Cvent vs. ON24: Event Management Comparison

If you are searching for Cvent vs. ON24, that comparison just changed. Cvent closed its acquisition of ON24 on April 1, 2026, bringing both platforms under one roof. ON24 now operates as a wholly-owned Cvent company.

The question is no longer which platform to choose. It is what each one does best within the combined entity, where the limitations remain, and how your go-to-market stack needs to adapt. Before selecting, account-based marketing and demand generation teams should ask:

• Do you primarily run large in-person conferences and trade shows, or is your event program weighted toward webinars and digital engagement?

• Is capturing attendee engagement data and feeding it into your CRM more important than managing on-site logistics?

• Do you need a venue sourcing network, or do you need AI content repurposing from recordings?

• How will you identify the right accounts and contacts to invite in the first place?

• Once your event captures engagement data, can your sales team act on those signals fast enough to matter?

Here is what the evaluation criteria point to:

Cvent is the enterprise standard for managing in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. With a Supplier Network of nearly 340,000 venues, on-site check-in and badging via OnArrival, trade show lead capture through iCapture, and meeting scheduling with Jifflenow, Cvent handles everything from venue sourcing to post-event surveys.

The weakness: Cvent's breadth creates complexity, and pricing is opaque with add-on costs that accumulate quickly.

ON24 is the enterprise webinar and digital engagement platform designed to turn audience interactions into pipeline. Its ACE engine converts webinar recordings into blogs, video clips, social posts, and follow-up emails. Every attendee action (poll responses, Q&A submissions, resource downloads, time on content) is captured and scored through the Prospect Engagement Profile, which embeds directly into Salesforce.

The limitation: ON24 is expensive, has a steep learning curve for producers, and its mobile experience still has documented gaps.

Together, Cvent and ON24 cover event execution from trade show floor to webinar console. But events do not create pipeline on their own.

Before any event, someone has to identify which accounts are in-market, find the right contacts, and build an audience worth inviting. After the event, someone has to connect engagement signals to sales conversations fast enough to matter. That is where the intelligence layer comes in.

ZoomInfo is an all-in-one AI GTM Platform built on a data foundation of 500M contacts, 100M companies, 135M+ verified phone numbers, and 200M+ verified business emails. Its GTM Context Graph processes 1.5B+ data points daily, combining this data with your CRM records, conversation transcripts, and behavioral signals to reveal not just who attended your event, but why they are worth pursuing.

If turning event engagement into closed revenue faster sounds like the missing piece, see how ZoomInfo powers your go-to-market strategy.

The acquisition reshapes the event technology landscape

On April 1, 2026, Cvent closed its $400 million acquisition of ON24. This followed Cvent's acquisition of Goldcast in December 2025, a video content platform. Together, these moves give Cvent what it calls a "Total Event Program": a single vendor covering in-person conferences, virtual events, enterprise webinars, and AI content repurposing.

For event marketers and demand generation teams evaluating these platforms, the acquisition changes the buying decision. You are no longer choosing between Cvent and ON24. You are choosing which capabilities you need from the combined portfolio, and whether to buy them together or pair them with other tools.

The acquisition also highlights the gap neither platform fills on its own. Cvent manages event logistics. ON24 captures engagement data. Neither tells you which accounts are worth targeting before you launch the event, or which attendees represent real buying intent after it ends. That upstream and downstream intelligence is a different discipline entirely, and it is where event-driven demand generation either produces revenue or just produces attendance numbers.

Cvent owns in-person event execution

Cvent's strength is managing the operational complexity of physical events. The Cvent Supplier Network gives planners access to nearly 340,000 hotels and venues worldwide, with AI-powered search, RFP creation, and side-by-side bid comparison. In 2024 alone, the network processed more than $18 billion in room night sourcing.

On-site, Cvent's tools work together. OnArrival handles check-in and badge printing. iCapture scans attendee badges at trade show booths, routes leads to CRM in real time, and lets reps add qualification notes on the spot. Jifflenow schedules one-on-one meetings between sales teams and prospects, with booking from Outlook and Salesforce.

The Attendee Hub Event App, powered by CventIQ, adds AI session recommendations, personalized agenda building, and Engagement Scoring for sponsors and exhibitors. The app captures poll responses, Q&A activity, and booth visits, feeding all of it into Cvent's analytics layer.

Where Cvent has limitations: For teams running primarily digital and webinar programs, Cvent's platform depth becomes overhead. The platform is designed for the complexity of physical events, which means teams that mainly need webinar engagement data and content repurposing often find ON24 (now under Cvent's ownership) more targeted to their use case. Pricing is fully quote-based with add-ons for individual modules, which makes total cost difficult to forecast.

For enterprise teams managing multi-track conferences, Cvent's depth is hard to match. The platform has 70% penetration in the Fortune 500 for in-person event management.

ON24 owns webinar-driven demand generation

ON24 approaches events from the opposite direction. Instead of managing logistics, it treats every webinar as a data collection engine designed to feed the demand generation stack.

The core product, Webcast Elite, runs live, simulive, and on-demand webinars through a browser-based production studio supporting up to 10 simultaneous presenters. Producers, presenters, and Q&A moderators operate with separate permissions, a design built for enterprise teams running high-volume programs.

What makes ON24 distinct is the depth of engagement data it captures. Every poll response, every resource download, every Q&A submission, every minute of viewing time is attributed to a named registrant and scored through an Engagement Score.

The Prospect Engagement Profile aggregates this data across all webinars a contact has attended, generates a Business Interests keyword cloud, and recommends next-best content. It embeds into Salesforce, so sales reps see a contact's full content journey without leaving their CRM.

The ACE engine extends the value of every event recording. It generates blog posts, eBooks, social posts, follow-up emails, and video clips from webinar transcripts. Key Moments uses audience engagement signals (not just transcripts) to identify peak-engagement segments and create clips in both landscape and 9:16 vertical formats.

Where ON24 has limitations: The platform is powerful but carries a steep learning curve for producers who are not experienced with enterprise webinar production. Some demand generation teams report that producing polished ON24 events requires dedicated webinar program management resources. The mobile attendee experience has documented gaps versus desktop. Like Cvent, pricing is fully quote-based with no public tiers, which makes budget planning a negotiation.

Event data without account intelligence is half the picture

Both Cvent and ON24 capture what happens during and after an event well. Neither answers the questions that matter most before it starts: Which accounts should you invite? Who are the decision-makers at those accounts? Which companies are researching solutions in your category right now?

This is the core limitation of event execution platforms evaluated as standalone demand generation tools. The engagement data they produce is valuable, but it is only as good as the audience that walked through the door. Invite the wrong accounts and you capture excellent engagement data from people who will never buy. Invite the right accounts but without enough contact coverage and your sales team cannot follow up fast enough. In account-based marketing, the quality of the audience determines whether the event produces pipeline.

This is where ZoomInfo operates. The platform provides the contact and account intelligence that turns event marketing programs into results, not just attendance.

ZoomInfo's Buyer Intent data tracks signals from 210 million IP-to-Organization pairings and 6 trillion+ new keyword-to-device pairings sourced monthly. Guided Intent, exclusive to ZoomInfo, identifies topics historically correlated with deal success rather than requiring manual topic selection. This means your event invitation list targets accounts that are in-market, not just companies that happen to be in your CRM.

ZoomInfo is a Forrester Wave Leader for Intent Data Providers B2B, receiving the highest scores across eight evaluation criteria in Q1 2025. It is also recognized as a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader for ABM Platforms (2025). These analyst validations reflect what demand generation leaders need to defend investment in an intelligence platform to their CMO.

Smartsheet's demand generation team used ZoomInfo's Marketing platform, Intent Data, and FormComplete to drive measurable pipeline impact: their highest-volume demo form delivered an 84% increase in MQLs sent to sales, a 26% increase in opportunity rate, and a 59% increase in win rate. This is the kind of closed-loop attribution that event-driven demand generation programs need to justify their budget.

ZoomInfo as the intelligence layer for event-driven demand generation

ZoomInfo is an all-in-one AI GTM Platform built on three capabilities that work together: the industry's largest verified B2B data foundation, the GTM Context Graph intelligence layer, and Universal Access through every workflow.

The data foundation gives event teams what neither Cvent nor ON24 can provide: 500M contacts, 100M companies, 135M+ verified phone numbers, and 200M+ verified business emails. Before you send a single event invitation, you can identify which accounts are actively researching your category (Buyer Intent), verify that you have contact coverage at those accounts (contact data), and build targeted audiences through GTM Studio that reflect real buying signals, not just CRM records.

The GTM Context Graph processes 1.5B+ data points daily, fusing ZoomInfo's B2B data with your CRM records, conversation transcripts, and behavioral signals into a unified intelligence layer. After your event, the GTM Context Graph helps sales teams understand which attendees represent real buying intent based on the full account picture, not just whether they watched a webinar for 47 minutes. GTM Workspace gives sellers that account context directly in their workflow, with AI-drafted outreach grounded in actual deal patterns.

Universal Access means event data flows into ZoomInfo through the channels your team already uses. ZoomInfo integrates with both Cvent and ON24 through the same CRM and marketing automation platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Eloqua). For technical teams, the Enterprise API and ZoomInfo MCP connect ZoomInfo data directly to any tool or AI agent workflow.

The combination creates a complete event-driven pipeline motion: ZoomInfo identifies the right accounts before the event, Cvent and ON24 execute the event and capture engagement, and ZoomInfo converts that engagement into sales pipeline after.

Pricing comparison

All three platforms are priced on a quote-based model without publicly listed tiers.

Cvent uses annual subscription pricing with add-on modules. Registration volume, number of events, and specific product combinations (OnArrival, iCapture, Jifflenow) each carry separate line items. Enterprise contracts typically involve multi-year commitments. A PayGo option exists for basic event registration without an annual contract.

ON24 uses quote-based tiered packages (Essentials, Standard, Advanced) based on engagement features and contact volume. No public pricing is available. No free trial or free plan is offered.

ZoomInfo is free to start with consumption credits based on usage. ZoomInfo Lite provides a permanent free tier with database access and 10 monthly export credits. A separate separate 7-day free trial provides broader feature access. Paid plans scale with credit usage and feature access.

For demand generation teams comparing total cost of ownership, ZoomInfo's free entry point is a meaningful difference from both Cvent and ON24, which require sales conversations before any evaluation.

Integration and data flow

All three platforms connect to the same core CRM and marketing automation systems: Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Eloqua, and Dynamics 365. This shared integration layer is the primary mechanism for combining event engagement data with account intelligence.

Cvent pushes registration data, attendee activity, and engagement scores into connected systems. iCapture routes trade show lead scans to CRM in real time. Jifflenow meeting data syncs to Salesforce for rep follow-up.

ON24 pushes per-attendee Engagement Scores, Prospect Engagement Profile data, and Business Interests keyword clouds into Salesforce and HubSpot. The integration is designed specifically for MAP-driven demand generation workflows.

ZoomInfo integrates with both Cvent and ON24 through the same CRM and MAP platforms. For teams that want programmatic access, the Enterprise API supports real-time data access and custom integration patterns. The ZoomInfo MCP connects ZoomInfo data directly to AI agents (Claude, custom tools) for teams building automated GTM workflows.

For other Cvent comparisons, see Bizzabo vs. Cvent and Cvent vs. Salesforce. For ON24 comparisons, see Goldcast vs. ON24.

Security and compliance

All three platforms maintain enterprise security certifications appropriate for regulated industries.

Cvent holds SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and PCI DSS certifications. Infrastructure runs on AWS with regional data residency in the US and EU. CventIQ AI data is not used to train models, and admins can toggle AI features off.

ON24 maintains ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and SOC 2 Type II certifications with separate NA and EU data centers. ACE runs on Microsoft Azure OpenAI technology, with customers retaining full ownership of content provided and generated.

ZoomInfo holds ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2 Type II, TRUSTe GDPR, and TRUSTe CCPA certifications, all renewed annually. ZoomInfo is a registered data broker in California and Vermont, a relevant distinction for organizations concerned about data sourcing compliance.

For regulated industries (life sciences, financial services, insurance), all three platforms offer the compliance infrastructure required. ON24 has particular strength in HCP engagement compliance for life sciences through its Veeva integration. Cvent addresses life sciences compliance through approval workflows and spend tracking. ZoomInfo's compliance focus is on data privacy and sourcing legality.

Cvent vs. ON24 vs. ZoomInfo: Which should you choose?

When choosing between these platforms, the evaluation criteria depend on which part of the event-driven demand generation workflow you need to strengthen.

Choose Cvent if:

• You run a regular calendar of in-person conferences, trade shows, and hybrid events

• Venue sourcing, room block management, and on-site logistics are core operational challenges

• You need one platform for registration, badging, lead capture, and meeting scheduling

• Your organization manages 20+ events per year across multiple formats and geographies

Choose ON24 if:

• Your demand generation strategy depends on webinars and digital content

• Capturing per-attendee engagement data and feeding it into your CRM and MAP is a priority

• You need AI content repurposing to extend the value of every recording

• Your sales team relies on per-contact engagement profiles to prioritize follow-up

Choose ZoomInfo if:

• You need to identify in-market accounts and verified decision-maker contacts before your events

• Your sales team needs to act on event engagement data faster, with full account context

• You want audience building, intent signals, and deal intelligence feeding your event-driven demand generation strategy

• You need a platform that connects pre-event targeting to post-event pipeline

Start with ZoomInfo Lite for free, or request a demo to see how ZoomInfo powers event-driven pipeline.

The most effective event marketing programs do not rely on a single platform. They combine event execution (Cvent and ON24) with account intelligence (ZoomInfo) to ensure the right people attend, the engagement data gets captured, and the sales team has full context to convert attendees into pipeline.

Cvent's acquisition of ON24 consolidates event execution under one vendor. That simplifies procurement. But the intelligence that makes events produce revenue (knowing which accounts to target, which contacts to reach, and which engagement signals predict real buying intent) is a separate capability. ZoomInfo provides that intelligence layer, and it works regardless of which event platform you choose.

Cvent vs. ON24 vs. ZoomInfo at a glance

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened with the Cvent and ON24 merger?

Cvent closed its acquisition of ON24 on April 1, 2026, in an all-cash transaction of approximately $400 million. ON24 now operates as a wholly-owned Cvent company. Cvent has framed the combination as a "Total Event Program" covering in-person, hybrid, virtual, and webinar events under one platform. The integration timeline between ON24 and Cvent's existing products has not been publicly disclosed.

Can I still buy ON24 separately from Cvent?

As of April 2026, ON24 operates under Cvent's ownership. The ON24 website and platform remain active, and Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal has stated a commitment to continued investment in the ON24 platform. Whether ON24 is available as a standalone product or bundled with Cvent should be confirmed directly with the sales team.

How does ZoomInfo complement Cvent and ON24?

ZoomInfo provides the account and contact intelligence that makes event programs more productive for demand generation teams.

Before events, ZoomInfo identifies in-market accounts through Buyer Intent data and provides verified decision-maker contacts for targeted outreach. After events, ZoomInfo enriches CRM records with additional context (org charts, technographics, intent signals) so sales teams can prioritize follow-up based on the full account picture, not just event attendance data. Smartsheet's team used this approach to drive an 84% increase in MQLs, a 26% increase in opportunity rate, and a 59% increase in win rate.

Which platform is best for webinar-driven demand generation?

ON24 is built for this use case. Its per-attendee Engagement Scoring, AI content repurposing via ACE, Prospect Engagement Profiles that embed in Salesforce, and Simu-live/Sim-2-Live formats for scalable replay make it the strongest option for teams running high-volume webinar programs focused on pipeline generation.

Which platform handles large in-person events best?

Cvent is the clear choice for in-person event management. Its Supplier Network of nearly 340,000 venues, OnArrival check-in and badging, iCapture trade show lead capture, Jifflenow meeting scheduling, and event diagramming tools form a complete on-site operations stack used by 70% of the Fortune 500.

Do these platforms integrate with each other?

Cvent and ON24 are now under one corporate umbrella, with integration work ongoing. All three platforms integrate with the same major CRM and marketing automation systems (Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Eloqua, Dynamics 365), which is the primary mechanism for sharing data across them. ZoomInfo also offers API and MCP access for programmatic integration into any tool or workflow.

Is there a free way to try any of these platforms?

ZoomInfo offers the most accessible entry points: ZoomInfo Lite is a permanent free tier with database access and 10 monthly export credits, and a separate 7-day free trial provides broader feature access. Cvent offers a PayGo option for event registration. ON24 does not publicly offer a free trial or free plan.

How do the AI capabilities compare across the three platforms?

Each platform's AI targets a different part of the workflow. Cvent's CventIQ focuses on event operations (AI-generated RFPs, session recommendations, content creation). ON24's ACE focuses on content repurposing and engagement intelligence (generating blogs, video clips, and follow-up emails from recordings).

ZoomInfo's GTM Context Graph focuses on deal intelligence: understanding why deals move, prioritizing accounts by buying evidence, and drafting outreach based on full account context. The GTM Context Graph processes 1.5B+ data points daily, fusing B2B data with CRM records, conversation transcripts, and behavioral signals. It is the intelligence layer that converts event engagement into pipeline, and it is named a Forrester Wave Leader for Intent Data Providers B2B (Q1 2025) and a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader for ABM Platforms (2025).

More Cvent and ON24 comparisons and guides

If you're interested in reading more, you might like:

• Bizzabo vs. Cvent (vs. ZoomInfo): How Do They Compare in 2026?

• Goldcast vs. ON24 (vs. ZoomInfo): 2026 Comparison

• Cvent vs. Salesforce (vs. ZoomInfo): How Do They Compare in 2026?