March 27, 2025
by Tanuja Bahirat / March 27, 2025
If I’m hosting a dinner party, I have a theme, a playlist, a guest list with RSVPs, and probably a backup plan. When things are organized, the experience is better for everyone.
And honestly, the same goes for managing events on a larger scale. Whether it’s a corporate conference, a webinar series, or a hybrid networking event, having the right tools can make or break the entire process.
I’ve seen firsthand how messy things can get when you’re juggling spreadsheets, emails, registration forms, and last-minute changes without a centralized system. That’s why I decided to test and compare the best event management platforms. I was looking for solutions that combine powerful features, user-friendly interfaces, and automation that actually make your job easier.
After exploring 25+ event management software, I’ve narrowed it down to the platforms that truly stand out. Whether you're an event planner, a marketer, or just someone trying to pull off a seamless experience, this list is for you.
According to G2 Grid Reports, these best event management software solutions are top-rated in their category. Pricing varies depending on the size and nature of the event. Pricing details are available upon request.
Event planning isn’t all checklists and color-coded event calendars, especially when you're managing multiple stakeholders, tight deadlines, and high expectations. I’ve been on the front lines, coordinating college fests to helping out at a large-scale professional event during my internship. I know how important each detail is.
That’s why I went looking for tools that could do more than just manage tasks. I wanted platforms that could help with event creation, simplify ticket sales and registrations, manage guest lists, build agendas, promote the event, and keep attendees engaged. And after the event? I needed solid reporting and KPIs to see what worked and what didn’t.
Some of the tools I tested stood out for their intuitive design, while others impressed me with automation, built-in marketing automation, and real-time analytics. The best ones offered the perfect balance of power and simplicity.
After trying out a range of platforms, I’ve narrowed it down to the six best event management platforms I’d personally recommend in 2025.
I spent weeks testing and evaluating event management platforms, narrowing down the best options based on features, ease of use, pricing, and real user feedback. I also used AI-driven research to analyze product updates, user preferences, and common challenges faced by organizers to ensure these recommendations are as accurate and helpful as possible.
In cases where I couldn’t personally test a tool due to limited access, I consulted a professional with hands-on experience and validated their insights using verified G2 reviews. The screenshots featured in this article may be a mix of those captured during testing and ones obtained from the vendor’s G2 page.
Each platform on this list is reliable, intuitive, and designed to help you streamline event planning, boost attendee engagement, and measure event success with ease. My research and analysis are also based on real-time buyer sentiments and the proprietary G2 scores offered by each event management software.
When I host a dinner party, I like things to run like clockwork. I’ve got a plan, a playlist, a seating arrangement. It’s not about being rigid; it’s about creating space to actually enjoy the moment.
That’s exactly how I approach event management platforms. On the surface, many of them promise similar things. But once I dug in, I realized not all of them delivered where it really counts. Some had features I’d never use, while others missed the basics I relied on. I also looked at my event planning checklist to help me have a guide to fall back on.
So, when I think about what makes the best event management platforms worth it, I’m looking for tools that not only help you stay organized but actually give you the mental space to focus on the experience. Here’s what I’ve learned to look for:
After testing and comparing various event management platforms, I’ve selected the six best software solutions that stand out to me.
To be included in this category, a solution must:
*This data was pulled from G2 in 2025. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
I’ve been using Webex Events & Webinars for some time now.
First off, it’s genuinely easy to use. I’m not a tech wizard, and I didn’t need hours of onboarding to figure things out. The interface is clean, and setting up my first webinar felt pretty intuitive. I had my event customized and ready to go without much hand-holding.
And speaking of help, the support team is amazing. Anytime I had a question, someone was there (quickly!) to walk me through it with patience and clear answers. It’s rare to find support that feels this responsive and human these days.
Feature-wise? It’s packed. High-quality audio and video, screen sharing, live polls, Q&A, and custom registration pages. I love being able to brand the event pages to match my company’s vibe, and the platform handles large audiences without crashing or glitching out.
The pricing can get expensive as you opt for higher tiers, especially if you’re a small team or startup. The free version is decent, but you’ll likely want to upgrade to unlock the features that really make Webex shine.
I’ve also encountered a few technical hiccups. Occasionally, audio or video will lag, or features don’t behave quite the same on mobile as they do on desktop. It’s nothing deal-breaking, but it's still worth noting if a lot of your attendees are tuning in from their phones.
The UI/UX is generally fine but could use some polish. Some parts of the dashboard feel a bit harder to find than they should be. I’ve had moments where I was digging around looking for a setting.
Lastly, while the feature list is long, a few things could be improved: better email template customization, advanced reporting, or smoother integrations with third-party tools.
"Its easy interface allows you to connect with a larger audience in a cost-effective way beyond geographical limitations. It's easy to implement with minimal investment, maximizing your return on marketing efforts. It offers a variety of interactive features like polls, Q&A sessions, chat, emoji reactions, and screen sharing That enhance engagement with participants. It can be used to provide Customer support and address common concerns by offering virtual workshops or training sessions."
- Webex Events & Webinars Review, Nimish K.
"There should be an improvement in the technical glitches that occur from time to time, like problems with audio or video that may hinder a meeting. Another resource-hungry nature of the platform remains as it demands good internet connections as well as decent computing power."
- Webex Events & Webinars Review, Sonali R.
Need a smoother way to handle sign-ups and ticket sales? Explore the top event registration and ticketing tools.
I’ve used Cvent Event Marketing & Management across multiple events and what I’ve learned is that it’s a platform built for depth and scale. While it does take some time to get fully comfortable with, once I did, it became a tool I genuinely relied on. What I appreciate most is how Cvent brings everything into one place: event websites, registration, budgeting, communication, on-site logistics, and reporting. It’s especially great for teams that are juggling a lot of moving parts and need a centralized hub.
Attendee management is a breeze, especially with features like mass updates, easy bulk uploads, and granular control over attendee details. I’ve been able to make sweeping changes across hundreds of attendees without having to start from scratch, which is a huge time-saver.
Registration is deeply customizable, and that’s where Cvent really shines. I can create custom registration paths, insert widgets, use data tags, and even tweak custom contact fields to gather exactly the info I need from different attendee types. The ability to automate email responses also helps streamline communication.
Reporting is another major win. Not only can I generate detailed reports, but I can also share them through web portals with non-Cvent users. This is helpful when leadership needs updates and doesn’t want to log into a new tool. The data is clean, exportable, and easy to segment. That said, survey reporting isn’t quite on the same level. It works, but it doesn’t give me the same flexibility or visual insights I get from the event reporting tools.
Support has been consistently solid, too. The 24/7 access via phone, chat, or case submissions makes it easy to get help when I need it. I’ve never had to wait too long, and the reps usually know exactly what they’re doing.
The learning curve is definitely there. With so many features, settings, and backend steps, it can feel overwhelming when you’re just getting started. There have been times when I’ve spent way too long trying to track down a specific setting buried in the platform.
Some G2 reviews mentioned that the badge and certificate designer feel outdated, both in terms of look and functionality. I’ve also run into limitations when customizing registration sites, and I’ve sometimes had to reach out to Cvent support to make changes I feel should be self-serve.
Some technical pain points include the bulk upload process, which is really sensitive to formatting (a single space or capital letter can cause an error), and custom contact fields that have to be created over and over again, depending on the registration type.
"I like the diversity of Cvent. It offers a lot of customization and features that you don't see in most registration tools. There is a wide variety of services and products, and the way they can integrate easily with external systems is great."
"Some of my team members are not as tech-savvy as others and can find the many features overwhelming. Once you're familiar with all of the options, it's easy to find what you need, but it can take time to learn all of the caveats."
- Cvent Event Marketing & Management Review, Brittany P.
Promotion is half the battle. Discover event marketing platforms that help you fill seats faster.
Using Whova felt like having an entire event in my pocket. It really pulled together all the moving parts of a conference in a way that made the experience smoother for me.
The app was super easy to get into. I didn’t need a tutorial to figure things out; the dashboard was clear, and I could get to what I needed with just a couple of taps. The agenda management feature stood out the most. I loved being able to customize my schedule, view session descriptions, and get reminders so I didn’t miss anything. It even synced with my calendar, which was a small touch but a big help.
Another thing I appreciated was how seamless networking felt. I could browse attendee profiles, message people directly, and even schedule meetups right through the app. It made connecting before, during, and even after the event way easier than it normally is.
Whova packs in a lot: Q&A sessions, photo contests, leaderboards, lead capture via QR codes.
A few times, I found myself struggling to get back to a previous page or figure out where something was tucked away. The navigation wasn’t always intuitive, and once or twice, I got bumped to sections I didn’t mean to open. The notifications were also a bit much. I was getting pinged constantly, and I couldn’t easily filter what I wanted to see. While I found the app generally smooth, I did run into minor technical hiccups, like slow load times or trouble logging in once.
Still, the good outweighs the bad. For an event app, Whova delivers a robust, mostly polished experience that makes attending (and surviving) a packed event much easier.
"The best things that I liked about Whova was the ease of use. Scanning attendees in to conference via QR codes was a breeze. Having the full agenda and my agenda at my fingertips was perfect for knowing when and where to go. Uploading photos was super easy and instant sharing with colleagues was fun! Having the ability to connect with attendees that I never would have met or known otherwise was certainly a bonus. Thank you so such a wonderful first time experience with Whova!"
- Whova Review, verified user.
"Some things were hard to find and limiting. We wanted attendees to know about a post conference pub crawl with an itinerary, but we couldn't figure how to blast it out to the entire conference. It was also a maze to find the event among all the community posts. It also seemed like it was limited to 50 attendee invites."
- Whova Review, Eesa A.
I’ve used vFairs for a couple of large-scale virtual events and honestly, it’s been a bit of a game-changer for how I think about hosting digital experiences. If you’ve ever tried cobbling together webinars, booths, and networking tools from a bunch of platforms, you know how messy it gets. With vFairs, it’s all under one roof.
Right out the gate, the first thing that stood out to me was their customer service. Like, it’s not just decent, it’s amazing. I had a dedicated project manager (shoutout to Syed!) who literally held our hand through the whole process. Anytime we had questions, even last-minute ones, they got back to us fast and with real solutions.
The platform itself? Super user-friendly. Even my less tech-savvy teammates figured it out without much hassle. Setting up a virtual conference with custom booths, live sessions, and networking lounges was way more intuitive than I expected. I especially liked how interactive the virtual environment felt, the auditoriums, exhibit halls, and even the avatars gave our event a polished and immersive vibe.
We did hit a couple of minor technical glitches during one of our live events, nothing catastrophic, but enough to give us a scare. Also, if your team’s not in the same timezone as vFairs support, there might be a slight lag in communication. Not a deal-breaker, but something to plan around.
And while the mobile app works, it’s not quite as slick as the desktop version. I’d recommend encouraging attendees to use a computer if they can.
"The ease of creating different websites for our different events. I'm not an operations person but ultimately we chose to work with vFairs because of the NetSuite integration. For me, the marketing features were simple and efficient. My experience was incredible thanks to Syed. He was very patient with me trying to understand different features and the many changes that we threw at daily. We knew that he'd be able to answer our questions and implement any changes in a timely manner. He's a major asset to your team!"
- vFairs Review, Brittany B.
"This platform is ideal for external events, but it would be great to adapt it for internal events in remote-friendly companies by enhancing gamification and enabling avatars to speak."
- vFairs Review, Olexandra P.
Want to keep attendees engaged on the go? Check out the best mobile event apps for a seamless event-day experience.
I tried out Swoogo and this was my experience.
The onboarding process was seamless. I knew where everything was within 15 minutes of logging in. No long training sessions, no clunky walkthroughs. A clean, intuitive interface that made building out my first event almost effortless. And once I discovered Swoogo University, I realized I could go way deeper and customize things exactly the way I wanted.
What really sold me, though, was the registration form builder. It’s robust, super flexible, and integrates smoothly with the rest of the platform. I’ve run multiple events at once using Swoogo, and it’s handled them all with ease. Plus, the HubSpot integration and built-in analytics tools have saved my team so much time when it comes to reporting and data pulls.
The support team is amazing. Whether it's a technical question or just a “how do I do this?” kind of thing, they’re quick, helpful, and genuinely invested in making sure the event is a success. I even got support at 10 PM once. That level of care is rare.
One of my favorite things about Swoogo is the pricing model. You pay per user, not per registration. That means I’m no longer rationing platform access or stressing over spikes in signups. I’ve got unlimited events and registrations, which opened up so many possibilities for our nationwide event program.
I do wish the mobile app had more features. For on-site activities, I sometimes still default to the desktop version. Also, badge printing could use an upgrade. It would be great if badges were printed automatically at check-in rather than manually.
If you don’t have someone in-house who knows a bit of web design or development, you might need to rely on their professional services (which, thankfully, are solid, just an extra cost). They’ve started rolling out certifications, though, which helps a lot if you're planning to DIY more.
I can confidently say Swoogo has been a total game-changer for us. It’s modern, fast, beautifully designed, and backed by a team that truly cares.
- Swoogo Review, Ian D.
"One down side to Swoogo is finding external support for it if you do not have a in house expert or require custom designs. However, Swoogo has released certification classes that can help you improve your skills. Ultimately, you may need some web design/developer skills to fully unlock it's potential. Swoogo also has professional services that you can leverage at an extra cost that can prove helpful if within your budget."
- Swoogo Review, Luis S.
I recently used SpotMe to manage a large-scale corporate event, and honestly, it made the entire experience way smoother than I expected. The mobile app was kind of a game-changer. It had everything our attendees needed in one place: agendas, speaker bios, live polls, and push notifications. Everyone knew exactly where to go and when.
What stood out to me most was how customizable the platform is. I could tweak the layout of the app, create specific pages for different tracks, and manage the entire agenda through a pretty sleek CMS. It did take me a little while to get the hang of the backend. It's super powerful but can be a bit much at first. Once I figured out the structure, though, it was smooth sailing.
The support team was great. We had last-minute changes (as always), and they jumped in to help without any pushback. Whether it was a new page, speaker update, or even a full app reskin, they handled it all quickly.
The reporting dashboard gave us good basics like session attendance and engagement, but sometimes I wanted deeper insights.
Overall, SpotMe took a lot of stress off my plate. It's built for people who care about creating a seamless, branded event experience. If you’re running a high-stakes event and need something that looks good, works reliably, and keeps your attendees engaged, SpotMe’s a solid pick. Just be ready to invest a little time upfront to learn the ropes.
"SpotMe is awesome! The interface is really customizable, enabling us configure specific pages to fit our needs. Their support team is fantastic too – with fast turnaroudns on changes and really knowledgeable of how to present particular pieces of information. The project we've completed with SpotMe has been delivered without any hiccups. Highly recommend it for anyone needing a flexible and reliable event management app/tool!"
- SpotMe Review, verified user.
"It does require some comfort around digital products, codes, and a lot of time to get to grips with the many aspects to the backstage - but learning these will help you to make a great, personalised event."
- SpotMe Review, Rachael F.
Have more questions? Find more answers below.
An event management platform is a software solution designed to help organizers plan, manage, and execute events more efficiently. It typically includes tools for registrations, ticketing, agenda creation, attendee engagement, email marketing, analytics, and more. All in one place.
Yes! Many of the best platforms support virtual, in-person, and hybrid events. They often include features like live streaming integration, virtual booths, interactive sessions, and real-time chat to enhance the online attendee experience. There are also several corporate event management software and event management software for nonprofits that cater to specific needs. Choose a event management software that best suits your requirements.
Pricing can vary widely. Some platforms offer free plans or trials for basic needs, while more robust tools charge monthly or per-event fees depending on the number of attendees and features used. Most offer tiered pricing to suit different event sizes and budgets.
Many tools include post-event reporting, attendee feedback surveys, engagement metrics, and email automation to help you gather insights, send thank-you notes, and plan better for future events.
Yes! Most platforms let you customize event pages with your logo, colors, and custom URLs. Some even offer white-labeling options for agencies or enterprises looking for a fully branded experience.
Most platforms integrate with payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal, allowing you to collect payments securely and track ticket sales in real time. You can also set up different ticket tiers, promo codes, and discount structures.
Just like I wouldn’t throw a party without prepping in advance, I wouldn’t manage an event without the right platform backing me up.
Now that you’ve seen my top picks for the best event management platforms, it’s time to take the next step. Think about your event goals, your team’s workflow, and the kind of experience you want to create, then choose a tool that supports that vision.
Whether you’re planning your first event or you’ve been doing this for years, the right platform can help you stay organized, keep your sanity, and deliver an event that runs as smoothly as your favorite dinner playlist. So go ahead, pick your platform, start planning, and bring your next event to life.
Want to streamline even more of your marketing workflow? Check out the best marketing automation tools to help you stay ahead and save time.
Tanuja Bahirat is a content marketing specialist at G2. She has over three years of work experience in the content marketing space and has previously worked with the ed-tech sector. She specializes in the IT security persona, writing on topics such as DDoS protection, DNS security, and IoT security solutions to provide meaningful information to readers. Outside work, she can be found cafe hopping or exploring ways to work on health and fitness. Connect with her on LinkedIn.