Comparing Online Registration Systems
(Leland Design - April 2004)
The following review was conducted for a client based on the key features they required, listed in the left column.
|
Key Features |
MemberClicks |
Sporg |
Regonline |
Acteva |
|
Web Address |
Memberclicks.com |
Sporg.com |
Regonline.com |
Acteva.com |
|
Credit Card Processing |
Optional: $199 setup + $10/mo + (2.37% + .15 per transaction) V, MC,AE, Disc |
Optional: No setup fee, 4.0% + $1 per transaction |
Included. Option #2 - use your own merchant account, $500 one-time setup fee. |
Included: V/MC/AE/Discover |
|
Multiple Events |
Optional: $199 setup + $10/mo for each event with payment processing. |
Included |
Optional: |
Included |
|
Automatic Email Reminder to Registrants |
Included |
No |
Included |
No |
|
Custom Email Notifications for Registrants |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
|
Register for One or More Workshops |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
|
Individual Pricing for Workshops |
Included |
Included |
Included |
Included |
|
Discounted Pricing Features |
Included |
Included, Fixed price discounts |
Included |
Included, based on the role of the registrant |
|
Ability to Customize Registration Form to look like ALAC website |
Colors and Fonts Only |
Included but difficult “ must use frames on ALAC site, Optional: Private branding is much more customizable |
Fully Customizable. Adding left-hand navigation is more difficult but possible. |
Headers, Footers, Colors and Fonts only |
|
Name Badges |
No |
Included |
Included |
No, Must Export to Word |
|
Registration Roster |
Included |
Included |
Included |
No, Must Export to Word |
|
Additional Reports |
No |
Included |
Included |
No, Must Export to Word |
|
Custom Reporting |
No |
Included |
Included |
Included |
|
Export Data |
Included |
Included |
Included?? |
|
|
Customer Service |
Phone, Email, Web: Very Responsive via Phone |
Phone, Email, Web: Great response via phone |
Phone, Email, Web: Very Responsive via Phone |
Phone, Email, Web: Somewhat Responsive |
|
Base Cost |
$450 setup, $60/month for up to 300 registrants = $1170 |
$99/basic service & $49/yr thereafter, multiple events possible. One event with 300 registrants at $20/registration = $639. |
$125 per event + $2.50 per registration. $775 (assuming one event and 300 registrants) |
$0 Setup, $0 annual. All fees are based on transactions and price of registration: $20 reg: $1.75 + 2.5% $40 reg: $2.63 + 2.5% $60 reg: $3.53 + 2.5% For 300 reg at $20: $675 |
|
Total Cost with all options listed above |
$1490 + payment transaction fees. More than one registration form add $199 |
Plus Service includes private branding and additional features is $499/yr. 300 registrants paying $20/reg = $1138 |
Use your own merchant account: $1275. More than one event add $125 + registration fees |
Not applicable |
Vendors Listed Above
The vendors included in this survey represent the most popular registrations systems with price points that come in around $1000, which was the major criteria for this survey. For this reason, more fully features services as Cvent was left off. All the vendors are Application Service Providers (ASPs), meaning their systems are run through the web and hosted/maintained by the service provider.
Important Information about Key Features
These were the critical features identified by the clien as important to evaluate in a new online registration system. They do not represent the total number of features for each service. This assessment assumes that events require payment, and uses 300 registrants as the basis for comparison. Please note that the pricing calculation varies significantly from service to service the client should carefully identify how many events are required, the cost of registrations and number of registrations expected at each price before evaluating the expected cost of any of these services. Also please note that events for which the client do not charge registration fees were not considered a criteria for this evaluation.
All registration forms that process credit card payments require merchant accounts. In some cases these are provided by the service (Regonline) while in others you are expected to sign up for these yourself (Memberclicks, Acteva, Sporg). Please allow for extra set up time of up to 10 days if the client chooses a service that requires signing up for a merchant account.
Definitions:
- Included: Indicates the feature is available, and part of the base cost of the service
- Optional: Indicates the feature is available, and requires additional payments outside of the base service cost
- No: Feature is not available with this service
- V: Visa | MC: MasterCard | AE: American Express | Disc: Discover
- Base Cost: This is the service offered as standard by each company, without any of the features listed as optional
I believe either Regonline or Acteva would be the best choices given the features required above.