Short answer. Associations need two layers that are rarely sold together: a membership system for dues and records, and an occasion app for the conference. Glue Up and Wild Apricot cover membership; Whova and EventMobi are proven conference apps; Sociana is an occasion app that members join once and reuse across conferences, and it does not replace your membership system.
Disclosure. Sociana publishes this guide and is listed once, at position 3 of 8, labelled as our product. We compiled it on 19 Oct 2026 from public vendor pages linked below, without hands-on testing, and nobody paid for a place. Where another product is stronger we say so.
How we chose
- Member identity: login against the membership list, not open sign-up.
- Reuse across several conferences a year without a new store listing.
- Sponsor and exhibitor zones, because sponsors fund most association events.
- Dues and renewals: whether the product handles them or hands off.
- Price shape for a small secretariat.
We placed Sociana at position 3. It is the pick for situations such as “several occasions a year for the same members”; for the other situations in the table further down, products ranked differently are the better choice. Prices are what vendors publish on 19 Oct 2026, not quotes, and aggregator figures are marked unverified.
The ranked list
| Rank | Product | Best for | Pricing as published (19 Oct 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whova | Annual conferences with abstracts and speakers | Quote-only after a five-question form; no figures published | pricing |
| 2 | EventMobi | Chapter meetings and AGMs with published pricing | From $3,500 per event or from $7,900 a year for multiple events | pricing |
| 3 | Sociana (our product) | Recurring member events and paid networking | Packages priced by scope, per occasion or per year; see the pricing page | pricing |
| 4 | Glue Up | Associations that want membership, events and a mobile app in one | Essential $3,000 to $6,500 a year; Advanced $8,000 to $18,500 a year | pricing |
| 5 | Zoho Backstage | Small associations on the Zoho stack | Free plan (100 attendees), 0% commission ticketing; Essentials $99, Premium $208 and Ultimate $416 a month billed annually, or from $299 per event | pricing |
| 6 | Swapcard | Associations with exhibitor-driven annual shows | Quote-only; licence plus per-user rates tiered by event size | pricing |
| 7 | Wild Apricot | Very small associations needing memberships first | From $66 a month for 100 contacts; 60-day trial | pricing |
| 8 | Dreamcast | Large Indian association conventions | Published in rupees per confirmed registration in three descending bands; 1,000-attendee minimum on the self-serve plan | pricing |
Product notes
Whova, position 1
Stronger at: A widely reviewed attendee app with about 100 association, academic and government case studies.
Weaker for this job: Quote-only; no member-dues handling; container app by default.
EventMobi, position 2
Stronger at: From $3,500 per event or $7,900 a year for multiple events, with a named success manager on the annual plan.
Weaker for this job: Support hours are North American; no hospitality module found.
Sociana (our product), position 3
Stronger at: A multi-occasion app that always opens the member’s occasion, OTP login against the registration list, paid meeting-room slots, sponsor zones and AI session summaries published after admin approval. References: EEMA Connect and a portfolio managers’ conference in Mumbai.
Weaker for this job: Dues, renewals and CRM stay in your membership system; no badge printing or SSO.
Glue Up, position 4
Stronger at: CRM, memberships, finance, CPD credits, surveys and events, with published price ranges.
Weaker for this job: $3,000 to $18,500 a year; it is a membership suite first, so conference tooling is lighter.
Zoho Backstage, position 5
Stronger at: Free plan, 0% commission and Zoho CRM links.
Weaker for this job: No games, WhatsApp or hospitality found.
Swapcard, position 6
Stronger at: Exhibitor centre, AI matchmaking and detailed security attestations.
Weaker for this job: Quote-only with per-user rates.
Wild Apricot, position 7
Stronger at: Membership software from $66 a month for 100 contacts, with a 60-day trial.
Weaker for this job: Not a conference app; no gamification or hospitality.
Dreamcast, position 8
Stronger at: Rupee pricing per registration plus onsite hardware.
Weaker for this job: Minimum of 1,000 attendees on self-serve.
Which to pick, by situation
| If your situation is | Consider |
|---|---|
| You need dues and member records first | Glue Up or Wild Apricot |
| One flagship conference with abstracts | Whova |
| Several occasions a year for the same members | Sociana |
| Exhibitor meetings fund the event | Swapcard |
| Procurement wants a per-event price | EventMobi |
Where Sociana is not the right pick
Sociana is not a membership CRM: we do not process dues or renewals, and EEMA Connect keeps those elsewhere. If the secretariat wants one system for membership and events, Glue Up is closer.
FAQ
Do associations need a separate app for each conference?
No. A multi-occasion app lets members install once and join each conference by code or QR. Our single-event versus multi-event comparison covers the trade-offs.
How do we keep a members-only conference closed?
Use the registration or membership list as a whitelist, so unregistered numbers cannot enter. The APMI conference build used this approach.
Can an event app handle paid meeting-room slots?
Sociana supports booking and Razorpay payment for meeting-room slots with per-guest caps, as used at the APMI conference. Check how any vendor handles a payment that succeeds without a confirmed slot.
Is an event website enough for an AGM?
Often, for a short AGM with one agenda and no networking. For a multi-day conference with sessions, sponsors and member chat, an app adds identity and alerts. See event app versus event website.
Keep comparing
- Whova: Sociana vs Whova · Whova alternatives
- EventMobi: Sociana vs EventMobi · EventMobi alternatives
- Zoho Backstage: Sociana vs Zoho Backstage · Zoho Backstage alternatives
- Swapcard: Sociana vs Swapcard · Swapcard alternatives
- Dreamcast: Sociana vs Dreamcast · Dreamcast alternatives
- Approach comparison: Single-event app vs multi-event app: one install per occasion, or one for all?
- Approach comparison: Event app vs event website: which do you need for your conference?
- Case study: An association’s multi-occasion app with AI session summaries the organisers approve
- Case study: Paid meeting-room slots inside a conference app
- How Sociana is priced: pricing
Sources and disclosure
- Whova: whova.com
- EventMobi: eventmobi.com
- Sociana (our product): Sociana pricing
- Glue Up: glueup.com
- Zoho Backstage: zoho.com
- Swapcard: swapcard.com
- Wild Apricot: wildapricot.com
- Dreamcast: dreamcast.in
Vendor and product names are trademarks of their owners. Sociana is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any product named here, and names are used only to identify them. Found a mistake? Report a correction or email hello@sociana.in and we will correct the page within five working days. Pricing and feature statements were checked on 19 Oct 2026 and should be re-checked before you buy.