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
- Calendars / channels that group an organiser'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
A real shared photo wall
Every event ships a full media wall — photo and video uploads, captions, comments and reactions, real-time updates, and an optional public-wall mode with explicit consent. It's a first-class part of every event, not an afterthought. Luma doesn't offer an equivalent today.
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 behavioural tracking, and the media-wall consent is asked every upload.
Not English-first
Cloomba's interface and the emails it sends are fully localised, and each person sees them in the language they picked, not the one you organise in. See Language and locale settings. Luma's localisation is improving but English-first.
Off-platform payment
Cloomba supports Stripe or an off-platform payment mode (bank transfer, PayPal, cash) where Cloomba stores no money. Useful for organisers 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 optimisation, 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 it, Cloomba is just launching.
- You need a paid tier with extras like custom domains or detailed analytics. Luma Plus offers these; Cloomba has no paid tier at launch — every organiser gets the same full feature set.
- 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 | Similar (5% on US, varying internationally) |
| Subscription | None | Luma Plus available (extras like custom domain) |
The Cloomba 5% is deducted from the organiser's Stripe payout. See Pricing & Fees.
Honest bottom line
If you're an EU-based community organiser, especially in CEE, and you care about where attendee data lives — Cloomba is the better fit. The shared photo wall after the event is a genuine reason on its own. If you need a mature platform with a large existing audience, Luma is still the right answer. We're catching up; you don't have to wait if you can't.