How much does a conference app cost in 2026?

There isn't one standard conference app price. Bizzabo publishes a starting annual price of $17,999. Whova and Cvent ask you to request a quote. Eventbrite lets you publish free events at no charge and charges fees on paid tickets, but that buys a different set of tools.

For your own budget, separate the app or platform charge, ticketing and payment fees, and event delivery costs. A quote for the app won't necessarily pay for the camera crew, captioning, or the venue's internet connection. Below, we'll compare the pricing models and work through the registration fees on 400 tickets.

We make ConferenceTap, so we're included in the comparison. Our One Event and Unlimited Events plans are quoted for your event or calendar. Both include unlimited registrations and organizers. Paid tickets carry a 3% fee plus Stripe processing.

What conference app vendors charge

These are the vendors' published terms, checked on October 27, 2026. A starting price, an annual contract, and a per-ticket fee aren't interchangeable. Check what each figure includes before putting it in your budget.

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Whova's quote isn't automatically more expensive than ours, and Cvent's full suite isn't the same purchase as a standalone conference app. Send each vendor the same event brief. That's how you get figures you can actually compare.

Why two conference app quotes can look so different

One event or a year of events. A lower annual cost per event only helps if you'll use the other events. Write down your actual calendar before choosing an annual plan.

Attendees and organizer accounts. Ask whether a larger turnout or another committee member changes the bill. ConferenceTap includes unlimited registrations and organizer seats; other quotes may use a different model.

The work around the app. Adding an agenda yourself, paying a vendor to build it, and hiring people to run check-in are different services. Ask who does each job. For a hybrid conference, price the cameras, microphones, crew, and connection as well as the live-session software.

Branding and integrations. Put your requirements in the brief: your logo and colors, the registration system you want to keep, and the data you need to send elsewhere. Ask to see the relevant setup in the demo.

Ticket fees on a 400-person conference

Here's an illustrative example using published rates, not a customer result or a platform quote. Assume 400 people each buy one $350 ticket in a separate order. Gross ticket sales are $140,000. The organizer absorbs all fees, and ConferenceTap payments use Stripe's standard US domestic-card rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

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For this example, the difference in registration fees is $1,576. That is not a comparison of the complete event cost: add your ConferenceTap platform quote and any other software or services you buy. Eventbrite's ticketing fees and our app subscription cover different things.

The arithmetic is straightforward: $140,000 × 3% = $4,200 for ConferenceTap. Stripe adds $140,000 × 2.9% + 400 × $0.30 = $4,180. Eventbrite's service fee is $140,000 × 3.7% + 400 × $1.79 = $5,896, plus $4,060 for processing.

Use your own ticket prices and order count. Group orders change the number of per-transaction charges. International cards, currency conversion, taxes, refunds, and a different processing agreement can change the total too. Our registration and ticketing page explains how payments and check-in work.

How to work out the cost per attendee

Add the platform quote, paid add-ons, registration fees, and any setup or support you're buying. Divide that total by the number of people you expect to attend.

Keep two headcounts in mind: the number buying tickets and the number you're serving. Speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and complimentary guests may need access even though they don't generate ticket income. Our university event budget template is useful if several departments are sharing those costs.

What to ask before signing

• Does this price cover one event, several named events, or a whole year?
• What changes if attendance grows or we add organizers?
• Which branding, live-session, and integration features are included?
• Who loads our agenda and attendee list, and who helps on event day?
• What happens to ticketing and processing fees when we issue a refund?
• What are the cancellation and renewal terms?

Download the conference app quote comparison worksheet (CSV). Put one vendor in each column and keep the source of each figure beside it. Leave an unanswered item marked as a question until the vendor confirms it.

Do you need a paid conference app?

A small workshop with one room may be fine with a registration form, an emailed agenda, and a spreadsheet at the door. Paying for more software only makes sense when it solves a problem your team has.

If you're coordinating several tracks, room changes, remote sessions, or attendee networking, try those tasks in a demo. We have a conference app features checklist you can use with any vendor, plus a closer comparison of ConferenceTap and Whova. If you'd like to try your own agenda in ConferenceTap, book a demo.