Hosting a virtual or hybrid event isn’t as easy as it looks and choosing the right platform to host your event might be the most difficult step. The right platform can visually transform your virtual and hybrid events, resulting in more attendee engagement and lead generation.
ON24 is one of the many choices you may come across when looking for the right virtual event platform. This article will talk about the pros and cons of some of the ON24 competitors that you should consider.
What is ON24?
Before we divulge into the details of ON24 competitors, let’s talk about the platform itself. They market themselves as a sales and marketing platform and promise increased digital engagement. The platform has a heavy focus on providing solutions for virtual conferences, hosting webinars and break rooms. The webinar-based platform looks to be more video-focused in its approach and focuses on video communication among attendees.
They also have some integrations that can help event organizers run live streams during virtual events. The cloud-based platform fully supports small-scale engagement events to large-scale webinar arrangements. And with the live streaming features, event organizers can choose their level of webinar engagement. However, some users have reported issues with renewing licenses on G2.
“I don’t like the process of renewing licenses. I was told that the pricing had to be bundled and not provided line-by-line. This process is not transparent and the experience was challenging.” – VP, Conferences and Events
Marketing and Management Solutions
The platform also offers sales, marketing, and management solutions and focuses on personalized content experiences based on the target audience. The platform has designed elevated digital experiences with some large corporations like Microsoft, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. This isn’t something all ON24 competitors can’t boast about.
Marketers can effectively transform the engagement to leads through analytics and actionable insights. The analytics can show attendee behavior that shows what the event organizers should focus more on and improve for future events. However, the AI-powered platform can be difficult to navigate initially, according to this review on G2:
“Not everything is intuitive on the platform, and there is a fairly steep learning curve. Once you figure it out, however, it is pretty user friendly.” – Administrator in Legal Services
Attendee Engagement
ON24 offers users options for different levels of webinar engagement with attendees. So, the platform is flexible whether you want to host a live, semi-live, or on-demand session using the Webcast Elite feature. However, if you are looking for something low-key, the Go Live feature uses minimal resources with maximum video-centric output.
The platform, however, offers no dedicated technical support throughout the event for attendees and users report having trouble on their own in G2 reviews.
“Sometimes it can be hard to use when setting up and is very expensive. Additionally, it can be beneficial to have someone from their tech team support the event as attendees are not usually familiar with the platform and may have technical issues.” – Administrator in Hospital and Healthcare
ON24 Competitors and Alternatives
Considering that there can be downsides to any virtual event platform, you should always consider alternatives. Here are some ON24 competitors to check out:
1: vFairs
vFairs is an all-in-one solution for hybrid, virtual, and in-person events. The platform is one of its kind when it comes to mirroring the user experience of an in-person event. You can design a 3D virtual environment with interactive exhibit halls, auditorium, virtual lobby, roundtables, break rooms, and networking halls.
Key Platform Features
Main features of vFairs include the event mobile app, live reporting of event analytics, marketing tools like email, poster halls, etc. The virtual event platform also offers a number of third-party integrations like Wordly, Zoom, Kahoot, Wall.io, and Miro whiteboard. All these integrations can be brilliant value adds to any event whether big or small.
Networking Features
Some of its ground-breaking networking features allow a life-like user experience. Attendees can connect at a personal level through 1:1 meetings, chat, and video calls. Spatial Connect and Smart Matchmaking features ease attendees into networking and act as ice-breakers.
Customizable & Fun Events
If you want to host an event that offers great networking features while also making it fun and customizable, then vFairs is the right choice for you. You can design the event as you like and add fun elements like a Scavenger Hunt, trivia, photo booths, leaderboards, and spin the wheel. The main lobby is completely customizable as well so you can allocate branding spaces for sponsors and choose the event colors yourself.
Event Mobile App
The vFairs platform also offers an app to take your events to the next level. Attendees can tune in to their registered events on-the-go with the mobile app. It has primarily the same features as the web platform but can add a lot of convenience. Users can do a quick speaker and attendee search to quickly get to the chat room they want, share their contact information with a QR code, download resources, take part in a QR scavenger hunt, and so much more.
Best-in-Class Customer Support
Apart from the platform features and tools, vFairs offers dedicated project managers to each client throughout their events. The consistently available technical support is what sets us apart from our competitors. From the first contact to the post-even happenings, you can expect 24-hour support throughout. The team is extra vigilant on live days and hosts and attendees can instantly connect with a vFairs rep through the in-platform tech support.
Virtual Environment
vFairs offers a 3D virtual environment to take your virtual events up a notch. Compared to the website-layout pages from ON24, the virtual settings from vFairs can enhance attendee experience. It looks and feels more like an actual event as attendees can roam around the platform lobby, exhibit halls, auditorium, and other rooms. vFairs has 5% above average rating on G2 for its immersive virtual lobby feature.
User Reviews and Ratings
vFairs has over 1250 stellar reviews on G2 with the average rating of 4.7 out of 5. Users love the ease of configuring the virtual event platform, the internal webcasting feature, and the virtual lobby. Here are some of the reviews:
“vFairs took what we thought was impossible and turned it into the best experience we could have asked for…..The gamification, the embedded zoom feature, the chat rooms, and the ease of engagement were all at the top of the list for our attendees and for our team.” – Emily A. Director, Alignment
“On the LIVE days of the event, I felt the full support of the vfairs team. They were supportive and responsive to my team and our event attendees to ensure everyone had a successful experience.” – Lisa D. Associate Director
“The platform was easy to navigate and learn about and the customer service was EXCEPTIONAL.” – Amanda L. Communications and Development Coordinator
2: 6Connex
6Connex is another ON24 competitor that markets itself as an all-in-one solution. The event platform offers solutions for virtual, hybrid and in-person events, learning platforms, and webinars. 6Connex markets itself as more than just a platform to host webinars, live streams, or video conferences. The event technology platform allows event organizers, attendees, vendors, and exhibitors to become part of the perfect blend of hybrid and in-person events.
Pros
Customizable Virtual Environment
6Connex is completely different from ON24 in the sense that they offer a completely customizable and 3D virtual environment. The event looks like more than just a webpage and attendees can roam around the open world integrations. The platform offers some pre-designed templates that event organizers can alter according to their liking.
AI-Powered Technology
The platform promises to provide artificial intelligence based personalized and relevant information to all attendees. This can enhance the attendee experience to a whole new level.
Cons
No Dedicated Program Manager
More often than not, a dedicated project manager can listen to the organizers needs and respond much quicker. It can make navigating the platform and setting up the event a piece of cake. While 6Connex offers a range of solutions and has relatively good customer service, the platform does not offer dedicated project managers.
Difficult Setup
Due to the lack of a dedicated project manager, setting up the event can be relatively more difficult. The average rating for ease of setup for 6Connex is 8.2 on G2 which is much less as compared to its competitors who average 8.9.
Lack of Media Editing Integrations
If you are planning to host a pre-recorded webinar, you will need to edit the media to look more appealing and professional. It could be as simple as putting in a company logo or speaker name in a corner of the video. One of the users left this review on G2:
“Our webinars were pre-recorded to reduce risks involved with live broadcasts and 6Connex didn’t offer any media editing capabilities so we needed to have our own internal video services department to assist us.” – Administrator in Publishing
3: Whova
Whova is another ON24 competitor that can be great for businesses and events of all sizes. They offer solutions for in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. Whova can help event organizers create a customizable event that looks stylish and modern. They have worked with some of the top corporations in the world including Microsoft, Hilton, American Express and IKEA to name a few.
Pros
Pocket-Friendly
Whova is known for its pocket-friendly event licenses and plans. So, whether you are looking to host a small event or want to go all-out, there is a plan for you.
Event App
Whova is one of the very few event platforms that offer an event mobile app. The award-winning app can be a great help for hosting in-person events like tradeshows and expos. It has features for attendee engagement, networking, event marketing, and can help save printing costs.
Cons
Difficult to Use
Although the event platform is fun to use, multiple users have reported difficulties with the user interface. The platform can be difficult to navigate and is especially overwhelming for new users.
Aggressive Notifications
The platform tends to send out aggressive and untimely notifications and emails to attendees. Some users have complained that they were unaware the platform was sending out marketing emails for their event on their own. One user said on Capterra:
“Be aware that Whova has their own drip-campaign of emails they send to those attending your event. We were not aware of these prior to them sending, and it caused a bit of confusion and frustration on our end.” – Kellie G, Consultant.
Glitchy
Users have complained about the platform acting up while performing an action. One reviewer on Capterra said:
“A little glitchy. messages couldn’t be copied once you sent them. The attendees search icon was not intuitively placed. The search icon was in the header field in the outer margins and gave me pause while looking for it several times.” – Ryan M, CSO
4: Airmeet
Airmeet is a hybrid and virtual event platform that offers solutions for webinars, online meetings, and full-scale events to its users. Some of its most significant features include but are not limited to real-time event analytics, an event mobile app, networking features, and immersive exhibitor booths. Airmeet does not include a lot of customization options like vFairs and its other competitors. So, if you plan to add some flair to your event, you might want to consider another one of ON24 competitors.
Pros
Real-Time Analytics
Many event platforms don’t offer actionable insights in real-time because they can be hard to manage. With Airmeet, you can get access to data about all interactions and increase ROI. The analytics dashboard is a complete picture of your event.
Multiple Solutions
The Airmeet platform is more than just a video conferencing platform and offers a range of solutions within the same environment. The solutions include support for hosting different types of events like hackathons, conferences, award ceremonies, workshops, and summits.
Cons
Not User-Friendly
Many users have left reviews on G2 about Airmeet not being user-friendly as the platform can be hard to navigate. One user said:
“That the overall design and overall navigation are hopelessly confusing and not user-friendly at all.” – Head of Student Affairs
Complicated Sign-in Process
Many Airmeet users have reported consistent issues with logging in to the app. The process is lengthy and complicated as the login is not supported by an email ID. Some users have reported having to enter a security code at every login that can be off-putting.
Below-Average Customer Support
Users of G2 have reported below-par experiences with Airmeet’s customer care. They also don’t have dedicated project managers that can help you out in a jiffy like vFairs. A user review on G2 says:
“Airmeet’s conference management features and customer support were both quite bad. We had a number of issues setting up the event and full lack of features for managing tickets / attendees – I really just would not depend on them again for an event, and will be moving to a different platform due their inflexibility and beta-like setup. Do not use this for a serious conference.” – Administrator in Event Services
Final Thoughts
Knowing the pros and cons of some of the top ON24 competitors can make the decision of choosing the right event platform a lot easier. vFairs offers a holistic solution for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events with dedicated customer support at every step. Book a demo now to learn more about the exciting networking and engagement features.
