Why we left Meetup.com
Meetup helped us start. But after hundreds of events, we needed something it couldn't give us. So we built Meetello.
Sound familiar?
Your event outgrew your tools months ago. You're copying attendee names between spreadsheets, chasing speakers over email, tracking expenses in a Google Doc nobody trusts, and juggling three platforms that don't talk to each other. You know there has to be a better way — because we thought the same thing.
Meetup was the right tool — until it wasn't
Like many organisers, we started on Meetup.com. It was the easiest way to get a group off the ground, find like-minded people, and say "we're doing a thing — want to join?" For a long time, that was enough.
But as our events matured, things shifted. We ran larger events. We worked with speakers and sponsors. We handled venues, budgets, feedback, volunteer coordination, and new-member onboarding. Meetup didn't grow with us.
We noticed we were working around Meetup, not with it.
We started adding external ticketing tools, spreadsheets for sponsor tracking, separate call-for-proposals platforms, email tools on the side, shared docs to keep track of who does what. Individually, each was fine. Together, it felt like duct tape holding a growing operation together.
The things that became genuinely hard: ownership — our community, but not quite our data or communication. Serious event workflows — calls for papers, reviewers, schedules, sponsors — all lived outside the platform. Sustainability — communities that want to grow need funding, sponsors, and transparency. Context switching — too many tools glued together for one event.
"If we were starting today, would we still choose this setup?" The honest answer was: probably not.
Before
- Spreadsheets for budgets and sponsors
- Separate CFP tool for speaker proposals
- Email chains for speaker coordination
- Ticketing platform for registration
- Shared docs for task management
With Meetello
- Finance tracking with estimated vs actual
- Built-in call-for-proposals and review
- Speaker profiles, coordination, and messaging
- Registration, waitlists, and attendee management
- Kanban planning board with assignments
So we built what we wished we had
Meetello wasn't created to "replace Meetup." It started as an internal attempt to bring organisers, speakers, sponsors, and attendees into one place — reduce the tool sprawl, give organisers more control, and support events that grow from meetups into conferences.
That means built-in call-for-proposals and review flows, sponsor management that actually fits community events, clear roles for organisers and collaborators, a gradual path from free events to paid ones — all without losing the community-first feeling.
Curious what that looks like in practice? See the full feature set.
View featuresMeetello is for
- Organisers who care about quality and continuity
- Communities that work with speakers and sponsors
- Events that are growing — or want to grow
- People who want fewer tools, not more
Just getting started?
If casual gatherings are all you need, Meetup still works. Meetello is here when you're ready for more.
You don't have to switch overnight
Many organisers run both platforms side by side for a while. Meetello supports linking to existing Meetup events, gradual migration at your own pace, and side-by-side usage while you figure things out. No pressure. No lock-in.
If any of this sounds familiar — "this is getting harder than it should be", "I wish all of this lived in one place", "we've outgrown our current setup" — you're exactly who we built this for.
Try it with a real event
Set up your next event on Meetello and see how it feels. Free during beta — every feature, no limits.