Short answer. For a very large Indian expo with kiosks and badge printing, Dreamcast is the strongest local pick. For global shows driven by AI matchmaking, Swapcard. For a 20 to 200 stall fraternity expo where each exhibitor needs a scan log and the organiser wants tickets, chat and entry in one rupee-priced app, Sociana is a good fit.
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
- Exhibitor lead capture: scans, notes, consent and who owns the list.
- Visitor experience: entry pass, stall directory, chat and agenda.
- Onsite hardware: kiosks, badge printing, scanners.
- Ticketing and payments in India (UPI, GST invoices).
- Published pricing and setup time.
We placed Sociana at position 3. It is the pick for situations such as “exhibitors want their own lead list on their phone”; 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 | Dreamcast | Large Indian expos and festivals | Published in rupees per confirmed registration in three descending bands; 1,000-attendee minimum on the self-serve plan | pricing |
| 2 | Swapcard | Trade shows and associations driven by exhibitor ROI | Quote-only; licence plus per-user rates tiered by event size | pricing |
| 3 | Sociana (our product) | 20 to 200 stall expos, fraternity meets and regional shows | Packages priced by scope, per occasion or per year; see the pricing page | pricing |
| 4 | Eventdex | Lead retrieval and matchmaking for B2B shows | Quoted per programme | pricing |
| 5 | Jublia | Asia trade shows with badge-scan lead retrieval | Custom quote | pricing |
| 6 | KonfHub | Ticketed shows paid by UPI | 0% on free tickets (to 100 registrations), 2% + GST on UPI-only Lite, 3.75% + GST on Silver, custom Gold | pricing |
| 7 | Zoho Backstage | Small shows needing floor plans and booth booking | Free plan (100 attendees), 0% commission ticketing; Essentials $99, Premium $208 and Ultimate $416 a month billed annually, or from $299 per event | pricing |
| 8 | vFairs | Virtual and hybrid exhibitions | Quote-only; annual licence or per-event package | pricing |
Product notes
Dreamcast, position 1
Stronger at: Kiosks, badge printing, turnstiles and facial-recognition check-in on its site, with rupee pricing per registration.
Weaker for this job: 1,000-attendee minimum on self-serve; no hospitality module found.
Swapcard, position 2
Stronger at: AI matchmaking, exhibitor centre with lead qualifiers and package tiers, and detailed security documentation.
Weaker for this job: Quote-only, per-user rates and heavy for a small show.
Sociana (our product), position 3
Stronger at: My Stall for each exhibitor (scan visitors, notes, scan log, stall chat), personal entry-pass QR, paid tickets with invoices and delegate chat locked until payment. Reference: Bengaluru Wedding Fraternity Meet Up 4.0.
Weaker for this job: No badge printing, kiosks or hosted-buyer matchmaking; not for very large shows.
Eventdex, position 4
Stronger at: Scan, notes, scoring and AI matchmaking, with ten head-to-head comparison pages published.
Weaker for this job: Quoted per programme and US-centred.
Jublia, position 5
Stronger at: Engagement hub, AI matchmaking and sponsorship insights, with large organiser clients on its site.
Weaker for this job: Custom quote; no India pricing.
KonfHub, position 6
Stronger at: A Sponsor App on Silver and an Exhibitor Portal on Gold, with rupee and GST pricing.
Weaker for this job: Exhibitor tools sit on the custom Gold tier.
Zoho Backstage, position 7
Stronger at: Floor plans, booth booking, badge design and kiosks inside a suite with a free plan.
Weaker for this job: White-label only at Ultimate; no games or WhatsApp found.
vFairs, position 8
Stronger at: 3D virtual venues, hosted-buyer software and a dedicated team on every plan.
Weaker for this job: Four-week minimum cited for complex events; roots are virtual.
Which to pick, by situation
| If your situation is | Consider |
|---|---|
| Expo with kiosks and printed badges | Dreamcast |
| Exhibitors want their own lead list on their phone | Sociana |
| Matchmaking decides whether buyers attend | Swapcard, Eventdex or Jublia |
| UPI ticket sales and weekly settlements | KonfHub |
| Virtual or hybrid exhibition hall | vFairs |
Where Sociana is not the right pick
Sociana does not print badges, run kiosks or provide hosted-buyer matchmaking, and it is not built for very large international shows. If those matter, choose Dreamcast, Swapcard or Eventdex.
FAQ
Is a lead retrieval app better than business cards?
Usually, because every scan is logged with notes and consent, and the exhibitor can export the list the same day. Cards still win when phones are banned or the show is tiny. See our lead retrieval versus business cards page.
Who owns the leads captured at a show?
Define it before the show. In My Stall, each exhibitor sees their own scan log; organisers can see aggregate counts. Ask any vendor what the organiser can see and export.
Do visitors need to install an app?
For scanning, the exhibitor needs the app; visitors can show a personal QR. Public web flows cover checkout and polls without an install.
How long does it take to set up an exhibition app?
Our own configuration estimate is about three days of setup and a week of content for a physical-show app, compared with a four-week minimum cited in vFairs’ FAQ for complex events. Your content readiness is the real driver.
Keep comparing
- Dreamcast: Sociana vs Dreamcast · Dreamcast alternatives
- Swapcard: Sociana vs Swapcard · Swapcard alternatives
- KonfHub: Sociana vs KonfHub · KonfHub alternatives
- Zoho Backstage: Sociana vs Zoho Backstage · Zoho Backstage alternatives
- vFairs: Sociana vs vFairs · vFairs alternatives
- Approach comparison: Lead retrieval app vs business cards at exhibitions: consent, follow-up, scan logs
- Approach comparison: Paper badges vs QR check-in: speed, cost and data at the registration desk
- Case study: An exhibition app where every visitor is a lead
- How Sociana is priced: pricing
Sources and disclosure
- Dreamcast: dreamcast.in
- Swapcard: swapcard.com
- Sociana (our product): Sociana pricing
- Eventdex: eventdex.com
- Jublia: jublia.com
- KonfHub: konfhub.com
- Zoho Backstage: zoho.com
- vFairs: vfairs.com
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.