13 best event registration software options for 2026

Someone sees your event, clicks the registration link and decides pretty quickly whether they're going to sign up. If the form is simple, payment carries minimal friction and their ticket arrives right away, you've got a new attendee. If it's clunky or sends them off to another website to register and pay, they may get frustrated or even give up.

Once people start registering, how the platform works for you as the organizer matters. There are payments to keep track of, attendee details to manage, reminder emails to send and names to check off on the day. The right registration platform can keep all of that in one place, instead of leaving you to juggle spreadsheets and multiple apps.

We've compared 13 event registration platforms on the experience they give your attendees, how much admin they take off your hands, what they cost and how they charge you.

Quick answer: The right event registration software depends on the event you're running. For workshops, classes and events you promote yourself, Checkout Page lets you handle registration, payment and check-in on your own website, with payments going straight to your Stripe account and no per-ticket platform fee. Eventbrite and Luma can help people discover your event, Zeffy is free for registered nonprofits, and Cvent or Whova suit conferences that need features such as badges, session tracking and an attendee app. For free events where you only need to collect names, Google Forms may be enough.

How we compared them: We read each platform's pricing, feature and help pages in September 2026 and worked out what three sample events would cost on each one.

What event registration software does for you

Event registration software handles much of the admin between someone deciding to attend your event and actually turning up.

It gives attendees somewhere to sign up. Your registration page is where people decide whether to commit. A page that works well on a phone, clearly explains what they're signing up for and doesn't add unnecessary steps can make registration easier. Depending on the platform, you may also be able to use your own logo, colors and website address rather than sending people to a generic form.

It cuts down on admin. Without registration software, you might end up piecing together a form, a payment method, a spreadsheet and a series of emails. Many platforms bring these jobs together, automatically sending confirmations, keeping an attendee list and issuing tickets. Some also handle reminders and check-in, so there's less to manage on the day.

It gives you attendee information to work with. You can usually collect details beyond a name and email address, such as dietary requirements, session choices or company names. Depending on the platform, you can then export the data or connect it to your email marketing tool or CRM. The same attendee list can help you keep people informed about the current event and, where appropriate, stay in touch afterwards.

It affects when and where you get paid. Some platforms process ticket payments themselves and pay you out later, while others connect to your own payment account, such as Stripe or PayPal. That difference matters if you're paying a venue, caterers or other suppliers before the event, because it affects when the ticket money is available to you.

Features to look for in event registration software

Most platforms cover the basics, such as a registration form and confirmation emails. The differences are in what else they can handle, and how much work each feature saves you.

Custom questions and conditional logic

You can ask attendees for the details you need and, on some platforms, show follow-up questions only when they apply, such as asking about dietary requirements only for people who choose a dinner ticket. Check whether the platform supports the types of conditional questions you need.

Ticket types and pricing options

Early bird prices, VIP tickets, group tickets and discount codes give you more flexibility over how you sell places. It's also worth checking whether you can set capacity limits for individual ticket types as well as for the event as a whole.

Payments and payouts

Look at which payment methods buyers can use, where the money goes and when you can access it. On platforms that connect to your own Stripe account, ticket payments go into that Stripe account and are then paid out to your bank according to your usual Stripe payout schedule.

Confirmation and reminder emails

Automatic confirmations reassure people that their booking went through, while reminders before the event can help reduce no-shows. Check whether these emails are built in, how much you can customize them and whether you need a separate email tool for more advanced messaging.

Check-in on the day

Some platforms let your team check people in from a phone or tablet by scanning tickets or searching the attendee list, rather than working from a printed list. If your venue has unreliable internet, check whether offline check-in is supported. For larger conferences, you may also need badge printing.

Branding and where registration happens

Some platforms host your event registration on their own website, while others let you embed a form or checkout on your own site with your branding. If keeping people on your website matters to you, check exactly how the registration experience works and what tracking options are available.

Reporting and exports

A live view of registrations and sales can help you keep an eye on how an event is performing, while an export lets you move attendee data into other tools or analyze it yourself.

Integrations

Connections to your email platform, CRM, Zoom or Zapier can save you copying attendee details between systems. Check whether the integration is native, requires Zapier or another connector, or is only available on a higher-priced plan.

The 13 best event registration software options

The table gives a quick view of who each platform suits and where it's strongest. Each entry below covers what stands out, where it falls short and what it costs.

1. Checkout Page

Checkout Page puts event registration, payment and check-in on your own website. You build an event page with ticket types and a registration form, then embed it on your site, open it as a pop-up or share it as a link. Every payment goes straight into your own Stripe account, and there's no platform fee on any plan, so the only cost on the Free plan is Stripe's processing fee.

What stands out:

• Registration and payment in one step: Attendees answer your questions and pay on the same page, with cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and other methods Stripe supports.
• Questions and tickets that fit your event: Conditional logic shows or hides questions based on earlier answers, and each ticket type can have its own price, capacity limit and release date.
• Your branding on your own site: The event page shows your logo and colors, and the Launch plan removes Checkout Page's branding, so buyers stay on your website from start to finish.
• Check-in from your phone: The check-in app scans tickets on every plan, and from Launch, your event staff can scan tickets without their own Checkout Page account.

Where it falls short: Checkout Page doesn't list your event on a marketplace, so buyers find it through your own site, email list or social channels. It also has no waitlist, reserved seating or badge printing.

Pricing: The Free plan costs nothing on up to $3K in monthly sales and shows Checkout Page branding, and you can add a booking fee to each ticket to pass costs on to buyers. Launch removes the branding and adds event staff for $24 a month billed annually, and Scale starts at $83 a month billed annually for up to $10K in monthly sales.

Best for: Workshops, classes, retreats and other events you promote through your own website.

2. Eventbrite

Eventbrite is one of the best-known names in event ticketing, and its marketplace is the main reason organizers use it. People browse Eventbrite for things to do near them, so your event can reach buyers who've never heard of you. It handles most kinds of events, from free meetups to recurring classes and seated shows.

What stands out:

• An audience of people looking for events: Your listing appears in Eventbrite's search, and you can pay for ads on Eventbrite, Facebook and Instagram to reach more people.
• Seating and recurring dates: Reserved seating charts and recurring or timed-entry events are built in, and a waitlist starts automatically when tickets sell out.
• Custom order forms: You choose the details you collect from each attendee at checkout.
• A free check-in app: Your team can scan tickets and see attendance in real time from a phone.

Where it falls short: Eventbrite's fees are the highest in our cost comparison, and buyers register on Eventbrite's pages rather than on your own website. Its waitlist also doesn't work with reserved seating.

Pricing: Free events cost nothing. Paid tickets cost 3.7% plus $1.79 each, plus 2.9% processing per order, and buyers pay these fees by default unless you choose to absorb them. Eventbrite Premium adds marketing tools and support for $69 a month.

Best for: Public events that need to reach people who don't know you yet.

3. Cvent

Cvent is an event management platform for large conferences, trade shows and corporate event programs, and registration is one part of a much bigger system. It handles complex registration, including approval steps, session waitlists and group bookings. The same platform covers badges, on-site check-in, a branded event app and virtual sessions.

What stands out:

• Registration paths for each audience: Different types of attendee can see different questions, prices and sessions, with approval steps where you need them.
• Badges and on-site check-in: Cvent's OnArrival handles check-in at kiosks or staffed desks, prints badges on demand and tracks who attends each session.
• Integrations for marketing teams: Cvent connects to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and offers an API and webhooks.
• Detailed reporting: The Professional plan includes more than 85 ready-made report templates, plus attendance tracking.

Where it falls short: Cvent doesn't publish prices, so you'll need to talk to its sales team to find out what it costs. Its payment service charges a percentage of each transaction, and that rate isn't published either.

Pricing: The Professional and Enterprise plans are quoted on request. There's also a pay-as-you-go option that's free to set up and charges a fee per registration plus a share of revenue once registrations come in.

Best for: Large conferences and corporate event programs run by a dedicated events team.

4. Ticket Tailor

Ticket Tailor is a ticketing platform that charges a small fixed fee per ticket rather than a percentage, with a box office page you can brand or embed on your own site. It never holds your money, because ticket sales go to your own Stripe, PayPal or Square account. It covers seated events, time slots, memberships and season passes, which suits venues and events that run regularly.

What stands out:

• Credits that lower the fee: Buying credits in advance can bring the fee down to $0.30 a ticket, and up to 5,000 free tickets a year cost nothing.
• Reserved seating and time slots: Seating charts cost an extra credit per seat, and time-slot events work for tours, classes and exhibitions.
• Reminders by email, SMS or WhatsApp: You can schedule messages before the event so attendees don't forget.
• Check-in that works offline: The free app scans tickets without signal and works with external scanners.

Where it falls short: Removing Ticket Tailor's branding costs extra, and badge printing needs a separate integration with Ticketbutler.

Pricing: Pay as you go costs $0.85 per paid ticket, and prepaid credits cost less per ticket the more you buy. Card processing is charged separately by your payment provider, and charities get 50% off.

Best for: Venues and organizers running regular or seated events.

5. Luma

Luma is built for community events and meetups, with a clean event page and a discovery feed where people find events near them. Hosts can approve registrations, message guests by email, SMS or WhatsApp, and check people in on the free plan. You can embed a registration button or the event page on your own site, though the page itself is hosted on Luma.

What stands out:

• Discovery through Luma: Luma can feature events in its discovery feed, although it chooses which ones.
• Guest approval and messaging: You can approve each registration before confirming it, and send updates and automated reminders by email, SMS, push notification or WhatsApp.
• Unlimited events and guests for free: The free plan has no cap on events or guests and takes a percentage of paid tickets instead.
• Zoom built in: Online events connect to Zoom and track who attended.

Where it falls short: Luma doesn't support conditional questions or recurring events, so each date is a cloned copy of the first. The check-in staff role needs Luma Plus.

Pricing: The free plan charges 5% on paid tickets, plus Stripe processing. Luma Plus costs $59 a month billed annually, or $69 monthly, and takes no platform fee.

Best for: Community groups and meetups that want new people to find them.

6. Whova

Whova combines registration with an attendee app for conferences, trade shows and association events. Attendees use the app to plan their agenda, message each other and take part in live polls. It suits organizers who want sign-up, the event app and on-site check-in handled in one place.

What stands out:

• An app attendees use during the event: Agendas, networking and live polls sit in one app, including for virtual and hybrid sessions.
• Badges and check-in from registration data: Name badges and check-in, including self check-in kiosks, use the details attendees gave when they registered.
• Flexible tickets: Early bird prices change automatically, and you can offer group bundles and member-only or invite-only tickets.
• Access to ticket money before the event: Ticket payments go to your Stripe account, and you can request an early payout.

Where it falls short: You'll need a quote before you can compare costs with the other platforms here, and you handle refunds yourself through Stripe.

Pricing: Whova quotes each event based on its size and the services you choose. Its nonprofit registration page lists a ticket fee of 3% plus $0.99 per ticket when paying out through Stripe.

Best for: Conferences that need an attendee app, name badges and session check-in.

7. Zeffy

Zeffy is a fundraising and ticketing platform that's free for nonprofits. It charges no ticketing or platform fee and covers card processing costs itself, funded by optional tips that buyers can add at checkout. That makes it the cheapest option in this list for a registered nonprofit, though individuals and businesses can't use it.

What stands out:

• No fees for organizers: The full ticket price reaches your nonprofit, and any tip the buyer chooses to add goes to Zeffy.
• Tickets built for fundraisers: You can sell group and bundle tickets such as a full gala table, offer pay-what-you-can pricing and run events on several dates.
• Tax receipts sent for you: Zeffy issues tax receipts automatically and sends reminder emails.
• Free check-in: QR e-tickets can be scanned with any phone camera.

Where it falls short: Only registered nonprofits and charities in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and Germany can use it. Seating relies on uploading a seating image, and a waitlist means setting up a free "waitlist" ticket.

Pricing: Zeffy costs organizers nothing, and buyers choose whether to leave a tip. In the US you need an EIN, though you don't need 501(c)(3) status.

Best for: Nonprofit galas, fundraisers and charity events.

8. RegFox

RegFox, from Webconnex, is registration software for events where attendees make a lot of choices, such as tracks, add-ons, group bookings and waivers. Its conditional logic changes the questions and prices each person sees based on their answers, on every plan. There's no subscription on the Standard plan, and you pay a capped fee per registration instead.

What stands out:

• Detailed form logic: You can build different paths and prices for different attendees without upgrading.
• Payment plans: Attendees can pay in installments on Premium and above.
• Waivers and group sign-ups: You can collect digital waivers with signatures and register groups of any size.
• Check-in and badges: A check-in app comes with every plan, along with badge printing.

Where it falls short: RegFox charges $0.99 for every registrant, even on free events, and email marketing and SMS are paid add-ons.

Pricing: The Standard plan charges $0.99 plus 1% per paid registration, capped at $4.99, with card processing of 2.9% plus 30¢ on top. Premium, which adds payment plans, also has no monthly fee and charges $1.99 plus 1%, capped at $5.99, while Professional costs $499 a month billed annually.

Best for: Events with detailed registration choices, such as tracks, add-ons and waivers.

9. Ticketbud

Ticketbud is a ticketing platform with no subscription, for organizers who sell seated or multi-date events. It builds an interactive seating map of your venue and includes a free check-in app that works offline. Nonprofits and schools pay a slightly lower rate.

What stands out:

• Seating maps of your venue: Buyers choose their own seats on an interactive map.
• Offline check-in: The free app keeps scanning tickets when the venue's signal drops.
• Multi-date and timed entry: Calendar views and shared ticket inventory work across dates and time slots.
• Hybrid events: Zoom integration covers virtual attendees.

Where it falls short: Its fee adds $1.49 to every $25 ticket, and badge printing is available only on request. We didn't find a waitlist on Ticketbud's pages.

Pricing: Ticketbud charges 2% plus $0.99 per ticket, or 1.75% plus $0.99 for nonprofits and schools, with card processing of 2.9% plus 30¢ on top. Free events cost nothing.

Best for: Seated shows and venues that don't want a subscription.

10. RSVPify

RSVPify started with invitations and guest lists and now sells tickets too. That background shows in its guest list tools, which suit galas, weddings and corporate dinners where guests bring plus-ones or choose between sub-events.

What stands out:

• Guest list tools: Plus-ones, sub-events and invite-only registration are built in.
• Seating and tables: Drag-and-drop seating charts let you assign guests to tables.
• Kiosk check-in: QR scanning works alongside a self check-in kiosk.
• Invitations and reminders: Email invitations, reminders and confirmations go out from the same place.

Where it falls short: Advanced form logic needs the Professional plan, and some integrations need a paid plan. There's no built-in waitlist, so you clone the event instead, and badge printing is in beta through partners.

Pricing: Selling tickets has no monthly fee and costs 1.95% plus $0.90 per ticket, with Stripe's processing on top. Business plans run from a free plan with 100 registrations a month up to Professional at $409 a month.

Best for: Galas, weddings and dinners with guest lists and seating plans.

11. Jotform

Jotform is a form builder rather than a dedicated event platform, and many organizations already use it for other forms. Its event registration templates connect to more than 40 payment gateways, and Jotform takes no transaction fee of its own.

What stands out:

• Flexible forms: Conditional logic shows or hides fields based on earlier answers, and Jotform Sign adds e-signatures and waivers.
• Your choice of payment provider: You can take payments through Stripe, PayPal, Square, Apple Pay and Google Pay, among others.
• Follow-ups for unfinished registrations: Jotform can follow up with people who start registering but don't pay.
• Check-in through Jotform Apps: QR tickets can be scanned from a phone.

Where it falls short: Plans are set by payment submissions per month, so a busy event can push you up a plan, and 101 tickets in a month needs Silver rather than Bronze. We didn't find a waitlist on Jotform's pages.

Pricing: The free Starter plan includes 10 payment submissions a month, and Bronze costs $34 a month billed annually for 100. Silver costs $39 a month for 250 and Gold costs $99 a month for 1,000, both billed annually.

Best for: Organizations that already use Jotform for their other forms.

12. Eventleaf

Eventleaf is event registration and management software for meetings, workshops and conferences, priced per attendee each year rather than per ticket. The free Starter plan covers up to 100 attendees a year, which works for small organizations running occasional events.

What stands out:

• Registration paths by attendee type: Members, guests and other groups can each get their own form and prices.
• A waitlist on every plan: Attendee limits with a waitlist are included, even on the free plan.
• Badges and check-in: QR check-in and badge printing, in advance or on-site, come with the Professional plan.
• Reuse your event each year: You can clone an event to run it again.

Where it falls short: The check-in app and badges need the Professional plan, which has a $2,000 yearly minimum. CRM integrations, the API and Zapier are on the top Ultimate plan only.

Pricing: Starter is free for up to 100 attendees a year without check-in, and Basic costs $1 per attendee with a $500 yearly minimum. Professional costs $2 per attendee.

Best for: Organizations running a yearly conference or regular meetings.

13. Google Forms

Google Forms is Google's free form builder, and plenty of organizers use it for free events. It collects registrations with custom questions, sends responses to Google Sheets and can close automatically once you reach a set number of responses.

What stands out:

• Free with a Google account: Anyone can build a registration form in a few minutes.
• Branching questions: Questions can appear based on earlier answers.
• Responses in Google Sheets: Every registration goes into a spreadsheet you can share with your team.
• Automatic closing: Since January 2026, a form can close at a set date or number of responses.

Where it falls short: Google Forms can't take payments without a third-party add-on, doesn't send tickets and has no check-in app.

Pricing: Google Forms is free with a Google account. It has no ticket fees because it doesn't process payments.

Best for: Free events where you only need names, emails and a headcount.

What event registration software costs: three events compared

The platforms we looked at above charge in one of three ways.

• Per-ticket platforms such as Eventbrite take a percentage and a fixed fee from each sale.
• Plan-based tools such as Checkout Page and Luma Plus charge a plan fee rather than a per-ticket platform fee, and Checkout Page's Free plan costs nothing up to $3K in monthly sales.
• Conference platforms such as Cvent and Whova quote on request.

Fees are easier to compare on a real event, so the table shows what three events of different sizes would cost, whoever ends up paying the fees.

Fees checked on each vendor's pricing page on 26 September 2026. One ticket per order. Card processing at 2.9% plus 30¢ per order where the vendor uses Stripe, and Eventbrite's own 2.9% processing rate for Eventbrite. Annual billing where a plan offers it.

How to choose event registration software

Start with the kind of event you're running, since that rules out most of the list quickly.

• Workshops, classes and retreats you promote yourself: You'll want registration and payment in one step on your own site, with ticket money going into your own Stripe account. Checkout Page is built for this, and Ticket Tailor is worth a look if you need seating.
• Community events and meetups: Luma or Eventbrite, where people browsing for events can find yours.
• Conferences and trade shows: Cvent, Whova or Eventleaf for registration paths, badges and session check-in, or RegFox for complex registration on a smaller budget.
• Nonprofit fundraisers and galas: Zeffy if you're a registered nonprofit, or RSVPify for guest lists and table plans.
• Seated shows and venues: Ticket Tailor, Ticketbud or Eventbrite.
• Free internal events: Google Forms, or Microsoft Teams webinar registration if your team already uses Microsoft 365.

Before you commit, register for your own test event on your phone, the way an attendee would. It shows you how many steps the form takes, what the confirmation email looks like and whether the ticket arrives. Then check where the money goes and when, and what your team needs on the day to check people in.

The table below compares the practical features that tend to rule platforms in or out. "Not stated" means the vendor's pages don't say, not that the feature is missing.

Where the money goes differs too. Checkout Page, Luma, RSVPify and Whova pay into your own Stripe account, Ticket Tailor and Ticketbud also support PayPal, and Eventbrite collects ticket money and pays it out to you.

Event registration software FAQ

How much does event registration software cost?

It depends on the pricing model. Per-ticket platforms such as Eventbrite charge a percentage plus a fixed fee on each paid ticket. Checkout Page and Luma Plus charge a plan fee instead, with Checkout Page free up to $3K in monthly sales, while Cvent and Whova quote on request. Card processing, usually 2.9% plus 30¢, applies on top.

What is the best app to register for events?

For organizers, the most useful setup is a registration page that works in any phone browser, so attendees don't need to download anything, plus a check-in app for your team. Checkout Page, Ticket Tailor and Ticketbud all work this way. Eventbrite and Luma also have apps where attendees can find and save events.

Does Microsoft have an event registration tool?

Yes, for free events. Microsoft Teams webinars include a registration form with custom questions, and Teams Premium adds waitlists and manual approval. Teams and Microsoft Bookings don't take payments, though, so paid events need Dynamics 365 Customer Insights with a third-party payment provider, or a separate registration tool such as the ones in this list.

Can you use Google Forms for event registration?

Yes, for free events. Google Forms collects names, emails and custom answers, sends responses to Google Sheets and, since January 2026, can close automatically after a set number of responses. It can't take payments without a third-party add-on and has no ticketing or check-in, so paid events usually need dedicated registration software.

What's better than Eventbrite?

It depends on why you're leaving. If fees are the problem, Checkout Page and Luma Plus take no per-ticket platform fee, and Ticket Tailor charges less per ticket. If you want registration on your own website, Checkout Page and Ticket Tailor let you embed it. None of them replaces Eventbrite's marketplace audience.