Luma vs Saraos

What is Luma?

Luma (lu.ma) is an event management platform that gained popularity during the pandemic for its sleek design and focus on online events. It's become a go-to for tech events, conferences, and creator-led gatherings. Luma is primarily an event tool, not a community platform.

Why organizers choose Saraos over Luma

Built for tech communities

Luma is a polished event tool that works for any kind of gathering—creator meetups, dinner parties, conferences. Saraos is purpose-built for tech communities. Call for papers with speaker submissions and review workflows. Pronoun support for attendees and speakers. Codes of conduct as a first-class community feature. These aren't add-ons—they're core to how the platform works, because they're core to how tech communities work.

Pricing

Luma is free for free events—and since most tech community events don't charge admission, many organizers pay nothing. For paid events, Luma takes a 5% platform fee (on top of Stripe's fees), which you can remove with Luma Plus at $59/month (billed annually). Saraos takes a different approach: €99/year per community, unlimited everything, no per-event fees, and a 6-month free trial with no credit card.

Community-first, not event-first

Luma has "Calendars" that act as a public event listing, but it's fundamentally event-centric. Saraos is built around communities: your community gets its own homepage, member directory, and ongoing relationship with attendees—not just a calendar of events. No ads, no suggested events from other organizers, no distractions.

Email communications

Both platforms offer email communications. Luma provides blasts, newsletters, and automated reminders via email, SMS, push notifications, and WhatsApp—though invites and newsletters are capped at 500/week on the free plan (5,000/week on Plus). Saraos includes email communications to event attendees and community followers with no weekly send limits.

When Luma might be the better choice

If you run one-off paid events and don't need ongoing community management, Luma's free tier is hard to beat. Its event pages are beautifully designed, and the registration experience is one of the best in the market. For conferences or standalone events, Luma is an excellent tool.