What Makes Shoal Different
One Price, Everything Included
A 250-person conference is $399, with every feature. No modules and no sales call.
No App to Download
Each ticket link opens a branded app in the browser, ready to add to the home screen.
A Game Built In
Points, secret codes, trivia, teams and prizes get people moving and talking.
Private by Default
Internal events stay invite-only and out of search engines until you say otherwise.
Your Money, Your Stripe
Ticket money goes straight to your own Stripe account. Shoal takes no cut.
Set Up in an Afternoon, Not a Quarter
No onboarding project and no consultants. If you can build a spreadsheet, you can run your event on Shoal.
- 1
Build Your Event
Add the details, agenda, speakers and ticket types. The guided setup walks you through it.
- 2
Invite or Sell
Send branded invitations or open registration. Every person gets a ticket and their own event app.
- 3
Run Event Day
Scan people in from any phone, print badges, run the game and send notifications as plans change.
Included With Every Event
Turn Your Event Into a Game
Give people a reason to visit every booth, meet someone new and stay for the last session. Attendees play right in the event app, and the leaderboard goes up on the big screen.
- Secret codes printed as QR posters for booths and sessions
- Meet people by scanning each other's badges
- Trivia, staff awards and timed challenges
- Teams by company, track or audience
- Badges, top-player prizes and raffle drawings
- A live leaderboard for the big screen
Summit Challenge
148 players
Top Players
- 1ACAvery C.240
- 2SPSam P.210
- 3JRJordan R.190
- 4MLMorgan L.160
- 5RBRiley B.150
Scan to Play
Top Teams
Operations1,840
Merchandising1,615
Your Attendees Get an App, Not a Download
Each ticket opens a branded event app in the phone's browser, with their QR code, their own schedule that syncs to their calendar, notifications, venue map, seat, sponsors and the game. Nothing to install, so everyone actually uses it.
See What's in the App →Nov 19–20 · New Orleans
Gulf Coast Tech Summit
Jordan Rivera
Operations Lead · Northwind
Show this at check-in
Up next · 10:30 AM
Scaling Store Operations
Ballroom B · Track: Operations
Everything Your Event Needs, in One Place
Every feature comes with every event. No add-ons, modules or upgrade tiers.
- Registration and Tickets
- Attendee App
- Event Game
- Agenda and Sessions
- Check-In and Badges
- Emails and Notifications
- Branding
- Private Events
- Sponsors
- Feedback and Reports
- API and Spreadsheets
Also included: waitlists, team roles with check-in only access for volunteers, profile photos and support you can trust. See All Features
Made for Events Like Yours
Internal Company Conferences
Sales kickoffs, leadership summits and all-hands meetings for your own people.
Association Meetings and Conferences
Annual meetings, chapter events and member conferences, with paid or free registration.
Customer and Partner Events
User conferences, roadshows, partner summits and client appreciation events.
Built for Small Planning Teams, Priced Like It
The big event platforms are made for large event departments. Shoal is made for the one or two people who run their organization's events alongside everything else.
| Shoal | Big Event Platforms | |
|---|---|---|
| Price on the website | Yes, every size | Usually only after a sales call |
| Getting started | Sign up and build today | Demo, contract, onboarding |
| Every feature included | Yes, at every size | Often split into tiers or modules |
| Fees on ticket sales | None from Shoal | Often a percentage plus a fee per ticket |
| Attendee app | Opens from the ticket link | Often an app store download |
| Engagement game | Included with every event | Often a separate package |
| Built for | Planning teams of one or two | Large event departments |
Comparing a specific platform? Read about Shoal as an alternative to Cvent, Whova, Eventbrite, Bizzabo or Swoogo.
One Price per Event. Every Feature Included.
Priced by how many people register. Building and testing an event is always free, and Shoal never takes a cut of your ticket sales.
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.
What a 250-person conference costs
$399 on Shoal
That covers registration, paid tickets, the branded attendee app, check-in and name badges for everyone. Platforms that price each of those separately, or per attendee, often cost several times that for the same event.
Over 2,000 people, or running many events a year? Talk to us. Full Pricing Details
Built to Be Trusted
You are handing us your attendees' details. Here is how we look after them.
Your Data Walled Off
Every organization's data is separated from every other by the database itself.
You Control Support Access
Our staff work inside your dashboard only when you turn on support access, for 24 hours, 3 days or 7 days.
Delete Anytime
Export your attendees whenever you like, or ask us to delete your organization and everything in it.
Real Human Support
Write to support@shoalevents.com and a person answers.
Try It Before You Sign Up
Register for our demo event with your own email. You'll get a real ticket and the event app your guests would get, game included.
Open the Demo EventQuestions
How does pricing work?
You pay once per event, based on how many people register. Every feature is included at every size, and building an event is free. Up to 50 people is $149 per event, and your first 2 events created before January 1, 2027 get it free as our launch offer. Invited, waitlisted and cancelled people don't count.
When do I pay?
Your first 2 events of up to 50 people are free if you create them before January 1, 2027. Otherwise you can build and publish for free, then pick a plan from the event's Plan page and pay by card before registration opens. Moving up later costs just the difference, and Stripe emails you a receipt.
Do attendees need to download an app?
No. Each ticket is a link that opens the event app in any phone browser, and people can add it to their home screen.
How does the game work?
Turn it on and attendees earn points in the app for checking in, meeting people, finding secret codes and answering trivia. You choose the points, badges and prizes, and can show the leaderboard on a big screen. It comes with every event.
Can we run a private, internal conference?
Yes. Events are private by default: only people you invite can register, and the event never shows up in search engines.
Can it look like our brand?
Yes. Upload your logo and fonts and pick your colors once for your organization, or give a single event its own look.
Who owns the data?
You do. Each organization's data is walled off from every other, you can export attendees any time, and you can ask us to delete your account and everything in it.
Can Shoal staff see my events?
Our small staff team can see account and event details to run the service and help with support requests, and every change they make is recorded. They can only work inside your dashboard when you turn on support access, for 24 hours, 3 days or 7 days, and every change they make there is logged where you can read it.
Can I get help setting up?
Yes. Write to support@shoalevents.com or use Contact Support inside Shoal, and a real person will answer.
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.