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Events · head to head

ACTIVE Network vs Brella

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
Brella logo

Brella

Events

AI-powered networking for events

From
$2500/event
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Brella limited feature set compared to full-featured event management platforms
  • They diverge on capability: ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, Brella covers AI matchmaking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where ACTIVE Network and Brella differ
AttributeACTIVE NetworkBrella
Starting priceOn request$2500/event
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
FoundedUnknown2016

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Events).

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 Brella

  • AI matchmaking
  • 1:1 meeting scheduler
  • Intent data
  • Sponsor promotion
  • Analytics dashboard
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Eventbrite

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 Brella
  • A race director who wants registration, bib assignment and a consumer listing from one vendornot Brella
  • A YMCA needing membership, childcare billing and facility booking in one systemnot Brella
  • An agency with no software budget that can fund registration through participant-paid processing feesnot Brella

Brella

  • Event planningnot ACTIVE Network
  • Ticket salesnot ACTIVE Network
  • Attendee managementnot ACTIVE Network
  • Virtual eventsnot ACTIVE Network
  • Event marketingnot 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.

Brella

  • Limited feature set compared to full-featured event management platforms
  • No trial version available
  • English language only, no multilingual support
  • Pricing not transparent; custom quotes only without public pricing

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

Brella

$2500/event
  • Essential$2500/event
    • AI matchmaking
    • 1:1 meetings
    • Event app
  • Professional$5000/event
    • Advanced matching
    • Sponsor features
    • Analytics
  • Enterprise$10000/event
    • Custom development
    • API access
    • White-label

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 Brella if

  • You need ai matchmaking.
  • You also want 1:1 meeting scheduler.
Brella review

Questions people ask

Is ACTIVE Network or Brella better?
Neither clearly leads. ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Brella at $2500/event, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ACTIVE Network or Brella?
ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Brella at $2500/event.
Does ACTIVE Network or Brella run on more platforms?
ACTIVE Network runs on Web, iOS, Android. Brella runs on Web.
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 Brella is typically brought in for.
What can ACTIVE Network do that Brella cannot?
ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Camp and Class Manager, Participant-paid fees. Brella covers AI matchmaking, 1:1 meeting scheduler, Intent data, Sponsor promotion.

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.

Brella: Does Brella offer a free trial?

No. Brella does not offer a trial version, so potential customers cannot test the platform before committing.

Source
ACTIVE Network: How does ACTIVE make money?

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

Brella: How is Brella priced?

Brella uses custom, per-attendee pricing with no publicly displayed rates. The final price depends on total attendees and consulting services selected. Third-party estimates suggest $5,000 to $25,000+ per event.

Source
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.

Brella: What languages does Brella support?

Brella currently supports English only, which may limit international organizations or multilingual attendees.

Source
ACTIVE Network: Is pricing published?

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

Brella: What integrations does Brella offer?

Brella integrates with event registration platforms Eventbrite, Swoogo, and Tito; CRM platforms Salesforce Data Cloud and HubSpot CRM; WooCommerce for e-commerce; and Zapier for general automation.

Source
Brella: Who is Brella best suited for?

Brella is recommended for large conferences and trade shows with 5,000+ attendees, particularly those with sponsorship inventory and investor meeting requirements.

Source
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