Overview

Backstage spans event planning and promotion through event-day operations, with ticketing, check-in, badging, exhibitor tools, and analytics. Organizers can create event websites from templates and tailor domains, URLs, and pages, making the platform useful for teams that want event communications alongside operational tools rather than a registration form alone.

For virtual and hybrid programs, Backstage OnAir adds livecasting, attendee chat, polls, questions, screen sharing, and shared documents or presentations. Zoho says ticket sales carry zero commission, a clear benefit for organizers selling admission. Session tracks, room scheduling, and speaker management support more structured programs, while the REST API can manage events, sessions, speakers, attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and registrations programmatically.

Key features

Program and event operations: Session tracks and room scheduling help organizers structure a multi-part agenda; speaker management and exhibitor tools extend the platform beyond attendee registration.
Websites and ticketing: Templates and customizable domains, URLs, and pages give organizers control over event pages. Zero ticket-sale commission can help keep ticket revenue from being reduced by platform commission.
Onsite and mobile: Check-in and badging address event-day needs. Organizer and attendee apps are listed for Android and iOS on all plans, so mobile access is not reserved for higher tiers.
Virtual engagement: OnAir combines livecasting with chat, polls, questions, screen sharing, and shared materials, giving virtual audiences several ways to participate.
Integrations and API: Paid plans include Zoom Webinar and Meeting, Zoho Meeting, and Google Analytics integrations. Premium and Ultimate add Zoho CRM, Flow, PageSense, and SalesIQ. The REST API provides programmatic control over key event records and registrations.
Data controls: Zoho says personal data is encrypted at rest with 256-bit AES and portal access can be restricted to trusted IP ranges. Backstage is designed to support GDPR-related attendee-data handling, including access, correction, and deletion options.
Support: Every plan includes 24x5 email support; the Help Center gives support@zohobackstage.com for further assistance.

Pricing

Backstage uses a freemium model, with a Free plan at 0.00 USD per free and a 15-day trial. Essentials, Premium, and Ultimate have custom pricing. Their increasing quotas make plan choice consequential: the lower tiers suit shorter, smaller events, while larger attendance and longer programs require moving up.

Plan	Per-event limits	Best fit
Free	100 attendees, 300 RSVP invites, 3 sessions, 3 speakers, 1 event day	Small, single-day events or a limited-scale first event.
Essentials	200 attendees, 800 RSVP invites, unlimited sessions, 25 speakers, 15 sponsors, 3 event days	Teams building an audience and community; it adds room for a longer agenda and more speakers, but remains capped at 200 attendees.
Premium	1,000 attendees, 5,000 RSVP invites, unlimited sessions, 100 speakers, 50 sponsors, 5 event days	Event professionals running larger programs with more speakers and sponsors.
Ultimate	5,000 attendees, 30,000 RSVP invites, unlimited sessions, 200 speakers, 100 sponsors, 15 event days	Organizations and agencies planning events across types and sizes.

Free's one-day, three-session cap is restrictive for a multi-day conference, and its 100-attendee ceiling rules out larger audiences. Essentials removes the session cap and extends events to three days, but its 200-attendee limit can still be a constraint. Premium and Ultimate raise attendance and event-day ceilings substantially; paid plans also bring the listed integrations. All plans include the mobile apps and 24x5 email support.

Platforms

Backstage is listed for web, Android, iOS, and API. The mobile apps cover both organizers and attendees across all four plans, while the API supports teams that need to manage event data through their own software workflows.

Who it's for

Backstage is a strong fit for organizers who need one platform for event websites, ticketing, attendee engagement, and onsite operations, especially when the event mixes in-person and virtual participation. Essentials fits smaller community-building teams; Premium targets event professionals; Ultimate is aimed at organizations and agencies with higher attendance or longer event schedules. It is less suitable when even a modest event exceeds the Free or Essentials caps, or when an organizer only needs a narrow event function.

Pros and cons

Pro: Broad coverage from event websites and ticketing to check-in, badging, exhibitors, and analytics reduces the need to split core operations across separate tools.
Pro: Zero ticket-sale commission and OnAir's attendee interaction tools suit organizers combining paid admission with virtual participation.
Pro: The REST API and higher-tier integrations give teams options for connecting event records and workflows to other systems.
Con: Free is capped at 100 attendees, three sessions, and one event day, so it is a poor fit for larger or multi-day programs.
Con: Essentials still caps attendance at 200, and Premium and Ultimate use custom pricing, making capacity and budget fit central decisions before committing.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison of event platforms, see Event Management Software. Organizers focused on vendor and booth workflows can compare Exhibitor Management Software; those prioritizing agendas and room assignments can review Event Scheduling Software. Nonprofits can explore Nonprofit Event Management Software, and teams centered on printed badges can browse Event Badge Printing Software.

BoothHQ is a narrower option for smaller exhibitor events: its free plan lasts forever and supports one event with up to 50 attendees, online ticket sales through the organizer's Stripe account, an exhibitor directory, basic reporting, and email support. Marketspread may suit vendors who mainly need to publish products and apply to events: its Standard profile is free, while Premium is 1.50 USD per month. WebMobi Trade Show Management is another option for a smaller participant pool, with a free plan capped at 50 participants per year and a Creator plan at 19.00 USD per month for 250 participants per year.

A2Z Events is a paid event-management alternative. Cvent is worth considering when its registration product is the priority; that product can be tried for free. eShow is another paid option. For exhibit-floor mapping, ExpoFP offers a DIY plan at 149.00 USD per month with 100 booths shown, a self-built map, booth reservation, and sponsorship. Map Your Show uses per-show or event fees for software modules and has unlimited users with no per-seat charge.

Verdict

Choose Zoho Backstage if your team wants event websites, ticketing, virtual engagement, and onsite operations in a single platform, with mobile apps and an API to support attendee and organizer workflows. The main reason to look elsewhere is a mismatch between your event's scale and its per-event attendance or duration caps, especially on Free and Essentials, or a preference for a focused exhibitor, scheduling, or mapping tool.

	Expo Manager	Zoho Backstage
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	Yes
Paid from	Free	Free
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Android, iOS, Web	Android, api, iOS, Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Application forms	Yes	—
Booth assignment	Yes	—
Payment collection	Yes	—

Expo Manager vs Zoho Backstage

Expo Manager

Zoho Backstage