Event professionals searching for the right platform often look at two well-known options: Cvent and Bizzabo. These names come up frequently in discussions about enterprise-level event technology platforms, especially when comparing tools for complex or large-scale events. Increasingly, event organizers are also considering Accelevents as an all-in-one alternative that bridges ease of use with rich feature depth.
All three platforms support in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats and provide a range of features for event registration, attendee engagement, and post-event analytics. However, their design philosophies and core strengths are different.
This article provides a clear event management software comparison of Cvent vs Bizzabo vs Accelevents, outlining how each platform differs in terms of functionality, user experience, and the types of organizations they serve.
Where Accelevents Can Benefit Enterprises and Associations
Cvent has grown largely through acquisitions, resulting in a suite of complex tools that, according to reviews, can feel disconnected and often require certification courses to master. Bizzabo, while newer, also expanded its portfolio by acquiring products that have not always been seamlessly integrated. In contrast, Accelevents was intentionally built with one consistent data model, creating a seamless experience across the platform for event organizers, attendees, exhibitors, and speakers. This unified approach, combined with a support team that responds in less than 21 seconds, 24/7, ensures both reliability and ease of use for teams of all sizes.
What Is the Core Difference Between Cvent, Bizzabo, and Accelevents?
Cvent: Built for enterprise organizations needing control, scale, and complex integrations with existing systems. Due to the platform's complexity and fragmented toolsets from acquisitions, users often require certification courses for mastery.
Bizzabo: Focuses on user experience and brand engagement, designed for marketing-focused teams. Its acquisitions have added creative features, but some users note inconsistent workflows across modules.
Accelevents: Designed from the ground up as an all-in-one, highly customizable solution, Accelevents delivers a seamless platform balancing ease of use with rich features for enterprises, associations, agencies, and nonprofits. The platform’s unified data model ensures smooth coordination for all event stakeholders.
Which Platform Excels at Registration and Ticketing?
Registration and ticketing workflows are central to any event platform, and each solution takes a different approach. Based on user reviews, Cvent’s registration process is powerful but can be complex and sometimes confusing for new users, particularly when setting up multi-path logic or custom forms. Bizzabo’s visual builder is simpler, but some users report limited flexibility for unique workflows or bulk edits.
Accelevents stands out with a highly customizable ticketing and event registration platform featuring drag-and-drop event page design, unlimited ticket types, discount codes, reusable templates, and conversion tracking. Group registration is streamlined with ticket bundles, and conditional logic in forms supports tailored workflows for different attendee types. Payment processing is seamless, and organizers benefit from one-click registration forms.
Quick Setup and Customization
Cvent: Multi-path logic, complex approval workflows, custom-branded registration pages, tiered ticketing and promo codes. Setup can be time-consuming for less technical teams.
Bizzabo: Visual builder, flexible ticket types, mobile-optimized forms, but some limitations for complex scenarios.
Accelevents: Drag-and-drop customization, unlimited ticket types, reusable templates, ticket bundles, and seamless payment—all designed for speed and flexibility.
On-Site Badge Printing and Check-In
Cvent: Full-service badge printing, check-in kiosks for high-volume events; may require more hardware and setup.
Bizzabo: Mobile check-in, smart badge technology for tap-based networking; lightweight but covers most check-in needs.
Accelevents: Native badge printing and mobile app check-in, supporting both small meetings and large conferences with minimal setup.
How Do They Handle Hybrid and Virtual Events?
Cvent and Bizzabo each offer virtual and hybrid event capabilities. Cvent’s virtual event hub is highly structured, but users sometimes report additional fees and a learning curve. Bizzabo enables interactive streaming, though glitches have been noted in some reviews, especially at scale.
Accelevents was originally built for in-person events and now supports all event types, including hybrid and virtual. Its dedicated Virtual Event Hub and modular features provide flexibility for any format, and the platform is known for reliability, with no references to outages in reviews.
Streaming and Engagement Tools
Feature | Cvent | Bizzabo | Accelevents |
|---|---|---|---|
Streaming | Native streaming with external options | Interactive streaming with third-party options | Built-in streaming for sessions, plus integrations |
Engagement | Polls, Q&A, surveys, chat | Polls, Q&A, reactions, session chat | |
Networking | Attendee directories, 1:1 meetings | Smart badge networking, attendee matching | AI-powered matchmaking, attendee directories, and 1:1 or group meetings |
Analytics | Real-time dashboards, session tracking | Engagement scoring, behavior tracking | Real-time analytics and shareable reports across all modules |
Multi-Track Scheduling
Cvent: Session builder with capacity and waitlist controls, attendee selection tools
Bizzabo: Visual agenda editor, attendee self-selection, automatic updates
Accelevents: Drag-and-drop agenda builder with multi-track support, live updates, and seamless attendee experience across web and mobile
Is One More User-Friendly for Organizers?
Cvent’s deep feature set leads to a steep learning curve, often requiring formal training and certification, especially for new users. Bizzabo prioritizes a modern interface, but users sometimes note workflow inconsistencies due to acquired modules.
Accelevents delivers a consistent, easy-to-learn interface across all functionalities, with rapid onboarding and a support team that responds in less than 21 seconds, 24/7. Event organizers appreciate the platform’s focus on usability without sacrificing depth, making it an ideal choice for teams seeking both speed and control.
What About Sponsor and Exhibitor ROI Tools?
Cvent’s lead capture is robust but may require exhibitors to pay per device or license, adding to overall event costs. Bizzabo’s smart badges offer hands-free lead capture, but users have noted additional hardware and setup fees.
Accelevents provides mobile app lead capture with QR scanning, offline support, unlimited users, real-time reporting, lead scoring, note-taking, and integrated meeting booking—without per-exhibitor or device fees. The exhibitor portal allows exhibitors to manage digital booths, capture leads, book demos, coordinate teams, and track ROI from a single dashboard.
Lead Capture and Tracking
Cvent: Badge scanning, CRM sync, often per-device fees
Bizzabo: Klik smart badges, real-time tracking, hardware costs
Accelevents: QR scanning, unlimited users, real-time reports, lead scoring, integrated scheduling
Reporting Capabilities
Cvent: Customizable, exportable reports, but some users note delays in data processing
Bizzabo: Visual dashboards, easy summaries, limited export options in some cases
Accelevents: Shareable, real-time reporting built into a unified data model for registration, onsite, mobile, and virtual components
Are Integrations and Security Up to Enterprise Standards?
Cvent offers a wide selection of integrations and detailed admin controls, but some require additional fees or custom configuration. Bizzabo focuses on a core set of marketing integrations and covers standard enterprise needs.
Accelevents includes native integrations at no extra cost, with deep connectors to Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and numerous association management systems. Its public REST APIs and webhooks are well documented, with no fees for API access.
CRM and Marketing Automation
Cvent: Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Marketo, HubSpot (fees may apply)
Bizzabo: Salesforce, HubSpot, webhooks, custom APIs
Accelevents: Native no-fee integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and more
Role-Based Access and Compliance
Cvent: Detailed permissions, SSO, multi-factor authentication, audit logs
Bizzabo: Basic roles, SSO, compliance features
Accelevents: Custom roles, SSO, MFA, SOC-2 and ISO 27001 compliance, and detailed security audit logging
Who Typically Chooses Each Platform?
Cvent’s pricing and complexity make it best suited for large enterprises, regulated industries, and organizations with complex approval workflows. Bizzabo appeals to mid-market and enterprise companies wanting creative control and fast deployment, but may not meet every need for large associations or highly complex events.
Accelevents is chosen by organizations of all sizes—including large enterprises, mid-market corporations, associations, agencies, and nonprofits—seeking an all-in-one, highly customizable solution with rapid onboarding and strong customer success. As a platform that continuously reinvests in product development, Accelevents empowers customers to grow and adapt as their event strategies evolve.
Pricing and Packages
Cvent and Bizzabo do not publish transparent pricing and often require custom quotes. Cvent uses a modular pricing model, and users sometimes encounter additional fees for integrations, support tiers, or per-user licenses. Bizzabo’s bundled plans can result in surprise add-ons for certain features or services.
Accelevents offers transparent, scalable pricing with pay-only-for-what-you-need modules and no surprise add-ons. This approach makes budgeting predictable and ensures that organizations only pay for the features they use.
Target Users and Industries
Cvent primarily serves large enterprises and complex, global organizations. Bizzabo is best for mid-market to enterprise marketing and brand teams.
Accelevents is suitable for conferences, trade shows, fundraisers, internal meetings, and continuing education events—especially for enterprises, associations, agencies, and nonprofits. Its platform design supports a variety of event types and scales smoothly with growing needs.
API Access and Integrations
Cvent’s API documentation is available but may require additional fees, and some integrations rely on older SOAP protocols. Bizzabo provides APIs and webhooks for custom integrations, but the documentation can be inconsistent across acquired products.
Accelevents provides robust REST APIs and webhooks at no additional cost, with well-documented resources for developers and no integration or API access fees.
Call for Papers and Abstract Management
Cvent includes built-in tools for abstract management, but users occasionally report a steep learning curve. Bizzabo lacks a native call for papers module, often requiring third-party integrations for submission and review workflows.
Accelevents features native workflows for calls for papers and abstracts, supporting multiple submission paths, automatic reviewer assignment, and a speaker portal with task management.
Exhibitor Management
Exhibitor management is a critical piece for conferences and trade shows. Cvent and Bizzabo both offer exhibitor tools, but users sometimes cite shortfalls in digital booth management, team coordination, or real-time reporting.
Accelevents includes a comprehensive exhibitor portal to manage digital booths, capture leads, book demos, coordinate teams, and track ROI—ensuring exhibitors have a single place for all their event activities.
Support for Continuing Education Credit Tracking
Cvent supports CE credit tracking through attendance verification and certificate generation, but setup can be complex. Bizzabo offers limited CE credit tools, often requiring custom setup or external systems.
Accelevents automates credit assignment, provides a flexible program builder, instant certificate generation, self-service retrieval, audit trails, and LMS integration, making it an ideal choice for continuing education events.
White-Label Branding Options
Cvent allows some white-label branding, but certain elements may follow standard layouts. Bizzabo improves visual flexibility but does not always enable full removal of platform branding, depending on your service tier.
Accelevents delivers full white-label branding across web, mobile, and virtual environments, with customizable themes to match your organization’s identity.
Elevate Your Events With an All-In-One Solution
If you’re seeking a modern event management platform that delivers the unified experience of a purpose-built system, Accelevents balances complex enterprise features and usability in a single, highly customizable solution. With 1,847 customers and a support team that responds in less than 21 seconds, 24/7, Accelevents empowers event organizers to create seamless experiences for attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors.
Request a demo to explore how Accelevents can simplify your event management process: Request a demo
FAQs About Cvent vs Bizzabo vs Accelevents
Can I manage calls for papers and abstract submissions with these platforms?
Cvent includes built-in tools for abstract management but may require expertise to set up. Bizzabo does not offer native abstract management and typically requires third-party integration. Accelevents features native workflows for call for papers and abstracts, including multi-path submissions and reviewer assignment.
Do these platforms support continuing education credit tracking?
Cvent supports CE credit tracking and certificate generation, with some setup complexity. Bizzabo offers limited CE tools and may require external systems. Accelevents automates CE credit assignment, certificate generation, and LMS integration.
Which platform offers better white-label branding options?
Cvent and Bizzabo each have options for branding, but may not fully remove platform elements. Accelevents delivers full white-label branding across web, mobile, and virtual experiences.
How do these platforms compare for association events?
Cvent integrates with membership systems and supports recurring event templates. Bizzabo supports member pricing and access control but has fewer association integrations. Accelevents is ideal for associations seeking integrated registration, member pricing, and CE credit tracking in a single solution.
