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Who's In

6 Best Conference Management Tools in 2026

We tested Who's In Conference, Sched, Whova, Bizzabo, Cvent, and Hopin. Here's an honest breakdown of pricing, features, and which tool fits your conference.

Last updated: May 2026 · Hands-on testing · 6 tools compared

Quick Comparison

ToolBest ForPricingFree Tier
Who's In ConferenceOur Pick
Community conferencesFrom $49/month, or $490/year (Starter) — 0% Who's In fee on ticket sales
Sched
Multi-track conferencesPer-attendee or per-event pricing
Whova
Professional conferencesCustom per-event (quote-based)
Bizzabo
Enterprise conferencesCustom (quote-based)
Cvent
Large corporate conferences (1,000+ attendees)Custom enterprise (quote-based)
Hopin
Virtual conferencesPublished tiers or custom pricing

Detailed Reviews

#1

Who's In Conference

Editor's Choice

Best value conference management tool for community and mid-size events

Pricing
From $49/month, or $490/year (Starter) — 0% Who's In fee on ticket sales

Pros

  • Starts at $49/month — no per-event or per-attendee fees
  • 0% Who's In fee on ticket sales
  • No app download — attendees register and check in from the browser

Cons

  • Newer platform — less enterprise brand recognition than Cvent
  • No built-in virtual event or live-streaming features

Best For:

Community conferencesTech meetupsNon-profit summitsAcademic symposiumsUnconferencesIndustry day events

Our Verdict

Best value conference management tool for community, non-profit, and mid-size events in 2026. From $49/month you get registration, waitlists, QR check-in, and attendee management. Ticket sales carry a 0% Who's In fee (Stripe's standard processing applies).

Try Who's In Conference — From $49/mo
#2

Sched

Best for agenda building and session scheduling

Pricing
Per-attendee or per-event pricing

Pros

  • Excellent session scheduling and agenda builder
  • Attendees can build personalised schedules
  • Strong speaker and session management tools

Cons

  • Per-attendee pricing gets expensive for large conferences
  • Interface feels dated compared to modern tools

Best For:

Multi-track conferencesAcademic conferencesLarge festivals with many sessions

Our Verdict

The strongest agenda-building tool on the market. If your conference has 50+ sessions across multiple tracks and attendees need to build personalised schedules, Sched is purpose-built for that. But per-attendee pricing makes it expensive at scale.

#3

Whova

Best all-in-one conference app with networking features

Pricing
Custom per-event (quote-based)

Pros

  • Strong attendee networking and matchmaking features
  • Branded mobile app for conference attendees
  • Good exhibitor and sponsor management tools

Cons

  • Expensive per-event pricing with no free tier
  • Requires attendees to download the Whova app

Best For:

Professional conferencesIndustry trade showsCorporate retreats with networking

Our Verdict

Best for conferences where attendee networking is a primary value proposition. The matchmaking and networking tools are genuinely useful. But per-event pricing and mandatory app download make it wrong for community events or budget-conscious organisers.

#4

Bizzabo

Enterprise event marketing platform for large conferences

Pricing
Custom (quote-based)

Pros

  • Powerful event marketing and promotion tools
  • Comprehensive analytics and ROI tracking
  • Seamless CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)

Cons

  • Enterprise pricing puts it out of reach for most organisers
  • Overkill for single-day or community conferences

Best For:

Enterprise conferencesMulti-day corporate eventsMarketing-driven conferences

Our Verdict

Built for enterprise event marketing teams running multi-day conferences with serious budgets. The analytics, CRM integrations, and marketing tools are best-in-class. But this is an enterprise-priced platform — wrong for anything community-driven or budget-constrained.

#5

Cvent

Legacy enterprise platform for the largest conferences

Pricing
Custom enterprise (quote-based)

Pros

  • Most comprehensive feature set for large-scale events
  • Strong venue sourcing and hotel block management
  • Established enterprise platform with decades of history

Cons

  • Very expensive with opaque enterprise-only pricing
  • Heavy, complex interface that requires dedicated training

Best For:

Large corporate conferences (1,000+ attendees)Venue sourcing and hotel blocksEnterprise event portfolios

Our Verdict

The legacy choice for enterprise event teams managing huge conferences with complex venue, hotel, and catering logistics. If you're running 1,000+ attendee events with hotel blocks, Cvent is battle-tested. For anything smaller, it's massively over-engineered.

#6

Hopin

Virtual and hybrid conference platform

Pricing
Published tiers or custom pricing

Pros

  • Purpose-built for virtual and hybrid conference experiences
  • Built-in live streaming, breakout rooms, and expo halls
  • Good attendee engagement tools for remote audiences

Cons

  • In-person event features lag behind dedicated tools
  • Platform has gone through significant changes and pivots

Best For:

Virtual conferencesHybrid eventsOnline summits and webinars

Our Verdict

The strongest option if your conference is fully virtual or hybrid. Built-in streaming, breakout rooms, and virtual expo halls work well. But for in-person conferences, the feature set is thinner than purpose-built alternatives.

How We Evaluated

Pricing

Cost per event, per attendee, and annual contracts

Agenda Tools

Session scheduling, multi-track, and speaker management

Attendee Experience

Registration friction, networking, and engagement

Speaker Management

Speaker portals, bio collection, and session assignments

Ranked #1 in this guide:Who's In ConferenceConference management software

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best conference management tool for mid-size events in 2026?
Who's In Conference is the best value conference management tool for community and mid-size events in 2026. Starting at $49/month, it offers attendee registration, waitlist management, QR check-in, and real-time attendee dashboards. Paid tickets carry a 0% Who's In fee (Stripe's standard processing applies).
How much does conference management software typically cost?
Who's In Conference starts at $49/month, or $490/year (Starter), or $149/month (Growth), with a 0% Who's In fee on ticket sales (Stripe's standard processing applies). Sched, Whova, Bizzabo and Cvent price per attendee, per event or by contract; check each vendor's current pricing page.
Do conference attendees need to create an account to register?
Yes, a free one. Attendees sign in when they register (with an email link, Google, Apple or LinkedIn), which keeps their ticket, schedule and badge together, and there's no app to download. Whova asks attendees to download its app.
Can conference management tools handle multi-track sessions?
Yes, but capability varies. Sched is the strongest for multi-track agenda building with personalised schedules. Who's In Conference supports session management for mid-size events. Cvent and Bizzabo offer comprehensive session management at enterprise price points. For conferences under 500 attendees, you don't need enterprise-grade session tools.
What's the best conference tool for non-profit events?
Who's In Conference is the best choice for non-profit conferences and summits. Starting at $49/month, it offers all the core features non-profits need: registration, check-in, attendee management, and communications. Ticket sales carry a 0% Who's In fee, with no hidden fees.
Should I use a dedicated conference tool or a general event platform?
For conferences under 300 attendees, a general event platform like Who's In Conference covers everything you need — registration, check-in, attendee management, and communications. For conferences with 500+ attendees, complex multi-track agendas, exhibitor management, and venue logistics, a dedicated tool like Sched, Whova, or Cvent may be worth the investment.

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