Fielddrive alternatives for event check-in and badge printing
Fielddrive runs check-in kiosks with QR, facial recognition, name lookup and ID verification, onsite badge printing, lead retrieval and session access control, with its own onsite team. Here is where it is the better choice, and where Map D and other tools fit shows that also sell their floor.
Written by Map D, which is one of the alternatives listed below. Claims about other platforms are limited to what those companies publish themselves, and each is sourced at the foot of the page. Last verified November 2026.
Ridgeline Supply Co.
Booth A3- Company profile & logo
- Staff badges · 6 of 8
- Insurance certificate
- Electrical order
- Renewal for 2027
Exhibitors complete this themselves. The organizer sees progress across every booth.
Trusted by associations, expos and show organizers since 2011
What Fielddrive is good at
Fielddrive is built for the front door of large in-person events, and for many conferences and congresses it is the right answer. If the following describe your event, keep it on your shortlist.
- Kiosks that check attendees in by QR code, facial recognition, manual name lookup or ID verification, and handle walk-in registrations.
- Optional, consent-driven facial recognition check-in: attendees opt in and provide a photo at registration, and anyone who declines uses QR or name lookup instead.
- Onsite badge printing, including full-color, two-sided badges with unique QR codes, paper and PVC badges, and linerless sticker badges.
- An onsite team that sets up the kiosks, tests the check-in and badge printing workflows and troubleshoots live, with extra technicians available.
- fielddrive Entry for access control across sessions, zones and restricted areas, and a lead retrieval app for exhibitors on iOS and Android.
Why organizers look elsewhere
The gaps that send trade show organizers looking for an alternative.
- Fielddrive's pricing is tailored to each event and quoted, so you cannot compare cost before you talk to them.
- Fielddrive's home, lead retrieval and integrations pages describe check-in, badging, lead retrieval and access control, not floor plans or booth sales. A show whose income comes from selling exhibit space still needs another system for that, plus an integration between the two.
- Trade show and expo organizers may want registration, check-in, badges, lead retrieval and booth sales on one event record, rather than a registration platform, an onsite vendor and a floor plan tool joined together.
How Map D compares
Map D’s column states what Map D does. Where a Fielddrive equivalent is not publicly documented, the row says so rather than guessing.
- Map D offers
- 7 of 9
- Fielddrive publicly documents
- 8 of 9
The second bar counts what Fielddrive documents on its own site, which is not the same as what it can do. A criterion we could not verify is shown as unverified, not as missing — if Fielddrive covers it somewhere we did not find, that is a gap in our checking rather than in their product.
| Criterion | Map D | Fielddrive |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Included | Documented |
| QR code check-in | Included | Documented |
| Facial recognition check-in | Not offered | Documented |
| Self check-in kiosks | Included | Documented |
| Onsite badge printing | Included | Documented |
| Onsite technicians and kiosk hardware | Not offered | Documented |
| Session and zone access scanning | Included | Documented |
| Exhibitor lead retrieval | Included | Documented |
| Booth sales from a live floor plan | Included | Unverified |
$1,500
$2,500
$2,750
—
Map D’s rates are per event and listed on the pricing page. The dashed column has no height and no figure on purpose: where rates are not published we will not put a number on them, and where they are published we will not restate one that can change without notice.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Map D | Fielddrive |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | Per-event plans are published: building one event's floor plan is free, publishing starts at $1,500 per event and online booth sales at Growth, $2,500 per event. Ticketing and registration, with check-in and badge printing, is a quoted add-on. | Fielddrive's pricing page says its pricing is tailored to each event and asks you to get a quote; no rates are listed (checked November 2026). |
| QR code check-in | Every sold ticket carries a Scan Code that prints on the badge as a QR code or barcode, and staff check holders in with the Map D scanner app. | Fielddrive documents QR check-in at its kiosks and in fielddrive Entry (checked November 2026). |
| Facial recognition check-in | Not offered. Map D checks attendees in by scanning the Scan Code on their ticket or badge. | Fielddrive documents optional, opt-in facial recognition check-in on all its check-in and badging kiosks, with QR or name lookup as the fallback (checked November 2026). |
| Self check-in kiosks | Kiosk mode in the scanner app, with settings for what attendees can do themselves, such as adding or editing their details. | Fielddrive documents touchless kiosks with QR, facial recognition, manual name lookup and ID verification, and walk-in registration (checked November 2026). |
| Onsite badge printing | Badges built in the Badge Designer print at the moment of the scan, with reprints and bulk printing, on Zebra, Epson or Brother printers. | Fielddrive documents onsite printing of full-color badges, paper and PVC badges, and linerless stickers (checked November 2026). |
| Onsite technicians and kiosk hardware | Not documented. Map D's help documentation describes the scanner app and its settings, not sending kiosk hardware or technicians to the venue. | Fielddrive says every kiosk deployment is supported by its onsite team, which sets up hardware, tests workflows and troubleshoots live, with extra technicians as an add-on (checked November 2026). |
| Session and zone access scanning | Scan sessions at the main entrance and at session doors, with the ticket types each session admits, and offline edits sent when the device reconnects. | Fielddrive documents fielddrive Entry for access control across sessions, zones and restricted areas, with approved or denied scans and attendance reports (checked November 2026). |
| Exhibitor lead retrieval | A quoted add-on: exhibitors scan badges with a phone camera, capture business cards, add notes and export leads as CSV or vCard. | Fielddrive documents a lead retrieval app on iOS and Android with custom qualification questions, hot, warm and cold ratings, and rentable handheld scanners (checked November 2026). |
| Booth sales from a live floor plan | Core to the product. Exhibitors select booths on the map and pay online, or send a request you approve first, and every sale updates the plan. | Floor plans and booth sales are not described on Fielddrive's home, lead retrieval or integrations pages (checked November 2026). |
The alternatives worth shortlisting
Map D
Trade shows and expos that want check-in and badges on the same record as booth sales
QR check-in with the scanner app, kiosk mode and badge printing on Zebra, Epson or Brother printers as a quoted add-on, with booth sales from a live floor plan at published per-event pricing. No facial recognition, and no onsite kiosk hardware or technicians documented.
PheedLoop
Conferences that want check-in kiosks inside an all-in-one event platform
Cloud-based badge printing, check-in kiosks with tablets, QR check-in and wireless printing from phones and tablets, with pricing on request.
Eventleaf
Events that want a check-in app with kiosk mode and pay-as-you-go pricing
QR or name search check-in, badges printed at check-in on AirPrint or Zebra printers, kiosk mode on any tablet and offline check-in that syncs later.
Whova
Conferences that run check-in from their event app
QR and name search check-in in the app, self-service kiosks with instant badge printing and connected printers, with pricing by quote.
Where Map D is stronger
- Check-in, badges and the show floor share one event record: the attendee who scans in at the door, the exhibitor whose staff badges print and the booth that exhibitor bought on the floor plan are the same data.
- Every ticket carries a Scan Code, badges print at the moment of the scan on Zebra, Epson or Brother printers, and kiosk mode lets attendees check themselves in.
- Per-event plans are published: building one event's floor plan is free, publishing starts at $1,500 and online booth sales at $2,500 per event, with ticketing and registration, check-in and badge printing quoted as an add-on.
- More than 900 organizers have run over 9,000 events on Map D since 2011, with more than $400M in booth and exhibitor sales.
When Fielddrive is the better choice
- You want facial recognition check-in. Fielddrive documents it on all its kiosks; Map D does not offer it.
- You want the onsite vendor to ship the kiosks and printers and run the front door with its own technicians. Fielddrive is built for that, and Map D's help documentation does not describe it.
- Your registration already runs in Cvent, Stova, Swoogo or EventsAir and you only need better check-in, badging and access control on top. Fielddrive connects to those platforms.
- You run a large conference with high-volume arrivals, ID verification or restricted zones for VIPs and staff, and you do not sell booths from a floor plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Fielddrive alternative?
It depends on why you are looking. For a trade show or expo that wants check-in and badge printing on the same record as booth sales from a live floor plan, Map D. For check-in kiosks inside a conference platform, PheedLoop. For a pay-as-you-go check-in app with kiosk mode, Eventleaf. For check-in run from the event app, Whova. If you want facial recognition and an onsite team running the front door, Fielddrive may still be the better choice.
Who are Fielddrive's competitors?
Platforms that cover similar ground include PheedLoop, Eventleaf, Whova and Map D. They differ on what they center: PheedLoop on an all-in-one conference platform with badge printing kiosks, Eventleaf on a check-in app with pay-as-you-go pricing, Whova on its event app, and Map D on check-in and badges connected to booth sales from a live floor plan.
Is there an alternative to facial recognition check-in?
Yes. Most events check people in by scanning a QR code, by searching for a name, or at a self-service kiosk, and Fielddrive itself offers QR and name lookup to attendees who decline facial recognition. Map D scans the Scan Code on each ticket or badge, supports self check-in kiosks and prints the badge on the spot. It does not offer facial recognition.
Can Map D replace Fielddrive's check-in kiosks?
For many trade shows and expos, yes: Map D runs QR check-in in its scanner app with kiosk mode and prints badges on Zebra, Epson or Brother printers, as part of the quoted ticketing and registration add-on. If you need facial recognition, ID verification or an onsite vendor supplying kiosk hardware and technicians, Fielddrive is the better fit.
Does Fielddrive publish its pricing?
No. Its pricing page says pricing is tailored to each event and asks you to get a quote (checked November 2026). Map D publishes its per-event plans: building one event's floor plan is free, and publishing and selling booths are paid, from $1,500 per event. Ticketing and registration, with check-in and badge printing, is quoted as an add-on.
Stop reading about it. Build one.
Upload the floor plan you already have and place your booths on it yourself, in Map D’s editor. Free to build, no contract, and nothing to install.
- 900+
- Organizers who have run shows on Map D
- 9,000+
- Events powered since 2011
- 1.8M+
- Booths drawn to date
“I am really excited about this. The staff met with me this morning and we all LOVE the platform. People are already filling out their booths.”
Sources
- Fielddrive home page · checked 2026-11-09
- Fielddrive touchless check-in kiosks · checked 2026-11-09
- Fielddrive facial recognition check-in · checked 2026-11-09
- Fielddrive lead retrieval · checked 2026-11-09
- Fielddrive Entry (session and access tracking) · checked 2026-11-09
- Fielddrive integrations · checked 2026-11-09
- Fielddrive pricing (tailored to each event, quote) · checked 2026-11-09
- PheedLoop on-site check-in · checked 2026-11-09
- Eventleaf event check-in app · checked 2026-11-09
- Whova paperless check-in · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D help: onsite check-in · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D help: open booth sales · checked 2026-11-09
- Map D pricing · checked 2026-11-09