Cvent suits a global portfolio with procurement and security reviews; Whova suits a single conference that wants a familiar attendee app. Neither prints a price: both are quote-led, so the contract shape is the first thing to compare.
At a glance
Facts as of 19 Oct 2026; publisher: Sociana. Cvent: Tysons Corner, Virginia, USA. Whova: San Diego, California, USA. “Not listed” means not found on the vendor’s site that day.
What each is best at
Cvent
- Venue sourcing network of about 340,000 venues with RFP tooling, which no participant-app vendor in this set matches. (source)
Whova
- Most-reviewed attendee app in this comparison set: 4.8 stars from about 253,000 ratings on the US App Store (19 Oct 2026) and 4.8 on G2 as cited by learn.g2.com. (source)
Comparison table: 12 rows
| Dimension | Cvent | Whova |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Quote-only. (source) | Quote-only. (source) |
| Attendee app | Platforms: iOS, Android, Web. (source) | Platforms: iOS, Android, Web. (source) |
| Networking | Yes: CventIQ recommends sessions and people from attributes and behaviour. (source) | Yes: listed on whova.com; no detail recorded (checked 19 Oct 2026). (source) |
| Gamification | Partly: listed on cvent.com; no detail recorded (checked 19 Oct 2026). (source) | Yes: Gamification and leaderboards are listed on the app. (source) |
| Hospitality | Partly: Passkey room-block management is planner-side logistics. (source) | Not listed on whova.com as of 19 Oct 2026. (source) |
| Check-in | Yes: OnArrival kiosks, self-service check-in and on-site badge printing. (source) | Yes: Kiosk self check-in is listed. (source) |
| Polls | Yes: listed on cvent.com; no detail recorded (checked 19 Oct 2026). (source) | Yes: listed on whova.com; no detail recorded (checked 19 Oct 2026). (source) |
| Exhibitors | Yes: LeadCapture scans badges and business cards with an exhibitor portal. (source) | Yes: Lead retrieval by QR or business-card scan. (source) |
| Rupee billing | No rupee billing was found. (source) | No rupee billing was found. (source) |
| Not listed on cvent.com as of 19 Oct 2026. (source) | Not listed on whova.com as of 19 Oct 2026. (source) | |
| Support model | Managed or account support: Implementation, event build and OnArrival 360 services are priced separately. (source) | Managed or account support: managed delivery team included. (source) |
| Status and ownership | Cvent was acquiring and integrating Goldcast (2025) and ON24 (closed Apr 2026) when checked on 19 Oct 2026. (source) | Whova pages and app listings were live and updated when checked on 19 Oct 2026. (source) |
Cvent vs Whova pricing
Budget lens: Cvent quotes on request; Whova quotes on request. No like-for-like total has been run.
Where they differ
- Hospitality: only Cvent lists it (Partly: Passkey room-block management is planner-side logistics); Whova shows nothing we could confirm.
- Both list: attendee app, networking, gamification, check-in, polls, exhibitors, managed support.
- Neither confirmed on the pages we read: WhatsApp, rupee billing.
Who should choose which
Choose Cvent when your brief leans on hospitality, where Whova showed nothing we could confirm.
Choose Whova for conferences and academic or association meetings that want a proven, widely installed attendee app. No single row on public pages separates it from Cvent.
Scenario: a multinational with an approved-vendor process and many meetings would start with Cvent; a single conference team without procurement overhead would start with Whova. Ask Cvent how per-registration fees would apply to your count.
Where Sociana fits
Sociana is our product. Against two US-priced platforms we are the smaller, rupee-billed option for one in-person Indian occasion where My Stay and pickups and group-scoped content matter; we are no match for Cvent’s venue sourcing or Whova’s abstract tools.
FAQ
Is Cvent cheaper than Whova?
We cannot say. Cvent pricing was quote-only and Whova pricing was quote-only on 19 Oct 2026; get a written quote from each.
Which is better for my event, Cvent or Whova?
Test the row your event depends on most. The clearest gap on public pages is hospitality.
Do Cvent or Whova support rupee billing, GST invoices and WhatsApp?
Cvent shows no rupee billing and does not list WhatsApp; Whova shows no rupee billing and does not list WhatsApp. GST invoicing could not be confirmed from public pages.
What do people use instead of Cvent and Whova?
See Cvent alternatives and Whova alternatives, or Best event apps in India.
Sources and disclosure
Publisher: Sociana, a competing vendor unaffiliated with Cvent or Whova; both names belong to their owners. Corrections: report a correction or email hello@sociana.in; we correct or reply within five working days.