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Events · head to head

ACTIVE Network vs Swoogo

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
Swoogo logo

Swoogo

Webinars

Event management that flexes with you

From
$500/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.; Swoogo higher pricing tier compared to some simpler event registration tools
  • They diverge on capability: ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, Swoogo 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 Swoogo actually diverge.

Attributes where ACTIVE Network and Swoogo differ
AttributeACTIVE NetworkSwoogo
Starting priceOn request$500/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
CategoryEventsWebinars
FoundedUnknown2015

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

  • Event registration
  • Custom event websites
  • Attendee management
  • Email marketing
  • Event analytics
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Marketo

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

Swoogo

  • 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.

Swoogo

  • Higher pricing tier compared to some simpler event registration tools

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

Swoogo

$500/month
  • Starter$500/month
    • Event registration
    • Basic branding
    • Email communications
  • Growth$1200/month
    • Advanced branding
    • Integrations
    • Analytics
  • Enterprise$3000/month
    • Unlimited events
    • SSO
    • Priority 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 Swoogo if

  • You need event registration.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want custom event websites.
Swoogo review

Questions people ask

Is ACTIVE Network or Swoogo better?
Neither clearly leads. ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Swoogo at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ACTIVE Network or Swoogo?
ACTIVE Network starts at On request and Swoogo at $500/month.
Does ACTIVE Network or Swoogo run on more platforms?
ACTIVE Network runs on Web, iOS, Android. Swoogo 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 Swoogo is typically brought in for.
What can ACTIVE Network do that Swoogo cannot?
ACTIVE Network covers ACTIVENet, ACTIVEWorks Endurance, Camp and Class Manager, Participant-paid fees. Swoogo covers Event registration, Custom event websites, Attendee management, Email 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.

Swoogo: What event types does Swoogo support?

Swoogo supports everything from small field events to multi-track hybrid conferences. It handles roadshows, dinners, webinars, and digital events with customizable registration experiences.

Source
ACTIVE Network: How does ACTIVE make money?

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

Swoogo: Does Swoogo integrate with marketing automation platforms?

Yes, Swoogo integrates with Marketo and Salesforce, and supports thousands of apps through Zapier for automated workflows without coding.

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.

Swoogo: Can Swoogo handle complex registration flows?

Yes, Swoogo excels with multiple attendee types, approval workflows, session selection, and different registration experiences for different audiences.

Source
ACTIVE Network: Is pricing published?

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

Swoogo: Does Swoogo provide event analytics?

Yes, Swoogo provides event data insights and analytics to track registrations, attendee engagement, and real-time event metrics for better decision-making.

Source
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