The Best Free Venue Management Software in 2024
Running a venue is expensive enough. Here's our honest breakdown of free venue management software options.
The Best Free Venue Management Software in 2024
Running a live music venue is expensive enough without adding software costs. The good news? There are legitimate free options for venue management—if you know where to look.
Here's our honest breakdown of free venue management software options.
What to Look for in Venue Management Software
Before diving into options, here's what actually matters:
Must-haves:
- Calendar management with availability tracking
- Hold management (first hold, second hold, challenges)
- Booking request handling
- Communication tools
- Mobile access
Nice-to-haves:
- Artist discovery
- Analytics and reporting
- Integrations with other tools
- Contract management
The Best Free Options
1. Venue Pulse (Best Overall)
Price: Free for venues
What you get:
- Full calendar management
- Hold processing and tracking
- Booking request system
- Artist discovery marketplace
- Communication tools
- Mobile access
- Unlimited users
What you don't get:
- Advanced analytics (coming soon)
- Contract management
- Some enterprise features
Best for: Any venue wanting professional booking tools without monthly costs.
The catch: There isn't one. Venue Pulse makes money from premium artist and booker features, so venues use it free. Learn more about why it's free.
2. Google Calendar + Forms
Price: Free
What you get:
- Basic calendar sharing
- Custom booking request forms
- Email notifications
- Mobile access
What you don't get:
- Hold management
- Artist discovery
- Booking-specific workflows
- Integrated communication
Best for: Very small venues with simple booking needs.
The catch: You'll spend a lot of time on manual work that dedicated software automates.
3. Spreadsheets (Google Sheets/Excel)
Price: Free
What you get:
- Complete flexibility
- Custom fields and formulas
- Sharing and collaboration
- Works offline (Excel)
What you don't get:
- Automated workflows
- Conflict detection
- Artist discovery
- Professional appearance
Best for: Venues that want total control and don't mind manual work.
The catch: Error-prone, time-consuming, and doesn't scale well.
What About "Freemium" Options?
Some software offers free tiers, but with significant limitations:
Eventbrite: Free for free events, but charges per-ticket fees for paid events. Also, it's ticketing software, not venue management. See our comparison.
Bandsintown for Venues: Limited free features, primarily focused on artist promotion rather than booking management.
Various CRMs: You can adapt general CRM software for venue booking, but it requires significant setup and lacks booking-specific features.
Paid Options Worth Considering
If you have budget and need advanced features:
OpenDate: $200-500+/month. Industry standard for larger venues. Comprehensive features but expensive.
Prism: $100-300+/month. Good for venues that also manage artists. More affordable than OpenDate.
Dice: Primarily ticketing, but includes some venue tools. Per-ticket fees.
How to Choose
Choose Venue Pulse if:
- You want professional tools without monthly costs
- You're a small to mid-size venue
- You want to discover new artists
- You prefer simplicity over complexity
Choose Google Calendar/Spreadsheets if:
- You have very simple booking needs
- You're comfortable with manual processes
- You're just getting started and want to test workflows
Choose paid software if:
- You're a large venue or venue group
- You need advanced features (contracts, detailed analytics)
- You have dedicated booking staff
- Budget isn't a primary concern
Making the Switch
If you're currently using spreadsheets or paid software:
- Export your data — Get your calendar and booking history
- Set up your new system — Create your account and configure settings
- Import existing bookings — Add confirmed shows and holds
- Run parallel — Use both systems for a month to ensure nothing falls through
- Fully transition — Once confident, move completely to the new system
The Bottom Line
For most venues, Venue Pulse is the best free option. It offers professional-grade features without the monthly costs that make other software prohibitive for smaller venues.
The days of choosing between expensive software and spreadsheet chaos are over.