Two established approaches to trade show floor plans — a focused, self-service interactive floor plan platform versus a long-standing exposition management suite with roots in CAD-based floor plan design.
Free
plan available
7-day
full-featured trial
$149/mo
published DIY pricing from
No app
needed for web wayfinding
EXPOCAD, developed by A.C.T. Inc., is one of the longest-standing names in exposition floor plan management, with more than 30 years in the industry. Historically known for CAD-based floor plan design, the company today offers its 3e by EXPOCAD cloud platform covering floor plan design and management, online booth and sponsorship sales, exhibitor contract workflows, real-time analytics, and attendee engagement tools such as interactive exhibitor directories and its MARKETPLACE online floor plan viewer. EXPOCAD serves show organizers, general service contractors, and venues, and is a well-established choice among traditional exposition producers.
ExpoFP is a focused, floor-plan-first platform. Organizers build or import an interactive floor plan, manage booth inventory and availability in real time, take booth reservations and online booth purchases, publish exhibitor profiles and listings, embed the live map on any website, and give attendees browser-based wayfinding that works on any device with no app download. Setup is self-service, pricing is published on the website, and there is a free plan and a 7-day full-featured trial.
This page is for teams comparing ExpoFP vs EXPOCAD, looking for an EXPOCAD alternative, or deciding between a focused interactive floor plan platform and a broader exposition management suite for their next trade show floor plan, booth sales workflow, or event wayfinding project.
This is a scope-versus-focus decision.
You want a modern, self-service interactive floor plan you can build, publish, and embed yourself — with booth inventory, reservations, online booth purchases, exhibitor listings, and browser-based attendee wayfinding in one focused tool. Transparent published pricing, a free plan, and a 7-day trial make it easy to evaluate without a sales cycle. It fits organizers who want the floor plan itself to be the center of booth sales and attendee navigation.
You are a show organizer, general service contractor, or venue running large expositions and you want a long-established vendor whose broader workflow covers floor plan design, exhibit contracts, sponsorship sales, and financial tracking — potentially with hands-on services such as onsite space selection and rebooking. If you value a service-supported relationship with a legacy industry vendor over self-service setup, EXPOCAD is a credible option.
The table uses cautious wording where EXPOCAD capabilities are advertised publicly but the exact behavior should be confirmed with the vendor.
| Feature | ExpoFP | EXPOCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive event floor plans | Core product focusInteractive maps built for web publishing and embedding | AvailableOnline interactive floor plans via the MARKETPLACE viewer within the 3e platform |
| Floor plan editing | Browser-based editor; build from scratch or import an existing plan yourself | Cloud-based design tools with a non-CAD interface, rooted in the company's CAD heritageTypical workflow should be confirmed |
| Booth management | Map-first booth inventory: statuses, holds, and availability managed directly on the plan | AvailableCombine, divide, rent, and hold booths within the broader sales workflow |
| Booth reservations | Built-in reservation flowTied to live booth inventory on the map | Available in broader workflowExhibitors can choose booths or confirm pre-assigned spaces via the contract module |
| Booth purchases online | Available on paid plansSubscription + Payments from $269/mo for up to 100 booths | Online contract and sales tools are advertisedPayment flow details should be confirmed with the vendor |
| Real-time booth availability | Live availability shown on the public floor plan | AdvertisedOrganizers monitor real-time availability; public-facing behavior should be confirmed |
| Exhibitor profiles / listings | Built-in exhibitor profiles with logos, descriptions, and categories | AvailableInteractive exhibitor and product directories and an exhibitor portal |
| Search by booth, company, or category | YesAttendee search across booths, companies, and categories | AdvertisedSearchable floor plan and directories; scope should be confirmed |
| Attendee wayfinding | Browser-based wayfinding with directions between booths; no app required | Advertised as a user-friendly wayfinding system, including a mobile app solutionSpecifics should be confirmed |
| Mobile / browser experience | Web-first; works in any mobile or desktop browser without an install | Auto-responsive online viewer plus a mobile app componentExact experience should be confirmed |
| Multi-floor / multi-building support | SupportedMultiple buildings and levels in one event map | Not clearly documented publicly; should be confirmed with the vendor |
| Website embedding | Embed the live floor plan and exhibitor list on any website | Online floor plans are shareableEmbedding options should be confirmed |
| Self-service setup | YesSign up, build, and publish without a sales process | Appears sales- and service-ledOnboarding path should be confirmed |
| Lead retrieval / capture | Lead capture available for exhibitors on the floor plan | Attendee engagement and analytics tools are advertisedLead retrieval specifics should be confirmed |
| Public pricing | PublishedFree plan, 7-day trial, DIY pricing from $149/mo | Not published publicly; quote-based, contact the vendor |
| Product scope | Focused floor-plan-first platform: maps, booth sales, exhibitor discovery, wayfinding, reporting | Broader exposition management suite: floor plans, contracts, sponsorships, financials, engagement, plus services |
| Best fit | Organizers who want a modern interactive floor plan at the center of booth sales and navigation | Organizers and contractors who want an established, full-workflow expo suite with vendor services |
| Ideal buyer | Self-service teams of any size, from single shows to large multi-event portfolios | Traditional exposition producers, GSCs, and venues comfortable with a sales-led engagement |
Build an interactive floor plan, open booth sales, and give attendees browser-based navigation — all from one focused platform you can set up yourself.
EXPOCAD is a respected, long-established suite, and its 3e platform has modernized much of its workflow. Teams that choose ExpoFP instead usually want a lighter, browser-first tool they can run themselves, with the floor plan — not the back office — as the product's center of gravity.
If your organization runs large, complex expositions and wants a single long-standing vendor to handle floor plan design, exhibit contracts, sponsorship sales, financial tracking, and attendee engagement — with optional hands-on services like onsite space selection and rebooking — EXPOCAD's broader suite and 30-plus years of industry experience may serve you better than a focused floor plan tool. Teams with existing EXPOCAD relationships, or those who prefer a service-supported deployment over self-service setup, have good reasons to stay in that ecosystem.
The choice is scope versus focus.
EXPOCAD packages floor planning inside a full exposition management workflow — contracts, sponsorships, financials, services — which is valuable if you want one vendor for everything and are comfortable with a sales-led, service-supported engagement. The floor plan is one component of a larger system.
ExpoFP inverts that model: the interactive floor plan is the product, and booth sales, exhibitor discovery, and wayfinding are built directly on top of it. You trade suite breadth for speed, self-service control, and transparent cost — and you keep your registration, contracting, or accounting tools of choice alongside it.
Start from how your team actually works. If you have (or want) a vendor-managed exposition workflow where floor planning, contracting, and sponsorship sales live in one system, evaluate EXPOCAD's 3e platform on those terms and ask for a demo and quote.
If your priority is a great public-facing floor plan — one that sells booths, showcases exhibitors, and navigates attendees without an app — trial ExpoFP first, since you can test the entire workflow yourself in days.
Publish a live, embeddable floor plan with booth sales and browser-based wayfinding — free to start, no app required.
Common questions for teams comparing ExpoFP and EXPOCAD.
Yes, for the floor-plan side of the workflow. ExpoFP covers interactive floor plans, booth inventory and management, reservations, online booth purchases, exhibitor listings, and attendee wayfinding — the areas where the two products overlap most. It is not a full exposition management suite, so teams relying on EXPOCAD's contract, sponsorship, or financial modules would pair ExpoFP with other tools for those functions.
Start free, import or draw your floor plan, and publish an interactive map with booth sales and wayfinding this week.
Information on this page is based on publicly available product materials and may change over time. If you represent this product and would like us to correct or update anything, please contact us. This is ExpoFP's own comparison and reflects our perspective based on publicly available information and user-facing product research.