Revised February 2, 2023
Revised August 25, 2022
Revised August 21, 2020
As virtual meetings have become the norm, innovative software developers are pushing the technology forward in some amazing ways. Online gatherings are no longer limited to team meetings and webinars using same old video calling tools.
All types of events, including trade shows and industry conferences, can now be produced and attended remotely. New platforms are being developed, and new features added to existing platforms, to more closely replicate the live experience.
Image credit: Teooh
The ability to present slides, stream video, collaborate on a whiteboard, and chat with the group or individual members are now just table stakes. Today’s virtual event platforms are adding features like virtual expo halls and exhibitor booths, 3D environments and avatars, social media integration, gamification, one-to-one video networking, content libraries, and detailed attendee activity analytics.
As noted previously in this list of top webinar tools, what separates compelling must-attend events from ho-hum gatherings is the quality of the content, promotion, presenters, and—increasingly—the underlying technology platform. That’s especially true in the realm of virtual events and virtual team building activities that go beyond traditional webinars and webcasts.
If you are involved in planning and producing online events—and you’re ready to venture beyond standard tools like WebEx, Zoom, and Google Meet—here are more than two dozen alternatives that can help take your event to a whole new level.
A quick note on the ranking methodology: These 22 24 26 27 32 37 49 tools were searched across five sites: Capterra, G2Crowd, TrustRadius, SoftwareAdvice, and GetApp. They were ranked on both the number of total reviews (popularity) and average ratings (quality). Those scores were then combined to produce an overall rank; though, as explained below, most of these tools didn’t have enough ratings to produce a valid combined score.
Leading Edge Virtual Event Platforms
Leading edges platforms generally have significant installed customer bases and market presence as indicated by at least 25 user reviews across one or more software rating sites.
1. vFairs
Total reviews: 339
Average user rating: 9.53 (out of 10)
Host virtual conferences, trade shows, job fairs, and more. Set up virtual booths with interactive features including images, brochures, data sheets and videos. Give visitors a virtual briefcase that lets them download anything they see. Enable booth representatives to engage with visitors via text/audio/video chat in real time. The platform is mobile-friendly, enables you to produce webinars, and provides detailed attendee analytics.
Pricing: contact vendor
2. Accelevents
Total reviews: 449
Average user rating: 9.42
A virtual and hybrid event management platform with a broad feature set including event environment customization; ticketing and registration; networking (AI-based speed matchmaking or let attendees schedule 1:1 meetings through the People page, where attendees can also send direct messages); group discussions (workshops and drop-in lounges with up to 25 people on camera); exhibitors and sponsorships; real-time data reporting; and integration with tools like HubSpot, Zapier, Salesforce, and Marketo.
Pricing: $500/$5,000 per event or $125/$1,250 per month
3. Boomset
Total reviews: 156
Average user rating: 9.35
A tool to manage and produce conferences, workshops, and other virtual events. Features include breakout sessions, virtual exhibitor booths, lead capture, streaming video, and capability to interact with speakers, sponsors, and other event attendees. Ideal for midsize organizations, Boomset manages event registration and hosting of virtual events with a few or a few thousand attendees, who can can exchange ideas and join the conversation from anywhere — there’s no limit on the number of attendees.
Pricing: contact vendor
4. Bevy
Total reviews: 67
Average user rating: 9.61
A little different from all of the other tools here, Bevy combines virtual event and community-building functionality in one tool. It’s like what would happen if Zoom and WorkOutLoud had a baby. This platform is ideal for companies or organizations that have multiple regional user groups or chapters spread around the country or the world. It simplifies the process for local directors to plan, promote, and launch virtual events, and integrates with popular CRM systems.
Pricing: contact vendor
5. InEvent
Total reviews: 62
Average user rating: 9.55
An online event platform offering features such as event websites with registration forms and ticketing; a virtual lobby; email marketing automation; chat networking, interactive Q&A, polling, and gamification; and integrations to CRM systems, analytics and reporting, and online sponsorship management. You can also create a customized event app with tools for interaction, automation, and engagement, uniting your employees, attendees, speakers or sponsors.
Pricing: $1,990/$2,990; enterprise pricing by quote
6.CrowdComms
Total reviews: 24
Average user rating: 9.60
A virtual events platform with integrated capabilities for livestreaming, an event agenda, Q&A, polling, games, and networking. The app is completely customizable and web-based, so attendees can access the event program on any mobile, laptop, or desktop device. It supports both pre-recorded and live content, with speakers and slides appearing side-by-side on the same screen. It also provides data analytics, registration, lead capture, and fund raising.
Pricing: contact vendor
7. GoBrunch
Total reviews: 26
Average user rating: 9.39
An easy-to-use, highly rated platform for online meetings, webinars, and virtual events for up to 500 attendees that goes way beyond video sharing. GoBrunch features include breakout sessions with virtual room layout options, virtual networking and private meetings, event promotion and registration pages, ability for attendees to download presentations and documents, and a community feature to keep attendees posted about upcoming events.
Pricing: free (!)
8. SpotMe
Total reviews: 100
Average user rating: 9.20
A brandable virtual event platform for hosting client forums, team meetings, town halls, conferences, webinars, symposia, and online training. Among the tool’s capabilities are event agendas and schedules, chat, interactive Q&A and polling, a document library, native iOS and Android apps, breakout rooms, parallel sessions, applause, emails and alerts, social media integration, and performance analytics.
Pricing: $4,800/$16,000/$26,700 per event; enterprise pricing by quote
9. Canapii
Total reviews: 154
Average user rating: 9.14
A flexible event platform for managing in-person, virtual, or hybrid events. Host conferences, webinars, expos, or workshops with features including event branding, registration and ticketing, audience engagement (polls, surveys, Q&A, gamification), live translation for international audiences, live streaming, sponsor management, real-time analytics, and an event mobile app.
Pricing: free; $149/$599 per month; enterprise pricing by quote
10. Sched
Total reviews: 130
Average user rating: 9.11
Build and customize your virtual event in one organized place. With Sched, you can easily create an interactive website to publish and host your online event, engage your attendees with virtual networking, integrate video for live streaming and recorded content, and gain insight into your audience. Publish your event schedule, create a branded mobile app, personalize the attendee experience, and collect attendee activity and feedback data.
Pricing: $500/$1,500/$2,500 per event; enterprise pricing by quote
11. Hubilo
Total reviews: 108
Average user rating: 8.64
A virtual event platform for hosting conferences, trade shows, educational events, employee meetings, job fairs, meetups, and member gatherings. Features include agenda building with multiple session tracks; polls, chat, and interactive Q&A; group video meetings for breakout sessions; virtual demo rooms for exhibitors and sponsors; virtual trade show booths with video and downloadable collateral; one-to-one networking and groups of up to four people; and much more.
Pricing: contact vendor
12. Dreamcast
Total reviews: 38
Average user rating: 9.29
Virtual event platform for creating 360-degree virtual experiences offering a variety of networking and engagement features that help amplify the impact of online events. Features include networking tables (one-to-one and group chat with video chat functionality); dynamic banners for sponsors; an AI matchmaking tool; gamification; notifications; a meeting scheduler; a customizable branded environment (designs, music, tabs, icons, touchpoints, etc.); and integrations with Zoom and WhatsApp.
Pricing: contact vendor
13. Inxpo
Total reviews: 28
Average user rating: 8.67
A video streaming platform for marketing webcasts, internal communications, training, and other virtual events. Functionality includes attendee registration pages and management, email reminders and follow up, sponsor spaces, trivia and puzzle games, social media integration, presentation tracks, surveys, branding, real-time analytics, and integration with Eloqua, Marketo, Salesforce, Pardot, and HubSpot.
Pricing: starts at $25,000
14. Airmeet
Total reviews: 40
Average user rating: 8.35
An online event platform for hosting business and community events, remote learning courses for universities, conferences, and job fairs. Features include support for very large events (up to 100K attendees); multi-track events with parallel sessions; event registration landing page creation; group and private chat; livestreaming integration with YouTube and Facebook; private backstage space for hosts and speakers; speed networking; and free storage of recordings.
Pricing: free; $99 per month; enterprise / large event pricing by quote
Cutting Edge Virtual Event Platforms
Cutting edge tools are often newer and though they have an established market presence, they have fewer than 25 total user reviews across the rating sites, and so can’t be scored validly.
15. Shindig
Pricing: contact vendor
16. Hopin
Hopin is a virtual venue with multiple interactive areas. Attendees can move in and out of rooms just like an in-person event. Events can be free or you can sell tickets. There’s a main stage for keynote-style presentations, expo booths where attendees can interact with vendors, breakout session areas, and one-to-one video networking. The platform also offers group or private chat, plus attendee analytics.
Pricing: contact vendor
17. 6Connex
6Connex is a virtual event platform for producing trade shows, summits, online conferences, sales meetings, training programs, town halls, and job fairs. It provides for registration, gamification, virtual breakout sessions, social networking, live chats and polls, detailed metrics and reporting, and post-event communications. It’s developed with HTML5 for a seamless mobile experience, and offers enterprise-grade security.
Pricing: contact vendor
18. G2Planet
Best known as the premier provider of enterprise-class live event production and management platforms, G2Planet also provides a virtual event platform designed for larger organizations with sophisticated needs. Functionality includes content / speaker / sponsor management, registration, an agenda builder, chat, interactive Q&A and polling, discussion groups, attendee networking, a virtual expo hall, a resource library where attendees can download content, and journey maps and reporting.
Pricing: contact vendor
19. Remo
Tools for hosting virtual summits, online meetings, workshops, and webinars. Features include HD audio and video, the ability to sell sponsorships, free or paid events, speed networking, interactive polls and Q&A, and group screen sharing, all with no software to download. Virtual business cards let hosts and attendees view LinkedIn profiles and book meetings during conversations.
Pricing: $100/$360/$680 per month
20. HeySummit
HeySummit simplifies the process of producing an online summit, making it easy for your attendees to register and discover your content. The platform allows you to activate a community, offer viral referrals, promote giveaways, manage and onboard speakers, build landing pages for attendee registration, and report on results. It integrates with YouTube, Vimeo, and popular videoconferencing applications.
Pricing: $29/$99/$249 per month
21. Wonder
Wonder is a free (as of spring 2022) virtual event and online networking tool. Wonder spaces allow users to move around, mingle, and easily pop in and out of conversations. Features such as broadcast mode, chat features, icebreaker questions, user polls, and customizable backgrounds make Wonder a platform worth evaluating for workshops, social events, and unstructured networking.
Pricing: free; usage-based pricing being developed
22. Engagez
A flexible platform for hosting all types of digital events: live, simulive, on-demand, individual presentations, multi-day conferences, expositions, job fairs, and online classrooms. The tool encourages attendee engagement through video calls, chats, polls, notifications, surveys, Q&A, and games. It offers breakout rooms, a resource center, registration with email notifications and reminders, customizable layout, analytics, and integrations with several popular CRM and other apps.
Pricing: free; $399 per month; enterprise pricing by quote
23. Meetyoo
An online conferencing solution for conferences, trade shows, job fairs, team meetings, and training. Features include online venues with exhibit booths, a main stage, and lounge; engagement through private or group text and video chat, polls, and interactive Q&A; and comprehensive reporting. As avatars, attendees can move around the virtual exhibition grounds, visit individual exhibition stands, conference rooms, or the virtual auditorium.
Pricing: contact vendor
24. All In The Loop
A virtual and hybrid event engagement platform for conferences, trade shows, and corporate meetings, with a focus on networking. All In The Loop provides mobile access to all event activity and content, live Q&A and polling, networking and matchmaking, sponsor and agenda recommendations based on interests, custom home screen design, speaker and exhibitor directories, branded registration page, multiple ticket types, and analytics.
Pricing: contact vendor
Bleeding Edge Virtual Event Platforms
You can’t stand out by doing the same thing everyone else is doing. These tools have less market presence but offer something unique, off the beaten path. Ready to take a chance? Lick the salt, slam the tequila, bite the lime, and check out these apps.
25. Social27
Like many other tools here, Social27 provides an expo hall, interactive sessions, a video networking lounge, roundtable meetings, and engagement metrics. What sets it apart are features like gamification, a no-code automation studio (develop, visualize and continuously improve the repetitive customer journeys), and an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant to help reduce sales friction. It also integrates with Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Marketo, HubSpot, and other platforms.
Pricing: contact vendor
26. Communique
Communique offers solutions for audio conferencing, web video conferencing, webcasting, webinars, and virtual events. It’s virtual event platform offers streaming video for up to 30,000 attendees; exhibit halls, booths, keynote presentations and networking in an online 3D virtual environment; ability for attendees to view demos, pick up literature and chat live with sales reps; registration; and activity reporting.
Pricing: contact vendor
Teooh No longer active
Teooh allows you to create and attend virtual gatherings as a personalized virtual reality (VR) avatar, to interact with and grow your community. It enables you to create a rich visual environment for virtual business events (host fireside chats, sell tickets, and interact personally with your audience); personal gatherings (compete with your friends in a pub quiz, or gather together with a Facebook community); and remote team meetings in a virtual conference room.
Pricing: “A pay-as-you-go model…a $1.99 charge per attendee plus 20% of the ticket sales (with) no upfront costs.” (per InvestorPlace)
27. Virtway Events
An online platform for 3D virtual events. Host virtual conferences, trade shows, corporate meetings, training sessions, and other gatherings with interaction that mimics real-life experiences. Participants can engage in natural conversations via VoIP and 3D audio across the entire platform. It includes gamification, metrics, and a content space where you can share materials such as photos, videos, presentations, or web links.
Pricing: contact vendor
28. VII Events
This is a must see tool whether you end up going with it or not. Most virtual event tools are 2D—you can move up or down, side to side. A few, like Teooh and Virtway above, add 3D for the illusion of depth. VII Events goes a step further, with 360-degree 3D, meaning it makes what’s behind you important (it’s not just your living room window or the back wall of your office). Features include live and prerecorded video sessions; one-on-one meetings with event sponsors and the event host; chat networking; analytics; and a virtual “show floor map.”
Pricing: contact vendor
Vmeets No longer active
Vmeets is an all-in-one virtual event platform with a focus on knowledge sharing and networking. It’s a one-stop destination to host just about any type of online event: virtual conferences, medical events, trade fairs, expo’s, virtual boardrooms and more. Features include multiple sponsorship tiers; live and recorded video; Q&A, polls, and contests; ability for attendees to interact with sponsors via chat or video; meeting tables and virtual boardrooms; downloadable assets; and back end analytics.
Pricing: starts at $999 (per Capterra)
Freeman is obviously a big name in the events industry, and though its virtual event tool doesn’t yet have many user reviews, it’s one of the few (along with G2Planet) built to scale up to true enterprise-level events. OnlineEvent Pro provides capabilities for online conferences, virtual trade shows, virtual company and group meetings with one-to-one breakouts, continuing education, webinars, and product launches.
Pricing: contact vendor
30. AllSeated exVo
AllSeated is best known for its 3D designer tool that helps event planners manage seating plans as well as placement of items on tabletops. An AllSeated “exVo” is a live expo, meeting, or event with a folly integrated and parallel virtual dimension. That is, its a hybrid event platform (that can also be used for virtual-only events) designed for gatherings with both in-person and virtual attendance. The tool creates an immersive, 3D, 360 degree virtual experience that mirrors the live event.
Pricing: contact vendor
31. Mixhubb
A customizable 3D virtual event platform for producing webinars, conferences, networking events and meetups, town halls, expos, and hybrid events. Features include ticketing and registration management; stage and booth management; and user management with data capture and analytics. Mixhubb integrates with a wide range of applications including Cvent, Eventbrite, Stripe, PayPal, HubSpot, Marketo, Salesforce, and Zoom, and offers studio-produced streaming through YouTube, Vimeo, or AWS.
Pricing: free; $199/month; enterprise pricing by quote
32. Fourwaves
Fourwaves was built from the ground up by researchers to power academic and scientific events. This virtual event platform lets you build a custom registration form; collect payments; and livestream keynote presentations with live chat and Q&A capabilities. It also includes a set of features to address the specific needs of scientific events: abstract submissions, peer reviews, and virtual poster sessions with dedicated and interactive virtual rooms allowing researchers to collect feedback from their peers.
Pricing: free for small events; otherwise starts at $799
33. Everytale
Everytale is a digital event marketplace for presenting webinars, running internal meetings, or streaming events to a gloabl audience. Everytale supports 4K and high definition video streams across five continents, and comes with interaction tools and speech recognition capabilities. The platform enables event professionals and individuals to discover new streams or host private events with integrated payment solutions. Users can explore public streams, based on their interests, in multiple languages.
Pricing: contact vendor
34. eve virtual
eve virtual brings education, innovation, and customization to any on-ground event, exhibition, trade show, or conference in a 3D, 360-degree virtual world. Attendees can create their own avatars. Features include live studio integration (shows your speaker live on stage from where the speaker is located and streams directly to the platform in real time), backstage management, and the ability for attendees to video chat with exhibitors.
Pricing: starting at $5,000; contact vendor for quote
35. Samaaro
Samaaro is a feature-rich virtual events platform designed to help event organizers host engaging and effective events online. Functionality includes the ability to host unlimited attendees, a backstage meeting room, session scheduler, moderated Q&A, registration management, a payment gateway for paid events, gamifcation, reporting , and the option to integrate immersive experiences using augmented reality (AR) to enhance product launches, conferences, and expos.
Pricing: contact vendor
36. Zuddl
A virtual event platform with a broad set of features including pre-designed background templates with customization options; interactive sponsor booths for product demos, brochure downloads, and live video chat; AI-powered matchmaking for networking, discussion rooms, polls, and Q&A; a backstage for presenter dry runs and ticket tiers for monetization; real-time attendee and buying intent data; and event recording.
Pricing: contact vendor
37. Second Stage by EideCom
Second Stage provides a virtual exhibit floor and main stage for online trade shows. Exhibitors can create a profile complete with photos, videos, description, social media links, links to video conferencing, and a special conference offer, giving them full control of their own booth experience. Attendees can create their own profiles and virtually visit exhibitors; they can save exhibitors to come back to later, message that exhibitor real time, or video chat with that exhibitor in real time, as well as view main stage sessions and download content.
Pricing: contact vendor
Don’t let the odd name mislead you. This virtual events platform can manage events from virtual job and career fairs to virtual conferences, exhibitions, trade shows, university open days, webinars, virtual roundtables, and hybrid events. Features include chat, networking, meeting scheduling, branding of the virtual environment, interactive booths, and avatars. For recruiting events, the platform also offers candidate profile / job matching and other specific capabilities.
Pricing: contact vendor
39. Orbits
A platform for designing and hosting trade shows and expos, career fairs, festivals, industry conferences, lectures, seminars, symposiums, training sessions, and social events. Build a virtual workplace that mimics the real-world office, or a digital twin of a live gathering to produce a hybrid event. Features include concurrent sessions, customizable vendor booths, workshops, breakouts, social spaces, and stages.
Pricing: $39/month SOHO; contact vendor for large group pricing
40. iVent
iVent offers a virtual event platform that can be used to host online conferences, trade shows, university and college tours, product launches, job fairs, and online training courses. The environment is fully customizable, integrates with social media, and can be used for free and fee-based events. It delivers relevant and actionable event metrics for hosts, sponsors, and event clients.
Pricing: contact vendor
41. Digitell
Founded in 1985 as a conference recording company, Digitell now offers virtual event and live streaming platforms along with web / graphic design, event marketing, and audio/video technician services. The platform requires no download for attendees, and like most tools here, offers interactive Q&A and polling, a resource download area, features for sponsors, and reporting. Note though their website says they are “sold out for 2020” and now talking to prospects about 2021 events.
Pricing: contact vendor
42. Hexafair
Virtual event software for trade shows / expos, conferences, summits, job fairs, training, and corporate events. Includes a 3D environment for exhibitor booths, social networking, registration pages, marketing email with automatic reminders, virtual business cards, document downloading, integration with popular apps, ability for attendees to rate and review exhibitors, dashboards and reports, even ecommerce integration so attendees can directly purchase products.
Pricing: contact vendor
A comprehensive online event platform for conferences, job fairs, trade shows, and training. Features include support for free or paid events, an event registration microsite, confirmation and reminder emails, customizable exhibitor booths, quizzes and polls, downloadable materials, virtual conference rooms, simultaneous tracks, gamification, and reporting. Project managers assist with setup and best practices.
Pricing: contact vendor
44. Convene
Convene offers virtual and hybrid event production services, technology, and virtual event hosting as packages. Key features of the technology platform include audience engagement (live polling, interactive Q&A, breakout rooms); analytics (attendee location and engagement); and networking (one-to-one chat, video chat, profile builder). Services include event strategy, production, moderation, and rehearsals.
Pricing: contact vendor
45. myOnvent
A customizable, feature-rich, 100% browser-based platform for single-, multi-track, and multi-day events. myOnvent includes capabilities for large speaker panels (10+ speakers); 3D-rendered poster sessions and study booths; a live video wall with polls and chat for networking; scheduled video meetings with participants or exhibitors; registration and guest management with payment processing; a photorealistic virtual lobby, auditorium and exhibitor space; video streaming from all the most popular services; and detailed event analytics.
Pricing: contact vendor
46. Reach.live
At the opposite end of the spectrum from enterprise-level tools like G2Planet (#12 above), Reach.live is a simple yet powerful virtual event platform that enables solopreneurs and small businesses to connect with their customers, prospects, fans, and followers through free or paid online events. Businesses like chefs and restauranteurs, creative professionals, musicians and bands, fitness and yoga instructors, and others can create a profile page with custom URL to host their events; produce events with video, group, and private chat; and (optionally) monetize those events.
Pricing: TBA
47. Goldcast
Goldcast is an all-in-one online event platform built for event marketers and demand generation teams who are looking for a single online events platform to organize, execute and measure their events while sharing key metrics with sales in real time. It offers a variety of engagement tools, attendee insights and tracking, and integrations with popular CRM platforms and marketing automation tools including HubSpot, Marketo, Eloqua, and Salesforce.
Pricing: contact vendor
48. VirtuLab
A little different from most of the other tools here which are event-focused, VirtuLab helps you showcase products and engage audiences through four types of immersive online experiences: 3D, 360-degree virtual showrooms; virtual exhibition booths that help you amplify your reach with a virtual version of your real world expo booth, or host your own digital event to engage audiences; 3D web content (embedded 3D product models to enhance and augment your website); and telepresence robots.
Pricing: contact vendor
49. hubs101
A virtual event platform with integrated video solution enables you to live stream any content: webinars, online-only, or hybrid events. Features include AI-powered matchmaking for networking; real-time dashboard and attendee activity reporting; chats, polls, surveys, Q&A, public forums, single or group chats, program session ratings, and push notifications for attendee engagement; lead retrieval for sponsors and exhibitors; and integration with multiple systems including Salesforce, WordPress, Slido, Skype, YouTube, Zoom, and SoundCloud.
Pricing: contact vendor
50. Sherpa Unify
Unify is a customizable platform for producing online and hybrid events. Part of Sherpa’s suite of products for exhibitors and trade show producers, features include team collaboration, appointment management, messaging, a CRM module for exhibitors, live interactive and on-demand content, Q&A, polling and surveys, discussion groups, video conferencing, activity dashboards, and AI-powered networking.
Pricing: contact vendor
Whew! That’s a lot of options for virtual event platforms for meeting planners to research, try, and evaluate. And a lot of innovative technology to help transform online events from “same old” to something special.
This was the third in a series of four posts focused on remote work technologies. The first two covered online meeting / video conference tools and webinar / webcasting software. The final installment will look at team collaboration apps.