How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Zoom Events is the safe default for multi track conferences: an event hub, ticketing, and scheduling on the video platform your attendees already know, with 100 attendee licences reported from $149 per month.
- RingCentral Events, the platform that began as Hopin, is the sponsor and networking pick, from $99 per organiser per month on annual billing.
- Airmeet and Livestorm serve community and marketing events: virtual tables and networking at Airmeet, and browser based webinars and summits at Livestorm from $3 per attendee, with a free plan.
- Webex Events, BigMarker, and vFairs are quote priced enterprise tools, for branded conferences, demand generation, and 3D expos.
- HeySummit from $33 per month is the small summit answer: it organises talks and ticketing while streaming runs on tools you already use.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Zoom Events | Multi track conferences on familiar video | $149 per month | No |
 RingCentral Events | Networking and sponsor heavy summits | $99 per organiser per month | No |
 Airmeet | Community events with real networking | See website | Yes |
 Livestorm | Webinars and summits in the browser | $3 per attendee | Yes |
 Webex Events | Enterprise and hybrid conferences | See website | No |
 BigMarker | B2B marketing events and lead generation | See website | No |
 vFairs | Virtual expos, trade shows, and job fairs | See website | No |
 HeySummit | Small summits and talk series | $33 per month | Yes |
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The best apps for hosting virtual events
#1Zoom Events
Best for: Multi track conferences on familiar video4.5/5 on
G2 (412 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit zoom.com
Starting price$149 per month
Free planNo
Zoom Events adds the missing event structure to the world's default meeting tool: a branded hub, sessions people can reserve, networking, and ticketing, without asking a single attendee to learn a new platform. For associations and companies whose audience lives in Zoom already, that familiarity is worth real attendance points.
The trade off is price at scale and personality. The per attendee model punishes growth, and the experience rarely feels like an occasion. Zoom Events fits established organisations running serious multi session conferences for audiences who value reliability over theatre.
What we like- An event layer over Zoom: hub, ticketing tiers, multi session scheduling, speaker directory, and a recording library
- Attendees need no new software or learning, which protects attendance
- Scales to large conferences and hybrid formats
- Licences for 100 attendees reported from $149 per month
Watch out for- Per attendee pricing climbs steeply, with 1,000 attendee licences reported around $790 per month
- The feel is corporate, closer to a meeting than a festival
- Branding and registration customisation trail purpose built rivals
#2RingCentral Events
Best for: Networking and sponsor heavy summits4.5/5 on
G2 (933 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit ringcentral.com
Starting price$99 per organiser per month
Free planNo
RingCentral Events is what Hopin became, and Hopin defined the virtual venue: attendees move between a main stage, breakout sessions, one to one networking, and sponsor booths that justify sponsor fees. If your event's economics depend on exhibitors and meetings, this is the model the category copied.
The trade off is production weight. A venue needs staffing like a venue, and small events drown in its structure. RingCentral Events fits summit and conference organisers selling sponsorships and promising networking, at mid to large scale.
What we like- The platform built as Hopin, with stages, sessions, expo booths, and structured networking
- Sponsor visibility is a design centre, with booths and branding throughout
- From $99 per organiser per month on annual billing
- Suits virtual and hybrid summits with an exhibition floor
Watch out for- The dashboard and setup are more complex than webinar tools
- Per event and tier pricing needs careful reading at larger scales
- The RingCentral ownership and naming has confused buyers reading older Hopin reviews
#3Airmeet
Best for: Community events with real networking4.6/5 on
G2 (762 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit airmeet.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planYes
Airmeet's insight is that events are mostly the people between the sessions. Its tables let attendees gather in small video groups, join and leave conversations, and actually meet each other, which is why communities, associations, and workshop organisers rate it so highly. It feels social in a way stage based platforms do not.
The trade off is formality and price clarity. Keynote polish and sponsor machinery are thinner, and we mark the price See website because current comparisons disagree. Airmeet fits community driven events, meetups at scale, and conferences where networking is the product.
What we like- Virtual tables where attendees sit, talk, and move between conversations, the closest feel to a real room
- Events and community formats are its home ground
- A limited free tier exists for small events
- Organiser pricing exists below enterprise level, though published figures vary between sources
Watch out for- Published starting prices conflict across 2026 comparisons, so confirm on the site
- Less formal, which suits communities better than corporate keynotes
- Sponsor and expo tooling is lighter than RingCentral Events
#4Livestorm
Best for: Webinars and summits in the browser4.4/5 on
G2 (1,740 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit livestorm.co
Starting price$3 per attendee
Free planYes
Livestorm is the marketer's event platform. Webinars, product demos, training, and online summits run in the browser with registration pages, reminders, and CRM friendly data attached. The per attendee model, from $3, keeps small programmes cheap and charges in proportion to audience, and the free plan covers genuinely small sessions.
The trade off is venue depth. There is no sponsor floor or roaming networking space. Livestorm fits marketing and customer teams whose events are presentations with engagement, from weekly webinars to a flagship summit, rather than a virtual convention centre.
What we like- Runs entirely in the browser, so attendees click a link and are in
- A free plan for small sessions, with Pro from $3 per attendee
- Strong engagement tools, polls, Q&A, and calls to action
- Multi session events and on demand replays for marketing teams
Watch out for- Per attendee pricing suits webinars better than huge free conferences
- It is a webinar first platform, without a full expo venue
- Advanced event features sit on higher tiers
#5Webex Events
Best for: Enterprise and hybrid conferences4.6/5 on
G2 (1,081 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit webex.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Webex Events, the platform Cisco built on its Socio acquisition, is the enterprise event system: one vendor for the app attendees carry at a hybrid conference, the virtual venue for remote attendees, and the registration and data layer beneath both. Large companies also buy it because their security teams already trust the parent.
The trade off is accessibility. There is no price to read and no small event tier to grow into. Webex Events fits enterprises and associations running flagship hybrid conferences where brand, data, and procurement approval matter as much as the stream.
What we like- A full event platform, formerly Socio, with branded apps, registration, and onsite and hybrid tooling
- Gamification, sponsor features, and community spaces built in
- Cisco's enterprise standing covers security and procurement reviews
- Scales from internal town halls to public conferences
Watch out for- Entirely quote priced
- Aimed at enterprises, so small events are not its market
- Cisco's wider Webex naming makes product research confusing
#6BigMarker
Best for: B2B marketing events and lead generation4.7/5 on
G2 (444 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit bigmarker.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
BigMarker treats an event as a pipeline machine. Its webinars and virtual conferences plug into the CRM, score engagement, and hand sales a list of who watched what and clicked which offer. For B2B marketing teams measured on leads rather than applause, that plumbing is the product.
The trade off is occasion. BigMarker events feel like excellent webinars more than festivals, and the price arrives by conversation. BigMarker fits B2B marketing organisations running recurring event programmes where the attendee data matters as much as the day itself.
What we like- Built for marketers: webinars, virtual events, and series with CRM and email integrations
- Automation for registration, reminders, and follow up is a strength
- Interactive tools, offers, and handouts designed around conversion
- Used for demand generation programmes, not only one off events
Watch out for- Pricing is custom in current comparisons
- Less flashy than venue platforms, functional rather than immersive
- The marketing focus means community style events are not its strength
#7vFairs
Best for: Virtual expos, trade shows, and job fairs4.7/5 on
G2 (1,786 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit vfairs.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
vFairs recreates the exhibition hall: a lobby you walk through, booths you visit, reps you chat with, and a swag bag of documents. For job fairs and trade shows, where the booth conversation is the entire event, that model earns its setup cost, and its organisers run events at serious scale.
The trade off is effort. A vFairs event is a production, with booth building and exhibitor onboarding, wasted on a simple conference. vFairs fits expo, recruitment, and trade show organisers whose sponsors expect a floor, not a webinar with logos.
What we like- A 3D style virtual venue with lobbies, auditoriums, and exhibitor booths
- Purpose built for job fairs, trade shows, and education fairs
- Sponsor showcase and lead capture for exhibitors included
- Handles very large attendee numbers
Watch out for- Quote pricing only
- The 3D environment takes setup time and rehearsal
- The visual style divides opinion, impressive to some, heavy to others
Starting price$33 per month
Free planYes
HeySummit takes the pragmatic route for independent organisers. A summit is mostly administration: recruiting speakers, scheduling talks, selling or giving tickets, and emailing the right links. HeySummit does that layer well and cheaply, while the talks themselves stream on Zoom, YouTube, or whatever you trust.
The trade off is ceiling. When your summit becomes a conference with sponsors and thousands of attendees, you will graduate to the platforms above. HeySummit fits creators, coaches, and small communities running their first to fifth summit on a budget that has to survive contact with reality.
What we like- Organises online summits: speakers, talks, schedules, and ticketing in one layer
- Streaming runs on the tools you already use, so there is no new platform risk on the day
- From $33 per month on annual billing, with free use for small attendee counts reported
- Built for coaches, creators, and niche communities
Watch out for- It is an organiser, not a streaming platform
- Very large or sponsor heavy events outgrow it
- Advanced event data and integrations are thinner than enterprise tools
How we chose
We compared the platforms organisers name most in 2026 event guides, and checked pricing models against at least two dated sources each, marking See website where vendors quote or where sources conflict, as they did for Airmeet. We weighted the attendee experience, because no shows are the silent killer of virtual events, then networking, sponsor value, and the honesty of each pricing model at different scales. Name changes, Hopin to RingCentral Events and Socio to Webex Events, are noted because older reviews use the old names. We did not host events on these platforms or claim hands on testing.
How to choose, and how to not waste the budget
Start from the event's centre of gravity. If it is content, a stage and an audience, Livestorm, Zoom Events, or HeySummit cover you at a fraction of venue money. If it is people meeting people, Airmeet or RingCentral Events earns its complexity. If it is exhibitors, vFairs or RingCentral Events is the honest shortlist, because sponsors pay for booths and meetings, not logos on a stream.
Then model the price at your real attendance, twice: once at the registrations you expect, once at double, because per attendee and tiered pricing punishes success in ways flat quotes do not. Rehearse the attendee journey end to end with a test account, on a phone as well as a laptop, since a third of your audience will join from one. Finally, assign a human to the chat and the help desk for the whole event. The platform is the venue; the staffing is the hospitality, and attendees remember the second one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a webinar tool and a virtual event platform?
A webinar tool runs a presentation to an audience: one stage, chat, polls, and Q&A. An event platform builds a venue around many sessions: a lobby, an agenda, sponsor booths, networking, and often a mobile app for hybrid events. If your event has one track and no sponsors, the webinar tool is the honest buy; platforms earn their price when attendees need somewhere to go between sessions.
How much does it cost to host a virtual event?
From nothing to enterprise quotes. HeySummit starts at $33 per month and Livestorm's free plan covers small sessions; Livestorm Pro runs from $3 per attendee. Zoom Events licences for 100 attendees are reported from $149 per month, rising to about $790 at 1,000 attendees. RingCentral Events starts at $99 per organiser per month on annual billing. Webex Events, BigMarker, and vFairs quote per event or contract.
Which platform is best for networking?
Airmeet, for its tables that let attendees form and leave small video conversations naturally, and RingCentral Events for structured networking at conference scale, with matched one to one meetings beside the expo. Networking is the feature with the widest gap between brochure and reality, so test it with your own team before the event, at the attendee numbers you expect.
Can I run a hybrid event on these platforms?
Yes, that is a design centre for several of them. Webex Events was built for hybrid, with one app serving onsite and remote attendees; Zoom Events and RingCentral Events both run hybrid conferences, and vFairs handles hybrid expos. Budget for the onsite production separately: cameras, audio, and a producer for the remote audience are real costs the platform fee does not include.
What do attendees need to install?
Ideally nothing. Livestorm runs fully in the browser; Zoom Events works best in the Zoom app most people already have; Airmeet, RingCentral Events, and vFairs run in modern browsers, with mobile apps for hybrid features. Every install step costs you attendees, so when you evaluate platforms, join your own test event as a guest, on a phone, over home Wi-Fi, and count the clicks.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.