Event Smart vs Eventzilla (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Eventzilla grades higher than Event Smart: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Eventzilla grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Event Smart
Event registration sites with no per-ticket fees
Eventzilla
Registration and ticketing for conferences, training and fundraisers
Which one is for you
Pick Event Smart if
- Fits if you run classes or workshops and want a flat fee, not a cut per ticket
- Works for nonprofits that can use the 15% to 20% discount
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need QR scanning, which is on Business at $100 a month
- Watch out: card payments are a separate $15 a month, and QR ticket delivery is $20 on lower plans
- Tight if you stay on Basic, with ads on your page and 25 emails an hour
- Watch out: the FAQ quotes $10 for the payment upgrade where the plans say $15
Pick Eventzilla if
- Fits if you run conferences that need agendas, speakers and badges
- Works for training providers and associations taking paid registrations
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you sell low-priced tickets, as the $1.50 per registration doesn't shrink with the price
- Tight if you stay on Basic, which allows only one paid ticket type
- Watch out: agendas and conditional logic on free events need an add-on from $49 a month, and webinars cost $11.99 a month
- Not for you if you want a flat price without fees, as Scale has no published price and is quoted by sales
- Skip it if you want to pass processing fees to buyers without moving to Plus and Eventzilla Payments
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAEvent SmartFair | 2.6GPAEventzillaGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPersonal is $50 a month, the category middle, but phone scanning needs Business at $100, and card payments add $15 on each plan. | C$1.50 a paid registration on Basic, $300 on 200 $20 tickets, or $376 on Pro at 1.9% + $1.50, which you need for more than one paid ticket type. Processing is on top and not counted. You can pass the fee to attendees. Towards the dear end, and Scale swaps fees for a yearly plan you have to ask sales to price. |
| Free plan and trial | CBasic is free with unlimited events, but it shows ads and caps email at 25 an hour. A 14-day Business trial needs no card. | BFree events cost nothing, with unlimited events, and no plan but Scale has a subscription. But premium features for free events, such as agendas and conditional logic, need an add-on from $49 a month, and webinars are $11.99 a month on top. |
| Features | CTicket types, forms, promo codes and waitlists exist, but card payments and QR delivery are paid add-ons, so the basic job has gaps. | BTicket types, donations, merchandise, invoices, agendas with session check-in, speaker and sponsor management, abstracts, badge printing, kiosks, virtual events and an event website builder. It covers the whole job, plus conference extras. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build the event page and forms yourself. | CNo App Store rating on record. There's a lot here, from the website builder to badges and abstract reviews, so expect a learning curve before your first event goes live. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net and Google Analytics. Phone scanning is a browser job, with no app listed. | BWeb, with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.Net, HubSpot, Mailchimp, Zapier, webhooks and an API, plus an organizer mobile app for check-in. No desktop app, which an A needs. |
| Best for | registration sites with a flat monthly fee | conferences and training with paid registration |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Event Smart and Eventzilla. How we grade
Where they differ
- Event Smart also covers forms and qR codes.
- Eventzilla also covers reports and email campaigns.
At a glance
| Event Smart | Eventzilla | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $50 per month | Not published |
| Free plan | Basic plan: unlimited events and multiple ticket types with no commission, but ads show on the event site and email is capped at 25 per hour. | Free events cost nothing, with unlimited events. Paid registrations cost $1.50 each on Basic, rising to 2.9% + $1.50 on Plus, and the fee can be passed to attendees. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Business plan, no card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Event Smart | Eventzilla |
| Price read from | eventsmart.com | eventzilla.net |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Event Smart
- Taking card payments is a separate upgrade at $15 a month on each plan (the FAQ cites $10 for an online payment upgrade).
- Basic shows ads on the event website and caps email at 25 per hour.
- On Basic and Personal, QR code ticket delivery is a paid add-on of $20 a month.
- Gateway fees from Stripe, PayPal or similar still apply.
Eventzilla
- Paid registrations cost $1.50 on Basic, 1.9% + $1.50 on Pro and 2.9% + $1.50 on Plus, plus processing; organizers can pass the fee to attendees.
- Basic allows only one paid ticket type, and passing processing fees to buyers needs Plus and Eventzilla Payments.
- Premium features for free events, such as agendas and conditional logic, need an add-on from $49 a month; webinars are an add-on from $11.99 a month.
- The Scale plan has no published price; it is billed annually and quoted by sales.
Key features
Event Smart
- No commission or ticket fees
- The vendor charges only for subscriptions and upgrades, not per ticket; the payment gateway still charges its own transaction fees.
- Multiple ticket types
- Sell several ticket or registration types, with taxes, surcharges and required tickets on the Personal plan and above.
- Custom registration forms
- Ask custom questions and mark them required, and send custom registration emails (Personal plan and above).
- QR code tickets and scanning
- Email tickets with QR codes or barcodes and scan them with a phone or tablet at the door (Business plan).
- Waitlists and promo codes
- The Business plan adds a waitlist for sold-out events, discount codes and an event shopping cart.
- Event calendar and embeds
- Show events on a calendar and embed event listings on another site through an iframe.
Eventzilla
- Registration and ticketing
- Free and paid ticket types, recurring and private events, donations, merchandise add-ons, group and targeted discounts, invoices, offline payments and partial or recurring payments.
- Agendas, speakers and sponsors
- A schedule builder with sessions and tracks, session check-in and capacity, speaker self-service, abstract submissions with review panels, and room block management.
- Event website builder
- A drag-and-drop event website builder with custom confirmation emails, white-labeled registration and your own domain on the higher plans.
- Check-in and badges
- Check in and sell on site with the organizer mobile app, design and print name badges on Zebra or Epson printers, and run self-service kiosk check-in.
- Virtual and hybrid events
- EventHub for web and mobile hosts virtual and hybrid events with live streaming, polls, Q&A and surveys, plus links to outside webinar and streaming tools.
- Integrations and reports
- Real-time dashboards, scheduled custom reports, Google Analytics, native HubSpot and Mailchimp integrations, Zapier, webhooks and an API.
Plans
Event Smart
Basic$0
Unlimited events, offline invoice payment, attendee list download, 25 emails per hour and ads on the event site.
Personal$50
per month
No ads, multi-date events, custom registration emails, laptop check-in, 200 emails per hour.
Business$100
per month
Adds QR code tickets and phone scanning, promo codes, waitlists, custom CSS, analytics and 500 emails per hour.
Eventzilla
Basic$0
$1.50 per paid registration plus processing; one paid ticket type, email invitations, a widget for your site and check-in in the organizer app.
Pro$0
1.9% + $1.50 per paid registration; unlimited paid ticket types, seating plans, discount codes, agendas, room blocks, badges and reminders.
Plus$0
2.9% + $1.50 per paid registration; can pass processing fees on too, plus white label, email campaigns, virtual events, several users and Zapier.
ScaleCustom
No per-registration fees, custom registration, app and email credits, on-site badge printing and an account manager; billed annually and sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Event Smart
- Nonprofit
15% to 20% off for nonprofits
Nonprofit, NGO and charity organizations get 15% off the Personal plan and 20% off the Business plan.
Eventzilla
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Event Smart or Eventzilla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Event Smart starts at $50 per month, and Eventzilla publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, Event Smart or Eventzilla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Event Smart and Eventzilla have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.