Event Management BasicsHospitality, Dining, Event, & Travel

7 Best Free Event Management Software

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By Shephalii Kapoor

Published | Updated on
12 min read

Event management software enables users to plan, execute, and report on events.

Imagine this: You are an event planner who needs to arrange a corporate event for hybrid employees of an organization and ensure everything runs smoothly—from pre-planning to post-planning. While juggling all of those tasks, you find yourself struggling with inadequate budgeting, messy registrations, and a non-engaging audience? Event management requires careful planning and execution, which can be quite overwhelming at times. This is where an event management tool can help.

An event management software assists event organizers with the planning, execution, and management of online, in-person, and hybrid events. It offers tools that help users manage attendee registration, coordination, event marketing, and venue space management. But, if you do not want to invest initially before understanding the features of the software, why not consider a free tool for your event management needs? This will give you the freedom to understand how the system works and upgrade to a paid version once you know how it aligns with your business goals. 

This article highlights, in alphabetical order, the seven best free event management software products based on verified software reviews. Read more.

1. Airmeet: Features preview mode for online events

Airmeet is an online event management platform for virtual summits, conferences, meetups, and networking workshops. With this software, event professionals can create an online event and view it in a preview mode without actually starting the event. You can either use the community dashboard or the event dashboard to enter the preview mode. The tool also allows you to pause and customize live event settings in this mode.

Free features:

  • Event attendee profiles: Know more about the attendees and initiate meaningful conversations by clicking over their display picture in the social lounge, which is the welcome area for online attendees. Each attendee’s profile includes their introduction, interests, and links to their social media accounts.

  • Session reminders: Bookmark an online event and set online reminders and confirmations for your upcoming sessions. As an event organizer, you can also customize your emails using fonts, images, and GIFs and set the delivery time for reminders.

  • Event analytics: Measure the engagement of your virtual events using the event analytics reports, available on your dashboard. Some of the reports offered by the tool that can help you gain event insights include the master report, Q&A report, and chat and lounge reports. 

Customer support options: Phone, email, and chat

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Cost to upgrade

$500 per month

Device compatibility

Screenshots

Airmeet

Fluid conversations in Airmeet (Source)

* Analysis accurate as of February 2023

2. Bookwhen: Offers 50 booking spaces per month for free

Bookwhen is a cloud-based booking and scheduling platform that can be used to handle event reservations. The software allows you to customize your event booking forms, accept payments via a payment provider, and set up email reminders. The free version of the software provides you access to 50 booking spaces per month, based on the number of attendees per booking. 

Free features:

  • 1 booking page: Enable your attendees to book, transfer, or cancel event reservations via the scheduling page. The system offers 1 booking page with a unique URL in its free version. You can list multiple events on the same booking page.

  • Free events: Advertise small, free events with Bookwhen’s free plan that supports up to 50 booking spaces per month. The free plan, however, does not allow you to accept payments for your events.

  • Website integration (iframe or API): Integrate your schedule/booking page into your website using the application programming interface (API) or iframe feature options. With the API integration, you can display your events, locations, tickets, and passes on your scheduling page. 

Customer support options: Email, knowledge base, and chat

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Cost to upgrade

$15 per month

Device compatibility

Screenshots

Bookwhen

List of events in Bookwhen (Source)

* Analysis accurate as of February 2023

3. Eventcreate: Enables attendees to pay for events

Eventcreate is a website building and online registration platform that enables businesses to create customizable event websites and monitor event registrations. The software also features an event management dashboard that allows you to track and manage attendees in real time. Moreover, it allows your attendees to pay the event fee both online and offline. Payment status for your events can be accessed via the events dashboard. 

Free features:

  • Website templates: Select from a variety of website and invitation templates to create your own event website. The software also features pre-built content blocks, such as contact forms, maps, and event attendee lists that can be added to your event website.

  • Registrations and RSVPs: Collect registrations or RSVPs, or sell event tickets online. The system allows you to collect important attendee information, including their names and contact details via an online event registration form. The free plan supports up to 100 attendees per event.

  • iOS check-in app: Scan tickets and check-in attendees using the software’s mobile application for iOS users. The native mobile app makes it easier for you and your team to confirm event registrations. 

Customer support options: Email, knowledge base, and chat

Best functionality

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Cost to upgrade

$4 per month, billed annually

Device compatibility

Screenshots

EventCreate

Event check-in app of Eventcreate (Source)

* Analysis accurate as of February 2023

4. Eventee: Provides a custom menu for additional event details

Eventee is an online tool for organizing virtual, in-person, or hybrid events. The software offers a special space, called the custom menu within the tool itself that allows you to upload additional content, such as attendee/sponsorship details and recommendations. You can add text, images, URL links, and even PDF files to your menu. Eventee offers one custom menu for users in its free plan. 

Free features:

  • Web and mobile apps: Attend virtual events, ask speakers, watch videos, and connect with attendees using your computers. The software also offers a mobile app that offers your attendees access to your event program even without an internet connection. It also allows you to evaluate your event, collect event data, connect with attendees, and interact with event organizers and speakers.

  • Event homepage: Create a free homepage for each of your events and let attendees access your event information from all Eventee platforms. You can also preview your homepage using the private preview mode before going public, share access to your homepage, add event promotion videos, and manage speaker information via your event homepage.

  • Live questions and polling: Engage with your virtual audience using live questions and polling options. The platform enables your attendees to ask questions from the speakers in real time and facilitates voting for the most interesting questions. As an event organizer, you can also seek attendees' opinions and share live results. 

Customer support options: Phone, email, and chat

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Cost to upgrade

$999, billed annually

Device compatibility

Screenshots

Eventee

Event agenda in Eventee (Source)

* Analysis accurate as of February 2023

5. Eventleaf: Manages group registration for virtual events

Eventleaf is an event management platform that can be used by organizers to create, promote, and manage online events, such as business meetings, conferences, fundraisers, and trade shows. The software enables online attendees to register together in a group and dedicate one attendee as a designated manager for the event. The registration manager can administer event registration on behalf of the group and add/remove additional members from the group. 

Free features:

  • Event website: Create an event registration website using the software’s event website builder. You can add an agenda to this website, including the date, time, title, description, and speaker details, which might include their name, photograph, and a short bio. Select a language for your landing page and preview your design as you fill in the relevant details.

  • Event registration: Allow attendees to register themselves for an event and access event information online. You can use this feature to organize event registration options, such as registration fees, workshops, and food packages. Additionally, you can restrict registrations to only those who are invited using event passwords and other options. 

  • Lobbytrack integration: Integrate with Lobbytrack visitor management software that helps you add visitors to your list. Whenever you schedule an event in Eventleaf, whether a conference or a meeting, the attendee details automatically get stored in Lobbytrack. You can use this visitors’ data to schedule follow-up meetings, book spaces, and arrange special events for visitors.

Customer support options: Phone, email, and chat

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Cost to upgrade

$1 per attendee per year

Device compatibility

Screenshots

Eventleaf

Attendee registration form in Eventleaf (Source)

* Analysis accurate as of February 2023

6. Odoo: Offers event budget management

Odoo is a suite of business management tools, such as accounting, inventory, and project management that can help streamline your business processes. The software also offers a dedicated event management module that allows event professionals to manage online and on-site events. You can use Odoo’s event management app to manage your event budget by administering the resource allocation and automated purchases for your event. 

Free features:

  • Drag-and-drop editor: Create landing pages, speaker bios, agendas, and calls-to-action using the software’s drag-and-drop editor. The software features pre-made content building blocks that can be dragged and dropped to structure your event page.

  • Attendee management: Create a group of attendees and set minimum/maximum attendee capacity for your event. You can also use the attendee management capabilities of the software to customize entrance badges and analyze attendee profiles.

  • Email marketing: Schedule automatic communications with the attendees and send them emails, including introductory and confirmation emails. These might include save the date, know before you go, thank you for attending, and enrollment confirmation emails.

Customer support options: Phone, email, and chat

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Cost to upgrade

$7.25 per user, per month

Device compatibility

* Analysis accurate as of February 2023

7. Timely: Features a free calendar plugin for WordPress

Timely is an online event software that offers tools to help you manage events and venues efficiently. The software features a free all-in-one events calendar plugin for WordPress that enables users to create, manage, and share events with ease. As an event planner, you can use Timely to customize your calendar view using different fonts and themes. You can also color-code your events, set up different time zones for your calendar, and even add filter events to search specific events by categories, organizers, venues, and tags.

Free features:

  • Event ticketing: Sell tickets and manage your ticket sales online. You can also create different ticket types, such as general admission, VIP, and time-sensitive ticket slots for your event, and display them on your event page.

  • Up to 100 events: Create and manage up to 100 events with your free Timely plan. As a Timely user, you can promote your free events and enable online event registration on your website, regardless of your event type-online, physical, or mixed.

  • Multi-language dashboard and public interface: Change the dashboard and calendar public view language to meet global audience requirements. Some of the language options here include English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, and Dutch. 

Customer support options: Phone, email, and chat

Trial/Free Version

  • Free Trial
  • Free Version

Cost to upgrade

Available on quote

Device compatibility

Screenshots

Timely Event Management

Events calendar in Timely (Source)

* Analysis accurate as of February 2023

How to choose the best free event management software for your business?

Here are some common considerations to look out for when evaluating free event management solutions for your needs. 

  • Assess the attendee management features: While evaluating potential event management solutions and their free versions, make sure that the software allows you to add, edit, delete, and track attendees with ease. Some tools also offer event reminders in their free plan that helps you communicate with the attendees and remind them of the upcoming event. You can also consider attendance reporting which can be used to track event attendance over time.

  • Evaluate the ticketing capabilities: Online ticketing is a must-have feature for an event manager. Before finalizing an event management tool for your business, make sure that the system offers secure event ticketing to facilitate ticket sales through online and offline channels. It should also offer you the option to create multiple ticket types for the same event, which will help you offer a different experience to your sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees.

  • Consider the event analytics feature: Event analysis is an important feature of event management software that enables event organizers to analyze event data and improve things in the future. Before finalizing the best event management software, make sure that it offers some basic metrics, such as net promoter score (NPS), speaker engagement, response rates, and top-performing topics to help you analyze the effectiveness of your events.

What is the cost to upgrade from free event management software to a paid one?

In case you want to scale your event management efforts and require additional features, check the cost you would incur while upgrading from the free plan. Most products in the market are priced on a per month basis and can be broken down into three common pricing tiers based on their starting price.

Price ranges*:

  • $4 - $32

  • $33 - $88

  • $88+

*The pricing included is for the entry-level/lowest-priced offering found on vendor websites on February 13, 2023. These ranges correspond to the 25th, 75th, and 100th percentiles of pricing information gathered from vendor websites of sample products.

Hidden costs associated with event management software

The above pricing list summarizes pricing for the base plans of most products. An enterprise or premium product that is priced higher may include additional features, such as badge management, gamification, and volunteer management. If you are considering the free plan, it might also include some hidden charges, such as training and implementation costs, customization costs, add-on charges, and integration and scalability costs. Before making a choice, ask the software provider about any such hidden charges to ensure complete pricing transparency.

Common questions to ask when looking for free event management software

It is important to ask the vendors the right set of questions to determine whether the event app is a good fit for your business or not. Some common questions that you can consider for this are:

Does the tool offer payment gateway integrations?

Your event management system should integrate with various payment gateway providers, such as PayPal and Sage Pay that will help your attendees easily pay for events using their preferred method of payment.

Does the platform offer email marketing tools?

The best event management software also offers email marketing tools that can help you send branded emails from within the system. This feature can be useful when seeking audience feedback after an event or for sharing information about upcoming events.

Does the software offer a mobile app?

A custom mobile event app can help your attendees find the event information they need, communicate with the speakers, and engage in online polls and surveys with ease. It also helps them book online event tickets, even when they are on the go.


Methodology 

To be considered for this list, products had to:

  1. Have at least 20 unique product reviews published on Capterra within the past two years, with an average rating of 3.0 or higher (as of February 13, 2023). We selected four products with the highest ratings to feature in this article.

  2. Offer a free, stand-alone version of the software—not a trial version where you have to purchase after a certain amount of time to get the full experience. 

  3. Meet our definition of event management software: ”Event management software automates marketing, registration, coordination and scheduling of events.”

The “best functionality” tool is identified based on the highest user ratings for functionality that a vendor received based on publicly available reviews as of February 13, 2023.

Read more about our editorial independence.

Product research for this article was contributed by Himanshi Arora.

Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Capterra’s event management software directory. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products.


Looking for Event Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Event Management software solutions.

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About the Author

Shephalii Kapoor profile picture

Shephalii Kapoor is a writer at Capterra. She helps small businesses identify the right software for their needs by analyzing user reviews for top-rated software products. Prior to Capterra, she worked as an assistant content manager at InfoEdge India Ltd. She has also worked in company law, aviation, and real estate. She is a published author and has contributed to various magazines and websites. During her free time, she enjoys reading.

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