Luma is a platform for event pages, invites and calendars, and its apps suggest tech, wellness and social events nearby. The AttendBeacon event platform covers the same ground for community events, and adds what a conference needs. The main differences are the fee on paid tickets, where the data is hosted, and how many people already use the app.
At a glance
| Topic | AttendBeacon | Luma |
|---|---|---|
| Free events | Free, at any size | Free plan with unlimited events and guests |
| Paid tickets | No platform fee. Free up to 1,000 participants, then €500 per event, excluding VAT | Free plan: 5% platform fee. Luma Plus: 0%, for $59 a month, billed annually |
| Payments | Your own Mollie or Stripe account | Stripe only |
| Data hosting | EU regions of Microsoft Azure | AWS in the United States |
| Languages | 11 | 49 |
| Store apps | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android |
What it costs
Luma's pricing page offers a free plan with unlimited events and unlimited guests per event. On paid tickets, the free plan charges a 5% platform fee, on top of the payment processor's fee. The page puts Stripe's card fee at typically 2.9% + 30 cents.
Luma Plus costs $59 a month, billed annually, and has a 0% platform fee. Luma's prices are in US dollars. Plus also adds tax collection on ticket sales, a check-in manager role, a custom address for event pages, Zapier, API access and more weekly invites.
An example: 200 tickets at €30 bring in €6,000. On Luma's free plan, the platform fee on that is €300, before Stripe's fees. A year of Luma Plus costs $708.
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 platform fee, no add-on and no subscription. Webhooks and the API are included in every event.
Your payment provider charges its own fees. AttendBeacon takes no cut of the ticket price.
Payments
Luma works with Stripe only. Payouts go to your own Stripe account, with Luma's platform fee and Stripe's fee deducted from each transaction. Its pricing page lists iDEAL among the regional ways to pay.
AttendBeacon works with your own Mollie or Stripe account. Mollie is a Dutch company. Each event sells in one of 38 currencies, with local ways to pay, such as BLIK and Przelewy24 in Poland or Swish in Sweden.
Where your data is
Luma's page on GDPR and security says that Luma is GDPR compliant, that its data is hosted on AWS in the United States, and that it does not offer data residency in other countries or regions.
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. For some organisers, that difference decides. For others, it does not matter.
Where Luma is stronger
- Discovery. Guests discover events through calendars they follow, cities and categories, and Luma's apps show a personal feed. AttendBeacon has no such feed.
- Languages. Luma supports 49 languages. AttendBeacon has 11.
- Paid memberships. Luma's calendar memberships can charge members a monthly or yearly fee. AttendBeacon has members-only tickets and season passes for a community, but no recurring membership fee.
Where AttendBeacon does more
- No platform fee on paid tickets, without a subscription.
- Check-in on any phone. The scanner runs in the browser and keeps working offline. Several doors can each have their own rules and capacity. On Luma, a check-in staff role needs Luma Plus.
- Conference tools in the same workspace: a call for speakers, badges, sponsors and exhibitors, room screens, volunteer shifts and the event budget. See the features.
- Integrations with CRMs, bookkeeping and mailing lists, included in every event. See the integrations page.
- Networking at the event. Attendees find each other in the event's directory, send each other messages and book meetings, in the same app as their ticket.
Moving over? AttendBeacon's import recognises Luma's exports. You review everything before it is created, and nobody is emailed. For the attendee side, see an event app without the app store.
Who should switch, and who should not
Consider AttendBeacon if:
- You sell paid tickets, and the 5% platform fee or a Plus subscription is a real cost.
- You, your attendees or your employer want the data hosted in the EU.
- Your event is growing into a conference with speakers, sponsors and several rooms.
- You want to take payments through Mollie.
Stay with Luma if:
- Guests find your events through your Luma calendar or Luma's feed.
- You run free events only and are happy there. Both cost nothing for that.
- You rely on paid calendar memberships.
- You need a language AttendBeacon does not offer.
Luma is a trademark of its owner. AttendBeacon is independent of Luma and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by it.