How we evaluate and rank event software.
Every review on this site follows the same rubric. We built it for event teams who need to trust that rankings reflect real-world performance, not advertising budgets. Here is exactly how it works.
Six factors that determine every rating.
We weight each factor based on how much it matters to an event team making a real purchasing decision.
Core workflow fit
25%Registration, attendee management, and onsite execution need to be reliable and fast. This is the foundation, so it carries the most weight.
Time to launch
20%How quickly can your team get up and running? Setup speed, onboarding experience, and training requirements matter more than feature count.
Pricing clarity
15%We reward vendors who publish transparent pricing. Hidden fees, unclear tiers, and surprise add-ons hurt a tool's score even if the product itself is solid.
Reliability and support
15%Live events do not have a redo button. We look for responsive support, reliable SLAs, and documented escalation paths for when things go wrong.
Integrations
15%CRMs, email marketing platforms, and analytics tools should connect without custom development. We evaluate the depth and reliability of native integrations.
Analytics depth
10%Good tools show you funnel performance, engagement metrics, and return on investment. If you cannot measure what happened, you cannot improve the next event.
What we look at before we publish a score.
Every rating is grounded in evidence we can verify. We do not rank tools based on press releases or vendor claims.
Product walkthroughs
We sign up, create test events, and walk through the key workflows an event team would use on day one. Onboarding friction, setup time, and daily usability all factor in.
Public pricing verification
We compare pricing tiers, check for per-attendee or per-event limits, and document any add-on fees that affect total cost of ownership.
Support signals
Response time expectations, documentation quality, community forums, and escalation options. We look for signs that support will hold up when a live event is on the line.
How we separate revenue from rankings.
Affiliate relationships never influence our scores.
We may earn a commission when readers click certain links. That keeps the research sustainable, but it never changes our scoring. We have ranked tools lower even when they have affiliate programs, and we recommend tools without affiliate programs when they are the best fit. For a clear explanation, read the affiliate disclosure and editorial policy.
Our goal is to be useful to the person doing the research. If a vendor cannot support your workflow, the score reflects that no matter how strong their marketing looks.
Rankings are a starting point, not the finish line.
Use scores to shortlist, then confirm fit with comparisons and guides.
Shortlist with Top Picks
Start with the Top Picks to see which tools rank best for your event type. Each list explains who the tools are best for and what to avoid.
Validate with comparisons
Once you have a shortlist, use the comparison hub to evaluate two tools side by side. This helps you see pricing and onboarding tradeoffs clearly.
Plan implementation
The planning guides help you translate the decision into a real launch plan, including staffing, timelines, and communication steps.
How we keep rankings current.
Software changes fast. We review our scores whenever pricing changes, major features ship, or new evidence surfaces that affects our recommendation.
If you spot something that is outdated or inaccurate, we want to know about it. Send us a note through the contact page and we will review it promptly. We would rather correct an error today than leave a ranking that no longer reflects reality.
See the methodology in action.
Browse our ranked shortlists and side-by-side comparisons to see how the scoring model translates into real recommendations.