Two different answers to the same question: should your attendees live in an event app, or on an interactive floor plan that opens in any browser?
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Guidebook is a no-code mobile event app builder. Organizers use it to create branded iOS and Android apps (plus a web version) that bundle agendas and session tracks, speaker and exhibitor lists, push notifications, social feeds, networking, polls, gamification, registration, badging, and maps into a single attendee guide. Its maps come in two documented forms: static image maps and interactive maps that link sessions and exhibitors to specific locations, with offline access. Guidebook is widely used by universities, associations, and corporate teams — its public materials lean heavily toward campus events, orientations, and conferences — and it is a mature, well-reviewed product in the event app category.
ExpoFP approaches the event from the floor up. It is a floor-plan-first platform: you build (or have built) an interactive map of your venue, and that map becomes the working inventory of your exhibition. Booths carry status, pricing, and exhibitor data; exhibitors can reserve or purchase booths directly from the live plan; attendees search companies, categories, and booth numbers and get wayfinding directions in any mobile or desktop browser — no app download required. The floor plan embeds into your event website alongside an exhibitor list, and reporting shows organizers how the map is being used.
This page is for teams comparing ExpoFP vs Guidebook, looking for a Guidebook alternative, or deciding whether the event app or the interactive floor plan is the primary attendee experience. The two products overlap on “maps” as a word, but they are built for different jobs: Guidebook is an event app builder where maps are one feature among many; ExpoFP is an interactive floor plan platform where the map is the product — including booth sales, live booth inventory, and browser-based wayfinding.
This is a map-first versus app-first decision.
Your event revolves around a show floor: an expo, trade show, fair, or conference with an exhibit hall. You want the floor plan to sell booths, show real-time availability, power exhibitor discovery, and guide attendees from a link — no app install, published pricing, self-service setup in an afternoon.
Your priority is a branded mobile app experience: agendas, push notifications, networking, social feeds, and content guides for attendees, with maps as a supporting feature. Guidebook is a strong fit for conferences, campus events, and organizations that want a year-round branded app in the app stores.
Guidebook capabilities are based on publicly available materials as of July 2026; confirm details with Guidebook for your use case.
| Feature | ExpoFP | Guidebook |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive event floor plans | Core productHigh-detail, zoomable, live-updating floor plans | Interactive maps offered as an app featureSessions and exhibitors can be linked to locations |
| Floor plan editing | Full self-service editorDraw booths, halls, objects; free-plan access | Organizers upload map contentA comparable booth-level drawing editor is not documented and should be confirmed |
| Booth management | Booth-level inventory: numbers, sizes, prices, statuses, assigned exhibitors | Not a documented focus; exhibitor lists exist, but booth-level inventory management should be confirmed with Guidebook |
| Booth reservations | Exhibitors request or reserve booths directly on the live plan | Not documented as a product capability |
| Booth purchases online | YesOnline booth sales on paid plans (Subscription + Payments from $269/mo for up to 100 booths) | Not documented; Guidebook's paid commerce centers on event ticketing |
| Real-time booth availability | Sold / reserved / available status updates live on the public map | Not documented |
| Exhibitor profiles / listings | Exhibitor directory tied to booths: logos, descriptions, categories, links | Exhibitor and sponsor lists in-app; a Collaborate Portal lets exhibitors complete their own profiles |
| Search by booth, company, or category | YesInstant search across booths, companies, and categories on the map | In-app search of guide contentBooth-number-level map search should be confirmed |
| Attendee wayfinding | Turn-by-turn directions to any booth or point on the floor plan | Interactive maps show linked locations; offline access documentedNavigation depth should be confirmed |
| Mobile / browser experience | Browser-firstWorks instantly on any device via a link; no download | App-firstNative iOS/Android apps plus a web version of the guide |
| Multi-floor / multi-building support | YesMultiple levels, halls, and buildings in one plan | Multiple maps can be included in a guideMulti-building navigation depth should be confirmed |
| Website embedding | Floor plan and exhibitor list embed directly into your event website | Event marketing websites and a web app versionEmbedding an interactive map into your own site should be confirmed |
| Self-service setup | YesSign up, build, and publish without sales calls | No-code builder is self-serviceCurrent plans are sold through a custom quote process |
| Lead retrieval / capture | Exhibitor leads via floor plan interactions and profile links | Contact forms on list items for exhibitor/sponsor lead capture; badge QR scanning features |
| Public pricing | YesFree plan, and published pricing from $149/mo for DIY | Plan tiers are publishedCurrent pricing requires a custom quote |
| Product scope | Focused: floor plans, booth sales, exhibitor discovery, wayfinding | Broad event app: agenda, engagement, registration, badges, content, maps |
| Best fit | Expos, trade shows, and any event where the floor plan drives revenue | Conferences, campus and association events centered on a mobile guide |
| Ideal buyer | Organizers who sell booth space and want a self-service, map-first tool | Teams that want a branded attendee app with broad engagement features |
Teams that run exhibitions usually discover the difference the first time an exhibitor asks, “which booths are still open?” An event app can display a map; it is not built to sell one. Organizers choose ExpoFP when the floor plan needs to do commercial work:
If your event is not about selling booth space — a university orientation, an association conference, an internal company event, a program where the agenda, networking, and push communication matter more than the show floor — Guidebook's breadth is a genuine advantage. A branded app in the app stores, offline content, social feeds, polls, gamification, registration, and badging in one package is exactly what many conference and campus teams need, and Guidebook has a long track record and strong reviews in that role. ExpoFP does not try to be that app.
The decision is less “which product is better” and more “which experience is primary.” Guidebook is app-first: the attendee downloads (or opens on the web) a guide, and everything — schedule, speakers, feed, maps — lives inside it. That model rewards events where attendees engage repeatedly over days and where the organizer wants a persistent branded channel. Its cost is friction at the map: the map is a feature inside an app, not a commercial system with booth inventory, pricing, and sales behind it.
ExpoFP is map-first: the floor plan is the front door. It carries the booth inventory, the exhibitor directory, the wayfinding, and the revenue mechanics, and it reaches attendees through the lowest-friction channel there is — a browser link. Its cost is scope: ExpoFP deliberately does not ship social feeds, push notifications, or session gamification. If your event's economics run through the show floor, map-first usually wins; if they run through content and community, app-first usually wins.
This is an adjacent comparison, not a head-on one — and in practice the two products can coexist. Plenty of exhibitions run a mobile event app for agenda and engagement while using ExpoFP as the floor plan and booth-sales layer. Because ExpoFP is browser-based and embeddable, it slots into an app-first stack without a rebuild.
If you are already committed to an event app (Guidebook or otherwise), the question becomes whether its built-in map does the commercial work your show floor needs. A workable combined setup looks like this:
No app install, published pricing, and self-service setup — with booth-level detail across multi-floor venues.
Common questions for teams comparing ExpoFP and Guidebook.
For the map, exhibitor discovery, and booth-sales side of an event — yes. ExpoFP replaces static or app-embedded maps with a live, browser-based floor plan that also manages booth inventory and sales. It is not a replacement for Guidebook's full event app feature set (push notifications, social feeds, registration, badging), so whether it is a full alternative depends on which capabilities your event actually relies on.
Start free and publish a live floor plan that carries your booth inventory, exhibitor directory, and wayfinding.
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.