Wondering which virtual event tool to choose? In this post, we share our Hopin review to help you make an informed decision.
The verdict of our Hopin review:
Hopin is without a doubt a slick virtual event platform. That they want to replicate in-person events is clear from the start. You enter the Hopin platform at the Reception area with an event overview. From there, you can choose to go to the Stage area. Here you can see what’s being broadcasted on the main stage. Heard everything you wanted to know? Then move on to one of the break-out sessions, or connect with other attendees in the Network area.
Users have reported that the platform has been a bit buggy. This feels like something that will be solved by their engineers in due time. Also, their support team has been reported as rather slow. Hopin’s price can be steep, as they take 7% of your ticket sale. On top, there’s a service fee that starts at $99 per month.
As a new-comer, it relies on early adopters who accept minor glitches here and there. The question is, are you one of them? If you’re not, there are plenty of proven alternatives.
What types of events is Hopin suited to?
Hopin is one of the latest players to enter the virtual event space. Founded in 2019, it came out of stealth mode in 2020. After receiving $46M early-stage funding, it was able to spread its wings.
Like many virtual event platforms, it started out as a networking tool. The Hopin team realized people weren’t going to conferences just for the presentations. Most of us used to physically meet like-minded people and network. This problem is what Hopin tries to solve by recreating it in a virtual venue. Most features are thus built to collaborate and network in groups.
To replicate in-person events, Hopin had to cover a wide range of audiences. For meetups of 100 people to full-scale conferences of 100,000 participants. They need to be personal and interactive at the same time. Just like in real life. But, with all participants 100% remote.
Hopin features review
Hopin’s features are truly mimicking in-person events. Everything happens around five main areas for video collaboration. The areas are; Reception, Stage, Sessions, Networking, and Expo.
Let’s take a look at each area and its features.
Reception area
Like in real life, you’ll be given a welcome at this virtual lobby. Here you’ll get an overview of the entire event. Features include speaker bios, event schedule, and hyperlinked logos of sponsors.
Stage area
This is the area where keynotes are given in a one-to-many fashion. It features broadcasting through Hopin’s built-in live streaming studio called Backstage. The Stage area can support up to 100,000 concurrent viewers. It also supports interactive sessions like fireside chats and panel discussions.
Sessions area
Remember round table sessions? Well, this is the virtual version of that. These break-out sessions support up to 20 people on camera. The funny thing is, it actually supports up to 500 people who can watch off-camera. Those “watchers” interact via the session chat. This seems to be a good place for Q&A sessions with speakers.
Networking area
Aha! This is what we all came for! The Networking area. Meet new people and network with them via FaceTime-like video calls. Shy? Or not sure who to talk with? People in the Networking area are matched at random. They then meet for a limited time, pre-set by the event organizers.
Expo area
This simple area is similar to virtual booths. It is not the most impressive area. It features embedded videos of various vendors and a call-to-action button. Clicking on the CTA button, allows you to express interest by leaving your details behind.
What do online reviews say about Hopin?
As a starting company, Hopin hasn’t received a lot of reviews yet. Hopin scores a 4.7 out of 5 with just 12 reviews on G2.
Likes:
- Mimicking in-person events
- Ease-of-use
- Modern design
- Sense of community and networking
- Integrated backstage for streaming
Dislikes:
- Limited features in the Expo area
- New features take a long time to come live
- Some platform bugs in this early stage
- Can be expensive depending on your ticket revenue
Hopin Top Competitors
The main Hopin competitors with G2 rating are:
- Cvent (4.2 out of 5)
- SpotMe (4.6 out of 5)
- Bizzabo (4.7 out of 5)
- Aventri (4.2 out of 5)
- Influitive (4.4 out of 5)
Wondering what other virtual event solutions might be like? Check out our comparison guide.
Disclaimer: This review is provided by SpotMe. While we are a marketing event management software vendor, our reviews aim to help buyers make better informed decisions by providing honest feedback about the product being reviewed. SpotMe’s reviews are not used to deliberately promote or disparage any software vendor’ products and to the best of our knowledge the information contained herein is recent, relevant and objective.
