In this article, we are going to review 9 of the best event management and planning apps for 2025
For you convince here is the full list of Apps
- DeadSimpleChat
- Cvent
- Whova
- EventBrite
- Slido
- Poll Everywhere
- Tripleseat
- Zoom Events
- RingCentral Events
- Airtable
- Zoho Backstage
- Bizzabo
- Swapcard
- Planning Pod
DeadSimpleChat
DeadSimpleChat is a robust, real time chat application for events. It specializes in integrating live chat including, group chat and 1 to 1 chat functionality into virtual and hybrid events
Providing organizers to engage attendees, some of the features include:
- Add Scalable Chat to your app in minutes: Easy to add the chat to any website, by just pasting the embed code where you want the chat to appear
- 10 Million Online Concurrent users: Highly scalable chat with upto 10 Million concurrent users support
- 99.999% Uptime: 99.999% uptime and 100% uptime during events
- Moderation features: Moderation features like ban users, delete messages, A.I based moderation, shadow ban, banning bad words and more
- 1-1 Chat: Ability to enable/ disable 1-1 chat for your users
- Group Chat: Highly scalable group chat
- Fully Customizable: Fully customizable including colors, fonts and your custom branding with UI based chat customization
- Chat API and SDK: Ability to performs all functions using Chat API and SDK. It is up to you, if you want the automation using Chat API and SDK or use the UI based management in Chat
- Pre-Built Chat: The chat is pre-built, just paste the code in the website where you want the chat to appear.
- Polls: You can conduct Polls with DeadSimpleChat
- Surveys: You can conduct surveys with DeadSimpleChat
- Single Sign On: You can automatically login users that are on your website to chat and assign them usernames with Single Sign On. If you do not use SSO then users can create any username and join the chat
- Reactions: You can enable reactions in the chat if you want the users to be able to use reactions in the chat
- Analytics and Reporting: You can see the analytics and reporting in the chat dashboard
- Live Q&A: You can also conduct Q&A with your audiences with DeadSimpleChat.
Use Cases
- A Hybrid tech conference with integrated live stream and DeadSimpleChat for group chat, 1 to 1 chat and live Q&A sessions.
It specializes in integrating live chat functionality into virtual and live events providing organizers to tools to engage with audiences
2. A global virtual summit with multilingual chat features that help attendees chat with each other.
Pros and Cons
- Easy to integrate with your website
- Highly customizable with colors, fonts and branding
- Effective moderation and analytics tools
- Ability to download chat history etc
- Single Sign On feature where visitors that are logged into your website are automatically logged in to chat
- Or users can create any username and enter chat.
Cons
- Not a full event management tool, this is a chat feature that you can add to your event
Cvent
Cvent is a leading event management platform, it caters to large scale enterprises and corporate events.
With large set of tools for event planning and analytics. This is an all in one tool for event organizers that want all the bells and whistles for event planning and management
Key Features
- Registering and Ticketing: Advanced customization options are available for attendee registeration and ticketing
- Event Marketing and Automation: You can conduct Email Campaigns, create landing pages and lead tracking is integrated into the platform
- Onsite Solutions: Badge printing and check in tools are available for in person events
- Analytics & Reporting: Advanced analytics and event reporting tools are available
- Integration Capabilities: Connects with CRM tools like Salesforce, Hubspot and others
Pros & Cons:
- Highly scalable and suitable for events that need a full suite of features from event registration to booth pages etc.
- Comprehensive marketing and reporting tools.
- Excellent customer support.
Cons
- Steep learning curve for new users.
- High cost, especially for small to medium business.
Whova
Whova is an event management platform with attendee engagement tools. It has support for both virtual as well as in person events.
It provides tools that maximize networking and participant interaction
Key features
- Attendee Networking: AI powered matchmaking and attendee profile
- Event App: It has a mobile app that you can use for agendas, announcements and engagement
- Interactive features: Live polling, Q&A and other
- Custom Branding: You can customize the app with your branding and colors
- Sponsorship features: You can showcase sponsor ads, virtual booths and in-app banners
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Engagement features and networking tools
- Interactive features for organizers and easy to setup as compared to full event platforms such as Cvent.
- Good for hybrid events and small virtual events
Cons:
- Limited Scalability
- Advanced features are locked behind very pricy higher tiers
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is one of the popular ticketing platforms and event promotion platforms. It is user friendly in design, and its wide audience reach makes it a good choice for small to medium events.
Key features
- Ticketing and Registration: Customizable ticket options are there plus it comes with a built in payment processing system
- Event Promotion: You can easily integrate it with social media platforms
- Real time analytics: Track ticket sales attendee demographics and event performance
- Mobile App: It comes with a mobile app that you can use for check in process and tracking the people coming for the event.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Simple Interface for organizers and attendees
- Pricing is a cut of the ticket prices, so for free events it is free
- Event discovery features on eventbrite platform
Cons:
- Limited in customization
- Fees can add up for large events as pricing is 3.5% plus $1.59 per ticket.
Slido
Slido is an audience interaction tool with Q&A sessions, polls, etc. It enhances audience engagement with active participation and is suitable for in-person, virtual, or hybrid events.
Basically, you can add Slido to any third party app such as Zoom or Google Meet then add the interactive features to the video call app
Key Features
- Live Q&A: It has Live Q&A features built into it
- Polling: You can add polling to other video call apps such as Zoom or Google Meet
- Analytics: It has analytics built into it, so that you can see details about polling, Q&A and others
- Integrations: You can integrate it with most video call apps such as google meet or zoom
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- User friendly and intuitive
- Has audience engagement tools
- Compatible with major virtual events platforms
Cons:
- Focused on engagement lacks basic features such as chat and other event management features
- Requires a subscription to access advanced features may not be suitable for one time events
Poll Everywhere
Poll everywhere is a real-time engagement tool, through polls, quizzes, and surveys.
It is a good choice for hybrid and virtual events with tools such as polls and quizzes for an interactive experience for attendees.
Key features
- Live polling
- Interactive Q&A
- Surveys and Quizzes
- Presentation and Integration
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Versatile polling and integrations
- Easy to setup for organizers
- Free tier for smaller events
Cons:
- Limited features in free version
- Advance features require pricier plans
Tripleseat
Triple Seat is a platform that is built for venue management and event planning.
It caters to the hospitality industry specifically. It has booking processes and enhances communication between venues and clients.
Key features
- Lead Management
- Event Booking
- CRM integration
- Customizable templates
- Revenue tracking
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Specialized product for hospitality industry and venue management
- Makes it easy to communicate between client and vendors
- Excellent reporting tools for tracking revenue and performance
Cons:
- Less suited for broader event management
- Pricing is steep
Zoom Events
Zoom events is a newer entry into the event management platform category. It is an extension of Zoom meetings and is tailored for virtual and hybrid conferences
Zoom events has event registration, attendee engagement and analytics and it uses zoom conferencing capabilities
Key Features
- Event Hubs
- Registration and ticketing
- Networking
- Event Analysis
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Fully integrated into Zoom interface
- Excellent for virtual and hybrid event setups
- Streamlined attendee management and analytics
- Full Platform for event management
Cons:
- Limited in customization as compared to other platforms
- Steep pricing
RingCentral Events
Ringcentral events is a platform for team collaboration and co ordination during events.
It has video conferencing and team messaging tools that are to be used by organizers who are managing hybrid or virtual events
Key features
- Video streaming for up to 5000 viewers
- Team messaging tools for communicating before, during and after the events between organizers
- Real time Collaboration: Document sharing and editing on the ringcental platform
- Integrations: Seamlessly integrate with your other office tools such as Salesforce, Slack and Microsoft 365
- Moderator controls: Advanced moderator controls for managing virtual events
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Highly reliable for team communication and collaboration during the event planning and during the live event
- Scalable for small meetings and organizing large events
- Strong security and compliance measures
Cons:
- Lacks specialized event management features such as ticketing and attendee engagement
- Tool for organizing events and thus maybe an overkill for smaller events.
Airtable
Airtable is a project management tool that is designed for creative teams and event planners. It comes with customizable workflows.
Airtable is like a hybrid between a spreadsheet and a database offering tools for events planners
Key Features
- Customizable templates
- Collaborative features
- Integration capabilities
- Visualization Options
- Automation
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- It is a flexible and adaptable tool that can be used for planning different types of events
- Intuitive interface that is suitable for beginners and advanced users alike
- It is a good tool for managing data heavy tasks such as venue details and vendor lists
Cons:
- Requires customization for complex tasks which can quite complex and time consuming
- Does not have native event specific features such as ticketing and engagement features
Zoho Backstage
Zoho backstage is an end to end event management platform that ment for event organizers and has a streamlined approach catering to both virtual and in person events.
It is part of the Zoho suite of products and makes it a go to choice for those who are already in the Zoho ecosystem
Key features
- Event website builder
- Registration and ticketing
- Engagement tools
- Agenda management
- Analytics
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Deep integration with Zoho tools such as Zoho CRM and Campaigns
- Offers a lot of features
- Affordable as compared to other large enterprise providers
Cons:
- This may not scale for large scale users
- UI can feel cluttered as compared to other providers
Bizzabo
Bizzabo is an all in one platform tailored for experiential marketing and analytics driven events
It is designed to help organizers and attendees excelling in hybrid and virtual events
Key Features
- Event Marketing Tools
- Audience Engagement
- Advanced Analytics
- Hybrid Event Capabilites
- Custom Branding
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Good for organizations that are focused on marketing and branding
- It has strong analytics and ROI tracking capabilities
- It is suitable for complex hybrid events with large audiences
Cons:
- Higher pricing for small businesses
- Advanced features that requires a learning curve, if you are not already in the Zoho ecosystem
Swapcard
Swapcard is a leading platform that is focused on networking focused events, It offers tools that prioritize meaningful networing oppertunities between attendees
It has tools for both in person and virtual events
Key features
- AI powered matchmaking
- Virtual Expo Booths
- Engagement tools
- Event App
- Analytics
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- It has features for attendee engagement and networking
- Good for events that has a strong focus on exhibitor and sponsor value
- Intuitive and easy to navigate interface
Cons:
- This lacks advanced management features for planners
- Pricing is very expensive for smaller events
Planning Pod
It is an event management tool that is designedfor small busineses and indipendent event planners in mind
It is a cheap tool that simplifies event organization while keeping the cost down
Key features
- Task Management
- Budgeting tools
- Attendee Management
- Vendor Management
- Templates
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Affordable for small event planners
- It has comprehensive tools for managing budgets, vendors and attendees
- User friendly interface with minimum learning curve
Cons:
- Limited scalability features
- Lacks advanced amrketing and attendee management features that are found in bigger competitiors
