Bizzabo is an event platform for B2B events, aimed at marketing teams in mid-sized and large companies. It covers registration, the event website, the event app, networking, virtual events and onsite tools such as its Klik SmartBadge. The AttendBeacon event platform covers much of the event itself, for community and business events, with a published price per event and no subscription.
At a glance
| Topic | AttendBeacon | Bizzabo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for free events, free up to 1,000 participants, then €500 per event, excluding VAT | From $17,999 a year: $499 per user a month, billed annually, three users minimum |
| Subscription | None: pay per event, only above 1,000 participants | An annual subscription is required |
| Data hosting | EU regions of Microsoft Azure | AWS and Google Cloud in the continental United States |
| Languages | 11, for the app, the emails and the workspace | Event website and agenda in more than 500 languages |
| Certifications | None yet | SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 |
What it costs
Bizzabo's pricing page lists its Event Experience OS at $499 per user a month, billed annually, with a minimum of three users: from $17,999 a year. Add-ons such as a virtual event experience, the sponsor and speaker portals, networking, a custom-branded app, API access and CRM integrations are listed as premium, without prices. The page's FAQ says Bizzabo requires an annual subscription, so you cannot buy it for a single event.
The AttendBeacon pricing page works per event:
- An event where every ticket is free is always free, at any size.
- Any other event is free up to 1,000 participants.
- Above that, a one-off licence costs €500 per event, excluding VAT.
- There is no subscription, no fee per ticket, and every feature is in every event.
A user group, a community day or a yearly conference of a few hundred people pays nothing. A team that runs four events a year above 1,000 participants pays €2,000 a year, excluding VAT, with as many colleagues in the workspace as it needs. Your payment provider, Mollie or Stripe, charges its own fees per payment. Try your own numbers in the ticket fee calculator.
Where your data is
Bizzabo's GDPR page says its primary data centres are run by Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform, located in the continental United States, and that personal data from the EEA is processed and stored on the basis of the Standard Contractual Clauses. We found no option to host an event's data in the EU.
AttendBeacon runs in the EU regions of Microsoft Azure, in Sweden and the Netherlands. Microsoft is a US company, and a US company can be subject to US law. The sovereignty page lists what leaves the EU, such as push messages and wallet passes, and why.
Where Bizzabo is stronger
- Certifications. Bizzabo's security page lists SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS. AttendBeacon has none of these yet.
- Marketing integrations. Bizzabo integrates with Marketo, HubSpot, Salesforce and Pardot.
- Languages for the website. Bizzabo says you can translate the event website and agenda into more than 500 languages. AttendBeacon has 11.
- Onsite hardware. Bizzabo's onsite tools include the Klik SmartBadge and a rental kit with iPads, stands and badge printers.
- Virtual events with webinars and a virtual event experience.
Where AttendBeacon does more
- No subscription. Free for most events, and one licence per event above 1,000 participants.
- Hosting in the EU, with a list of what leaves it.
- The whole team. No price per user: invite your colleagues, volunteers and crew with the role each one needs.
- Check-in on any phone. The scanner runs in the browser, so volunteers install nothing, and it keeps working offline.
- Community events. Recurring meetups, a community page with members and season passes, next to the conference tools.
- Microsoft Dynamics 365. Registrations reach your contacts in Dynamics 365, as described in the Dynamics 365 guide.
Both have what a conference needs: an agenda, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors with lead capture, and messaging and meetings between attendees. See the features.
Who should switch, and who should not
Consider AttendBeacon if:
- You run a few events a year, and an annual subscription per user does not fit.
- You run community events, user groups or conferences up to a few thousand people.
- You, your attendees or your employer want the data hosted in the EU.
Stay with Bizzabo if:
- Your marketing team runs many B2B events a year on Marketo, HubSpot or Salesforce.
- Your procurement requires SOC 2 or ISO 27001 from its suppliers.
- You need virtual events or onsite hardware such as smart badges.
Bizzabo is a trademark of its owner. AttendBeacon is independent of Bizzabo and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by it.