Overview

Cvent is a broad event platform for organizers who need registration, attendee communications and event-day tools in one program. It suits teams running recurring or complex in-person, virtual, hybrid and webinar events; its breadth comes with custom pricing and a need to choose the right combination of solutions.

Its registration offering spans branded event sites, ticketing, payments, email, reporting and AI workflows, while Attendee Hub adds an app and virtual experiences. That range can reduce the need to assemble separate tools, but organizations seeking only a lightweight registration page may find the enterprise-oriented scope more than they need.

Key features

Registration and ticketing: Branded websites and registration pages, drag-and-drop design, ticketing, payment processing and reporting make Cvent useful for events with a formal registration journey. More than 130 currencies are supported, which helps programs accepting payments across markets.
Communications and engagement: Email marketing and attendee email support outreach before and during events. Virtual and webinar formats include session recording, polls and Q&A, giving organizers options for structured audience participation.
Onsite and exhibitor operations: Onsite check-in and exhibitor tools extend the platform beyond sign-up. They are relevant when a program must coordinate both venue operations and sponsor or exhibitor activity.
Attendee Hub: The mobile event app and virtual experiences give attendees a dedicated event-facing channel. Cvent supports web, iOS and Android.
Security and support: Attendee data is encrypted in transit with TLS 1.2 and at rest with AES-256; payment processing is PCI DSS compliant. Cvent is certified against ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27701 and audited under SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II. Customers receive 24/7 support from its client services team.

Pricing

Cvent is paid, with custom pricing rather than published plan rates. The registration product can be tried for free, but the free trial is not the same as a free ongoing tier. Teams should request a quote and confirm which solutions, user access and terms fit their program.

Registration, Attendee Hub and OnArrival: Each is quote-priced. These named solutions let buyers focus a purchase on registration, attendee experiences or onsite operations rather than assuming every tool is bundled.
Professional: Custom pricing; license only the solutions needed, with additional Professional platform features and 15 user logins. This is the more bounded choice for teams that can work within a defined number of logins.
Enterprise: Custom pricing; includes all listed solutions, all Professional features, Registration, Attendee Hub, OnArrival, API access and single sign-on. It also includes all user logins, plus MFA, task, budget and resource management. The broader access and administration make it the stronger fit for large programs, but those capabilities come with a package whose price must be quoted.

No free-plan caps, renewal terms or refund policy are established. The trial is limited to the registration product, so buyers should verify trial scope and the commercial terms in their quote.

Platforms

Cvent is available on web, iOS and Android. The mobile event app is part of Attendee Hub, which also supports virtual experiences; organizers can use the platform across in-person, virtual, hybrid and webinar formats.

Who it's for

Cvent is best suited to organizations coordinating multiple event formats or larger programs that need registration, payments, onsite check-in, exhibitor workflows and attendee engagement together. Its 15-login Professional plan can suit a team with bounded access needs, while Enterprise’s all-user access and management tools address broader administrative requirements. Smaller events needing just a simple sign-up flow should weigh the custom-quote process and breadth against a more focused option.

Pros and cons

Pro: One platform covers registration, attendee communications, onsite check-in and exhibitor tools, reducing fragmentation for multi-stage event programs.
Pro: Support for more than 130 currencies, multiple event formats and mobile attendee experiences serves organizations operating across markets and channels.
Pro: Enterprise adds all-user access, API access, SSO, MFA and administrative tools for organizations with broader governance needs.
Con: Custom pricing across the plans makes budget comparison dependent on a quote rather than a published rate.
Con: Professional is limited to 15 user logins, so teams needing wider staff access must consider Enterprise.
Con: The free trial applies to registration, not a stated free ongoing plan, which limits what cost-conscious buyers can rely on without a purchase.

Alternatives

For a different event-management option, consider PheedLoop; its listed plans include a monthly Core Event Dashboard rate for 100–499 users and a registration, ticketing and event-website option, though the quoted plan details should be checked against the event’s needs.

Swapcard is another paid option, with a registration and management platform that includes custom registration sites, reports, attendee and exhibitor registration, and exhibitor management. Consider it when those listed registration and exhibitor functions are the priority.

CrowdComms is a paid event software alternative for buyers comparing providers.

For a no-cost starting point, HEPCon has a free Core plan for programmes under 50 contributions, with an offline-first agenda, source sync and personal schedule. That makes it a more relevant fit for smaller contribution-based programmes than Cvent’s quote-priced breadth.

Eventtia offers paid annual plans, including Essential at 3700.00 USD per year for 250 attendees, one admin seat and unlimited events for 12 months, and Premium at 4600.00 USD per year. Buyers who prefer stated annual plan prices and that attendee/admin structure can compare it with Cvent’s custom quote.

Amego has a free Spark plan with 1,000 AI credits and unlimited attendees, positioned for events with 50 attendees or fewer; it is a sensible comparison for smaller events looking to start on a free plan.

Whova is a paid event-platform alternative for buyers assessing other providers.

Eventee offers pay-per-event plans, including an Essential tier for one event, up to 200 attendees per event and three team members. Consider it when a single event and defined attendance and team limits are a better match than Cvent’s wider program scope.

Browse event registration software for registration-focused choices, event mobile app software for attendee apps, or virtual event platforms for online-first programs. Teams building event sites can compare event website builders; nonprofits can explore nonprofit event management software, and teams seeking broader operations tools can review event management software.

Verdict

Choose Cvent if your organization needs a connected system for registration, attendee engagement and onsite or exhibitor operations across event formats, and can work with custom pricing. Its main advantage is breadth, reinforced by extensive user access and administration in Enterprise; its main reason to look elsewhere is that smaller or narrowly focused events may not need that scope or want to buy through a quote.

	Cvent	ExpoHQ
Free plan	No	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Free plan	—	No
Paid from	—	499 /mo
Booth assignment	—	Yes
Payment collection	—	Yes
Exhibitor capacity	—	500 exhibitors

Cvent vs ExpoHQ

Cvent

ExpoHQ