Introduction
As hybrid and virtual events continue to grow in popularity, event organizers need robust platforms that can replicate the experiential elements of in-person gatherings through online formats. This guide evaluates the leading virtual event solutions based on criteria like registration and networking capabilities, live streaming quality, and customization options to identify the top products for creating engaging digital experiences. We considered platforms best suited for various event types from large conferences and expos to smaller workshops and webinars.
Methods of Evaluation
To rank the platforms, we evaluated them based on industry recognition and awards, number of features, engagement tools like polling and breakout rooms, ease of use, pricing affordability, and online presence factors like backlinks, traffic and keyword trends. Specifically, we looked at capabilities like registration management, virtual networking, customizability, mobile accessibility, reporting and analytics. We also factored in the platforms’ suitability for different event sizes and formats ranging from intimate online classes to large hybrid trade shows.
1. Facebook
Facebook is a social media giant known for connecting people with existing friends and communities. While primarily a social network, Facebook has expanded into business tools and services over the years. This includes Facebook Rooms, a video calling and chat feature integrated into the core Facebook platform.
Pros: Key advantages of using Facebook for virtual events include:
– Leverages existing network to drive engagement. Event organizers can invite existing Facebook friends and communities.
– Rooms feature adds integrated video calling functionality for virtual gatherings.
– Free option available which is suitable for casual or community uses without a dedicated budget.
Cons: The main disadvantage is lack of advanced event management tools in the free tier. Organizing formal virtual conferences or multiday events may require upgrading to a paid Facebook Business account with more features.
Pricing: Facebook offers both free and paid tiers for businesses and organizations:
– Basic Facebook account is free and sufficient for informal community uses of Rooms.
– Facebook Business accounts start at $4.99/month and unlock more advanced event and admin features.
Some key stats about Facebook’s virtual event capabilities:
– Over 2.9 billion monthly active users on Facebook as of Q3 2022.
– Facebook Rooms launched in 2020, allowing group video calls of up to 50 people.
– Free tier is good for informal, community uses but lacks advanced event features.
2. Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect is a leading virtual events platform developed by Adobe. For over 15 years, Adobe Connect has helped organizations worldwide host engaging virtual meetings, webinars, and events. With robust features and high customization, Adobe Connect enables creating immersive online experiences.
Pros: Some key advantages of Adobe Connect include:
– Robust feature set tailored for complex virtual events
– High degree of customization and branding options
– Strong analytics and reporting capabilities
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that it has a higher upfront and monthly cost compared to some other platforms due to its robust feature set tailored for large enterprises.
Pricing: Adobe Connect pricing starts at $50 per host per month for smaller implementations. However, for medium to large scale deployments, pricing is custom-quoted based on needs and may range from $50 – $150 per concurrent user per year.
Some key stats about Adobe Connect include:
– Used by over 10,000 companies globally including 90% of Fortune 100 companies
– Hosts over 10 million meetings and webinars every month
– Supported on all major browsers and devices with no additional plugins required
3. Zoom
Zoom is one of the most popular and widely used video conferencing platforms. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in San Jose, California, Zoom’s platform allows users to host virtual meetings, webinars, and conference calls through a easy to use online platform and mobile apps.
Pros: Some of the main advantages of Zoom include: – Widely known and used platform that’s easy for participants to join. – Intuitive and easy to use interface for both meeting hosts and participants. – Affordable pricing plans for various business needs. – Tight integration with other products in the Zoom suite like Chat, Phone, and Webinars.
Cons: While very full featured, some potential disadvantages of Zoom include: limited free basic plan compared to competitors like Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
Pricing: Zoom offers various paid subscription plans for businesses starting at $15/month for the Pro plan which supports up to 100 participants and includes features like meeting length limits of 24 hours, closed captioning, and breakout rooms. The Business plan starts at $20/month and removes participant limits while adding additional admin controls and reporting features.
Some key stats about Zoom include: – More than 281,000 customers with more than 10 employees. – Over 661,400 customers have been on rides, conferences, and events in a single day. – Zoom reported $2.65 billion in revenue for FY 2022, up 21% year-over-year.
4. Discord
Discord is a free chat platform popular among gamers and online communities. Initially designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile communication platform used by a wide variety of groups.
Pros: Some key advantages of Discord include: – Simple and free to use for text, voice and video calls. – Popular among gamers and suitable for virtual meetups and collaborative work. – Robust feature set for customizing server organization and roles. – Integrates well with other apps and services through its API.
Cons: The main disadvantage is that Discord is primarily designed for casual communication rather than formal business meetings. Its feature set may not be robust enough for complex virtual events with many breakout sessions and sessions tracks.
Pricing: Discord is free to use for both personal and commercial use. It offers subscription plans like Nitro ($4.99/month) and Nitro Classic ($9.99/month) that provide additional perks but are not required for basic usage.
Some key stats about Discord include: – Over 150 million monthly active users. – Originally launched in 2015 as a communication platform for gamers. – Available as an app for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux and the web. – Offers both public servers for open communities as well as private servers for groups by invite only.
5. TeamViewer
TeamViewer is a leading remote connectivity platform that enables users to securely access any computer or mobile device remotely. With TeamViewer, users can control computers from another desktop or laptop, mobile devices and provide remote support.
Pros: Some key advantages of using TeamViewer for virtual events include:
– Easy remote access and screen sharing capabilities without requiring any installations. Users can securely connect within minutes.
– Stable video conferencing functionality even with large number of participants.
– Intuitive interface that requires little training to get started with screen sharing or video calls.
– Remote control features allows presenting, troubleshooting or collaborating on another user’s device.
Cons: The free basic version of TeamViewer has limited functionality. The paid plans are required for larger events or advanced features like co-browsing, advanced security controls etc.
Pricing: TeamViewer offers both free and paid plans. The free basic personal use license allows remote access and screen sharing but limits connection time and number of hosts. Paid professional subscriptions start from $49 per year and offer advanced features and scalability for businesses, schools and events.
Some key stats about TeamViewer:
– Over 2.5 billion devices have been connected via TeamViewer.
– Has over 35 million users globally.
– Supports connections to Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android devices.
– Provides remote support to 40,000 business customers.
6. Cisco Webex Events
Cisco Webex Events is a leading virtual event and webinar platform. As the flagship product of Webex, it offers high-quality video streaming and a wide range of features to power virtual experiences. Whether hosting an online conference, product launch, training, or more, Webex Events provides an all-in-one solution.
Pros: Key advantages of Webex Events include its wide range of features for live video streaming, virtual networking, lead generation, education and other use cases. It also offers high quality video and audio capabilities. Additionally, Webex Events provides easy registration and management tools.
Cons: As a paid product, Webex Events may not be suited for organizations on a tight budget. However, it does offer a free trial to help evaluate the platform.
Pricing: Webex Events pricing starts at $49 per host per month for up to 500 attendees. Additional packages are available for higher attendee capacities, recurring events, and enterprise-level support.
Some key stats about Webex Events include hosting thousands of events daily with over 25 million attendees each month. It supports events with up to 100,000 attendees and integrates seamlessly with other Webex and Cisco products.
7. Cvent
Cvent is a leading event management platform for in-person, virtual and hybrid events. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, Cvent’s software helps event professionals plan, market manage and optimize events. With over 4,000 employees globally, Cvent offers a wide range of tools to support the entire event lifecycle from concept to follow up.
Pros: Some key advantages of Cvent include:
– Deep event management workflows and integrations
– Focused on conferences, trade shows and summits
– Well integrated registration, lead retrieval and CRM
– Comprehensive set of features to support all aspects of event planning and management
Cons: A potential disadvantage is the complexity of the platform which may have a steep learning curve for smaller events with limited budgets and team sizes.
Pricing: Cvent offers flexible pricing plans including per-user pricing starting at $49/month as well as enterprise pricing tailored for large organizations with thousands of users or events. There is also a free basic plan for smaller events.
Some key stats about Cvent include:
– Hosts over 25,000 events each year
– Supports more than 400,000 users
– Manages over $37 billion in economic impact from events
– Served over 1.5 million meetings, events and webinars in 2021
8. Splash
Splash is an event marketing platform that helps companies market, manage, and measure their live, virtual, and hybrid event programs. Founded in 2012, Splash provides companies a fully customizable platform to create engaging virtual and hybrid events.
Pros: Some key advantages of Splash include: fully customizable virtual and hybrid events that can be tailored to any event needs, a drag-and-drop event builder for an intuitive design and management experience, live video streaming and on-demand virtual sessions to engage attendees, and robust analytics to measure event success.
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the paid plans can be cost-prohibitive for some very small events or budgets. However, Splash does offer a robust free version as well as affordable pricing tiers for most organizations.
Pricing: Splash offers a free Basic plan as well as Pro, Team, and Enterprise pricing tiers starting at $49/month. The paid plans unlock more features like additional user licenses, advanced reporting, and large event capabilities. All plans include a free 14-day trial.
Some key stats about Splash include: hosting over 10,000 events each year, serving over 5 million attendees annually, and having a developer team of over 50 people.
9. GoToWebinar
GoToWebinar is a leading virtual events platform for organizations of all sizes. Founded in 2014 and owned by LogMeIn, GoToWebinar allows organizers to create and host webinars, virtual trainings, online seminars and virtual conferences.
Pros: Some key advantages of GoToWebinar include:
– Powerful registration, reporting and analytics
– Intuitive dashboard great for organizers
– Good for larger enterprise webinars and virtual conferences
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that GoToWebinar is more expensive than some other virtual events platforms and may not be suitable for very small organizations or individual presenters on a budget.
Pricing: GoToWebinar pricing starts at $99 per month for up to 500 attendees. Additional packages are available for larger events and enterprise needs, with premium plans offering unlimited attendees and additional features starting at $249 per month.
Some key stats about GoToWebinar include:
– Used by over 85,000 organizations worldwide
– Hosts over 1.5 million meetings and webinars each month
– Supported in 14 different languages
10. Hopin
Hopin is a leading virtual events platform that helps organizations connect with their audience through online experiences. Founded in 2020, Hopin hosts everything from large conferences and trade shows to internal all-hands meetings and workshops.
Pros: Some key advantages of Hopin include:
– Customizable virtual environments to replicate real-life events
– Integrated features like live streaming, webinars, networking, and more
– Affordable monthly and annual pricing plans
– Well suited for large conferences and trade shows
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that some customization options require additional fees or add-ons depending on the event needs and scale.
Pricing: Hopin offers flexible pricing plans starting from free basic accounts suitable for smaller events, all the way to enterprise plans for large organizations. Popular monthly plans range from $49-399 and annual plans provide savings of up to 30%.
Some key stats about Hopin include:
– Used by over 85,000 customers including IBM, AT&T, and Sky
– Held over 1 million events on the platform
– Facilitated connections between over 30 million people globally
11. ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting is a leading virtual events platform that allows businesses to host online meetings, webinars and conferences without any installation required. Founded in 2012, ClickMeeting offers an all-in-one platform to conduct video meetings, trainings, webinars and more through a unified experience.
Pros: Some key advantages of ClickMeeting include: – Wide range of features like polls, quizzes, virtual background at affordable pricing tiers. – Innovative engagement tools like AR/VR filters and interactions modes. – Integrated registration tools and insightful analytics on attendee engagement and ROI.
Cons: One potential disadvantage is the lack of deep integrations with third-party tools like CRM platforms compared to some competitors.
Pricing: ClickMeeting offers three pricing tiers – Basic at $49/month, Growth at $99/month and Elite at $199/month. All tiers include unlimited online meetings and webinars along with advanced features like registration forms, polls and engagement analytics.
Some key stats about ClickMeeting include: – Hosted over 5 million events. – Used by 20,000+ customers worldwide including Amazon, Toyota and Dell. – Support for up to 1000 participants on a single webinar. – Simultaneous translation into over 100 languages.
12. InFluence
InFluence is a leading virtual event platform that allows users to host both internal and external events online. Founded in 2013, InFluence helps businesses and organizations engage with attendees, speakers, sponsors and vendors in an interactive virtual environment.
Pros: Some key advantages of InFluence include:
– Integrated sponsorship, marketing and CRM workflows to help organizers manage sponsorships and track leads
– Live event tech including streaming and virtual rooms to enable sessions, networking and expo hall experiences
– Robust networking, lead retrieval and matchmaking tools to facilitate engagement
– Well suited for large conferences and expos with its ability to support thousands of concurrent attendees
Cons: One potential disadvantage is the learning curve needed to fully utilize all the features within the InFluence platform. It may require training and support to configure all the virtual event settings and functionalities.
Pricing: InFluence offers different pricing tiers based on event size and requirements. Basic plans start at $5,000 for smaller events up to 250 attendees. Premium packages for larger events supporting thousands of attendees are available starting at $15,000.
Some key stats about InFluence include:
– Hosted over 5,000 virtual and hybrid events for companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and IBM
– Supported over 2 million attendees at virtual events
– Integrations with platforms like Zoom, YouTube and WebEx to enable live streaming
13. CrowdCast
CrowdCast is a leading virtual event platform that enables organizers to host engaging online events. Founded in 2013, CrowdCast has helped thousands of companies, associations, and individual create custom virtual experiences. Their solution supports both online-only events as well as hybrid events with both in-person and online attendance.
Pros: Some key advantages of CrowdCast include:
– Hybrid event solutions including live streaming capabilities perfect for hybrid in-person and online events
– Ability to create fully customizable virtual environments and event spaces
– Features like Q&A, polls and breakouts to foster interactivity and engagement
– Robust free version available making it accessible for organizers on a budget
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the customization options on the free tier are more limited compared to the paid plans.
Pricing: CrowdCast offers both free and paid plans. The basic free plan provides many core features but has limitations on features like customization. Paid plans start at $49/month and provide more advanced tools and support higher attendance capacities.
Some key stats about CrowdCast include:
– Supported over 250,000 total events
– Has hosted events in over 160 countries
– Supports events of all sizes from small meetups to large conferences with tens of thousands attendees
14. Whova
Whova is a leading event engagement platform that helps event organizers create inspiring virtual, in-person and hybrid events. Founded in 2012, Whova has helped thousands of event organizers engage millions of attendees around the world. Their full-service event apps and management tools allow organizers to plan, market and host successful events both online and offline.
Pros: Some key advantages of Whova include:
– Robust networking features to foster engagement among virtual attendees
-Customizable agenda, session catalog and speaker profiles
– Integrated sponsor/exhibitor tools to promote partners and drive leads
– Analytics and reporting to measure event success and ROI
Cons: A potential disadvantage is that the customization options may require non-technical admin users to have some design experience to create a fully branded event site.
Pricing: Whova offers several flexible pricing plans starting from their Basic plan at $149 per month for up to 100 attendees. Their most popular Pro plan starts at $299 per month for up to 500 attendees. They also offer customized enterprise plans for very large events.
Some key stats about Whova include:
– Used by over 6,000 clients including Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft, Starbucks and Adobe
– Hosted over 5,000 events with over 10 million attendees
– More than 400 customization options to create a branded event experience
– Integrations with 50+ tools including Zoom, Eventbrite, Cvent and FTP
15. Vfairs
Vfairs is a leading virtual event platform that helps event organizers plan and host hybrid, in-person and virtual events. Founded in 2014, Vfairs provides a all-in-one event platform to help event planners transform live experiences into digital. Their platform is well suited for events like trade shows, career fairs or conferences that require both in-person and virtual elements.
Pros: Some key advantages of the Vfairs platform include: Live expo halls, networking lounges, and sessions; Lead retrieval and matchmaking capabilities; Well suited for trade shows and career fairs; Robust free version available
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the paid tiers can be more expensive for larger events compared to some competitors
Pricing: Vfairs offers a free basic plan as well as paid pro and enterprise plans starting at $99 per month for the pro plan.
Some key stats about Vfairs include: – Hosted over 10,000 events on their platform – Supported over 5 million attendees – Available in over 40 languages
Conclusion
Based on our analysis, the top platforms stood out for their all-in-one virtual and hybrid event solution, robust feature sets, customization, and affordability. Solutions like Hopin, Influence and Cisco Webex Events excelled at recreating the overall experience of in-person gatherings through virtual environments, live streaming, sponsorship opportunities and networking tools. Meanwhile, ClickMeeting, Splash and Crowdcast are also great choices for building engaging online experiences on a budget. We hope this guide helps you choose the right virtual event platform to power interactive and impactful digital experiences for your attendees.