How To Select Your Virtual Event Platform
Planning a virtual event? Hopefully, you’ve already read our post on reimagining your event virtually, and are not seeking to re-create your in-person experience or pull off a huge event on an unreasonably short deadline (i.e. for more than 500 people in less than 3 months… the importance of timelines are a post for another day!).
Next on your journey is picking the right platform that fits your budget, is easy to use for presenters, delights your audience, and allows them to authentically engage.
You’re likely to feel overwhelmed with choosing a platform, which may cause you to erroneously default to platforms you’re comfortable with or don’t know much about.
In an effort to put good out into the world and reduce the (insanely high) stress of the new virtual event planning space thrust upon every industry, we’ve got a handy list just for you!
Check out our platform pros and cons, most important features, and their ideal customer, in hopes this helps you find your virtual-platform love-match! (Are we playing cupid? Maybe!)
On24
Pros
Great user experience
The audience console includes slides, live video feed, polls, materials, a bio section, a chatbox, and more, and you build the exact dashboard you want your audience to see!
Much more engaging than a standard webinar
High replay value/ROI
Great for live events and on-demand, keeping your content fresh long beyond your event dates. This is great if you have a plan to re-sell videos on demand to those that didn’t attend the conference, or to keep social content/marketing fresh with recorded content for months to come!
Reliable
We rarely ever see tech issues
Runs best on Chrome
Great Customer Support & Onboarding
Available 24/7
Effective emergency line
Fantastic trainings to get you set up and a great learning library as well
Cons
Challenging to learn
Timelines REALLY MATTER with this platform, you need 3-6 months from the time you sign you contract with On24 before you can pull off an event, as you’ll be busy with three training sessions hosted by On24 (which can be hard to schedule), building the audience console, and building a template for each session before you can even get in and practice.
Requires extra speaker training
Presenters are not familiar with the platform and training them takes 1.5-2 hours each of facetime with a production team. We recommend group rehearsals for multi-presenter sessions, and pre-recording when possible.
Cost
$50k and up, though they can come down in price if you negotiate right!
Cost is a little higher in comparison to other platforms, but the quality and engagement factor makes it worth it!
Features
Simulive feature allows you to pre-record slides and speakers
Chatbox allows the attendees to ask questions and interact with each other
Polls and surveys can be given to attendees by the host
Easily integrate social media and other outside software
Access analytics to track the success of your event
Who Should Use It?
On24 is a reliable and high-quality platform but requires a lot to build and learn before your event. It’s high cost (compared to others on our list - not compared to platforms overall!), so it works best for bigger companies and/or high-profit events.
Zoom
Pros
Easy to Use
Interface makes this platform very easy to learn
Screen sharing function is self-explanatory and easy to use
Great registration platform
Easy to pull reports
Affordable, all subscriptions are month-to-month so you can up or downgrade easily before or after your event
Participants can be completely on mute without a webcam or treated as presenters (full scale of options!)
Cons
Delays or lags can occur without high-speed internet
Unreliable, especially if you’re running multiple slides, videos, and speakers
Doesn’t work well with Macs; doesn’t like PowerPoint (especially if it’s on a Mac)
Uses a huge amount of memory and can overload your computer mid-presentation, causing your computer to freeze or shut down (yes this has happened to US, the webinar PROS; it’s that bad!)
Security - issues with hackers in the past, but they are constantly improving their security measures to make sure this doesn’t continue to happen; use a password or don’t share your links publicly; turn off camera & phone access to participants to prevent this as well.
Features
Virtual backgrounds (we don’t recommend, as they’re distracting)
On-demand
Live broadcasting
Chatbox and Q&A functions
Hand raising — very helpful to get someone’s attention!
Polls and surveys
Streams easily into YouTube and Facebook Live, meaning you can point attendees to those platforms rather than your Zoom link, to ensure full (and easy) participation!
Who Should Use It?
Zoom is a practical platform. It is easy to use, has decent audio and video quality, and is reasonably priced. Zoom is a jack of all trades, so the ideal customer could be anyone planning a webinar that doesn’t have specific or hard-to-reach needs.
Best for low-risk events or those with low production value
GoToWebinar/Meeting
Pros
Easy! Great! Polished!
Different price points based on audience size, scale needed
Free trainings and it’s very intuitive for presenters, producers, and attendees
Cons
Can be costly, as it requires an annual subscription
Requires training to use all functionality
Features
Live and OnDemand
Chat Box and Q&A
Free training
Hand raising
Participants can be completely on mute without a webcam or treated as presenters (full scale of options!)
Access using any device
Analytics to track the success of your event
Who should use it?
Anyone that’s OK with a true “webinar” experience (as long as you don’t mind purchasing an annual subscription and have the time to train on the platform).
Demio
Pros
Reliable
Modern
Demio is constantly updating and using customer reviews to create better user experiences
Great Customer Support
Live chat with support is offered 24/7
Cons
A limited number of participants depending on which version you get
Their most expensive option allows up to 500 attendees
Cost
Cost is a little higher in comparison to other platforms
Features
Offers hybrid mixes of pre-recorded and live recordings
“Stay Registered” feature that allows you to sign up once for a series of webinars
Private and Public Chat Options
Polls can be easily given to attendees
Access analytics to track the success of your event
Automated Replays to send to your email list
Who should use it?
Demio is a high-quality platform that is continuously upgrading its experience. Due to the higher price point, Demio is a great platform for those who are planning a very important event and can’t allow for any leeway. Demio is best for small-to-medium-sized events because they limit the number of attendees based on price point.
JetWebinar
Pros: Great For Scaling To Large Audiences; low latency (lag time between video and audio)
Cons
Does Not Look Very Polished
Does Not Offer Many Marketing Tools
Features
Live and OnDemand
Chat Box and Q&A
Free training
Access using any device
Analytics to track the success of your event
Who should use it?
JetWebinar is the best platform for large numbers of attendees. This platform can host 2,000 live attendees! This platform is perfect for the company whose main concern is to host as many attendees as possible. With low latency, it is great for those who are concerned about the number of attendees affecting the presentation. If you have the budget, this is a great option.
WebinarNinja
Pros
Reliable
Modern
Listens to their users to create a better experience
Cons
Doesn’t offer a free version (but you can use a free trial)
Attendees have to scroll down during the webinars to find questions and CTAs (call to action)
Features
Live, Automated, Hybrid, and Series Webinars
Multiple Presenters Option Available
Polls Can Be Given to Attendees
Chat and Q&A Functions
Integration of Outside Software
Access analytics To Track Success Of Event
Who should use it?
WebinarNinja is an overall solid platform. Since their features are fairly consistent regardless of which package you purchase, the main differentiating feature is the number of attendees it can accommodate. This platform is best for medium-sized events and more developed companies. I would not recommend it for startups since they don’t offer a free version.
WebEx
Pros
I’ve got NOTHING! I truly hate this platform (after fighting with it for years at my old job).
Cons
Hard to use
Costly with almost no transparency in billing (invoices make no sense)
Limited features
Difficult to get tech support & trainings
Features
Who cares?! Don’t get it!
Who should use it?
NO ONE, sorry!
VFairs
Pros
All pre-recorded and auto-run
Best for exhibit halls, job fairs, or other vendor-participant interactions
Cons
Doesn’t offer a free version or a trial
You can’t start or adjust the event without the help of VFairs staff
We’ve seen VFairs make a lot of mistakes and promise things that were not ready the day of the event!
Not great for concurrent sessions or content-rich presentations
Awful technical support!
Even on event days, they push you to a chat feature only accessible inside the platform. If you or your participants can’t get into the platform, you can’t ask for help. HUGE oversight.
No way to restart videos once they roll, so if a session starts too early or mid-video, there’s no way to go back or start over.
Features
All content is simulive with presenters available in the chatbox while their video plays
Exhibit hall & fully customizable booths that are easy for vendors to set up
Networking chats
Everything is live for 30 days after your event dates, allowing you to continue marketing
Who should use it?
Job fairs
Exhibit halls
Groups that can have their content ready to upload and done at least 1 month in advance of your events dates; with booths built at least 1 week prior
We hope this comparison guides you in your search for the perfect platform for your event. Don’t forget: picking a platform comes after you’ve designed your event and determined your goals & budget, not before. As marketers and event planners, we understand that choosing the right platform is crucial to the success of your virtual event.