Softwr

Events · head to head

ACTIVE Network vs CVent Events

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
CVent Events logo

CVent Events

Events

Enterprise event management by Cvent

From
$1500/month
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.; CVent Events pricing is by quote only: the pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no per seat cost and routes buyers to sales
  • They diverge on capability: ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, CVent Events covers Event registration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ACTIVE Network and CVent Events actually diverge.

Attributes where ACTIVE Network and CVent Events differ
AttributeACTIVE NetworkCVent Events
Starting priceOn request$1500/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
FoundedUnknown1999

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 CVent Events

  • Event registration
  • Mobile event app
  • Attendee hub
  • Event marketing
  • Advanced analytics
  • Salesforce
  • Marketo
  • Microsoft Dynamics

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

CVent Events

  • Managing event registration and attendee data for large eventsnot ACTIVE Network
  • Running a virtual or hybrid event attendee hubnot ACTIVE Network
  • Onsite check in and badge printingnot 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.

CVent Events

  • Pricing is by quote only: the pricing page publishes no rate, no minimum and no per seat cost and routes buyers to sales
  • The Professional tier includes 15 user logins; unlimited logins require Enterprise
  • Professional licenses individual solutions such as Registration, Attendee Hub and OnArrival separately rather than bundling them
  • Bundled access to all solutions requires the Enterprise tier

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

CVent Events

$1500/month
  • Professional$1500/month
    • Event registration
    • Email marketing
    • Basic analytics
  • Enterprise$4000/month
    • Mobile app
    • Advanced analytics
    • Integrations
  • Ultimate$8000/month
    • Full suite
    • Dedicated support
    • Custom development

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 CVent Events if

  • You need event registration.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want mobile event app.
CVent Events review

Questions people ask

Is ACTIVE Network or CVent Events better?
Neither clearly leads. ACTIVE Network starts at On request and CVent Events at $1500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ACTIVE Network or CVent Events?
ACTIVE Network starts at On request and CVent Events at $1500/month.
Does ACTIVE Network or CVent Events run on more platforms?
ACTIVE Network runs on Web, iOS, Android. CVent Events runs on Web, Ios, Android.
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 CVent Events is typically brought in for.
What can ACTIVE Network do that CVent Events cannot?
ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Camp and Class Manager, Participant-paid fees. CVent Events covers Event registration, Mobile event app, Attendee hub, Event marketing.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on ACTIVE Network

More on CVent Events

Keep looking

Other head to heads