The 5% Free platform fee is 5% of $50 = $2.50 per ticket. Luma describes the Stripe fee as "typically" 2.9% + 30 cents, so the processing figure is approximate: $1.45 + $0.30 = $1.75 per ticket, or about $525 for 300 tickets. This matches Luma's own example of $1.88 in fees on a $20 ticket on the Free plan.
• Whova. 3% of $50 is $1.50, plus $0.99, for $2.49 per ticket. Whova doesn't say whether Stripe's processing fee is added, so we haven't added one. If it is, your total will be higher.
• Eventbrite. The service fee is 3.7% of $50 ($1.85) plus $1.79, or $3.64 per ticket. If you absorb fees, the attendee pays $50 and processing is 2.9% of the $50 order, $1.45. That is $5.09 per ticket, or $1,527 total, leaving about $13,473 before tax. If you pass fees on instead, attendees pay the $3.64 service fee plus 2.9% processing on the larger order total (about $1.56 on $53.64), so each buyer pays roughly $55.20 and you receive close to the full $50.

The takeaway: for 300 tickets at $50, published per-ticket costs range from about $525 (Luma Plus, plus its subscription) to $1,527 (Eventbrite, fees absorbed). That gap is small next to Bizzabo's $17,999 starting subscription, which is why ticket fees should only be one part of your decision. For conferences, the platform price (per event or per year) usually matters more than the ticket fee.

Quote-Only Platforms: What to Ask in the Demo

Cvent and Splash publish no prices, Whova quotes its platform per event, and Bizzabo sets its ticket fees in your Order Form. Go into the sales call with specific questions. These are gaps the published pages leave open, not claims about any vendor.

Contract and commitment

• Is this priced per event, per year or per user? What is the minimum term?
• Does the contract renew automatically, and how much notice do we need to give to cancel?
• Is there a free trial, and what does it include? (Whova offers a trial after a 20-minute demo; Cvent's and Splash's pages don't mention one.)

Registrations and users

• Are there limits on registrations, attendees or events? (Bizzabo and Splash state unlimited events.)
• How many user logins are included, and what does an extra one cost? (Cvent Professional includes 15; Splash includes one user license on paid plans; Bizzabo requires a minimum of 3 users.)
• Which modules are included and which are licensed separately? (Cvent Professional licenses Registration, Attendee Hub and OnArrival individually.)

Event app and branding

• Is the attendee app branded with our logo and colors, or the vendor's?
• Is the app included in the base price, or an add-on?

Payments and payouts

• What is your per-ticket fee, if any? Is it in the contract?
• Which payment processors can we use, and are processing fees charged on top of your fee? (Whova doesn't state whether Stripe's fee is extra; Bizzabo's MSA says processor fees are extra.)
• When do we receive ticket revenue: as tickets sell, or after the event?

Support and integrations

• Is API access included, or does it need a higher tier or consulting? (Cvent reserves it for Enterprise; Splash's API requires consulting.)
• Do you offer nonprofit or association rates? (Cvent mentions special nonprofit rates without figures.)

How to Choose

Start with event size and frequency

Bizzabo charges a flat annual subscription with unlimited events, so it gets better value the more events you run. Whova quotes per event, which fits organizers with a small number of larger events. Cvent scales from repeatable smaller events up to full conferences, but on modular, quote-based licensing. Luma and Eventbrite cost nothing to publish, so their cost scales with paid tickets.

In person, hybrid or virtual

All six support in-person events. For virtual and hybrid, Cvent, Bizzabo, Splash (Virtual Venue) and Whova offer dedicated virtual venues or live streaming. Luma integrates with Zoom and Google Meet for online events, with attendance tracking through Zoom.

Ticketing or registration

If you're selling tickets to the public, ticketing details matter: Eventbrite offers reserved seating, timed entry and a discovery marketplace; Luma doesn't support seat maps. For invited attendees at a conference or marketing event, look at registration flows, approvals and CRM sync instead: Bizzabo, Splash, Luma (approvals and waitlists) and Cvent Registration.

Budget model

• Want to see the full price before talking to anyone? Eventbrite, Luma and Bizzabo publish their prices.
• Want no subscription? Eventbrite and Luma Free charge only on paid tickets and are free for free events.
• Want a predictable annual number? Bizzabo's published subscription or a negotiated Cvent or Splash contract.
• Want to pay per event? Whova quotes per event.

Networking and the attendee app

If attendees need to see the agenda, message each other, scan business cards and answer live polls, you need a real event app. Whova, Cvent (Attendee Hub) and Bizzabo (branded mobile app, plus Klik SmartBadge wearables) are built for this. Splash's Host app and Eventbrite's Organizer app are for organizers checking people in, not for attendee networking. Luma offers event chat and community features rather than a conference app.

When you get paid

If you need ticket revenue before the event, payout timing matters. Whova, Luma and Splash pay into your Stripe account as tickets sell. Bizzabo pays through your chosen processor. Eventbrite pays 3 business days after the event ends by default, with paid Instant Payouts only for certain US organizers. Cvent doesn't publish payout terms.

Final Verdict

Whova is our top pick for most conferences and association events. It bundles an attendee app (agenda, networking, polls, messaging) with registration, badges, kiosk check-in and exhibitor lead retrieval, publishes its 3% + $0.99 ticket fee, and pays ticket revenue into your Stripe account before the event. Be ready for the trade-offs: the platform price is quote-only and set per event, you need a 20-minute demo to get a trial, and registration isn't sold on its own.

Choose Cvent if you run a large enterprise or association event program and want registration, apps, onsite check-in, virtual events and venue sourcing from one vendor, and can negotiate a modular, quote-based contract.

Choose Bizzabo if you're a B2B event team running conferences and field events all year and can commit to its published price, starting at $17,999 per year.

Choose Eventbrite if you're selling tickets to public events and want free publishing, reserved seating and a discovery marketplace, and can accept higher per-ticket fees and payouts after the event.

Choose Splash if you're a marketing team running many branded, CRM-connected field events and webinars and you can buy through sales. Remember that it's now part of Cvent.

Choose Luma if you run community events and meetups. Its free plan has unlimited events and guests, free events cost nothing, and Luma Plus at $59 per month billed annually removes the 5% platform fee on paid tickets.