What is a virtual event platform?
A virtual event platform is an online platform that enables people to host and attend events in a virtual setting. It provides powerful tools and features that enable organizers to create engaging and immersive virtual events, connecting people from around the world and breaking barriers for a truly global audience.
Not all virtual event platforms are the same. Some are all-rounders, and some are great for a specific use case like training, marketing, or team-building events. Some are great at branding and customization, while others have lucrative pricing.
But what are the best platforms for your business or use case? And how do you evaluate a virtual event platform? Let’s go!
Hunting virtual event platforms: How to find your match?
Evaluating virtual event platforms is a breeze! Just keep these points in mind.
What’s their vision?
A product is as good as the vision of the makers behind it. So if there’s a platform that not only makes the tools for you but resonates with your pain, and stays committed to solving them for you, then it might be worth considering.
How is the attendee experience?
Successful virtual events leave attendees feeling excited, motivated, and tied to your brand.
Thus, the best virtual event platforms empower you to create delightful experiences for your attendees with their networking and engagement features.
Here are a few features you should look out for:
Networking
Networking is the life of any event. It allows you to host virtual events where your attendees take home meaningful connections that they can cherish for years to come.
Here are some must and good-to-have networking features for your events:
- Live chat and messaging
- Virtual Networking Lounges
- Breakout rooms
- Speed Networking
- Interest-based networking
- Life-like networking avenues like Fluid Space
- One-on-one meetings
- Rich attendee profiles
Engagement and Gamification
In a virtual event platform, engagement features are like the secret sauce that can transform a passive audience into an active and enthusiastic community, ultimately leading to a more memorable and impactful event experience.
Here are some key features to look for in a virtual event platform:
- Live Q&A sessions
- Polls and surveys
- Interactive stages
- Gamification to host trivia games, scavenger hunts, and other interactive activities
Event branding
A well-branded event adds to the attendee experience and leaves them impressed. Look for these features in a platform:
- Customizable color schemes and background
- Branded registration and landing pages
- Branded virtual booths
- Branded emails
- Branded networking areas
How is the experience for the organizer?
For an organizer, it’s important to have features that let one promote, customize, and measure success on one platform. The best virtual event platforms offer a seamless and intuitive organizing experience with a low learning curve.
So as an organizer, you should evaluate a virtual event platform based on these parameters:
- Ease of setting up an event
- Customization options like branded emails, landing pages, and virtual venues like reception and booths
- Sending and managing emails
- Backstage to manage speakers
- Tired Ticketing and registration solutions
- CRM integrations
- Session access controls
- Backstage management
- RTMP and social streaming
Pricing of the platform
Want to nail your virtual event strategy? Look for a virtual event platform with attendee-based pricing so you can plan any number of events without worrying about extra costs. But don’t forget to assess your exact requirements and budget before you choose the perfect platform. Your attendees (and wallet) will thank you!
User Reviews and Ratings of the platform
Avoiding platform glitches and yawn-inducing experiences is the key to a successful virtual event. So, check out user reviews and ratings to see what the crowd thinks.
Skip the marketing mumbo-jumbo and head to G2, Capterra, or TrustRadius for honest user reviews. Think of it as the Yelp of virtual event platforms.
Best virtual event platforms to host virtual events
1) Airmeet
Airmeet is committed to delivering events that create lasting impressions and bring big results for your business. Airmeet’s Event Experience Cloud is designed to take the best parts of in-person events and translate them into virtual and hybrid experiences that spur engagement, foster deeper connections, and help your brand move hearts and minds.
Let’s take a deeper look at this platform:
AirStudio for one-of-a-kind branded experiences
AirStudio is an organizer’s in-house studio. From landing pages and emails to live stage and announcements, organizers can unleash their creativity on experiences that resonate with their event attendees.
Here’s a peek inside AirStudio:
- Life-like reception
- Cinematic stage ( With Dynamic Stage Backdrops)
- Welcome video
- Landing page & in-event branding
- Email editor (to create on-brand images)
- Branded customizable registration forms
- Custom mobile app
- 3D and branded booth layouts
- AirStudio 3D
AX360: Sunset passive templated virtual event
Get all the tools to dial up audience engagement and foster meaningful networking with AX360:
- Leaderboards to encourage friendly competition among attendees.
- Interactive Q&A, polls, and chat sessions (With Airmeet, you can showcase chats, polls, and Q&A on stage that’s exceptionally useful across use cases like town halls, keynotes, training and workshops, and more. )
- Fun integrations like Kahoot, Typeforms, Snapbar
- Emojis, GIFs, and chat reactions
- Rich attendee profiles with LinkedIn info
- Early event access for more networking
- Live stage interactions like raise hand and emojis
- Unmissable text and video announcements
- AI-powered speed networking
- Breakout sessions and 1:1 video conferencing
- Fluid space to create authentic human connections
- Social Lounge for casual conversations
- Interest tags to find like-minded people.
AirControl
No more stress. No more headaches. No more blockers.
AirControl gives you all the tools to execute stellar event experiences. Here’s a glimpse of functionalities you get with AirControl:
- Event backstage preview
- Dashboard to track everything at one glance
- Plan and set up beautifully branded emails with advanced email management
- Manage ticketing, tiers, and registration with ease
- CRM Integrations like HubSpot and more to make your sales efforts more effective
Turn event data into revenue with AirIntel
AirIntel removes the guesswork so you can deep dive into what worked, and what didn’t, and leverage it all for better event experiences, personalized outreach, and increased conversions.
Here’s a glimpse of what you can do with Airintel:
- Sync event registration and attendance data with your CRM to keep your sales team in the loop
- Create audience segments for your most engaged leads and customers, then use this data to identify warm leads and champions
- Arm your sales team with detailed prospect event activity data, and give them insights to initiate conversations or move the sales process further
- Get detailed booth engagement reports to prove ROI to partners, and sponsors.
Pricing
This is where Airmeet shines. The platform offers fully transparent pricing and great support by the team to accommodate additional requirements.
With attendee-based pricing, you get to host unlimited events and only pay for what matters the most – the number of attendees.
Support
Airmeet is the only virtual event platform out there with a robust 24*7 support team to help you host glitch-free events.
Some noteworthy features
- Fluid Space
- Q&A, polls, and chat showcased on the mainstage
- Raise hands to join the stage
G2 recognition
Event organizers have expressed their love for Airmeet. And guess what? Their love and trust have made Airmeet the clear-cut winner in the following categories for online events.
- Best Usability (Mid-Market)
- Best Relationship (Mid-Market)
- Users Most Likely To Recommend (Mid-Market)
- Best Results (Fall)
- Leader (Fall)
Ratings
4.8 on G2, and 4.5 on Capterra
Verdict
Airmeet’s an all-rounder. But it’s the undisputed king for marketing use cases. With its networking, engagement, top-notch analytics, and MarTech integrations, Airmeet can help you get big results for your brand. If you’re searching for the best virtual event platforms, try Airmeet today.
2) Vfairs
Vfairs is a leading virtual events platform that offers a wide range of impressive features suitable for various use cases such as conferences, trade shows, virtual training, and employee onboarding.
Some noteworthy features
- The platform offers networking tools include breakout sessions, live chat, virtual lounges, one-on-one sessions, and speed networking.
- Additionally, some of the most popular features of Vfairs include their custom event builder, event gamification capabilities, and analytics and reporting tools.
These features make Vfairs a great choice for online events, delivering a quality experience and enabling organizers to create engaging and interactive events.
Some things to keep in mind
- As per a user review, platform changes approved get reversed multiple times and have to be refixed hence wasting a lot of time for both the admin and support team.
- Notifications can be missed by the users in booths in some instances.
- Some users have mentioned that the platform offers less customization than they would like. They have limited control over the look and feel of the platform.
- Some users have expressed concerns about timely support and the true capabilities of the platform.
- Vfairs also lacks dedicated booth tables for exhibitors that support live interactions.
Ease of use
Overall, Vfairs is decently easy to use as a virtual events platform. With decent ratings, and on G2 and Capterra for the same.
However, some admins have found it difficult to use Vfairs.
Some reviews also suggest that setting up virtual booths for exhibitors and admins can be a time-consuming process. Specific media formats must be used for uploads, and unexpected resets may occur, causing inconvenience.
Pricing
You’d need to request a demo and discuss your event requirements with the sales team to get an estimate. However, some reviews indicate that Vfairs is comparatively expensive.
Ratings
Currently, Vfairs scores a brilliant 4.7, and 4.8 rating on G2 and Capterra, respectively.
Verdict: A great virtual events all-rounder, but not without its imprerfections
Vfairs is a well-rounded virtual event platform, but not without its imperfections. While it offers many useful features, there may be some areas where it falls short – like support, chat experience, and overall ease of use as per user reviews. Therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate your event’s specific needs and requirements before deciding if Vfairs is the right platform for you.
3) Hopin
Like Vfairs, Hopin is also a popular choice for hosting different kinds of online events. The virtual event platform supports multiple networking and engagement features like Q&A, polls, and chats.
Additionally, there are virtual avenues like stages, receptions, and expo areas to enrich the virtual event experience for your attendees.
Hopin claims to support up to 100,000 attendees per event, but some reviews suggest that some glitches may occur here and there quite often.
Other than that, you get helpful analytics features like revenue tracking, attendance and engagement metrics, session performance, and some 3rd party integrations to gather actionable insights.
So here are some pros
- Useful sets of features to plan and execute your virtual events without needing to stack different technologies.
- Offers useful networking features like chats, GIFS, 1:1, and group video conferencing
- The free plan allows you to host events with up to 100 attendees and 2 hours in length.
- A good set of features for post-event analytics and measuring ROI.
Some noteworthy features
- Modular blocks to customize your event landing pages.
- The event registration suite includes UTM builders, customizable forms, and registration management tools.
Some things to keep in mind
Users have reported multiple instances of encountering glitches and bugs during the event. Additionally, there have been reports of a clunky backstage experience on the virtual events platform, as well as delays in support during the event.
Pricing
There’s a free plan available to try out this virtual event platform. Besides, there are two plans ranging from 83.25 USD to 667 USD and an option to get a custom quote for business events.
However, the pricing model is comparatively simple and convenient.
Ratings
Hopin is one of the revered virtual event software on Capterra, G2, scoring 4.5 out of 5 on both platforms.
Verdict
There’s plenty of horsepower, but it’s not the clear-cut winner in this list of virtual event platforms.
4) Cvent
The platform stands out from other virtual event platforms due to its comprehensive set of capabilities to handle end-to-end event planning and management journeys for an in-person, hybrid, or virtual event.
The platform also offers an attendee hub to track attendee engagement and an analytics dashboard to track metrics that define your event’s success.
They have a Supplier Network (CSN) that connects more than 290,000 customers to the venue of their choice.
However, some virtual events platforms in this list offer better features for networking and attendee engagement than Cvent.
Some noteworthy features
- CSN
- Venue Diagramming
- Badging solutions for hybrid and in-person events
Some things to keep in mind
- Some users report frequent freezes, confusing UI, and ineffective features.
- Customers also report a cumbersome registration and login process with multiple steps.
Pricing
You’d need to request a custom quote. Additionally, there are no free plans for the platform.
Ratings
Event organizers have given a rating of 4.3 and 4.4 on G2 and Capterra, respectively.
Verdict
Cvent is one of the revered names in the event industry. However, if your use case is limited to only virtual and hybrid events, then other virtual events platforms in the list might bring more bang for your buck!
5) BigMarker
BigMarker is one of the most highly-rated virtual event platforms on this list. With its user-friendly features and robust integrations, BigMarker has gained the trust of major brands.
If you’re a B2B marketer looking for a virtual event platform to host branded events, BigMarker should have a spot on your list. It’s highly customizable, allowing you to tune the look and feel of your events as per your brand’s guidelines.
Some noteworthy features
- AI-driven networking
- Highly customizable event landing pages
- Integrations with popular CRMs and other useful apps
Some things to keep in mind
- Some users face issues with timely support and the platform’s ease of use.
Pricing
You’d need to request a custom quote.
Ratings
The rating suggests that BigMarker is one of the best virtual event platforms out there, with a rating of 4.7 on G2 and 4.8 on Capterra.
Verdict
BigMarker is a versatile virtual event platform suitable for hosting virtual events. One of its unique characteristics is the flexibility it offers in terms of customization and branding, allowing you to tailor most aspects of your virtual event to your preferences. Nevertheless, you may want additional networking features within the platform.
6) InEvent
Here’s a powerful virtual event management software that can support multiple use cases. For event organizers, the comprehensive suite of features can help you go beyond virtual and enable you to host better in-person and hybrid events as well.
Like other virtual event platforms, InEvent offers networking and engagement capabilities like Q&A, chats, gamification, and quizzes. But that’s not all; the platform also empowers you to brand and customize some aspects of your event your way.
Some noteworthy features
- NFC technology for in-person event registration
- Virtual lobby with breakout rooms and 1:1 sessions
- Dynamic landing pages
Some things to keep in mind
- Several event organizers suggest a negative post-sales experience
- Some people also believe that understanding the right pricing plan can be a struggle.
Pricing
The plan starts at 1200 USD and goes all the way up to 11,900 USD. For a full set of features, you may request a custom quote.
Ratings
The platform has received a healthy rating of 4.5 on G2 and Capterra from event organizers.
Verdict
InEvent is a powerful and complete events platform that is best suited for teams that host multiple in-person, hybrid, and virtual events across the year. However, if in-person events are not your priority, and you’d rather have multiple virtual events on your calendar, then other virtual event platforms in the list might be a better choice for you.
7) Hubilo
Awarded “Top 50 marketing product” by G2, Hubilo is a capable and versatile virtual events platform that can help you create branded events that engage and delight audiences. On the branding front, you get features like a branded mobile app, custom URLs, logo placements, and custom landing pages.
Hubilo is a popular name among SMBs, because of its expansive features and relatively aggressive pricing.
Some noteworthy features
- Interactive elements like emoji reactions to chat and GIF sharing.
- Ability to host contests
- Live captions
- Session branding
Some things to keep in mind
The steep learning curve with many attendees often not knowing of product features, ticketing, registrations, and more.
Some users report issues with Hubilo Broadcaster and on-demand video.
Some one-off complaints about the payment gateway are also reported.
Pricing
Hubilo offers a few packages, but you’d need to contact their sales team for a quote.
Ratings
Event organizers across the globe have given Hubilo a rating of 4.7 and 4.6 on G2 and Capterra respectively.
Verdict
Overall, Hubilo is a great virtual event platform. You get useful interactive features, a range of branding options, and a mobile app. However, be prepared for a steep learning curve and navigate a few bugs and glitches along the way.
8) Run The World – the minimalist dream!
Ready to bring the party to your next virtual event without all the stress? Run the World might be the platform for you! Host amazing social and team-building virtual events.
Get features like streaming party and 1:1 networking right off the bat without any complications.
Also, you don’t need to be a tech genius to get started. This virtual event software has a low learning curve, and a minimalist approach.
Some key features
- Streaming Party – Stream a YouTube video, or share a video from your device to have everyone together to watch it.
- Join the party directly with a link without the hassle of any registrations.
Group networking
Some things to consider
Some users have reported instances of glitches and hiccups with the connection during the broadcast.
Pricing
Plans for Run The World start from 79 USD/month. There is a free plan available with up to 50 attendees and unlimited paid ticketing. You’d need to request a quote for the business plan.
Ratings
It boasts of a 4.4 rating on Capterra and 4.6 on G2 currently.
Verdict
In the world of heavy-lifting all-rounders, Run the World is hyper-focused on building an events platform that’s minimal and ideal for virtual community events and informal gatherings. However, if you need a comprehensive feature list, and don’t reckon with the minimalist approach, then you might proceed forward with this list of best virtual event platforms.
EventMobi acquired Run The World in August 2023.
9) HeySummit
HeySummit is purpose-built for event organizers who want to set up and get going in minutes without any complications. Imagine it as your regular video conferencing platform, but on steroids.
HeySummit can connect with your webinar providers like Zoom or Google Meet and give you powerful capabilities to manage all your webinars, live streams, and pre-recorded streams from one place.
You could be hosting an event at 8:00 AM on Remo while also hosting a Zoom session at 9:30 AM. With HeySummit, you can bring everything to one place and manage all your virtual events from a single platform.
Some noteworthy features
- Landing page builder
- Managing live streams from multiple webinar and virtual event platforms
Somethings to keep in mind
- Some users have faced issues with branding and customizing the different aspects of events to their liking.
Pricing
HeySummit’s pricing is fairly straightforward. You get plans starting from 25 USD and going all the way up to 175 USD.
Ratings
HeySummit gets a healthy rating of 4.7 on G2, and 4.6 on Capterra, making it one of the top virtual events platforms in this list.
Verdict
HeySummit is versatile and an excellent choice for anyone who wants to host and manage events from multiple platforms like Google Meets, Zoom, and other events platforms.
10) GoTo Webinar
The name of the platform can be quite deceptive, but besides webinars, the platform is also well suited for hosting full-fledged virtual conferences and events.
The platform brings you a great stack of virtual event engagement tools and networking options like polls, handouts, email marketing, and branding abilities.
Some noteworthy features
- Ever dreamt of getting your content to millions of people? GoToStage is the platform for your events to reach millions of people and hundreds of potential clients. It’s a great opportunity for your event content, given that it ends up on the first page.
- A diverse set of integrations to blend in with your existing marketing tech stack.
Some things to keep in mind
- Some users had a satisfying experience with the speaker/panelists’ presentations.
- Other than that, some users also report issues with signing in.
Pricing
GTW offers flexible pricing for multiple use cases and needs.
Plans start from 49 USD and all the way up to USD 399 for enterprises.
Verdict
GoToWebinar is a diverse platform with useful capabilities that suit multiple use cases. With competitive pricing and a great support team, GoToWebinar is a compelling virtual event platform you can consider.
11) Zuddl
Zuddl offers a similar list of features regarding engagement, networking, and customization. However, they focus on branding and creating on-brand user experiences.
Here are some key features of Zuddl
- Gamification
- Matchmaking and speed networking
- Built-in templates to kickstart your event planning
- Brandable landing pages
Somethings to keep in mind
- Based on reviews, some people also face issues with the ease of use and reliability of the features.
Pricing
Plans for Zuddl start at 1000 USD.
Ratings
The platform has been rated by event organizers on G2 and Capterra. Scoring above 4.5 in user rating on both the platforms.
Verdict
Zuddl has a useful set of features that can help you host and manage amazon virtual events. However, there isn’t much that gives it a competitive edge or an advantage over other popular choices like Airmeet, Vfairs, or Hubilo.
12) On24
On24 is a capable and innovative platform to host your virtual events, webinars, demos, and more. The product differentiates itself from the rest by offering purpose-built suites for engagement and analytics.
Some noteworthy features of the platform
- Content Hub to consolidate your content in one place
- Real-time dynamic dashboards
- Lead Scoring to trigger the right workflows
Some things to keep in mind
- Users have complained about steep learning curves and clunky and outdated UI. (customer review -1, customer review – 2 )
- Some users also feel that gathering data and insights is a cumbersome process.
- Some have noted glitchy experiences during the live streams by both organizers and the end-users.
Pricing
Information for on24 is not publicly available and is only provided by the software platform based on quotes.
Ratings
On24 gets a 4.5-star rating on g2 and a 4.3-star rating on Capterra.
Verdict
There’s definitely great potential in the platform, and some of the features are unique and thoughtful. However, the UI, overall performance, and agility of the platform come in the way of utilizing all the potential of the platform. The learning curve is steep, and the entire experience feels a little bit cumbersome.
13) Accelevent
Accelevents offers a comprehensive range of services and features to host all types of virtual events, from tradeshows and fundraisers to product launches and career fairs.
With a focus on sleek design and audience engagement, Accelevents provides a great virtual event experience, incorporating features such as live streaming, customizable lobbies with welcome videos, activity walls, leaderboards, and an analytics dashboard with registration and session reports.
The platform also offers custom booths and expo halls for sponsors to showcase their brand.
Some noteworthy features
- Virtual lobby
- Customizable booths
Some things to keep in mind
- Multiple users reported poor customer service
- Some users feel that event analytics are not up to the mark
Pricing
There’s a free trial available with limited features. However, you’d need to request a quote for broader applications.
Ratings
With an impressive rating of 4.7/5, Accelevent is also on Capterra’s 2022 shortlist for “Emerging Favorite” in the virtual event software category.
Verdict
Accelevents is a platform that’s mostly liked by its customers. However, bad customer service and insufficient analytics are some of the downfalls of the platform.
Virtual event tools to enhance your virtual events
So now that we have explored the list, let’s check out some leading event technologies that pair up with the best virtual event platforms. .
1) Walls.io
Walls.io is a social wall solution for your virtual events. Social walls are an effective way to moderate content on social media, and use user generated content to expand the reach of your event. It also helps engage event attendees as it’s a fun way to host social media challenges, leaderboards, and polls.
2) Snapbar
Snap Bar is a virtual photo booth app that seamlessly integrates with your virtual event platforms. For all the event planners looking to spice up their events, sprinkle some fun and engagement at your virtual events with a virtual photobooth and let your event attendees take away meaningful memories.
3) Asana
Planning and hosting a virtual event is a big project with a lot of moving parts. A project management tool like Asana can help you stay on track and track multiple aspects of your projects from a single dashboard.
4) Zapier
Zapier is an automation tool that empowers event organizers to automate multiple aspects of your event planning journey. With an automation tool, you can automate social promotion, sending emails to your event registrants, and even engage high intent leads automatically.
You’ll just need to set up some triggers, and the whole process can be automated in minutes.
What are your options for free virtual event platforms?
- Airmeet
- Hopin
- Run The World (acquired by EventMobi)
- Accelevents
Your next steps!
Well, there you have it, folks! We’ve explored the vast and wonderful world of top virtual event platforms, from the stars like Airmeet, to smaller, niche virtual event platforms like Run The World.
Feel free to check out and evaluate these virtual event platforms as per your needs, budget, and business goals.
If you’re still confused, start your search by checking out Airmeet. You can’t go wrong with a virtual event platform that hits the sweet spot in every aspect, like attendee engagement, networking, event analytics, branding, and pricing.
FAQ
RingCentral Events, Airmeet, and Accelevents are some of the virtual event platforms that offer live streaming capabilities.
Yes, Walls.io, Snapbar, Asana, and Zapier offer a free trial.
Virtual event platforms offer features like virtual booths, networking lounges, and branding elements to assist users in hosting a range of events, including trade shows.
Virtual summits and conferences need different customization options to fit specific needs. Some essential customizations include booths, emails, registration pages, landing pages, networking spaces, branding, and speaker profiles.
Accelevent, vfairs, Zuddl, HeySummit, Airmeet, Cvent, InEvent, and BigMarker offer in-person and hybrid event capabilities.
While Microsoft Teams supports webinars, meetings, and video conferences, its capabilities for hosting large-scale virtual events are limited.
On the other hand, Zoom provides services for both virtual events and webinars.
Yes, virtual event platforms and software do offer a variety of engagement and networking features. These features often include polls, Q&A, breakout rooms, networking lounges, gamification, one-on-one sessions, and more.
