Cloomba vs Luma
Luma is the platform Cloomba is most often compared to — and the one we respect the most. They've built a clean, well-designed event tool. We didn't set out to copy Luma. We set out to build the European-hosted, independently-operated equivalent, with a few deliberate differences on top.
What both do well
- Clean event pages with cover, description, RSVP, waitlist
- Free events, free; paid events through Stripe Connect
- Communities (Luma: calendars) that group an organizer's events
- Mobile-friendly web; passwordless sign-in
If your needs map cleanly to "a polished, modern event tool", you'd be happy on either.
When Cloomba is the better fit
Everyone's photos, in one place
Every event ships shared photos — photo and video uploads, captions, comments and reactions, real-time updates, and an option to make them public with explicit consent. It's part of every event.
EU data, GDPR by design
Cloomba's servers run in Amsterdam (EU-West) — all event content, RSVPs, photos, and messages stay in the EU, while Luma is US-hosted. The privacy policy is short because the product collects less: no advertising profiles, no behavioral tracking, and photo consent is asked before anyone's first upload to an event.
Not English-first
Cloomba's interface and the emails it sends are fully localized, and each person sees them in the language they picked, not the one you organize in. See Language and locale settings.
Off-platform payment
Cloomba supports Stripe or an off-platform payment mode (bank transfer, PayPal, cash) where Cloomba stores no money. Useful for organizers who already have a club account, or who run free-with-donation events.
Built for developer communities
GitHub sign-in is a first-class option on Cloomba's sign-in page.
An independent product
Cloomba is run by WhiteTown s.r.o., a small Slovak company. No VC pressure, no engagement-metric optimization, no roadmap rewrites because an investor needs a growth story.
When Luma is the better fit
- You need a large existing user base for cross-event discovery. Luma has a large audience browsing events across calendars.
- You need a paid tier with extras like custom domains. Luma Plus adds these as a subscription per calendar.
- You're already running a calendar full of events on Luma and don't need to switch. Migration friction is real; Luma works fine.
Pricing snapshot
| Cloomba | Luma | |
|---|---|---|
| Free events | Free, always | Free |
| Paid events | 5% + standard payment processing | 5% + payment processing on the free plan |
| Subscription | Not required | Luma Plus, billed per calendar |
| Where ticket money goes | An account of the event's community or personal calendar, chosen per event — several in each | The Stripe account connected to the calendar |
The Cloomba 5% is deducted from the organizer's Stripe payout. See Pricing & Fees and Payment accounts.
Honest bottom line
If you're an EU-based community organizer, especially in CEE, and you care about where attendee data lives — Cloomba is the better fit. The shared photos after the event are a genuine reason on its own. If your events depend on Luma's audience, stay on Luma.