Let’s face it: Cvent isn’t for everyone.
While the platform has some helpful features for managing large-scale corporate events, it's known for its steep learning curve owing to its complexity.
It’s also, shall we say, not exactly cheap.
Many event planners who’ve tried to use the solution end up jumping ship to a Cvent competitor. So, in this article, we'll help you explore some suitable Cvent alternatives that are more cost-effective and much more user-friendly.
To get an idea of what you should look for in a good Cvent alternative, let’s examine some of the most common issues event organizers have with the event management software.
They include:
Price. The price of Cvent is too high for small and mid-sized event planners.
Complexity. The software is far too complex.
Customization. There is limited ability to customize the platform to your individual needs.
Integrations. Users regularly come up against issues with integrating Cvent with other solutions.
Reports. Reporting in Cvent is fairly limited.
Support. Cvent’s support team is slow to respond when customers need help.
What you should look for when considering Cvent competitors depends a bit on your biggest issue with the platform. For instance, if price is the problem, prioritize finding an alternative that fits your budget.
Here are some of the features and considerations we recommend seeking out when choosing a Cvent alternative:
Affordability. Make sure you find a tool that fits your budget.
Integrations. Look for a solution that integrates nicely with the other tools you already use.
Support. Prioritize timely customer support, and ideally, find an option that offers helpful self-serve documentation so you can solve your own technical challenges.
Features. Look for a wide range of helpful event management features, like the ability to create a seating chart or send out automated event reminders.
Ease of use. Spend some time with a free trial of the tool to ensure it's easy to use and doesn’t have a prohibitively steep learning curve.
Templates. The best Cvent competitors offer pre-designed templates for event pages that make setting up a professional website easy.
Reporting. Look for deep reporting features with customizable dashboards and lots of readily digestible visuals.
These are 8 of our favorite Cvent competitors, chosen for their ease of use, affordability, and helpful event management features.
EventCreate is the event planning platform that more than 600,000 event organizers use to manage in-person events and create memorable attendee experiences.
Key features
Professional templates. EventCreate offers dozens of pre-designed templates to help you design a professional event website in minutes.
Seating chart creator. Help attendees find their seats and trade show exhibitors locate their booths with our drag-and-drop seating chart builder.
Sell tickets. Our zero-fee ticketing solution helps maximize ticket sales and drive return on investment.
QR code scanner. Streamline the event experience and get guests through the door quickly with our free QR ticket-scanning app.
Event registration. Take the hassle out of attendee management with our powerful event registration tool, and monitor real-time responses with our online RSVP tracker.
Pricing
Pricing for EventCreate’s paid plans starts at just $29 per month. We also have a free forever starter plan that includes up to one event and up to 50 attendees per event.
API & integrations
We offer direct integrations with hundreds of popular tools for online event marketing, such as Mailchimp, Facebook, and Salesforce. We also work with Zapier to help you build your own custom connections.
Limitations
EventCreate is designed to help small and mid-sized event organizers access powerful features at an affordable price. As such, we may not be a fit for large enterprise organizations that require specific features like single sign-on (SSO) or multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Why EventCreate is the best Cvent alternative
Compared to Cvent, EventCreate is far more cost-effective. We offer a variety of helpful tools for creating successful events, from free online registration to helpful email marketing features.
Our customers rate EventCreate 5/5 for customer support, value for money, and ease of use.
Bizzabo is an event management platform specifically designed for organizers planning corporate conferences.
Key features
Onsite software. Bizzabo comes with an app you can use to check attendees in. You can also integrate it with wearables like VIP access lanyards.
Livestreaming. The platform lets you livestream in-person events to reach a wider audience.
Event registration. With Bizzabo, you can offer free event registration, sell tickets, and provide personalized discount codes.
Pricing
Bizzabo costs $499 per user per month.
API & integrations
Bizzabo offers an open API that allows conference organizers to connect the software to every other tool in their tech stack.
Limitations
At $499 a month, Bizzabo is one of the more expensive solutions around. Some users note that creating customized reporting dashboards in the platform is also rather limited.
Eventtia is an all-in-one event management platform with tools for planning, promotion, and attendee engagement.
Key features
Event mobile app. Eventtia has a capable check-in app that helps your on-site event team get guests seated quickly.
Ticketing. The platform offers advanced ticketing features, such as the ability to configure time-based pricing or provide coupons and discount codes.
Event calendar. For organizers with multiple events in the pipeline, an Eventtia event calendar website is an effective way to show ticket buyers what’s happening and when.
Pricing
Eventtia offers three plans—Essential, Premium, and Enterprise—with licenses starting at $500.
API & integrations
Eventtia has an open API that lets developers create their own custom integrations.
Limitations
Eventtia may not be suitable for large-scale complex events. Also, while the platform does offer a mobile app, many users note that it is not as capable as the desktop version.
Splash is a Cvent alternative focused on marketing and promoting events.
Key features
Invites and reminders. You can send event invites and also schedule reminders using email automation.
Attendance insights. Splash has a strong event reporting suite with AI-powered insights into event performance.
Ticketing tiers. Event planners can set up various ticket tiers to manage VIP access or early bird sales.
Pricing
Splash has a free plan but does not advertise pricing for its paid options.
API & integrations
Splash integrates with dozens of popular tools, including ON24, Slack, and Greenhouse.
Limitations
Some users report that Splash is better suited to small and medium-sized events and that the advanced reporting functionality offered is not accessible via the mobile app.
Whova is an event management app with standard features like registration, a website builder, and name badge design.
Key features
Exhibitor management. Whova has a few unique features for online tradeshows, like tiered visibility and livestream demonstrations.
Advanced ticketing. The platform has several helpful ticketing aspects, such as providing personalized coupons and adjusting pricing based on dates to automate early bird discounts.
Attendance management. Whova has a mobile check-in app and a built-in QR code scanner.
Pricing
You'll need to request a personalized quote, as Whova does not advertise its pricing.
API & integrations
Whova doesn’t have many integrations, though you can build custom connections using Zapier.
Limitations
The lack of integrations offered by Whova prevents it from being a truly streamlined alternative to Cvent.
Stova is an end-to-end event management platform with a unique spin: They also offer managed services for putting on corporate events.
Key features
Managed services. You can pay Stova to put on events for you, which may be a suitable option for one-off corporate conferences.
Webinar function. Stova has a dedicated webinar solution for running hybrid events.
Event marketing features. The platform integrates with your CRM, has built-in email marketing tools, and offers unique pre-event networking features for attendees.
Pricing
Stova does not advertise pricing. However, reports indicate packages start at $10,000.
API & integrations
Stova integrates with a number of tools, such as CRMs, payment processors, and marketing automation tools.
Limitations
Aside from being quite expensive, Stova is also known for having a steeper learning curve than other alternatives, owing to its diverse feature set.
vFairs is another event management solution best suited to in-person events like conferences and tradeshows.
Key features
Event ticketing. vFairs has built-in ticketing tools.
Badge printing. You can use the platform to print name badges, which is helpful for large corporate conferences where all attendees may not know each other.
Analytics. There is a built-in event analytics platform for tracking event sign-ups and monitoring ROI.
Pricing
Unfortunately, vFairs is not forthcoming with pricing. You must speak with a sales rep to access this information.
API & integrations
vFairs has a solid list of integrations, including popular platforms like PayPal, Zoom, Salesforce, and Stripe.
Limitations
Not being upfront about pricing is usually a concern for modern software buyers. Some also complain that the platform’s user interface is dated and difficult to navigate.
InEvent is a basic solution for managing and promoting online and live events.
Key features
Website builder. You can use InEvent to create custom website pages.
Event map. The platform allows you to design a visual map to help event attendees navigate your venue.
Badge printing. InEvent has a built-in name badge printer for easy guest identification.
Pricing
InEvent costs $6,000 for a single event or $9,000 for an annual subscription.
API & integrations
InEvent integrates with several enterprise-facing software tools, like SAP Cloud, Marketo, and Tableau.
Limitations
InEvent is a much more expensive solution than most Cvent alternatives, especially for one-off events. The mobile event app is also much more limited than the desktop version.
There are plenty of great Cvent competitors on the market that tackle some of the software's issues, including poor integrations and excessive complexity.
EventCreate, our user-friendly event planning platform, offers a wide range of helpful event management features, a great support team, and dozens of beautiful website templates.
We’ve got plans to suit all budgets. What are you waiting for? Sign up for free.
Cvent, as powerful as it is, does have a few significant limitations.
Here are some of the main ones:
Price. Cvent is known for being expensive. It doesn’t advertise pricing on its website, which is usually a sign that a product has an enterprise-facing price tag.
Complexity. Cvent is built for large-scale corporate events. Its broad feature set is often overkill for small and mid-sized event planners.
Integration issues. Many users cite challenges integrating Cvent with other software and getting the API to work properly.
Limited reporting. Compared to many of the other Cvent competitors discussed above, Cvent’s event reporting suite is rather limited.
Slow support. One of the most common complaints about Cvent is that its customer support team is slow to respond—not ideal when you’ve got an urgent issue to solve.
Cvent is an event management platform that offers features to help event planners manage registration, check in, venue layouts, and more.
Cvent is known in the event management industry for being difficult to learn and use, especially for smaller events and one-time event planners.
Cvent may be better suited for large-scale corporate events where planners must source and organize multiple venues, vendors, and guest speakers.
Highly-rated and thousands of reviews worldwide, EventCreate is independently ranked a top event management platform.