the Cvent alternative for events under 2,500 people
[ enterprise power without the enterprise process ]
Cvent is a serious platform for serious portfolios. most meetings, summits and association conferences are not a portfolio, though: they are one event that needs a great website, an attendee app and paid registration, run by a team that does not have a quarter to spend on implementation. that is what studio is for.
why teams pick studio over Cvent
what you get without the demo, the quote and the onboarding program
see the price first
Cvent does not publish prices and quotes every account. studio’s prices are on our pricing page, and building is free.1
see itstart today, not after a demo
Cvent starts with a demo request and an onboarding program of kickoff and strategy calls. studio starts the moment you sign up.23
see itno app store in the way
Cvent’s attendee app is a download, and a branded version is built and submitted to the app stores. studio’s app opens from a link.45
see ithotel nights in the same cart
Cvent books room blocks through Passkey, which needs its own Passkey license. in studio, room nights are part of the registration checkout.6
see itone event, one price
buy a single event with a credit that never expires, or the annual plan if you run a calendar. no seat counts, no modules to negotiate.
see itfix it yourself at 9pm
every change publishes the moment you save. no ticket, no release cycle, no waiting on anybody.
see itat a glance
wdye studio vs Cvent
| wdye studio | Cvent | |
|---|---|---|
| published pricing | yes, on our pricing page | no, every account is quoted1 |
| getting started | sign up and build the same day | demo request, then an onboarding program23 |
| try before you buy | free to build and rehearse, pay only to publish | not published |
| how you pay | per event, or annual for a calendar of events | quote1 |
| attendee app | no download, included with every event | App Store download; a branded app is built and submitted per version45 |
| payments | your own Stripe, no per-ticket platform fee | Cvent Payments at a flat fee, or a compatible gateway78 |
| built for | meetings, summits and conferences with 2,500 attendees or fewer | enterprise event programs; used by 89% of the Fortune 1009 |
feature by feature
what each one does
studio's column links to the page that shows each feature working. Cvent's column is what Cvent publishes about itself; where it publishes nothing, we say so rather than guess.
| feature | wdye studio | Cvent |
|---|---|---|
| event website builder | yes, built from forms; publishes as you save | yes, Site Designer10 |
| drag-and-drop agenda | yes, on a real calendar with clash flags | yes, Session Scheduler11 |
| attendee app | yes, no download, no app store | yes, a downloadable app4 |
| paid registration | yes, cards settle in your own Stripe, no per-ticket platform fee | yes7 |
| speaker self-service portal | yes, one link per speaker, no passwords | yes, Speaker Resource Center12 |
| call for proposals & abstract scoring | yes, weighted rubric and reviewer pool | yes, Abstract Management11 |
| exhibitor portal & booth sales on a floor map | yes, booths picked on a live map in the same cart | exhibitor portal; booths selected or requested on a floor plan2013 |
| banquet table & seat selection | yes, guests pick seats at checkout | yes, table management14 |
| hotel room blocks in the checkout | yes, booked by the night in the same checkout | yes, through Passkey (separate license)6 |
| member-only rates checked against a roster | yes, proven by email, mobile or member number | through an AMS or CRM integration15 |
| badges & check-in | yes, Avery printing, gate and session check-in | yes, OnArrival16 |
| live polls | yes, four poll types, one ballot per phone | yes17 |
| attendee contact scanning | yes, attendees keep their own lead list | exhibitor lead capture; attendee-to-attendee scanning not published18 |
| AI help | a setup review and an agenda assistant; it suggests, never changes | yes, CventIQ19 |
studio is the right call if …
- your event has 2,500 attendees or fewer
- you want to see the price and build the real event before anybody schedules a demo
- you want a website and an app your own team can change in minutes
- you would rather buy one event than negotiate a quote
moving an event off Cvent
bring your agenda and your list, leave the implementation
paste your existing schedule into the AI agenda assistant and it becomes structured sessions. bring past registrants as a spreadsheet. invite speakers and sponsors to fill in their own details. build all of it free, share the private review link with your committee, and publish when it is right.
mid-contract with Cvent?
keep it for the events it suits and run the smaller ones in studio. or talk to our pro services team about working inside your license.
you might be wondering …
questions people ask
is wdye studio a real alternative to Cvent?
for meetings, summits and conferences with 2,500 attendees or fewer, yes. studio builds the event website, a no-download attendee app and paid registration from one set of forms, and adds booth sales on a floor map, banquet seating, hotel room blocks, member-only rates, a call for proposals and badges with check-in. for a large enterprise portfolio, Cvent is built for that job.
how does the cost compare?
Cvent does not publish prices; each account is quoted. studio publishes its prices on our pricing page: per event, or an annual plan for a calendar of events. building is free, and you pay only when you publish.
how long does it take to launch in studio?
most organizers have a complete site in an afternoon. there is no kickoff call and no implementation project: you fill in the sections that matter, preview the real site, and press go live when the required sections are complete.
do attendees have to download an app?
not with studio. the attendee app opens from a link or a QR code and can be saved to the home screen: agenda, personal schedule, push bulletins, speaker Q&A, live polls and private messaging, with no app store involved.
other comparisons
studio against the rest of the field
wdye studio vs Bizzabo
annual subscriptions priced per user. studio sells one event at a time.
comparewdye studio vs EventMobi
a per-event price after a demo. studio is free to build and sells booths from the map.
comparewdye studio vs vFairs
a quoted annual license and a project manager. studio is self-serve and live today.
comparewdye studio vs Swoogo
an annual plan priced by user, with the app as an add-on. studio includes both.
comparewdye studio vs Stova
enterprise and mid-market, sales-led. studio is self-serve and priced per event.
comparewdye studio vs EventSquid
a flat annual license priced on a demo call. studio is priced per event, on the page.
comparesources
everything said about Cvent on this page comes from the public pages below, checked on september 29, 2026. products change: if something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
- Cvent: pricing page
- Cvent: access portal and demo request
- Cvent blog: getting started with Cvent, the importance of onboarding
- App Store: Cvent Events
- Cvent release notes: event app version history (custom branded app)
- Cvent support: integrating events with Passkey
- Cvent: event payment processing
- Cvent community: setting up payment information
- Cvent: home page
- Cvent: custom event websites
- Cvent: abstract management and session scheduler
- Cvent support: setting up your Speaker Resource Center
- Cvent support: adding floor plans for exhibitor booth management
- Cvent support: managing tables
- Cvent support: integrating your event with your AMS or CRM
- Cvent: OnArrival check-in
- Cvent: in-person event platform
- Cvent: LeadCapture
- Cvent: CventIQ
- Cvent: exhibitor management
- Cvent press release: Cvent closes acquisition of ON24
Cvent is a trademark of its owner. we are not affiliated with Cvent, and the name is used here only to describe and compare products.
build it before you decide
building in studio is free and nothing expires. put your real Cvent event in it, share the private review link with your committee, and pay only if you publish.