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Top virtual events platforms: Review and comparison of top applications

Mar 9, 2023

You've come up with some brilliant ideas for your online conference -- even reached out to potential guests to speak at your event. And they're showing enthusiasm, and so are your participants!

However, let's think is the best thing about the online platforms you'd choose to utilize to host your virtual gathering?

Tough call? Truth be told: despite the variety out there It can be a challenge to determine if a software is capable of fulfilling all your expectations while offering attendees a remarkable (and free of errors) event experience.

However, there are platforms with helpful support staff who will help you organize your ideal virtual event -- be it a conference that spans multiple days or a live workshop for training or even a webinar. You only need to find this treasure.

In this article, we'll assist you in doing just that by examining the best six platforms for virtual events. They are all are based on a small sample of these programs and going through the many reviews of third-party reviewers on these systems.

Now, let's dig into:

In this article

What should you look for in the virtual conference platform

Before we get into the most effective platforms to host online events, let's highlight what makes a good tool for hosting online events by reviewing must-have capabilities.

Make sure you bookmark this page so that you can refer to this list of features when selecting your ideal virtual event platform:

 A plethora of helpful and simple integrations

Integrations with your CRM and email software, for example, is essential for sending customized invitations for events and turning guests to customers who are loyal.

 Intelligent UX

An intuitive interface allows users to use the program and explore the features and drive the most benefits from it. It also means you can start the software up and running yourself -- no outside help needed.

 Stream quality

Your event's audio or video quality can directly affect the guests' experiences, causing people to remain until the conclusion. Make sure the software you choose offers HD quality streaming, comes with no issues with performance, and allows you to download your content at a high quality.

 A robust analytics system

 Dynamic audience engagement tools

Hosting polls, quizzes, and Q&As are all essential instruments for engaging your visitors and to improve their experience. Your platform should offer these tools alongside creating breakout rooms for promoting attendee-to-attendee networking.

 Proactive customer support

Lastly, ensure the software's service team is prompt and responsive to any your questions. A good way to determine the support team's efficiency is to question them about the program prior to purchasing it as well as during the trial period. How they respond to questions will be a reflection about the way they treat the customers and their potential customers.

The top 6 virtual platform for events (based on extensive review and testimonials from users)

For a full listing of the best conference websites:

Each tool I've discussed its main features, who it's best for and where it can win, and its cons in relation to what users have shared on other websites like G2 and Gartner.

Let's go.

1. Events

 Events is an easy to use online, web-based platform for virtual events suitable for event marketers with the ability to handle organizing online events.

The speakers you invite to speak at your event, as well as guests as well as your guests don't require any other software to setup or create an event .

Pros

  • Events can assist you in your event creation and promotion workflow. The platform can be connected to your CRM and marketing email software, to build customized registration forms, and email invitations for events that are automated, event confirmation and reminder emails, and engage attendees after the event.
  • Provides sophisticated analytics that can help you improve your event marketing strategy. When the event has concluded will provide you with specific event- and viewer-level analytics that tell you who attended and how long they stayed, and how they engaged throughout the event.
  • Creates a brand-named visual experience. Utilize the drag-and-drop feature to include full-screen images, lower thirds of the intro speaker as well as customized branding.
  • It gives you the video editing and hosting toolkit for repurposing event video material. Utilize it to edit, trim chapters, edit, or enhance your video recording and upload to various marketing channels.

 Cons

  • The software isn't designed specifically for meetings in internal settings in the same way that Zoom and other meeting software are. Events is better for webinars, virtual venues, town halls, and more.
  • Events is a brand new and innovative virtual event experience platform, so it doesn't have the same brand recognition as the established players in this space.

2. Zoom

Best-known for hosting on-one-on meetings, Zoom lets you host digital events as well. It's best for creators and entrepreneurs in small businesses who wish to monetize virtual events.

 Pros

  • There are plenty of ways for engaging attendees, and letting attendees interact as well as your sponsors.
  • The process of setting up and creating the webinar on Zoom is straightforward -- especially for those who are already comfortable with the software.

 Cons

  • Average video quality. In the case where HD video clarity (1080p) is standard, Zoom offers 720p for two or more attendees at the same conference. You'll need to pay more for hosting virtual events in HD video.
  • Joining a virtual event hosted with Zoom isn't always easy. The best option for those who are new to the app is to arrive five minutes before the event to download and set up the application. This for event planners translates to poor attendee experience.
  • Zoom is expensive to host conferences with a large audience making it ineffective to scale events using this technology.
  • There are no control options available to hosts. Zoom offers no way for hosts to control chat chats in real-time which is something you have to be mindful of when hosting public events.

 Pricing

The pricing of Zoom is based on the number of attendees attending the event. For a rough estimation, prices for a 100-people event is $990 annually.

 Find out more about Zoom

3. Hopin

Hopin lets event marketers across the board accommodate as many guests as they want. Like Zoom the cost of hosting is based on the number of participants, which can make it difficult to grow with this platform. The one area where it can beat Zoom is that it offers features for moderators of comments.

 Pros

  • Hopin provides an event branding studio where you can customize your event registration page and virtual event venue.
  • Moderation features and makes it easy for several speakers to connect.
  • Includes a mobile-friendly app which allows guests and speakers can interact with and connect from their mobile devices.

 Cons

  • The event analytics don't go into depth.
  • There aren't any tools available to repurpose and reuse the content of your virtual events.
  • A handful of users complain about audio and video performance issues in events hosted by Hopin. One person notes, "I don't like performance issues with audio or video. People who don't have the best internet connections have issues with lag. This [doesn't] happen with other alternative solution[s]."

 Pricing

A free option is available which allows one administrator to organize events lasting 2 hours with up to 100 guests. To learn more about pricing, plans can be locked.

4. GoTo Webinar

GoTo Webinar ideal for creatives as well as smaller businesses that host small-scale events that can accommodate that can accommodate up to 3,000 participants, which is less than the offerings that Hopin and Zoom provide.

It's also an excellent option for creators or solo-business owners hosting paid-for training seminars because GoTo Webinar directly connects with Stripe and allows you to receive the payment.

Pros

  • GoTo Webinar offers audience engagement tools including polls and Q&A. Hosts are also able to draw on the display.
  • The multi-presenter option for webinars offers up to six organizers the capability to deliver.

Cons

  • The user interface is outdated so some users report it can take some time to master GoToWebinar.
  • Some users complain of issues with performance as the number of attendees rises above 1,000 people. There are reviews complaining of audio quality issues, too.
  • Certain features such as the file sharing feature are very slow. Some features can be difficult to find or confusing to utilize.

 Pricing

The trial period is 7 days and free for 7 days. The rest of it costs money with prices starting at just $49 per host per month (for hosting up to 250 participants).

5. Cvent

Cvent can be ideal for business organizers who host events in person, such as exhibitions and trade events due to their check-in feature.

Contrary to other platforms for online conferences, it's not very applauded among users for hosting virtual meetings.

 Pros

  • Cvent offers onsite check-in and badging software that prints attendees' photos on the day of arrival. A few users have posted complaints on third-party review sites saying Cvent was printing incorrect pictures.
  • It lets you integrate multiple systems to connect your tech stack and streamline the process.
  • Comes with the standard audience engagement tools along with AI-powered recommendations for networking, as well as the ability to play games.

 Cons

  • User interface is outdated.
  • Poor customer support and limited training resources/documentation, which aggravates the steep learning curve, making it challenging to start and get the most value from the platform
  • There are a few ways to personalize the branding of your company, gain access to analytics and have live chat

 Pricing

Prices are based on your needs, so you should request a quote for an idea of how much Cvent cost.

6. On24

On24 is a virtual event platform that is ideal for businesses seeking to host webinars as well as multi-session events.

 Pros

  • Proactive customer support team.
  • The tool helps simplify a number of processes. Plus, offers integrations to ensure that your marketing and sales teams.

 Cons

  • There are a few content layouts available, which limits your options in customizing your online event Registration and login pages.
  • The interface for users is not user-friendly, and the editor functioning as a code editor, adding to the steep learning curve.
  • There's no way to create the online event. It means you'll need be able to compromise audience engagement to make sure the show's smooth as you conduct the event on the fly. One reviewer writes, "I would love to be able to storyboard my webcast and determine who's on the screen as well as where their faces appear in the media tile, do lower thirds over their videos, add participants in the event and take them off-screen, etc."  ________________

 Pricing

The website of On24 doesn't provide any pricing. Anyone interested in a quote should obtain a quotation.

FAQs

When answering FAQs, don't address the issue immediately; instead, include the link to an appropriate piece of internal content (as relevant) to encourage users to click through.

What should I consider when choosing the best virtual event platform?

Analyze your company's needs, including your budget, the size of an event you're planning to hold, as well as how many virtual events you'd like to hold. Select a virtual events platform that is not just a good fit for your budget but is easy to use, offers deep analytics, audience participation tools, top-quality streaming as well as a variety of integrations.

How can I create a virtual experience that is more engaging?

Events, Hopin, Zoom, and GoToWebinar are among the most well-known event platforms that you could test. Each has positives and negatives. Choose based on the budget you have as well as your specific needs for the event.

Which virtual event platform will work best for you?

The most effective virtual event platform is one that meets your business needs the most. This includes:

  • Your attendee size
  • Utilize cases (how will you leverage virtual events for your marketing and sales, and whether you will offer workshops for sale)
  • How long do you have to learn to use an entirely new device
  • What is the amount you'll need to expand (you don't want the platform to be a part of your budget as you expand)

We've shared some software that have poor-quality streaming and a dated UX. Others have a steep learning curve, and their prices can be expensive when hosting large audiences.

This is an area in which Events excels. It offers a ton of customization, high-quality streaming, and an intuitive user interface. It can also play a crucial part in recycling footage from your events you organize, helping you get the best profit from your work.