Running an online conference well means juggling a lot more than a video call - registration, multi-track agendas, attendee networking, sponsor booths, and reporting all have to work together without breaking under a few thousand simultaneous logins. Virtual event platforms are purpose-built for exactly that, handling everything from a 200-person summit to a 100,000-attendee product launch.
The category sits alongside plain webinar software but goes further, adding multi-session agendas, expo floors, speed networking, and lead retrieval for sponsors - the tools an organizer needs to run a full conference rather than a single broadcast.
We ran a wide discovery pass across virtual and hybrid event platform roundups, Hopin-alternative comparisons, and enterprise webinar pricing guides, then verified pricing and features directly on each vendor's own site, to build this list of seven real, currently-active platforms for 2026.
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Quick Summary: RingCentral Events and Zoom Events lead for large-scale, AI-assisted conferences, Airmeet and Whova stand out for networking-heavy virtual and hybrid events, BigMarker offers the most flexible white-label webinar hosting, and ON24 and Bizzabo target enterprise marketing teams that need deep analytics and lead capture.
Why You Need a Virtual Event Platform
- Attendee capacity at scale: Purpose-built platforms handle thousands to hundreds of thousands of concurrent attendees without the streaming quality dropping.
- Real networking, not just chat: Speed networking, roundtables, and virtual booths recreate the hallway-conversation value that a plain video call can't replicate.
- Sponsor and lead capture tools: Expo booths and lead retrieval give sponsors a way to measure ROI, which matters when events need to justify their budget.
- Multi-session, multi-track agendas: Built-in agenda builders let attendees pick sessions across concurrent tracks, something generic conferencing tools handle poorly.
- Post-event analytics: Session-level attendance, engagement, and lead data let marketing and events teams prove impact after the event ends.
Best 7 Virtual Event Platforms in 2026
1. RingCentral Events
RingCentral Events is an AI-powered virtual, hybrid, and onsite event platform built from the former Hopin events and session products, scaling from small team sessions up to conferences with 100,000+ attendees.
Pricing: Events Pro from $99/organizer/month (annual); Pro+ and Enterprise tiers add SSO, custom domains, and unlimited lead retrieval; 30-day free trial with 10 organizer seats.
Key features:
- AI-powered highlight clips and content generation
- Native registration, badge printing, and lead retrieval
- Custom-branded event pages with no coding required
- Breakout rooms, live Q&A, and real-time polling
- 40+ app and data integrations
Best for: Marketing and events teams running large, branded virtual or hybrid conferences who want AI-assisted content tools.
2. Zoom Events
Zoom Events extends Zoom's familiar video infrastructure into full multi-session conferences, with an event hub, expo floor, and production studio built on top of the reliability most attendees already know.
Pricing: Subscription plans priced by attendee size, plus a pay-per-attendee option for occasional events; exact tiers require a quote via Zoom's events pricing page.
Key features:
- Event hubs with customizable registration and ticketing
- Chat-enabled event lobby and attendee networking
- Broadcast-quality production studio and expo floor
- Mobile companion app and post-event recordings with AI chapters
- Detailed registration, attendance, and ticket-sales reporting
Best for: Organizations already on Zoom who want to extend familiar video reliability into full multi-session events.
3. Airmeet
Airmeet focuses heavily on recreating in-person networking online, with speed networking, lounge tables, and a Raise Hand feature that lets attendees join speakers on stage during a live session.
Pricing: Free plan for up to 100 attendees; Premium Webinars from $167/month (billed annually) for 100 attendees, scaling by attendee count; Events and Managed Events tiers custom-priced.
Key features:
- Speed Networking and Lounge for spontaneous attendee interaction
- Virtual booths for sponsors and exhibitors
- Large meeting add-on scaling to 100,000 attendees
- Live chat, polls, Q&A, and breakout sessions
- Engagement analytics across sessions and networking activity
Best for: Community and summit organizers who prioritize attendee networking as much as the on-stage content.
4. Whova
Whova is a widely used event management app that covers registration, a mobile agenda app, and virtual/hybrid session hosting, popular with associations and academic conferences alongside corporate events.
Pricing: Custom quote based on event size and selected features; many organizers pay via a per-ticket registration fee (around 3% plus $0.99/ticket) rather than a flat subscription.
Key features:
- Free mobile event app for attendees with personalized agendas
- Combined virtual, hybrid, and in-person event support
- Registration and ticketing with lower fees than several competitors
- Session bookmarking, live polling, and attendee messaging
- Sponsor and exhibitor showcase pages
Best for: Associations, academic conferences, and organizers who want a strong mobile event app alongside virtual sessions.
5. BigMarker
BigMarker is a browser-based webinar and virtual event platform requiring no downloads for hosts or attendees, with strong white-label branding options for agencies and media companies running events under their own brand.
Pricing: Subscription plans from $29 to $379/month; a 5% transaction fee applies to paid ticketed events.
Key features:
- No-download, fully browser-based hosting for hosts and attendees
- White-label branding and custom media hubs
- Unlimited live and on-demand webinars on paid channels
- Built-in monetization with Stripe or Authorize.net payouts
- Event registration and automated reminder emails
Best for: Agencies and media companies that want fully white-labeled, browser-based webinar and event hosting.
6. ON24
ON24 is an enterprise-grade platform for AI-powered webinars, virtual events, and content marketing, built around detailed engagement analytics that feed directly into marketing and sales pipelines.
Pricing: Custom packages tailored to business needs; large-event reservation ("Stadium") pricing for guaranteed capacity reportedly starts around $10,000/year, though ON24 quotes final pricing directly.
Key features:
- Customizable live, simulive, and on-demand webinars
- Production studio with 20+ interactivity tools
- Breakout rooms and accessibility components built in
- Engagement-based lead scoring for marketing and sales teams
- Guaranteed-capacity reservations for large flagship events
Best for: Enterprise marketing teams that need webinar and virtual event engagement data tied directly into their sales funnel.
7. Bizzabo
Bizzabo is an all-in-one event experience platform built for enterprises running high volumes of virtual, hybrid, and in-person events under a single vendor relationship.
Pricing: No published self-serve pricing; requires a personalized quote and an annual subscription, with unlimited events, users, and registrations available on enterprise plans.
Key features:
- Unified platform for virtual, hybrid, and in-person events
- Unlimited events, users, and registrations on enterprise plans
- Extensive premium add-on marketplace
- Networking and matchmaking tools for attendees
- Detailed event ROI and engagement reporting
Best for: Enterprises consolidating all their event types onto one platform under a single annual contract.
| Tool | Best For | Starting Price | Standout Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| RingCentral Events | Large branded virtual/hybrid conferences | From $99/organizer/month | AI-powered highlight clips and content tools |
| Zoom Events | Teams already standardized on Zoom | Custom, by attendee size | Familiar Zoom reliability at conference scale |
| Airmeet | Networking-focused summits and communities | Free; from $167/month | Speed Networking and Lounge tables |
| Whova | Associations and academic conferences | Custom quote / per-ticket fee | Strong free mobile event app |
| BigMarker | White-label agencies and media companies | From $29/month | No-download, browser-based hosting |
| ON24 | Enterprise marketing and lead generation | Custom, from ~$10,000/year | Engagement-based lead scoring |
| Bizzabo | Enterprises consolidating all event types | Custom quote only | Unified virtual, hybrid, and in-person platform |
Final Thoughts
Attendee count and how much you value in-platform networking should drive this decision more than brand recognition. Teams running large, AI-assisted branded conferences should start with RingCentral Events or Zoom Events, especially if you're already on Zoom's video infrastructure.
Community builders and summit organizers who care most about attendee networking should look at Airmeet, while associations and academic conferences will likely get more value from Whova's mobile-first approach. Agencies wanting full white-label control should evaluate BigMarker, and enterprise marketing or events teams needing deep analytics or full event-portfolio consolidation should default to ON24 or Bizzabo.
Whichever platform you choose, run a full dress rehearsal with your production and speaker team before the live event - most virtual event failures come from unfamiliarity with the platform's backstage tools, not the platform itself.