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Events · head to head

ACTIVE Network vs Anchorfree

ACTIVE Network logo

ACTIVE Network

Events

Registration and payment software for parks departments, races and camps, owned by Global Payments

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
A

Anchorfree

Webinars

Platform for hosting and distributing live events

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Anchorfree has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ACTIVE Network revenue comes from registration processing rather than licence fees, so the vendor is aligned with transaction volume and not with the quality of the administrative experience.; Anchorfree the vendor's own domain (anchorfree.com), as captured by the Internet Archive on 11 January 2023, redirects to and displays the Pango Group corporate site, stating Pango Group is owned and operated by Aura and describes itself as a portfolio of consumer security brands; AnchorFree's original product (Hotspot Shield) survives only under the Pango/Aura ownership structure, confirming the acquisition in the vendor's own words rather than a third party account
  • They diverge on capability: ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, Anchorfree covers Live streaming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ACTIVE Network and Anchorfree actually diverge.

Attributes where ACTIVE Network and Anchorfree differ
AttributeACTIVE NetworkAnchorfree
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CategoryEventsWebinars
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ACTIVE Network

  • ACTIVENet
  • ACTIVEWorks Endurance
  • Camp and Class Manager
  • Participant-paid fees
  • Facility and league scheduling
  • ACTIVE.com listing

Only in Anchorfree

  • Live streaming
  • Audience management
  • Recording
  • Analytics
  • Multi-platform delivery
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Twitch

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ACTIVE Network

  • A city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residentsnot Anchorfree
  • A race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendornot Anchorfree
  • A YMCA needing membership, childcare billing and facility booking in one systemnot Anchorfree
  • An agency with no software budget that can fund registration through participant-paid processing feesnot Anchorfree

Anchorfree

  • Professional Worknot ACTIVE Network
  • Content Creationnot ACTIVE Network

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ACTIVE Network

  • Revenue comes from registration processing rather than licence fees, so the vendor is aligned with transaction volume and not with the quality of the administrative experience.
  • Passing the processing fee to participants is normal practice, which makes the cost invisible on the agency budget and visible to residents as a service charge at checkout.
  • The ACTIVENet codebase is long-lived and parts of the administrative interface remain dated, with upgrade cycles driven by the parent rather than by agency requests.
  • Support responsiveness is a persistent complaint among municipal customers, and escalation paths are slower than in a standalone software vendor.
  • Because Global Payments owns the merchant relationship, moving off ACTIVE means changing processor as well as software, which usually requires a procurement process rather than a simple switch.

Anchorfree

  • The vendor's own domain (anchorfree.com), as captured by the Internet Archive on 11 January 2023, redirects to and displays the Pango Group corporate site, stating Pango Group is owned and operated by Aura and describes itself as a portfolio of consumer security brands; AnchorFree's original product (Hotspot Shield) survives only under the Pango/Aura ownership structure, confirming the acquisition in the vendor's own words rather than a third party account

Pricing, plan by plan

ACTIVE Network

On request
  • ACTIVENet$undefined/year
    • Registration, facility and membership modules
    • Revenue derived primarily from registration processing fees
    • Fee can be absorbed by the agency or passed to the participant
  • Camp and Class Manager$undefined/year
    • Flat rate or per registration fee model
    • Rates quoted per account, not published
  • ACTIVEWorks Endurance$undefined/year
    • Race registration priced on a per registration fee
    • ACTIVE.com listing included

Anchorfree

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic streaming
    • Limited audience
  • Professional$49/month
    • Advanced features
    • Larger audience
  • Enterprise$199/month
    • Custom solutions
    • Premium support

Which should you pick?

Choose ACTIVE Network if

  • You need activenet.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want activeworks endurance.
ACTIVE Network review

Choose Anchorfree if

  • You need live streaming.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want audience management.
Anchorfree review

Questions people ask

Is ACTIVE Network or Anchorfree better?
Neither clearly leads. ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Anchorfree at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ACTIVE Network or Anchorfree?
Anchorfree has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ACTIVE Network and Free for Anchorfree.
Does ACTIVE Network or Anchorfree run on more platforms?
ACTIVE Network runs on Web, iOS, Android. Anchorfree runs on Web.
Can I use Anchorfree for free?
Yes. Anchorfree has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ACTIVE Network starts at On request.
What is ACTIVE Network best used for?
ACTIVE Network is most often used for a city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residents, a race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendor, a ymca needing membership, childcare billing and facility booking in one system, an agency with no software budget that can fund registration through participant-paid processing fees. Of those, a city parks department taking swim lesson, camp and league registrations online with fees passed to residents and a race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendor are not what Anchorfree is typically brought in for.
What can ACTIVE Network do that Anchorfree cannot?
ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Camp and Class Manager, Participant-paid fees. Anchorfree covers Live streaming, Audience management, Recording, Analytics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ACTIVE Network: Who owns ACTIVE Network?

Global Payments, which acquired it in 2017 for around 1.2 billion US dollars. It sits in the merchant solutions business.

ACTIVE Network: How does ACTIVE make money?

Primarily from registration processing fees, charged as a percentage plus a fixed amount per registration.

ACTIVE Network: Can we absorb the fee instead of charging residents?

Yes, the agency chooses. Most pass it to the participant, which is why registrants see a service fee.

ACTIVE Network: Is pricing published?

No. Both licence and processing rates are quoted per account.

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