Webinar and virtual event platforms: what twelve AI models recommend, and why, September 2026
Twelve AI models were asked for webinar and virtual event platform six ways each, on behalf of a small, a mid-market and an enterprise B2B company: 216 answers, in which a judge labeled 71 products. Ten of them carry at least 10 labels and a first choice, and are ranked. This guide walks the top eight in the order the mid-market standing puts them, with what the models said for and against each, in their words. Livestorm leads at 23% of first choices, and the standing is contested.
At a glance
| Product | First-choice share | Negative rate | Labels | Leads for | Quadrant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Livestorm | 23% | 9% | 47 | Mid-market | accepted challenger |
| 2 |  Demio | 20% | 13% | 47 | Small business | accepted challenger |
| 3 |  Goldcast | 14% | 5% | 20 | none | accepted challenger |
| 4 |  Zoho Webinar | 11% | 0% | 11 | none | accepted challenger |
| 5 |  GoTo Webinar | 7% | 23% | 35 | none | accepted challenger |
| 6 |  Zoom Webinars | 5% | 29% | 62 | none | criticized challenger |
| 7 |  BigMarker | 2% | 5% | 21 | none | accepted challenger |
| 8 |  ON24 | 2% | 30% | 37 | Enterprise | criticized challenger |
The full standing, every product with 10 labels or more, is on the category page, with the products at zero and the ones warned against.
How a product gets on this list
The judge reads every answer
A product is on the record because a model named it in an answer and the judge labeled the naming: first choice, alternative, mention, caution or warning, each with the sentence it came from. 71 products were named for webinar and virtual event platform this edition.
10 labels and a first choice
A product is ranked once it carries 10 labels in a segment and at least one first choice there. Below that it is named but not ranked, and it says so on its page. The vendor table that folds spellings into products is versioned; this page was scored under v2026-09-16.3.
10 points
The same categories are asked again with nothing changed to measure how much an answer moves on its own. A change in share smaller than the floor is not reported as a change. The repeat, model by model.
The six questions
| Framing | The question |
|---|---|
| Direct | What is the best webinar and virtual event platform for a mid-market B2B company? |
| Paraphrase | Which platform for hosting webinars and virtual events would you recommend to a mid-sized B2B company? |
| Comparative | What are the top webinar and virtual event platforms and how do they differ? |
| Budget-constrained | What is the best webinar and virtual event platform for a company with a limited budget? |
| Scale-constrained | We are a 500 person company evaluating a webinar and virtual event platform. What should we look at? |
| Negative | Which webinar and virtual event platforms should I avoid or be cautious about? |
1. Livestorm
Livestorm is #1 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 23% of first choices, from 47 labels by 12 of 12 models; 9% of those labels were cautions or warnings. Two of twelve models named it first on the direct question. It led the negative framing. By buyer: small business #2 of 9 at 13%; mid-market #1 of 10 at 23%; enterprise unranked.
What the models said for it
“Recommended Alternatives with Better Reputations: Livestorm (browser-based, strong security certifications, GDPR-compliant)” Kimi K2 · negative prompt · first choice
“B2B lead-gen focused → prioritize CRM depth + attribution: Livestorm, Demio, GoToWebinar, or Airmeet.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
And against it
“Better for marketing automation and more polished event workflows, but usually pricier: Livestorm” GPT-5.4 mini · budget prompt · soft negative
“significantly cheaper than premium options like Livestorm (which starts around $79–$99/month)” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
2. Demio
Demio is #2 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 20% of first choices, from 47 labels by 12 of 12 models; 13% of those labels were cautions or warnings. Four of twelve models named it first on the direct question. It led the direct, paraphrase, scale-constrained framings. By buyer: small business #1 of 9 at 39%; mid-market #2 of 10 at 20%; enterprise #10 of 10 at 2%.
5 of 12 models argued against it somewhere in their answers, 1 as a warning.
What the models said for it
“I'd recommend starting with Demio if budget is a consideration, or Goldcast if webinar quality and brand presentation are critical” Kimi K2 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“I'd recommend starting with WebinarGeek or Demio as they offer the best balance of features, pricing, and ease of use” GLM 4.7 FlashX · paraphrase prompt · first choice
And against it
“Platforms with poor reliability scores (Demio, BrightTALK)” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · hard negative
“Most webinar platforms (like GoToWebinar or Demio) use tiered pricing, meaning the more people register for your webinars, the more you have to pay.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
3. Goldcast
Goldcast is #3 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 14% of first choices, from 20 labels by 11 of 12 models; 5% of those labels were cautions or warnings. Four of twelve models named it first on the direct question. By buyer: small business unranked; mid-market #3 of 10 at 14%; enterprise #8 of 10 at 4%.
What the models said for it
“Goldcast is widely considered the top tier choice for B2B marketing teams” Qwen 3.7 Flash · direct prompt · first choice
“🥇 Gold Standard: Goldcast ... Built specifically for B2B marketers” Mistral Small · direct prompt · first choice
And against it
“ON24 and Goldcast ... typically overkill and not transparent in cost for a mid-sized company” DeepSeek V4 Flash · paraphrase prompt · hard negative
4. Zoho Webinar
Zoho Webinar is #4 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 11% of first choices, from 11 labels by 9 of 12 models; 0% of those labels were cautions or warnings. Zero of twelve models named it first on the direct question. It led the budget-constrained framing. By buyer: small business #6 of 9 at 7%; mid-market #4 of 10 at 11%; enterprise unranked.
What the models said for it
“Top pick for maximum savings: Zoho Meeting — at roughly $8/month with a free tier, it's the clear winner if budget is your #1 concern” DeepSeek V4 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“Zoho Meeting is best for solo operators and small teams on the tightest budget ... at one of the lowest prices” Claude Haiku 4.5 · budget prompt · first choice
And against it
No negative label in this category carried a quote.
5. GoTo Webinar
GoTo Webinar is #5 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 7% of first choices, from 35 labels by 12 of 12 models; 23% of those labels were cautions or warnings. One of twelve models named it first on the direct question. By buyer: small business unranked; mid-market #5 of 10 at 7%; enterprise unranked.
6 of 12 models argued against it somewhere in their answers, 1 as a warning.
What the models said for it
“I'd recommend GoTo Webinar as the top choice.” Grok 4.1 Fast · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“1. GoToWebinar (Best Overall for Mid-Market)” Claude Haiku 4.5 · paraphrase prompt · first choice
And against it
“Reviewers cite reliability and audio-lag issues... Widely considered overpriced” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · hard negative
“Most webinar platforms (like GoToWebinar or Demio) use tiered pricing, meaning the more people register for your webinars, the more you have to pay.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · soft negative
6. Zoom Webinars
Zoom Webinars is #6 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 5% of first choices, from 62 labels by 12 of 12 models; 29% of those labels were cautions or warnings. Zero of twelve models named it first on the direct question. It led the comparative framing. By buyer: small business #3 of 9 at 13%; mid-market #6 of 10 at 5%; enterprise #6 of 10 at 6%.
11 of 12 models argued against it somewhere in their answers, 2 as a warning.
What the models said for it
“Best for: General-purpose hosting where familiarity is key. Because almost everyone has Zoom installed, technical friction for attendees is incredibly low.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · comparative prompt · first choice
“Already in Zoom or Microsoft ecosystems → start with their webinar tier before buying anything new (often cheapest, easiest adoption)” DeepSeek V4 Flash · scale prompt · first choice
And against it
“Zoom Webinars: Basic features, requires separate Zoom subscription” Kimi K2 · direct prompt · hard negative
“Why You Should Move Away From Basic "Zoom Webinars"” Gemini 3.5 Flash · paraphrase prompt · hard negative
7. BigMarker
BigMarker is #7 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 2% of first choices, from 21 labels by 11 of 12 models; 5% of those labels were cautions or warnings. One of twelve models named it first on the direct question. By buyer: small business unranked; mid-market #7 of 10 at 2%; enterprise #7 of 10 at 4%.
What the models said for it
“Supports live, simulive, automated, and on-demand webinars natively from one platform, and fits mid-market to enterprise teams” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“Choose BigMarker or ON24 if you're running large-scale, highly controlled, analytics-heavy enterprise events” Perplexity Sonar · paraphrase prompt · alternative
And against it
“BigMarker (poor offer pop-ups, glitchy screen sharing, pricey)” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · soft negative
8. ON24
ON24 is #8 of 10 for the mid-market buyer at 2% of first choices, from 37 labels by 12 of 12 models; 30% of those labels were cautions or warnings. Zero of twelve models named it first on the direct question. By buyer: small business unranked; mid-market #8 of 10 at 2%; enterprise #1 of 10 at 33%.
6 of 12 models argued against it somewhere in their answers, 2 as a warning.
What the models said for it
“I'd generally recommend ON24 if webinars and virtual events are a core part of your marketing and sales funnel” GPT-5.4 mini · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“Best for: Mid-to-enterprise B2B marketing teams... Where it struggles: Expensive, complex to set up, and can be overkill for smaller companies.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · comparative prompt · alternative
And against it
“What to avoid for this use case- ON24 and Goldcast are powerful, but they're sales-quoted, enterprise-priced” DeepSeek V4 Flash · paraphrase prompt · hard negative
“Avoid Unless Specific Need: ON24: Enterprise-focused, $10K+/year minimum, overkill for mid-market” Kimi K2 · direct prompt · hard negative
Where the models split
By framing, mid-market buyer
| Framing | Named first most often | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | Demio 4 of 12 models | Goldcast (4), Livestorm (2), BigMarker (1) |
| Paraphrase | Demio 4 of 12 models | Livestorm (4), GoTo Webinar (2), Goldcast (2) |
| Comparative | Zoom Webinars 3 of 12 models | Livestorm (1), WebinarNinja (1) |
| Budget-constrained | Zoho Webinar 5 of 12 models | Livestorm (3), ClickMeeting (1), EasyWebinar (1) |
| Scale-constrained | Demio 1 of 12 models | Livestorm (1), Zoom Webinars (1) |
| Negative | Livestorm 2 of 12 models |
By buyer
| Buyer | Leads | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Small business | Demio 39% | Livestorm, Zoom Webinars, WebinarNinja |
| Mid-market | Livestorm 23% | Demio, Goldcast, Zoho Webinar |
| Enterprise | ON24 33% | Bizzabo, Webex Webinars, Cvent |
This category was in the repeat sample: asked again with nothing changed, the leader's share moved -10 points and the leader changed to Demio. Every category by buyer.
Questions the record answers
Which webinar and virtual event platform do AI models name first most often?
Livestorm, in 23% of first choices for a mid-market B2B company in the September 2026 Edition, from 47 labels. The standing is contested: the models did not settle on one product.
Does the answer change with the size of the company?
Small business: Demio at 39%. Mid-market: Livestorm at 23%. Enterprise: ON24 at 33%. Each standing is computed within its segment and never pooled.
Which framing changes the answer?
The direct, paraphrase, budget and scale framings count toward share. The product named first differs by framing: direct Demio; paraphrase Demio; comparative Zoom Webinars; budget-constrained Zoho Webinar; scale-constrained Demio; negative Livestorm. The table above has the counts.
How stable is one answer?
Asked again with nothing changed, the models moved their own first choice 66% of the time across the repeat sample; This category was in the repeat sample: asked again with nothing changed, the leader's share moved -10 points and the leader changed to Demio.
Where do the answers come from?
Four of the twelve models return sources. Their 20 answers here cite 201 pages; the sites cited most are easywebinar.com, webinarninja.com, whova.com. The category page lists them all.
Can a vendor pay to be on this list?
No. A product is on the record because a model named it. A vendor can claim its page, propose corrections to the vendor table and be told when its standing moves; it cannot change a label, a share or a rank, and the publisher's conflicts are disclosed on the method page.
The rest of the record on webinar and virtual event platforms
Every answer, every label and its evidence quote are in the free record. Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.