Who Bizzabo Is a Good Fit For
Bizzabo is an event experience platform aimed at event and marketing teams, sold as an annual subscription with additional products and services arranged through its sales team. It suits organizations running many events a year with a dedicated events staff. If that describes you, it may be the right tool.
Why Small Planning Teams Pick Shoal
Pay per event, not per year
Shoal charges one flat price per event, set by how many people register. There is no subscription or annual contract, so a quiet year costs you nothing.
Start today, by yourself
Sign up, build your event for free and publish when you're ready. No demo, onboarding project or sales call.
Every feature at every size
The attendee app, game, sponsors, badges, reports and API come with every event. Nothing is sold as an add-on.
An app with nothing to install
Each ticket opens a branded attendee app in the browser, ready to add to the home screen.
A game built in
Points, secret codes, trivia, teams and prizes, with a leaderboard for the big screen.
No cut of your ticket sales
Paid tickets go through your own Stripe account. Shoal takes nothing on top.
Shoal and Bizzabo at a Glance
| Shoal | Bizzabo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Published flat price per event; first 2 events up to 50 people free during our launch | Check their current plans |
| Getting started | Self-serve: sign up and build today | Usually arranged with a sales team |
| Commitment | Pay per event, no contract | Typically an annual subscription |
| Best suited to | Small teams running a few events a year | Event and marketing teams with a full calendar |
| Features by size | All features at every size | Check their current plans |
| Engagement game | Points, secret codes, trivia, teams, prizes and a big-screen leaderboard, included | Check their current offering |
Bizzabo is a trademark of its owner; Shoal is not affiliated with Bizzabo. Comparison based on publicly available information as of October 2026. Plans and prices change, so check Bizzabo directly for current details.
Shoal Pricing, Per Event
Priced by how many people register, with every feature included at every size.
Up to 50 people
Free
Launch offer: free for your first 2 events created before January 1, 2027, a $149 value.
Up to 250 people
$399
Per event.
Up to 750 people
$899
Per event.
Up to 2,000 people
$1,599
Per event.
Questions
Is Shoal a good Bizzabo alternative?
It is if you run a few in-person events a year and want to pay per event and set things up yourself. Teams running many complex or virtual events may be better served by a larger platform.
Does Shoal support virtual events?
No. Shoal is built for in-person events.
Where can I check what Bizzabo offers today?
On their own website. We keep this comparison broad because their plans and pricing change, so confirm any detail with them directly.
Comparing other platforms? Read about Shoal as an alternative to Cvent, Whova, Eventbrite or Swoogo.
Plan Your Next Event on Shoal
Your first 2 events of up to 50 people are free if you create them before January 1, 2027. Set up in an afternoon.