There are so many good event management software providers on the market that it’s easy to become disorientated. Finding the right one for your specific needs can often be a minefield.
Sched and Hopin are two of the market leaders in this space. In this piece, we will assess the strengths and weaknesses of both to determine whether Sched is a plausible alternative to Hopin. We will also compare the key facts around the all-important Sched and Hopin pricing.
Sched vs Hopin – The basics
Although Sched and Hopin are both event management software companies, there are fundamental differences between the two offerings. Let’s take a look at the key facts to determine whether Sched is one of the main Hopin alternatives.
Sched’s primary features
Sched’s main features include:
- Scheduling: Sched’s scheduling tool is equally useful on web, mobile and tablet. The intuitive design and easy-to-use functionality make this an indispensable tool for event planners, allowing them to easily manage events and meetings across multiple tracks and days.
- Managing attendees: Sched’s attendee management tool covers the whole event funnel, from invitation through to registration on the day. Event popularity can easily be determined, with data presented in an easily digestible format. This empowers organizers, allowing them to react to what’s happening on the ground in real time, giving them the confidence to make schedule changes and other important decisions when needed.
- Mobile app: Sched’s mobile app enables greater marketing and engagement opportunities as it can be tailored to your company’s branding and tone of voice.
To find out more about Sched’s key features, check out our engaging seven-minute demo.
Hopin’s primary features
Launched in 2019, Hopin has a range of different audience engagement tools in its arsenal. The basic breakdown reads:
- StreamYard – For live streaming and recording
- StreamYard On-Air – For hosting a webinar
- Streamable – For sharing a video
- superwave – For launching a community
- hopinevents – For running an event
The latter is offered in collaboration with RingCentral, with the two companies having formed a strategic relationship in August 2023. This involved RingCentral taking control of Hopin’s Events and Session products.
Hopin focuses on community experience, with a far greater slant towards virtual and webinars than in-person events. Live engagement and video technology are the company’s core strengths, with StreamYard On-Air combining this to allow you to host a webinar or live stream.
Audience engagement is driven through polls, quizzes, and Q&As, while one-to-one and group video networking is possible. Connections can be made within the mobile app or desktop version, allowing in-person and virtual attendees to engage with each other seamlessly.
Sched vs Hopin – pricing
There is no point denying that price is a key factor when it comes to determining what to buy. Here is how Sched and Hopin compare:
Sched’s pricing:
Sched’s pricing plans give you the freedom to plan more, for less. Every plan includes unlimited events and free small events for up to 50 attendees.
Sched’s pricing starts from:
- Launch: $600
- Boost: $1,500
- Ultra: $5,000
Inviting more attendees? Only pay for what you need; Sched lets you tailor your plan with attendee bundles.
Sched also offers generous discounts for specific organizations:
You may also be eligible for a discount if you already use event management software. Save up to 20% with Sched’s switching discount.
Hopin’s pricing:
Unlike many of Sched’s competitors, Hopin’s prices are displayed on the Hopin pricing page on RingCentral’s website. As well as hosting webinars and events, RingCentral delivers a range of other services including AI solutions, intelligent meetings, and intelligent phone solutions.
For webinars and events, here are the key prices:
- Webinar (Creation, Hosting, and Management for 500-10,000 attendees): Starting at $30 per host per month
- Events Free (For Virtual events with up to 100 registrations per event): Free
- Events Starter (For Virtual events with more than 100 registrations): $67 per host per month
- Events Business (For Hybrid/Virtual events up to 100,000 registrations): Speak to Sales team
These are the prices if you choose to be billed annually, which could save you up to 20%. If you wish to be billed monthly, the Webinar price starts at $40 per host per month and the Events Starter package would cost $99 per host per month.
The Pricing page gives a full breakdown of everything you get with each package, while the Webinar option can be trialed without cost.
Sched vs Hopin – Pros and cons
There are many advantages to using either Sched or Hopin, but there are some drawbacks too. Assessing these will enable you to discern which application is best for your needs and whether Sched should feature on your list of Hopin alternatives.
Here are some of the features where Sched is a leader:
Sched vs Hopin – User reviews
User reviews often offer valuable insight as they are honest accounts of how a product or service has performed on the ground.
Here are some helpful user reviews that might help you decide between Sched vs Hopin:
Sched’s reviews
- “Sched makes it so easy for any potential attendee to look through our schedule and gravitate towards the things that interest them. I would recommend Sched to anybody who’s putting on an event. It’s just simply the easiest way to convey your schedule to audiences.” Jay Wertzler – Managing Director, SF Sketchfest
- “My first experience with Sched was as a speaker at a conference event being organized by our foreign collaborators. As my first foreign speaking engagement, I was naturally extremely nervous, but Sched made collaborating with the organizers so easy that I felt very much at ease and ended up delivering an exceptional session. After that experience, I recommended trying Sched for our subsequent conference events.” Mohammed S. on GetApp.com
- “We used to publish our own website with conference info; it had the basic info, but it was hard to keep the pieces consistent. Now we link to the Sched site from our event page and attendees find everything there. Speakers can post their pics and handouts, complete/update their profiles, and send e-mail blasts to all who signed up for their workshop. We got good reporting and from it (and Google Analytics) see a high engagement rate (not just page views; over half setup accounts and created a personal schedule). This is all from their lowest service level/tier; higher levels integrate more with registration/payment etc., but we already have an online store and used it for front-end registration.” James C. on GetApp.com
Hopin reviews
- “Streamable is a super clean video publishing tool. Great place to host and share a video.” Danny McLellan – Director, Event Excellence
- “Hopin products simply are the best in class.” Joey Hinson – General Manager, TechCrunch
- “StreamYard helped us skyrocket our global events by 128% at Dropbox.” Nizar Ahmed – Senior Manager of Collaboration and New Media Services, Dropbox
- “StreamYard is one of the easiest softwares I’ve ever used.” Heather Torres – COO and Lead Content Creator, Think Media
Conclusion
So, Sched vs Hopin? Both are strong candidates if you’re looking for software to help plan and manage an event. Sched is a viable alternative to Hopin, particularly if you work in the non-profit or education sectors as the company offers competitive discounts and has considerable experience in these areas.
Having read this review, you may have further questions. Our customer support team can be contacted through the Contact Us page and would be delighted to take you through all of our options, as well as answer any queries you may have. Meanwhile, you may find further answers in Sched’s free trial sign-up.
You can also discover more about Sched’s key features in our engaging seven-minute demonstration.