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The best virtual event platforms: Comparison and review of the best software

Mar 9, 2023

You've come up with some brilliant concepts for your virtual event -- and even reached out to possible guests to be a part of your event. They're showing an interest, as are the people who are involved!

But hang on, what do you think of the virtual platforms you'd choose to utilize to host your virtual gathering?

Tough call? Truth be told: despite the variety out there and the many options available, it's not easy to choose a system that is meeting all your requirements while offering attendees a remarkable (and free of errors) the experience of your event.

However, there are platforms with helpful support staff who will help you create your perfect virtual event -- be it a multi-day event, a live training workshop or even a webinar. It's all you have to do is find the right treasure.

In this guide, we'll assist you in doing just that while I go through the six best platforms for virtual events. The pros and cons aren't as common from testing just a few of these programs and going through tons of third-party reviews on these systems.

Let's dive deep:

In this article

What to look for in an online conference platform

Before we get into the most effective platforms to host virtual events, let's first review what is a desirable platform for online events through a review of the essential features.

Be sure to bookmark this page so that you can look up this list of functions to select your ideal virtual event platform.

 Plenty of useful and easy integrations

Integrations with CRMs as well as email programs such as email software, for instance, is essential for sending personalized event invites and converting attendees to loyal customers.

 The Intuitive User

An intuitive interface allows you to navigate through the software, explore its features, and get the maximum benefit out of it. It also means you can get the platform functioning on your own -without any assistance from outside.

 Stream quality

Your event's audio or video quality can directly affect the attendees' experience, encouraging attendees to stick around until the end. Be sure that the program you select provides HD quality streaming, comes with no complaints about performance as well as allows you to download the content in high-quality.

 A robust analytics system

 Tools for engaging with the audience dynamically

Polls, quizzes as well as Q&As are vital tools for interacting with your viewers and improving the experience of your visitors. The platform you select will need to provide these features in addition to letting you create break-out rooms to encourage attendee-to attendee networking.

 Proactive customer support

Finally, make sure that the software's service team is prompt and attentive to the your questions. A good way to determine the quality of support offered by the team is to ask them questions regarding the software prior to purchase and also during the free trial. How they respond to questions will be a reflection about the way they treat their prospects and customers.

Six of the best online event platforms (based on extensive review and testimonials from users)

Here is a complete an overview of the most popular conferences on the internet:

With every tool, I've discussed its main features, who it's best for, where the tool wins as well as the cons it has according to the opinions its users have shared on other websites like G2 as well as 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 hosting virtual events.

Your guest speakers, you, and event attendees don't have to download additional software for setting up, create, and join the event .

Pros

  • Events helps throughout your planning and event promotion process. The platform can be connected to your CRM and email marketing software to create branded registration forms, email invitations for events that are automated along with event confirmations as well as reminder emails. It also helps engage attendees after the event.
  • Offers advanced analytics to help to improve your event's marketing plan. When the event has concluded, gives you detailed event- and viewer-level analytics that tell you who attended and how long they stayed, and how they engaged throughout the event.
  • Helps you create a branded user experience. Use the drag-and-drop interface to add full-screen graphics, lower thirds to intro speakers as well as personal branding.
  • The video editing and hosting toolkit for repurposing event video content. Use to trim, edit chapters, create chapters and improve your event video and upload to various advertising channels.

 Cons

  • Not designed for internal meetings like Zoom and similar software for meetings are. Events is better suited for virtual meetings, webinars, town halls, and more.
  • Events is a brand new and innovative virtual experience platform for events, so it doesn't have the same name recognition like the well-established players in the space.

2. Zoom

Most well-known for its one-on-one meetings, Zoom lets you host virtual events, too. It's ideal for creatives as well as small business marketers who want to monetize online events.

 Pros

  • Gives you plenty of tools to get attendees engaged and let them interact with each other as well as your sponsors.
  • Setting up and creating an online webinar using Zoom is straightforward particularly for users who have experience with the tool.

 Cons

  • Average video quality. Where HD video quality (1080p) is standard, Zoom offers 720p for up to two attendees in an event. It is necessary to pay more for hosting virtual events in HD video.
  • Joining a virtual event held with Zoom doesn't come as a seamless experience. The best option for those who are new to the app is to arrive five minutes before the event to install and download the software. For event organizers, this results in poor attendance.
  • Zoom can be expensive for hosting events with large audiences which makes it unsuitable to scale events using this technology.
  • Lack of control options for hosts. Zoom offers no way for hosts to control chat chats on the fly -- something that you'll need to be mindful of in case of public events.

 Pricing

The pricing of Zoom is based on the amount of guests who attend your event. To give you an idea, pricing for 100 people events starts at $990 per year.

 Find out more about Zoom

3. Hopin

Hopin lets event marketers throughout the globe organize as many attendees as they want. Similar to Zoom the cost of hosting is based on the number of attendees and can result in it being difficult to grow on this platform. The one area where it can beat Zoom is that it offers comment moderator capabilities.

 Pros

  • Hopin provides the branding studio, so that you can design your own website for registration and even a virtual space for the event.
  • Provides moderation capabilities and makes it simple for several speakers to connect.
  • Includes a mobile-friendly app so guest speakers and attendees can join and engage via their smartphones.

 Cons

  • Event analytics aren't in-depth.
  • There is no tool for repurposing and reusing the content of your online events.
  • There are a few users who complain regarding audio and video quality problems at events held by Hopin. One of them mentions, "I don't like problems with the audio quality or video. Users who do not have the best internet connections encounter lag issues. This [doesn't] happen with different solutions."

 Pricing

A free option is available that allows an administrator to host 2-hour long events with up to 100 guests. Pricing plans can be locked.

4. GoTo Webinar

GoTo Webinar is ideal for creatives as well as small businesses hosting small events with up to 3,000 attendees this is less than the offerings that Hopin, and Zoom offer.

This is also a great option for creators or solo-business owners hosting paid-for training seminars because GoTo Webinar directly connects with Stripe and allows you to receive payments.

Pros

  • GoTo Webinar offers audience engagement tools including polls and Q&A. Hosts can also draw on the display.
  • Multi-presenter mode in webinars allows an organizer up to six the possibility of presenting.

Cons

  • The user interface has been dated so some users report they take a while to get the hang of GoToWebinar.
  • Some users complain of issues with performance as the number of attendees rises above 1,000 people. Reviews have been written about audio quality issues, too.
  • Certain functions, like files sharing can be slower. Certain features are difficult to locate or difficult to utilize.

 Pricing

The trial period is 7 days and free available. All the rest is paid with pricing starting at $49 for each organizer month (for hosting 250 people).

5. Cvent

Cvent can be ideal for business marketers hosting in-person events such as trade exhibitions because of their check-in feature.

In contrast with other conference websites however, this platform is not well-liked by users who host virtual events.

 Pros

  • Cvent provides onsite check-in as well as badging software that prints attendees' photos on arrival. Some users logged complaints on third-party review sites saying the tool printing the wrong pictures.
  • Gives you multiple integrations to integrate your tech stacks to streamline your workflow.
  • Comes with the standard tools for engagement with the audience and also offers AI-powered network recommendations and the ability to play games.

 Cons

  • The interface for users is old.
  • 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
  • A few options for customizing brand identity, get analytics and have live chat

 Pricing

The pricing is based on the needs of your business, therefore you need to get an estimate of the amount Cvent costs.

6. On24

On24 is a virtual-event platform that is ideal for businesses looking to host webinars and multi-session events.

 Pros

  • A proactive customer service team.
  • This tool can simplify a number of processes. It also offers integrations that ensure that your marketing and sales teams.

 Cons

  • A few layouts for content are available, which limit your choices for customizing your online events the registration and login pages.
  • The interface for users is not user-friendly, and editors that function as code editor, adding to the steep learning curve.
  • No option to pre-create your event online. It means you'll need make a choice between audience participation and for the sake of ensuring that your show is smooth as you conduct the event at the speed of light. A reviewer even notes, "I would love to use storyboarding to plan my webcast and determine the screen's content and where they appear on the tile of media, perform lower thirds of the video, insert participants in the event then remove them from the screen and so on."   ________________

 Pricing

On24's website does not provide price. Anyone interested in a quote should request a quote.

FAQs

When answering FAQs, don't address the issue straight away; include links to relevant piece of internal content (as appropriate) to encourage users to click through.

How do I choose a virtual event platform?

Examine your needs for business such as your budget, the size of an event you're planning to organize, and the many virtual events you want to host. Choose a virtual event platform that is not just a good fit for your budget but is also simple to use and offers deep analytics, audience participation tools, top-quality streaming, and lots of integrations.

How do I make my virtual event more engaging?

What are the most talked about virtual event platforms out there in the present?

The Events platform, Hopin, Zoom, and GoToWebinar are some of the most well-known event platforms you can test. Each one has its positives and negatives. Pick based on your budget and specific event requirements.

So which virtual event platform is best for you?

The ideal virtual events platform is one that will meet the requirements of your business the best. This includes:

  • The size of your attendee
  • Utilize cases (how much you plan to utilize virtual events in your sales and marketing and whether you will offer workshops for sale)
  • What's the time it takes spent learning to utilize an entirely new device
  • What amount do you intend to increase the size of your platform (you aren't looking for the platform to slip out of your budget as you scale)

We've provided a list of software which provide poor quality streaming using outdated UX. Some have a lengthy process of learning, and their prices can be expensive when hosting large audiences.

This is where Events truly shines. It offers a ton of customization, high-quality streaming and a simple user interface. It also plays a helpful role in reusing material from events that it hosts, allowing you to get the highest ROI from your efforts.