Whova alternative scorecard
Event Schedule vs Whova
A transparent, affordable alternative to Whova with zero platform fees.
27/41
lines where Event Schedule has the edge.
The other 14 are a match or go to Whova.
Every line on this card is scored from the same table below. Nothing is averaged, weighted or rounded.
The card
Scored line by line.
A feature-by-feature comparison of Event Schedule and Whova, in 41 lines across 6 sections. Our column names the plan behind every gated feature, because a comparison that hides the tier is not a comparison.
| Line | Event Schedule | Whova |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & Fees 3 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| Free plan (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included forever | Not offered quote-based |
| Paid plan price (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | $5/mo (7-day free trial) | Custom quotes |
| Platform fees (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | 0% | 3% + $0.99/ticket |
| Payment processing | Stripe/PayPal/Payfast (processor rates apply) | Stripe (2.9% + $0.30) |
| Events & Ticketing 3 of 13 to Event Schedule | ||
| Ticketing | Included Free | Included |
| Unlimited ticket sales | Included Pro | Included |
| QR check-ins | Included Free | Included |
| Ticket waitlist (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Check-in dashboard | Included Pro | Included |
| Sale notifications (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Sales data export | Included Pro | Included |
| Recurring events (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Online events | Included Free | Included |
| Free event RSVP | Included Free | Included |
| Event polls | Included Pro | Included |
| Promo/discount codes | Included Pro | Included |
| Post-event feedback | Included Pro | Included |
| Integrations 3 of 3 to Event Schedule | ||
| Calendar sync, both ways (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered Zapier only |
| CalDAV sync (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Newsletters (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Announcements only |
| Customization 3 of 5 to Event Schedule | ||
| Custom domains (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Remove branding (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered not white-label |
| Custom fields | Included Pro | Included |
| Custom CSS (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Built-in analytics | Included Free | Included |
| Unique Features 11 of 12 to Event Schedule | ||
| AI suite (event parsing, flyer gen, style gen) (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Parsing on Free, flyer and style on Enterprise | Not offered |
| Event graphics gen (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Sub-schedules (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Fan videos & comments (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Not offered |
| Embeddable calendar (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Free | Agenda widget |
| Private/password-protected events (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Availability management (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| WhatsApp event creation (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Team collaboration | Included Enterprise | Included |
| Carpool matching (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Sponsor/partner logos (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered |
| Email scheduling (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Enterprise | Not offered |
| Platform 4 of 4 to Event Schedule | ||
| REST API (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not public |
| Webhooks (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included Pro | Not offered Zapier only |
| Open source (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
| Selfhosting (Event Schedule has the edge on this line) | Included | Not offered |
Selfhost Event Schedule and every one of those plan chips opens: a selfhosted install resolves to Enterprise, so no line on the card is held back by a plan. Either way, ticket sales run through your own Stripe or PayPal account and Event Schedule takes 0%.
Straight answers
Three lines we do not claim.
A card you can trust has to name what is missing from it. These three are true about Event Schedule no matter which platform you are holding it against.
No marketplace
You bring the audience
Your public events can be listed on the Event Schedule browse and search pages, but a listing is not a marketplace's built-in audience. What actually fills a room is your own schedule page, an embeddable calendar, a follower QR code, newsletters, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale.
Seat maps are Enterprise
Ticket types, then seats
On Free and Pro a ticket type has a name, a price and a quantity, and buyers are not choosing a specific seat. A reserved-seating house needs Enterprise, where a venue schedule draws the room once and buyers pick their seats from the map.
One team member on Free
Extra members are Enterprise
The free plan is one person per schedule. Adding team members is on Enterprise and is capped at five on the hosted platform, so do not plan on inviting a whole staff for nothing.
Everything else on this page is a line you can check for yourself. Back to the card
The margin marks
Where the marks fall our way.
27 of the 41 lines above carry a diamond. Here are the 6 advantages over Whova that most often decide it, in plain language rather than table cells.
Transparent Pricing
$5/mo flat vs opaque custom quotes requiring sales calls. No surprises, no negotiations.
0% Platform Fees
Whova charges 3% + $0.99 per paid ticket on top of their subscription. Event Schedule has zero platform fees.
Calendar Sync
Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync included free. Whova requires a Zapier add-on for basic calendar connections.
Custom CSS
Full design control with custom CSS. Whova limits customization to their dashboard options.
Open Source
Fully open source with selfhosting option. Selfhost for complete data ownership, free from Whova's opaque enterprise contracts.
Event Graphics
Auto-generate shareable event images for social media. Not available on Whova.
Both columns
Read both sides before you sign.
About Whova
Whova is an event management and networking platform popular for conferences and corporate events. It offers a feature-rich mobile app with attendee networking, live polls, and engagement tools, with custom quote-based pricing.
Whova's strengths
- Advanced attendee networking with AI-powered matchmaking and messaging
- Feature-rich mobile app with high attendee engagement rates
- Comprehensive virtual and hybrid event capabilities
Why choose Event Schedule?
Three things decide it against Whova: the money is yours, the code is public, and the calendar keeps itself in step with the one you already use.
What you get
- Zero platform fees on ticket sales, at every plan level, into your own Stripe or PayPal account
- Selling starts on the free plan, at 25 paid tickets a month, each one scanned at the door
- Refunds from the Sales page, in full or in part, that send the money back through Stripe or PayPal
- One checkout for tickets to several of your events, and an interest list that emails people when tickets go on sale
- Passes, gift cards and installment payments on Pro, and allocated seating for venues on Enterprise
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync, free, so the public listing and your own diary cannot disagree
- Open source under the Attribution Assurance License, and selfhostable, which resolves to Enterprise
A fresh card
How to switch in 4 steps
Nothing has to move on day one. The schedule is useful the moment it exists, and the events and the list follow at whatever pace suits you.
01
Create your schedule
Free, no card, and it has its own address the moment it exists. Nothing has to move before it is useful.
02
Bring the events across
Paste a listing or upload the flyer and the parser fills in the name, date, time, venue and description for you to check. Fifty a day on the free and Pro plans (ten during a Pro trial), a hundred on Enterprise.
03
Bring your list across
Export the addresses you already have and paste them in or upload a CSV, up to ten thousand rows, on any plan. What the newsletter allowance counts is sending to them, not holding them.
04
Connect Stripe or PayPal and sell
Your own Stripe or PayPal account, so the money settles into it rather than into ours. Zero platform fees, the first 25 paid tickets a month are on the free plan, and refunds go back through the same account.
Free forever. Upgrade when you're ready.
Zero platform fees on ticket sales, on every plan. The only deduction is your payment processor's own.
Everything you need to publish a schedule, and enough selling to find out whether you need more.
- Unlimited events, sub-schedules and recurring dates
- Two-way Google, Outlook and CalDAV sync
- 25 paid tickets a month, each one scanned at the door
No expiry, and no card asked for.
The ceilings come off, and the rest of the selling kit arrives with them.
- Unlimited ticket sales and the live check-in dashboard
- Promo codes, add-ons, passes and gift cards
- The REST API, webhooks, and no Event Schedule branding
7-day free trial, cancel any time.
For a room with a seating chart, a team, and a domain of its own.
- Reserved seating, drawn once and reused every date
- Your own domain, and up to five team members
- Internal and unlisted events, and 1,000 newsletter recipients
Included free on every selfhosted install.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about switching from Whova.
Is it easy to switch from Whova to Event Schedule?
Yes. Unlike Whova, there is no sales process or demo required. Just sign up, create a free schedule, and start adding events. AI import can parse pasted event details to speed things up.
How does Event Schedule pricing compare to Whova?
Whova uses quote-based enterprise pricing that requires a sales call, with costs typically running thousands of dollars per event. Event Schedule Pro is a flat $5/mo with unlimited events and zero platform fees on ticket sales.
Does Event Schedule offer attendee engagement features like Whova?
Yes. Fan videos and comments and newsletters with A/B testing are on every plan, and event polls and post-event feedback are on Pro, all without per-event pricing.
Can I refund an attendee?
Yes, on every plan. From the Sales page, a Stripe or PayPal sale can be refunded in full or in part and the money goes back through the provider; a partial refund keeps the ticket valid. A sale taken another way, such as cash or a payment link, is marked as refunded instead.
Free forever, 0% platform fees
That is the card. Now sign it.
Final tally: 27 of 41 lines to Event Schedule.
Create your free schedule today. No credit card required, and nothing taken from your ticket sales.
Open source, and yours to selfhost whenever you want it.
Related
Keep exploring
Sched Alternative
Zero platform fees, calendar sync, and open source flexibility.
Read moreAccelevents Alternative
Zero platform fees, instant setup, and open source flexibility.
Read moreCompare Alternatives
See how Event Schedule stacks up against other platforms.
Read morePricing
See what is included on Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans.
Read more