1v1 Pricing Showdown
Eventbrite vs Whova
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for Event Management Software decision-makers
Prices in USD, verified from the United States. Regional pricing may vary.
When choosing between Eventbrite and Whova for your event management software stack, the right answer depends on three things: your budget, the specific features you actually use day-to-day, and your tolerance for renewal-price increases. Below we lay out the prices each vendor advertises today (verified against their live pricing pages), the plan limits that decide whether they'll fit your team, and the features that differ between them.
Eventbrite starts at $15/mo; Whova starts at custom pricing. The cheaper headline price isn't always the cheaper total cost — renewal pricing, per-user fees, and overage charges can shift the math. Use the plan-by-plan tables below to model your actual spend.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| free events free | Unlimited free events at no cost | — |
| 90m monthly consumer users | Consumer marketplace discovery unique | — |
| ai powered event creation | AI tools not available on competitors (eTix, See Tickets, Dice, Universe) | — |
| 3 7 plus 1 79 service fee | Per-ticket service fee paid events | — |
| 2 9 percent payment processing | Standard payment processing | — |
| in person virtual hybrid | — | Supports all event formats |
| networking focus | — | Attendee matchmaking + engagement |
| per event or multi event pricing | — | Flexibility for event program or single event |
Affiliate links — you pay the same price
Dive Deeper
About the event management software category
Event Management Software in 2026 spans transaction-fee consumer ticketing (Eventbrite) to enterprise annual subscriptions (Bizzabo, Cvent). Published rates: Eventbrite Free events free + Paid events 3.7% + $1.79 service fee per ticket + 2.9% payment processing per order + Pro Plan $15/month email marketing starting tier. Bizzabo Event Experience OS $499/user/month billed annually (3-user minimum = $17,999/year starting) with unlimited events + registrations. Custom-quote: Cvent (enterprise category leader, industry estimates $50K-500K+/year), Splash (brand event experiences, industry estimates $25K-200K+/year), Whova (conferences + hybrid events, industry estimates $2K-15K+/event or $15K-80K+/year multi-event). Major category developments: Eventbrite shifted focus to consumer event discovery + AI tools 2023-2024. Bizzabo independent enterprise event platform. Cvent went private via Blackstone acquisition 2023 ($4.6B). Splash brand event platform. Whova hybrid/conference specialist. AI integration 2024-2026: Eventbrite AI event creation, Cvent AI-powered insights, Bizzabo Klik SmartBadge networking. Target users: consumer events + tickets (Eventbrite), small brand events (Splash SMB), corporate conferences (Whova, Bizzabo), enterprise events + trade shows (Cvent category leader). For virtual-only webinars see virtual-events niche (Airmeet, Livestorm, Zoom Events, RingCentral Events/Hopin, Goldcast).
How to choose between event management software options
First: event type + business model? Consumer ticketed events: Eventbrite (transaction fee model — pay per ticket sold). Corporate conferences + internal events: Bizzabo or Whova or Cvent. Brand marketing events: Splash. Enterprise trade shows + large conferences: Cvent category leader. Second: transaction fee vs subscription? Eventbrite 3.7%+$1.79/ticket + 2.9% processing — small events pay little, large ticket volumes pay more. Bizzabo $17,999+/year subscription regardless of event volume — scale favors Bizzabo for multi-event programs. Calculate breakeven based on expected ticket volumes. Third: attendee count + event complexity? Small community events (under 500 attendees): Eventbrite. Mid-market conferences (500-5K attendees): Bizzabo or Whova. Large trade shows (5K-50K+ attendees): Cvent. Fourth: AI + networking priority? Bizzabo Klik SmartBadge networking (proprietary wearables), Cvent AI insights, Whova networking-focused features. Fifth: ecommerce-style ticketing? Eventbrite consumer marketplace + discoverability (90M monthly users). For public event sales: Eventbrite unique consumer reach.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Eventbrite or Whova offer a free plan?
- Eventbrite offers a free plan.
- Which is better, Eventbrite or Whova?
- Eventbrite scores 9/10 compared to Whova's 8.3/10 in our analysis. Eventbrite ranks higher on features and value, but Whova may suit specific use cases — see the feature comparison above.
- Are there other event management software alternatives besides Eventbrite and Whova?
- Yes. Our [Event Management Software pricing comparison](/pricing/event-management/) page covers all major providers with daily-verified prices. You can also see the [cheapest event management software](/pricing/event-management/cheapest/) for budget-focused options.