How can I save money with Whova compared to other platforms?

Whova's lower ticket registration fees save organizers significantly compared to platforms like Eventbrite. For example, a $500 ticket event could save over $3,400.

12 Best Event Registration Platforms & Tools for 2026

Last updated: October 6, 2026

Registration can be seen as simple as filling in a form and recording the necessary information. But in order to streamline your event management and easily provide personalized experiences to your event attendees, event registration software and platforms can provide the right set of tools and workflows.

Form creation platforms such as Google Forms can help you with gathering information but a lot of manual work will be needed. Event registration platforms such as Whova can be affordable, easy to use, customizable and secure.

To help make your search for the best event registration software and platforms easier, we've reviewed the 12 popular options on the market. Start with our checklist, then see our detailed review to find the best fit for your event!

TL;DR

Key things to look for in a platform include: Reputation, Robustness, Security, Early Payout and Ticket Fees.
The main highlighted platforms are:
1. Whova: Best for professional conferences, association events, trade shows and expos with registration integrated with onsite operations, agenda, engagement and analytics.

2. Cvent: Best for large, complex events with advanced analytics and payment processing.

3. Bizzabo: Best for B2B marketing operations that need integration with demand-generation and CRM pipelines.

4. Eventbrite: Best for entertainment events, casual gatherings and meetings that rely on high event discovery.

5. Swoogo: Organizations with recurring events that require deep conditional logic.
Read more to find out each platform’s pricing, features, and ideal use cases.

What to Look For in an Event Registration Platform?

Reputation: Customers should speak highly of their product quality, ease of use and customer service on review sites like G2.
Robustness: The platform should have a 99% uptime and run with no major issues. If your registration platform is down for even a day, you can lose large quantities of potential ticket sales.
Security: The registration site should be compliant with PCI, SOC 2® Type II. Be conscious of payment and information security.
Early Payout: The platform should allow you to receive funds instantly to cover expenses.
Ticket Fees: The platform should take a minimal amount from your paid tickets. Also, it's beneficial for free tickets to be free.
Key Features: Depending on your registration needs, you might need custom question forms, multiple ticket types, integrations with AMS/CRM or connections to check-in.

What Level of Registration Software Do You Need?

Depending on the registration platforms, the level of customization and connections to other modules will vary. For example, an association will require members to be verified before they can access the member-only pricing or a conference might want exclusive access only for VIP tickets. According to your event's registration complexity and necessities, different registration software provide the right set of tools.

Basic registration and ticketing

Supports basic information collection and confirmation emails. Typical requirements include:

name/email collection
free or paid tickets
confirmation emails
basic attendee exports

This level will mostly cover smaller events such as community gatherings, clasess, workshops or social events.

Professional event registration

More professional and conference-oriented platforms will support different types of pricings and handle different types of attendees. Typical requirements include:

multiple attendee categories
early-bird pricing
discount codes
group tickets
add-ons
custom question forms
branded registration
attendee segmentation

Multi-workflow conference registration

Since events and conferences include other workflows aside from just registration, platforms on this level will be able to connect that registration data with other features. Additionally, the platform would be able to seamlessly handle different experiences for attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, VIPs or other attendee categories. Typically the registration would connect to:

session access
name badges
onsite check-in
agendas
attendee communication

Membership / association registration

Platforms that go beyond conferences start to cater to different customers such as associations and organizations that require unique features that can work alongside their association membership structures. Typical registration requirements for associations include:

member verification during registration
member vs non-member pricing
AMS integration
member-specific questions

Enterprise / highly customized operations

More granular control and reporting will be needed with enterprise level requirements. Typically requirements include:

advanced permissions
CRM/marketing automation
enterprise security/procurement requirements
sophisticated workflows

How Event Registration Software Pricing Works?

Event registration software have different pricing models where either organizer will need to pay for the full event or only pay for ticket fee transactions with limited functionalities.

Pricing models include:

Transaction-based pricing: Platforms charge some combination of percentage, flat fee and payment processing fees per registration.
Per-registration pricing: Organizer pays based on attendee volume.
Subscription pricing: Monthly or annual subscription that includes event creation with registration.
Enterprise/custom pricing: The pricing often includes attendee volume, registration, and other modules in the platform. Typically pricing is modeled around 1 or various events.

Below is an example of how ticket fees would be calculated for each platform according to their pricing plan.

Platform	Pricing model	*Ticket Fee	**$500 ticket fee
Whova	Custom Pricing	3.0% + $0.99	$15.99
Cvent	Enterprise pricing	Not disclosed	Custom
Bizzabo	Subscription pricing	$0 per ticket-fee	$0
Eventbrite	Transaction-based pricing	3.7% + $1.79	$20.29
Swoogo	Subscription pricing	$0 per ticket-fee	$0
RegFox Premium	Transaction-based pricing	1% + $1.99	Capped at $5.99
Wild Apricot	Subscription pricing	$0 per ticket-fee	$0
RingCentral Events	Subscription pricing	$0 per ticket-fee	$0
Ticketbud	Transaction-based pricing	2% + $0.99	$10.99
Rainfocus	Custom pricing	Not disclosed	Custom
Brushfire	Transaction-based pricing	1% + $1.50	$6.50
Goto Webinar	Subscription pricing	$0 per ticket-fee	$0

* Fees shown are only for tickets. Depending on the software, there will be additional charges for usage of the software. Also see each section for more detailed breakdown.
**Does not include any additional fees external from ticket processing.

12 Best Event Registration Platforms for Your Next Conference

Here is a table to summarize the 12 best event registration software Skip to detailed reviews

Platform	Rating	Best For	Registration complexity	Pricing Model	Key Registration Strengths
Whova	4.8/5	Conferences, association events, trade shows and expos with registration integrated with check-in, name badges, agenda and analytics	Multi-workflow and association registration	Per event pricing	Custom registration forms with custom fields and attendee segmentation, AMS member verification, Integrations with AMS/CRM platforms, Professional and branded registration page
Cvent	4.3/5	Enterprise level registration for summits, conferences and trade shows	Enterprise / highly customized operations	Enterprise contract	Registration integrated with hotel room requests and travel reservations, pre-populated registration forms, built-in registration approval workflows, integrated payment solutions
Bizzabo	4.3/5.0	B2B marketing organizations that want registration to integrate with their demand-generation and CRM pipelines	Multi-workflow conference registration	$499/user per month (billed anually)	Group ticketing and registration, abandoned registration targeting, referral incentives, integrations with CRM and marketing platforms
Eventbrite	4.3/5	Public entertainment events, social gatherings, parties, and casual classes that require basic registration and high event discovery	Basic registration and ticketing	3.7% + $1.79 per paid ticket	Public event discovery, customizable event pages, multiple ticket types, ticket scanning, attendance monitoring
Swoogo	4.5/5.0	Organizations with recurring events that want highly customizable registration	Multi-workflow conference registration	$11,800/year	Unlimited conditional logic, reusable registration paths, screen applicants individually or in bulk, drag-and-drop builder
RegFox	4.7/5.0	Conferences, workshops, camps and classes that need deep registration monetization and payment flexibility	Multi-workflow conference registration	Standard starts $0.99 + 1% per registrant	Optional convenience fees, purchaser protection with full refund, liability waivers in registration flow, installment payment support
Wild Apricot	4.0/5	Nonprofits, associations, and clubs looking for integrated membership management software and event management solutions	Membership / association registration	Start 100 contacts for $66/month or $59.40/month when prepaid annually	Registration integrated with membership databases, new member acceptance and membership renewal functionalities, event website and calendar creation
RingCentral Events	4.4/5	Virtual and hybrid events that require high interaction levels between attendees, sponsors, speakers, and vendors.	Enterprise / highly customized operations	$99 per organizer/month	Robust event registration tools for virtual attendees, import registrations from third-party systems, interactive experiences over live videos
Ticketbud	4.3/5	Festivals, parties, tours, and sports events where ticketing, access control, timed entry and onsite sales matter as much as pre-registration	Basic registration and ticketing	2% + $0.99 per ticket	Basic registration with timed entry, reserved seating, venue mapping and access control, category type support for VIPs, sponsors, vendors, crew and talent with custom intake forms
Rainfocus	4.3/5	Event planners in large enterprise events that need robust marketing, data analytics and complex personalized journeys	Enterprise / highly customized operations	Custom pricing	Personalized attendee experience determined by packages, rules, exceptions and attendee type, centralized attendee record containing packages, orders, schedules, uploads and other information
Brushfire	4.7/5	Church events and other religious gatherings that require family registration, waivers, assignments, donations and participant logistics	Professional event registration	$3,600/year	Customizable event pages and tickets, group registration for family registration and group-management workflows, integrated giving/donations in registration flow
Goto Webinar	4.4/5	Recurring webinars, training, product demonstrations and lead-generation programs where registration and webinar attendance analytics are the most important	Professional event registration	Starting $59/month, billed annually	Ability to approve or reject registrants, restrict access using email domains, source tracking for channels generating webinar registrations, CRM integration capabilities

Below are the 12 platforms we've reviewed with the categories in mind.

1. Whova

Rating: 4.8 (4,621)

Pricing: Fees are 3.0% + $0.99 per paid ticket, no fee for free tickets. Custom pricing per event.

Best for: Conferences, association events, trade shows and expos with registration integrated with check-in, name badges, agenda and analytics.

Whova is best for association events, professional conferences, trade shows, expos and summits where registration needs to connect with attendee management, onsite operations and the event experience. Widely recognized as one of the best event registration platforms, Whova is acclaimed for its ease of use and effectiveness in event management, backed by awards such as the Best Product Team at the Event Technology Awards.

Instead of treating all registrants identically, Whova supports attendee-specific ticketing and registration options while connecting registration with badges, check-in and the event app. For example, an association conference might be able to quickly offer separate registration paths for members, non-members, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors.

Key Registration Features

Whova's powerful event registration software supports a rich set of features.

Free or paid tickets with dynamic pricing and availability
Early bird, invite-only and member exclusive pricing
Custom registration forms with custom fields and attendee segmentation
Professional and branded registration page
Group tickets for bulk ticketing
Retargeting email campaigns for "abandoned" registrations
Booth selection for exhibitors during registration
A la carte sponsorship opportunities for sponsors
AMS member verification during ticket registration
Integrations with AMS/CRM platforms such as Hubspot, MemberClicks, iMIS and more
Integration with name badge printing, check-in, mobile event app, session access and targeted announcements

Strengths:

✓ Charges a lower ticket fee (3.0% + $0.99) and supports instant payout.
✓ Streamlined workflow from registration to onsite operations.
✓ Able to handle multiple event types such as conferences, expos, trade shows, nonprofit events, and association events.

Considerations:

❌ Not suitable for small gatherings (under 50 attendees) or personal events such as weddings and parties.

"Loved using Whova as an organizer! The registration module was incredibly easy to use and had every feature that I wanted. The name badge generator was really helpful, too. I also loved that the program could be integrated/exported, for display on our website as well as in the app."

— Jamie Payton, Associate Professor, Temple University

Whova event registration software book free demo

See how much fees you can save with Whova:

Average Ticket Price ($):		ESTIMATED TOTAL SAVINGS BY WHOVA:
Number of Attendees:		$3,415 savings over EVENTBRITE
		$14,824 savings over C****

C**** may lower the price for large enterprise customers.

2. Cvent

Rating: 4.3 (3,273)

Pricing: Enterprise contract pricing.

Best for: Enterprise level registration for summits, conferences and trade shows

Image credit to Cvent

Cvent offers a robust event registration suite for managing events of all sizes, featuring a wide range of tools for event marketing, attendee engagement, event data analytics, and integrated payment processing.

Key Registration Features:

Registration integrated with hotel room requesta and travel reservations
Pre-populated registration forms
Built-in registration approval workflows
Integrated payment solutions
Extensive analytics capabilities