State of Event Apps 2026: what AI recommends, what platforms publish, and what the app stores show
Original data from 300 AI answers to event-software questions in the US and India, 35 event platforms’ own published prices and app options, and the US and India App Store — with the method and the limits of each.
Published by WebMobi, an event platform — including our own result, which is low
Key findings
- AI answers concentrate on a few names. Asked about event apps from its own knowledge, Claude named Cvent in 87% of US answers and Whova in 85%. For India, KonfHub appeared in 100%.
- With web search on, the US top two were still Cvent (85%) and Whova (83%).
- 11 of 35 platforms publish no price. They quote on request; the rest publish a figure on their own site.
- An app under your own name usually costs extra. 8 of 35 platforms offer it as standard, 16 only on a higher tier or enterprise contract, 9 not at all. 31 have native iPhone and Android apps.
- Many listed event apps are not maintained. Of 596 apps that US App Store searches for event apps return, 143 (24%) have not been updated for over a year.
- WebMobi was named in 2 of 300 AI answers. We report it because a study that leaves out its publisher’s own result is not worth citing.
Which event apps AI assistants recommend
Organisers increasingly ask an assistant for a shortlist before they ask a vendor for a demo. We asked Claude 150 buyer questions — 25 needs such as an event check-in app, a branded event app or event registration software, each phrased three ways, for organisers in the United States and in India — once from the model’s own knowledge and once with web search on. A platform counts once per answer if the answer names it.
| Platform named | Model’s own knowledge (75 answers) | With web search (75 answers) |
|---|---|---|
| Cvent | 87% | 85% |
| Whova | 85% | 83% |
| Bizzabo | 75% | 67% |
| Eventbrite | 67% | 61% |
| HubSpot | 52% | 20% |
| Luma | 37% | — |
| Swapcard | 37% | 25% |
| Accelevents | 37% | 23% |
| EventMobi | 24% | 36% |
| Guidebook | — | 28% |
| Eventleaf | — | 28% |
| Platform named | Model’s own knowledge (75 answers) | With web search (75 answers) |
|---|---|---|
| KonfHub | 100% | 87% |
| Hubilo | 72% | 31% |
| Zoho Backstage | 68% | 65% |
| Cvent | 65% | 60% |
| Airmeet | 61% | 23% |
| Townscript | 59% | 59% |
| Whova | 57% | 52% |
| Swapcard | 47% | — |
| Eventbrite | 33% | 35% |
| Bizzabo | 31% | 43% |
What the search answers cite
With web search on, US answers most often cited eventify.io, nunify.com, eventcloud.io, guideflow.com, getperspective.ai; India answers most often cited pinnacleeventscompany.com, capterra.com, zoho.com, nunify.com, eventspherex.com. Vendor blogs and comparison lists, rather than independent research, make up most of the cited domains.
How many platforms publish a price
24 of the 35 platforms in our matrix publish a price on their own site; 11 publish none. An unpublished price is not a high or a low price — it means you learn it in a sales call. Every platform’s own wording, with its source and the date we read it, is on event app pricing.
Native and white-label apps
31 of 35 platforms ship native iPhone and Android apps. Fewer include an app listed under the organiser’s own name as standard: 8 do, 16 only on a higher tier or an enterprise contract, and 9 not at all. What the difference means for an organiser is explained on white-label event apps.
Branded apps in the App Store, by vendor account
Vendors that publish organisers’ branded apps under their own developer account show it in the store. On the US App Store on October 23, 2026: vFairs 200+, Hubilo 139, Swapcard 89, Accelevents 71, RainFocus 11, Eventtia 10, Stova 10, Bizzabo 6, Cvent 5, Eventdex 5, Webex Events 5 apps. Vendors that publish under each customer’s own account do not appear in this count.
What the app stores show
We read what 13 event-app searches return on the US and India App Store, through Apple’s public search API. These are the apps an organiser or attendee meets when they search — not a census of every event app.
| App Store, October 23, 2026 | United States | India |
|---|---|---|
| Apps returned by the searches | 596 | 607 |
| Updated in the last 90 days | 319 (54%) | 327 (54%) |
| Not updated for over a year | 143 (24%) | 158 (26%) |
| Median rating (rated apps) | 4.67 (386 apps) | 4.74 (223 apps) |
| Median number of ratings | 16 | 9 |
For the attendee apps of the 35 platforms in our matrix specifically — ratings, review counts and update dates on both stores — see the event app store benchmarks.
What other research says
Figures from other publishers, quoted with their sample. None of them is about WebMobi.
- Bizzabo’s 2025 State of Events benchmarks (survey of 1,558, November 2024): 71% of attendees said ease of check-in could make or break their event experience, and 59% of organizers reported more late registrations. Report
- American Express GBT’s 2026 Meetings & Events Forecast (601 respondents): 50% are integrating AI throughout event planning and execution. Coverage
- Encore with Boldpush, What’s shaping live experiences in 2026 (447 respondents): connection drives 49% of attendance decisions. Report
- FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment report 2026: live events in India grew 44% in 2025. Coverage
Method
AI recommendation index
25 buyer needs (event app, check-in app, QR check-in, offline check-in, registration, branded app, app builder, campus, association, pricing …) x 3 phrasings x 2 markets, each asked twice. A vendor counts once per answer if the answer names it. Model: Claude Opus 5.5, October 23, 2026. Answers vary between runs; we will repeat the index and publish the change.
Platform matrix
Each of the 35 platforms’ own website and documentation, read on or after 2026-09-08; a cell we could not confirm is recorded as unverified, never estimated.
App Store scan
Counts describe what these App Store searches return, not every event app that exists. Apps per developer account count apps a vendor publishes under its own account; vendors that publish branded apps under their customers' accounts are undercounted, and a lookup returns at most 200. Generated by export_site_data.py. Do not hand-edit.
What it does not do
Written down here so you find out now, not on event day.
One assistant
The AI index measures Claude. Other assistants may recommend differently; we plan to add them.
A snapshot
Everything here was read on or around October 23, 2026. Vendors change prices, apps and positioning; re-check before you rely on a single figure.
Search results, not a census
The App Store scan covers what the searches return, not every event app, and does not cover Google Play.
Our own interest
WebMobi sells an event platform. We publish our own result in the AI index and leave our legacy apps out of the developer-account count.
Questions about this research
Which event apps do AI assistants recommend most in 2026?
In our 300 answers from Claude (October 23, 2026), US questions most often named Cvent (87% of answers from the model's own knowledge) and Whova (85%). India questions most often named KonfHub (100%).
How many event platforms publish their prices?
24 of the 35 platforms in our matrix publish a price; 11 publish none and quote on request. Each platform's own wording, with the source and the date we read it, is on the event app pricing page.
How many event platforms offer a white-label app?
Of 35 platforms, 8 say they offer an app under the organiser's own name, 16 offer it only on a higher tier or enterprise contract, and 9 do not. WebMobi is one of those that do not: events run inside the WebMobi app, with a branded experience on paid plans.
How was this research done?
Three datasets. The AI index asked 150 buyer questions twice — from the model's own knowledge and with web search — for the US and India, and counted which vendors each answer named. The platform matrix records each vendor's own published price and app options, with sources. The App Store scan reads what 13 event-app searches return on the US and India storefronts through Apple's public search API.
Can I cite this research?
Yes. Cite it as “WebMobi, State of Event Apps 2026 (October 23, 2026)” with a link to this page. The data is published under CC BY 4.0.
Try the platform behind the research — or talk it through.
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