Gather offers two reservation types: Free and Paid. This article will explain how our reservation pricing works and compare the Conference features of each plan. 

A reservation on Gather is best for single events with a start and end date, such as a virtual conference or community meetup. To learn more about purchasing a subscription (best for ongoing use such as a virtual office or classroom), click here. 

Overview

When you create a conference space on Gather, you'll automatically get started on the Free Plan which gives you a Space Capacity of 10 users. 

Space Capacity is the maximum number of concurrent users allowed in the space at the same time. This number includes Members and Guests. For example, if your Space Capacity is 10, you could have 7 Members and 3 Guests (or 3 Guests and 7 Members, or any other combination) at the same time. 

To increase your Space Capacity above 10 users and unlock advanced features, you'll need to upgrade to a Paid Reservation. 

The price of a Paid Reservation is determined by the length of your event and the Space Capacity that you set. 

• If your event lasts 1-3 days, you'll be charged the daily rate of $3 USD per user per day
• If your events lasts 3+ days, you'll be charged the monthly rate of $7 USD per user per month

The price of a reservation that lasts longer than 3 days will never exceed the price of a Monthly Subscription. The difference is how you want to be billed: A reservation is a one-time upfront cost, whereas a monthly subscription will automatically renew each month. 

When a reservation ends, you have approximately 15 minutes before your space is moved back to a free plan. If more than 10 people are in your space when it is returned to a free plan, you may experience performance issues. If you would like to use the same space for a future event, you can make a new reservation.

Feature Comparison By Plan

Reservations are typically best for use cases with an end date, such as a virtual conference. For that reason, the features shown in these charts are those most relevant for large events with guests. To see a comparison of features best for ongoing use of Gather, such as virtual offices, click here. 

• 	Free Plan	Paid Reservation
  Space Capacity Limit	Up to 10 users	Up to 500 users
  Unlimited audio, video and chat	Included ✅	Included ✅
  Unlimited rooms & customizable maps	Included ✅	Included ✅

• 	Free Plan	Paid Reservation
  Talk between event sessions	Included ✅	Included ✅
  In-space sponsor booths	Included ✅	Included ✅
  Make live announcements	Included ✅	Included ✅
  Embed interactive objects	Included ✅	Included ✅
  Manage user permissions	Not Included ❌	Included ✅

• 	Free Plan	Paid Reservation
  Password-protected access	Included ✅	Included ✅
  Block, ban, or kick users	Included ✅	Included ✅
  Email guest list	Not Included ❌	Included ✅
  Domain-restricted access	Not Included ❌	Included ✅

When the Reservation Ends: 

You have approximately 15 minutes between the end of your reservation and when your space is moved back to a free plan. During this time, you may experience slight connection issues that can be resolved by refreshing your browser. If you have new people joining your space, they may not be visible to you until you refresh your browser. If more than 10 people are in your space when it is returned to a free plan, you may experience performance issues.

If you would like to use the same space for a future event, you can make a new reservation in the Reservations section of your Space dashboard.

Recommendations

1. If you're hosting an event with fewer than 10 people and only need basic features, use the Free Plan. 
2. If you're hosting an event with fewer than 10 people but want advanced features, upgrade to a Paid Reservation. 
3. If you're hosting an event with more than 10 people, upgrade to a Paid Reservation. 
4. If you're not sure how many people will attend your event, create a Reservation with a capacity on the lower end of your expected turnout. You can always increase your reservation capacity right before or during the event.
5. If you want to add a reservation on top of your monthly subscription to temporarily increase your space capacity beyond your normal subscription amount, follow this guide. 

FAQs

• No, a Paid Reservation is charged per every user in your Space Capacity. For example, a one day reservation for 11 people would cost $33.
• You can increase or decrease your Space Capacity before and during your event. After your event ends, we do not issue refunds for unused Space Capacity. 
• We've built in a small buffer to Space Capacity in case you temporarily exceed it. If you reach your limit during your event, you can follow this guide to increase space capacity. 
• You can choose to pay for your reservation with a credit card or invoice. If you choose the invoice option, you’ll be emailed a formal invoice from Stripe, our payment processor. You can pay the invoice through credit card, ACH transfer, or check.
  
  Payment must be made before a reservation is activated. If you can’t arrange payment before your event, contact us.

Ready to purchase a reservation? Follow this guide!