7 Best Event Planning Apps in 2026
An honest comparison for community organisers who just want to know who's coming. We tested each app by creating a real event, sharing it via WhatsApp, and measuring time-to-RSVP.
How We Tested These Apps
We did not just read feature lists. We created a real 25-person event on each platform (a midweek social run with a 20-person cap), shared the link via WhatsApp to a test group, and measured three things: how long it took a guest to go from tapping the link to confirming their RSVP, how many steps were involved, and whether the organiser got a usable attendee list without chasing people.
We also evaluated pricing transparency, mobile experience, and whether each tool handles the specific needs of community organisers -- recurring events, waitlists, payment collection, and group communication.
Full disclosure
Who's In is our product. We have an obvious bias, and we are transparent about it throughout this article. We have tried to be fair in our assessments of every platform. Where a competitor does something better than us, we say so. Our goal is to help you find the right tool, even if it is not ours.
Quick Comparison Table
Side-by-side feature comparison of all 7 apps. Scroll horizontally on mobile to see the full table.
| Feature | Who's In | Eventbrite | Meetup | Luma | Partiful | Spond | RSVPify |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | |||||||
| No guest account needed | |||||||
| WhatsApp sharing | |||||||
| Waitlist management | |||||||
| QR check-in | |||||||
| Recurring events | |||||||
| Stripe payments | |||||||
| Mobile-first design | |||||||
| Pricing | Free forever (Pro also free) | Free for free events, 6.95% + $0.99 for paid | $9.99/mo for organisers | Free basic, paid from $59/mo | Free | Free | Free basic, paid from $15.83/mo |
| Our Rating | 4.8 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4 | 4 |
For detailed head-to-head comparisons, see our Eventbrite comparison, Luma comparison, and Partiful comparison pages.
Individual Reviews
A deeper look at each platform -- what it does well, where it falls short, and who it is actually built for.
Who's In
Our PickBest for: WhatsApp-native community events
Built specifically for community organisers who share events via WhatsApp. Guests RSVP with a single tap -- no account, no app download, no friction. Automatic waitlists bump the next person when a spot opens. Stripe-integrated payments at flat 2.7% transaction fee. Recurring events, QR check-in, and calendar sync included on all tiers.
Pros
- Zero-friction RSVP -- guests never create an account
- WhatsApp-native sharing with pre-filled messages
- Stripe payments at 2.7% (Pro) with no flat per-ticket fee
Cons
- Newer brand -- launched January 2026, building recognition
- No event marketplace or built-in discovery
- No dedicated desktop app (PWA works on all devices)
Verdict
The strongest option if your community lives on WhatsApp and you want the fastest path from sharing a link to a confirmed headcount. The zero-account RSVP flow genuinely reduces drop-off. Payment fees are among the lowest in this list. The trade-off is no built-in audience discovery -- you need to bring your own community.
Eventbrite
Best for: Large public ticketed events
The market leader in event ticketing with a massive built-in audience. Eventbrite excels at large-scale events where discovery matters -- concerts, festivals, conferences, and public workshops. The platform handles thousands of attendees, offers robust ticket types, and has a proven checkout flow that event-goers trust.
Pros
- Huge marketplace with built-in event discovery
- Robust ticketing engine proven at scale
- Trusted brand that attendees recognise
Cons
- High fees eat into margins (6.95% + $0.99 per ticket)
- Requires attendees to create an Eventbrite account
- Overkill for small community events -- complex setup
Verdict
Still the best choice for large public events where you need discovery and ticket sales at scale. The brand recognition gives attendees confidence. But the fees add up quickly for smaller organisers, and requiring account creation adds friction for casual community events. If your events are invite-only or shared via messaging apps, you are paying for a marketplace you do not use.
Meetup
Best for: Discovery-driven communities
The original community event platform with a loyal user base of people actively looking for events to join. Meetup is unmatched for audience discovery -- if you want strangers to find your hiking group or language exchange, Meetup puts you in front of people searching for exactly that. Group management tools are solid for established communities.
Pros
- Built-in audience actively searching for events
- Strong search, discovery, and category browsing
- Good group management for established communities
Cons
- Monthly fee ($9.99/mo) even if you only run free events
- Dated interface that feels stuck in 2015
- No WhatsApp integration -- relies on in-app messaging
Verdict
The best tool for growing a community from scratch. If you need people to discover your events organically, Meetup still has the largest active audience looking for local activities. The downside is the mandatory monthly fee and an interface that has not kept pace with modern alternatives. Once your group is established and communicates via WhatsApp or other channels, the discovery advantage diminishes.
Luma
Best for: Tech and professional events
A polished event platform that has found a strong niche with tech communities, creator events, and professional networking. Event pages are beautifully designed with excellent calendar integration. Luma also includes built-in email marketing tools, which is unusual for an event platform -- you can send sequences, collect attendee emails, and build an audience directly.
Pros
- Beautiful, modern event pages with polished design
- Built-in email marketing and attendee communication
- Good for conferences and multi-session events
Cons
- Registration required -- guests must create an account
- Limited WhatsApp integration
- Paid plans start at $59/mo -- expensive at scale
Verdict
An excellent choice for tech meetups, creator events, and professional networking where attendees expect a polished registration experience. The built-in email marketing is a genuine differentiator. The trade-off is that casual community events feel over-engineered on Luma, and the account requirement adds friction for informal gatherings. At $59/month ($708/year), it is seven times more expensive than Who's In Pro.
Partiful
Best for: Casual social events (parties, birthdays)
The most fun event platform on this list. Partiful nails the vibe for casual social events -- birthday parties, dinner parties, housewarming events, and friend-group gatherings. The visual design is playful with animations and customisable themes. Guests can RSVP without creating an account, which keeps things low-friction for the casual events it targets.
Pros
- Fun, playful visual design with customisable themes
- No account required for guests to RSVP
- Completely free with no paid tiers
Cons
- No paid event or ticketing support
- No recurring event functionality
- Limited organiser tools -- no analytics or waitlists
Verdict
The perfect tool for birthday parties, dinner parties, and social gatherings among friends. The playful design sets the right tone for celebrations, and the no-account RSVP keeps things easy. It is intentionally simple, which is both its strength and limitation. If you need payments, recurring events, waitlists, or any organiser-level features, you will outgrow Partiful quickly.
Spond
Best for: Sports clubs and team management
Purpose-built for sports clubs and teams. Spond handles the specific needs of weekly training sessions, matches, and team coordination that general event tools miss. Subgroup management lets you run multiple squads, pool car features help with away fixtures, and attendance tracking gives coaches visibility across the season. Widely adopted in grassroots sports across Europe.
Pros
- Team and subgroup management with squad features
- Pool car coordination for away fixtures
- Purpose-built attendance tracking for sports seasons
Cons
- Requires app download -- no web-only RSVP
- No ticketing or payment processing
- Feature set is narrowly focused on sports
Verdict
If you run a sports club, Spond understands your specific needs better than any general event tool. Subgroups, pool cars, and season-long tracking are features that general tools simply do not offer. The limitation is scope -- Spond is not designed for non-sports events, and requiring an app download adds friction for casual participants. For mixed-activity communities (e.g., a social group that plays football AND organises pub quizzes), you will need a second tool.
RSVPify
Best for: Formal and corporate events
The most feature-rich option for formal events -- weddings, galas, corporate dinners, and award ceremonies. RSVPify offers custom RSVP questions, seating chart management, meal choice collection, formal invitation designs, and household grouping. If you need to know who is bringing a plus-one, what they want for dinner, and where to seat them, RSVPify handles it.
Pros
- Custom RSVP questions with conditional logic
- Seating charts and meal choice collection
- Formal invitation templates and branded pages
Cons
- Complex setup -- takes significantly longer than simpler tools
- No WhatsApp integration or mobile-first approach
- Paid tiers get expensive for ongoing use ($19-$79/mo)
Verdict
The clear winner for formal events where you need granular guest management. Weddings, corporate galas, and award ceremonies benefit from RSVPify features that no other tool on this list offers -- seating, meal choices, plus-one tracking, and custom questions. The trade-off is complexity and cost. For casual community events, RSVPify is like using a spreadsheet to make a shopping list -- capable, but unnecessarily complicated.
Pick the Right Tool for Your Events
Different events need different tools. Here is a quick guide based on what you actually need.
Need marketplace discovery?
Eventbrite or Meetup
If you want strangers to find your events through search and browsing, these platforms have the largest built-in audiences.
Casual parties?
Partiful
Birthday parties, dinner parties, and friend-group gatherings. Fun design, zero cost, no accounts for guests.
Sports team?
Spond
Weekly training sessions, match day coordination, subgroups, and pool car features built for grassroots sports.
Formal or corporate?
RSVPify
Weddings, galas, and corporate events where you need seating charts, meal choices, and custom RSVP questions.
WhatsApp community with payments?
Who's In
Community events shared via WhatsApp where you need one-tap RSVP, automatic waitlists, and optional Stripe payments at low fees.
Tech community?
Luma
Polished event pages, built-in email marketing, and a professional vibe suited to tech meetups and creator events.
Pricing Comparison: What You Actually Pay
Feature lists look similar until you see the bill. Here is what each platform costs in real-world scenarios.
50-person paid event ($20/ticket)
| Platform | Fees | You Keep |
|---|---|---|
| Who's In (Pro) | $27 (2.7%) | $973 |
| Eventbrite | $119.25 (6.95% + $0.99) | $880.75 |
| Meetup | $9.99/mo + payment processor | Varies |
| Luma | Varies by plan | Varies |
| Partiful | N/A (no paid events) | N/A |
| Spond | N/A (no payments) | N/A |
| RSVPify | $15.83/mo + processor | Varies |
200-person paid event ($35/ticket)
| Platform | Fees | You Keep |
|---|---|---|
| Who's In (Pro) | $189 (2.7%) | $6,811 |
| Eventbrite | $684.50 (6.95% + $0.99) | $6,315.50 |
| Meetup | $9.99/mo + payment processor | Varies |
| Luma | Varies by plan | Varies |
| Partiful | N/A | N/A |
| Spond | N/A | N/A |
| RSVPify | $39/mo + processor | Varies |
Annual cost (weekly events, 40 weeks)
| Platform | Fees | You Keep |
|---|---|---|
| Who's In | Free forever | $0 |
| Eventbrite | $0 for free events | $0 |
| Meetup | $119.88 ($9.99 x 12) | $119.88 |
| Luma | $0 - $708 ($59/mo) | $0 - $708 |
| Partiful | $0 | $0 |
| Spond | $0 | $0 |
| RSVPify | $228 - $948 | $228 - $948 |
The pricing takeaway
For free community events, Who's In, Partiful, and Spond cost nothing. For paid events, Who's In Pro at 2.7% consistently keeps more money in your pocket than Eventbrite (6.95% + $0.99). Over a year of weekly events, the savings add up to hundreds of dollars. If you do not need payments, you never need to upgrade -- the free tier is full-featured.
Ready to simplify your event planning?
You have seen the options. If your community lives on WhatsApp and you want the lowest friction path from link to confirmed headcount, give Who's In a try.
Free for unlimited events. Automatic waitlists. Native WhatsApp sharing. Stripe payments at the lowest fees on this list. Set up your first event in under 60 seconds.
Related Reading
Eventbrite Alternatives 2026
Deep dive into the best Eventbrite alternatives for community events.
How to Promote Your Event
Proven strategies to fill every spot at your next event.
How to Monetise Your Events
Charge for events without killing attendance.
Top 10 Free RSVP Tools
The best free RSVP tools for WhatsApp groups in 2026.
