Design a seating chart — then actually sell the seats.
Two tools for two different jobs: arranging guests vs selling seats. Social Tables (now Cvent Event Diagramming) arranges guests you already know at tables. SeatLayer lets venues and organizers design a chart and sell reserved seats from it — live inventory, an embeddable buyer picker, usage-based pricing.
Different jobs — not a like-for-like replacement.
Social Tables is a collaborative guest-diagramming and banquet-seating tool, and that's genuinely its strength: planners and venues lay out rooms, arrange named guests at tables, and walk clients through the space. SeatLayer is a reserved-seat selling layer. We do not do guest-list-to-table assignment; Social Tables does not do buyer-facing seat sales. If your job is arranging people you already know, Social Tables is built for exactly that. If your job is selling reserved seats to a public audience, that's what SeatLayer is for.
Pick the tool that matches your actual job.
The fastest way to decide is to name the job in front of you: are you arranging guests you already have, or selling seats to people you don't yet know?
Arranging guests you already know.
If the room is booked and you're placing named people, Social Tables (Cvent Event Diagramming) is built for it.
- Banquet and gala guest assignment — seat named guests at specific tables from a guest list.
- Meal and catering management tied to each guest and table.
- Photo-realistic 3D walkthroughs to preview and present the room to clients.
- Collaborative planning between a planner and the venue on a shared diagram.
Selling reserved seats to buyers.
If you need people to buy specific seats — and the inventory has to stay honest while they do — that's SeatLayer.
- A venue Designer to build the chart: 10 tools, 50 templates and automatic level-of-detail for large venues.
- Live per-seat inventory and holds over WebSocket — one serialization point per event, no double-sells.
- An embeddable buyer picker on your own site — under 150 KB, as JS, React or a zero-code iframe.
- Usage-based pricing: pay only for seats you actually sell, free to design.
Where each tool actually stands.
Only shipped capabilities, dated and attributable. Where a tool doesn't offer something, the cell says so — including ours.
| Capability | SeatLayer | Social Tables (Cvent Event Diagramming) |
|---|---|---|
| Sell reserved seats to end buyers | ✓ embeddable buyer picker + live inventory | Not offered — planning & diagramming |
| Live per-seat inventory & holds | ✓ WebSocket, one serialization point per event | Not offered |
| Embeddable widget on your own site | ✓ <150KB JS/React/iframe | Not documented |
| Pricing model | Usage credits — pay only for sold seats | Tiered $49–$320/mo, 12-month commitment; Enterprise by quote |
| Venue / seating-chart designer | ✓ 10 tools, 50 templates, automatic level-of-detail | ✓ event diagramming |
| Guest-to-table assignment from a guest list | Not offered | ✓ core strength |
| Meal / catering management | Not offered | ✓ |
| 3D | ✓ stacked 3D multi-floor decks (not photo-realistic walkthroughs) | ✓ photo-realistic 3D floor plans |
| Free tier | ✓ free to design forever + 100 free sold seats/mo | ✓ 1 user, 3 events, 2 diagrams |
Claims dated 19 July 2026. SeatLayer cells reflect shipped functionality. Social Tables details are from socialtables.com and public sources — check their pages for current figures.
Pay for seats you sell — or a monthly subscription.
The pricing models reflect the two jobs. SeatLayer bills on usage because it exists to sell seats; Social Tables bills a monthly subscription because it exists to plan events. Here's each, side by side.
Usage credits
- 1 credit = 1 sold seat — you only pay when a seat actually sells.
- Packs from 8¢ down to 5¢ per sold seat at volume.
- 100 free sold seats every month; credits never expire.
- Free to design — building charts, holds and blocks cost nothing.
- No monthly plans and no annual commitment to hit a rate.
Tiered monthly subscription
- Free tier: 1 user, 3 events, 2 diagrams.
- Paid tiers listed at $49, $150 and $320 per month.
- 12-month commitment on paid tiers.
- Enterprise tier priced by quote.
- Billed as a subscription regardless of seats sold — it isn't a seat-selling tool.
From socialtables.com/pricing, July 2026 — check their page for current figures.
What happened to Social Tables?
If you're comparing tools, it helps to know the history — the name you search for and the product you'd sign up for aren't quite the same label anymore.
In short: Social Tables and Cvent Event Diagramming are the same tool. When you evaluate one, you're evaluating the other. Have a specific setup to compare?
Rounds, galas, theatres and bowls — open straight into the Designer.
If banquet rounds are your world, SeatLayer has them too — the difference is you can then sell reserved seats from the chart, not just arrange it.
Social Tables vs SeatLayer, answered.
Does Social Tables sell tickets or seats to buyers?
No. Social Tables (now Cvent Event Diagramming) is for arranging guests you already know — seating named people at tables for banquets, galas and receptions. Actually selling reserved seats to end buyers needs a ticketing or seat-selling layer such as SeatLayer.
Is Social Tables the same as Cvent Event Diagramming?
Yes. Social Tables was founded in 2011 and acquired by Cvent in October 2018. The product is now offered as Cvent Event Diagramming, so the two names refer to the same underlying tool.
How much does Social Tables cost?
Social Tables publishes a free tier (1 user, 3 events, 2 diagrams) plus paid tiers listed at $49, $150 and $320 per month with a 12-month commitment, and a quote-based Enterprise tier. Figures are from socialtables.com/pricing as of July 2026 — check their page for current numbers.
What's the best Social Tables alternative for selling reserved seats?
SeatLayer, when the goal is selling reserved seats rather than arranging known guests. You design a chart, then sell from it with live per-seat inventory, an embeddable buyer picker and usage-based pricing. It's a different job from guest diagramming, not a drop-in swap.
Can I use Social Tables and SeatLayer together?
Yes, and honestly they solve different problems. Social Tables is strong for planning and assigning known guests at tables; SeatLayer is for designing a chart and selling reserved seats from it. Using one for internal guest planning and the other for public seat sales is a perfectly reasonable setup.
Design a chart and sell from it.
Start free with 100 sold seats a month, build a chart, and put a live buyer picker on your own site — then decide with the product in front of you.