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Whova

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Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
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User industry
  1. Education and training
  2. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
  3. Professional services (engineering, legal, consulting, etc.)

What is Whova

Whova is an event management platform that supports in-person, virtual, and hybrid events through registration, agenda and speaker management, attendee networking, and a branded mobile event app. It is used by conference and association organizers, corporate event teams, and universities to manage event logistics and attendee engagement. The product combines event website and ticketing workflows with in-app community features (announcements, messaging, meetups) and exhibitor/sponsor tools. It also offers modules for virtual events and career fairs, including online booths and scheduling.

pros

Strong attendee engagement tools

Whova includes an integrated mobile app with agenda, push notifications, community boards, direct messaging, and attendee-to-attendee networking. These features support engagement before, during, and after the event without requiring separate community software. Organizers can drive participation through in-app activities such as meetups, Q&A, and announcements. This is particularly useful for conferences where attendee interaction is a primary objective.

Broad event format support

The platform supports in-person, hybrid, and virtual delivery with a consistent organizer workflow across formats. It provides virtual session access, exhibitor/sponsor pages, and attendee interaction features that can be used alongside physical event logistics. This reduces the need to switch tools when event formats change year to year. It also supports career-fair style events with employer booths and scheduling components.

Integrated registration and check-in

Whova provides registration and ticketing capabilities and supports on-site check-in workflows that connect to attendee profiles in the app. This helps keep attendee data, badges/check-in status, and engagement activity in one system. Exhibitor and sponsor exposure can be managed through the same attendee-facing experience. For many organizers, this consolidation reduces operational handoffs between separate registration and app vendors.

cons

Customization can be constrained

Branding and UI customization typically follow Whova’s app and page templates, which may not match organizations with strict design systems. Some event teams may require deeper control over attendee journeys, page layouts, or complex conditional registration paths. When compared with more developer-oriented platforms, customization options can be more limited. This can affect events with highly specialized workflows.

Complexity for small events

Because Whova bundles many modules (app, networking, exhibitors, virtual components), smaller events may not use a meaningful portion of the feature set. Setup and content population (agenda, speakers, sponsors, sessions) can require dedicated time and coordination. Teams running simple ticketed events may find the platform heavier than necessary. This can increase time-to-launch for low-complexity events.

Recruiting depth may be limited

While Whova supports virtual career fairs and employer/attendee interactions, it is not a full applicant tracking system. Organizations that need end-to-end recruiting workflows (job requisitions, candidate pipelines, compliance reporting) typically still require separate recruiting software. Data handoff to HR systems may require exports or integrations rather than native recruiting operations. This can limit suitability for large-scale hiring programs.

Plan & Pricing

Pricing model: Quote-based (contact Whova for a customised price quote for your event/platform). See Whova's Pricing page where organizers must "Get Your Quote" and book demos.

Registration / transaction fees (paid tickets): Whova charges a registration processing fee of 3.0% + $0.99 per paid ticket (no fee for free tickets). This fee is on top of the card processor (Stripe) fees and can be passed to attendees.

Free tier / plan: Whova does not publish a permanently free plan for the event platform. Note: Whova does not charge the per-ticket registration fee for free events (i.e., free tickets incur no Whova ticket fee).

Free trial / demo: Whova offers a trial/demo by request (e.g., “Book a 20 min 1:1 demo to get a trial” on the Pricing page).

Example costs / add-on & package ranges (published by Whova in blog content / cost breakdowns):

  • Mobile brochures: $3,000 – $30,000
  • Registration fees (example savings): $6,000+ (contextual savings figure)
  • Name badges: $1,000 – $10,000
  • Webpage designers/developers (outsourced cost saved): $3,000 – $5,000
  • Exhibitor lead retrieval & digital booths: $3,000 – $10,000
  • Check-in: $2,000 – $3,000
  • Certification generation & distribution: $2,000 – $3,000
  • Hybrid/virtual events: $3,000 – $20,000
  • Event management staffing: $3,000 – $50,000

Discounts / payment options / notes:

  • Platform pricing is quote-based (contact sales for event size/frequency). Whova supports Stripe payouts / early payout in multiple countries. Organizers can choose to absorb or pass on the registration fee to attendees. Additional features (lead retrieval, name badges, virtual/hybrid support, check-in services, etc.) are priced as add-ons or in package quotes.

References: Pricing requires a quote on Whova's pricing page and Whova publishes the transaction fee and example/add-on ranges in their product pages and blog posts.

Seller details

Whova Inc.
San Diego, CA, USA
2013
Private
https://whova.com/
https://x.com/whova
https://www.linkedin.com/company/whova/

Tools by Whova Inc.

Whova

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