Meetup is where many user groups started. Its strength is a network of people who look for groups to join. The AttendBeacon event platform has communities built in: a page for your group, recurring meetups, and the tools a bigger event needs, such as tickets, speakers and check-in.
At a glance
| Topic | AttendBeacon | Meetup |
|---|---|---|
| Price for organisers | Free for meetups where every ticket is free, at any size | Standard plan from $29.99 a month, $99.99 for six months or $174.99 a year |
| Free plan | Every feature in every event, no subscription | Starter, for first-time organisers: one group, two in-person events a month, ten attendees per event |
| Recurring meetups | A series that publishes the next meetups by itself | On paid plans |
| Finding new members | No network: members come through your own channels | Your group is promoted to Meetup's network of potential members |
| Paid tickets | Through your own Mollie or Stripe account, free up to 1,000 participants | Membership dues and event fees on the Standard plan |
What it costs
Meetup's organiser subscription prices start from $29.99 a month, $99.99 for six months or $174.99 a year for the Standard plan, which covers up to three groups. Meetup Pro starts from $55 per group a month, or $47 per group a month on a six-month plan. Meetup says its prices are in US dollars unless stated otherwise, and may vary with your location and offers. Your account shows your exact price.
There is a free plan too. Meetup Starter is for first-time organisers only. It allows one group, up to two in-person events per calendar month and up to ten attendees per event. Online events, recurring events and member dues need a paid plan. Once you upgrade, you cannot go back to Starter.
On the AttendBeacon pricing page, the rules are per event:
- A meetup where every ticket is free is always free, at any size.
- A meetup or event that sells tickets is free up to 1,000 participants.
- Above that, a one-off licence costs €500 per event, excluding VAT.
- There is no subscription, and every feature is in every event.
For paid tickets, your payment provider, Mollie or Stripe, charges its own fees. AttendBeacon takes no cut.
Running a group on each
On Meetup, the group is the centre. The Standard plan lets you schedule events, talk to members, appoint a leadership team, and set membership dues and event fees.
In AttendBeacon, a community has a public page at an address like attendbeacon.com/c/your-group. It shows the upcoming meetups with a countdown, earlier meetups with photos, slides and replays, the organisers, and a calendar feed people can subscribe to. Members join with their email address and a code. They choose what they hear about and can leave at any time. A closed group approves each request.
Recurring meetups are a series, such as "every first Thursday, 18:30 to 21:00". Each meetup is copied from a template event with its agenda, tickets, capacity and waiting list. You can skip or move a single date. A new meetup is announced by email and on the phone, in each member's language.
You also see your members over time, their attendance rate and no-shows, and new and returning attendees per meetup.
Reach: where Meetup is stronger
Meetup's Standard plan includes promoting your group to Meetup's network of potential members. People who have never heard of you can find your group there. If most of your new members arrive that way, that is worth more than any saving.
AttendBeacon has no network of members. People find your community page through you: your website, your talks, your social channels and search engines.
Moving a group also means asking members to join again. Plan for that. Announce the move at a meetup, keep the old group open for a while, and link to the new page from it.
Beyond the meetup
User groups often grow into a yearly community day. That is where an event platform does more than a group platform. In the same workspace you get:
- Tickets with a capacity, a waiting list and hidden tickets for speakers and crew.
- A call for speakers with a selection board, or an import from Sessionize.
- Check-in on volunteers' own phones, which keeps working when the Wi-Fi drops.
- An event app with the ticket and the agenda, also offline, in the browser or from the App Store and Google Play.
- Networking: attendees find each other, send messages and book meetings.
- Surveys, replays and results for your sponsors.
AttendBeacon runs in the EU regions of Microsoft Azure. Microsoft is a US company, and the sovereignty page says exactly what leaves the EU. The workspace, the app and the emails come in 11 languages.
For a full walkthrough, see free ticketing for user groups.
Moving over
Meetup's terms of service let organisers use members' data only for running their Meetup group, so ask your members to join the new community themselves rather than copying them over. Earlier meetups can come over as history, without the people: closed, free and outside the 1,000 limit. You review everything before it is created, and nobody is emailed. See moving a Meetup group for the steps.
Who should switch, and who should not
Consider AttendBeacon if:
- Your group already has its own channels, such as a website, a mailing list or a chat.
- You hold more than two meetups a month or expect more than ten people, and a subscription is a real cost for volunteers.
- You also run a community day or a conference.
- You want your members' data hosted in the EU.
Stay with Meetup if:
- New members mostly find you on Meetup.
- Your members are used to answering in the Meetup app.
- Your group fits Starter's limits and you are happy there.
Meetup is a trademark of its owner. AttendBeacon is independent of Meetup and is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by it.