- Originally published: December 18, 2023
- Last updated: October 10, 2025
Envoy may have started as a simple visitor sign-in tool, but it’s grown into a full workplace management platform. Now, it lets you book desks and meeting rooms, see who’s in the office, manage deliveries, and keep your space safe and secure.
It’s packed with useful features, but it’s also one of the more expensive options out there. If you’re looking for something more budget-friendly or better suited to your needs, there are quite a few top Envoy alternatives to consider. This guide has been carefully researched and updated for 2025 to help you find the right one.
💡 TL;DR
Archie is the best Envoy alternative for mid-sized and large offices — it’s powerful, reasonably-priced, and simple to use. Instead of charging per employee like Envoy does, Archie charges based on how many desks or rooms you need to manage. That means it’s more affordable, especially for bigger teams or offices where people come in on different days. Plus, you get all the key features like desk and meeting room booking, visitor check-in, and interactive floor plans for a lot less.
Guide to the best Envoy alternatives
Why look for an Envoy alternative?
Envoy’s biggest strengths are its polished visitor experience and clean, easy-to-use apps. It ties neatly into tools many teams already use (think Outlook/Google, Slack/Teams, access control), and offers strong security and compliance features like blocklists, NDAs, and real-time presence. Interactive maps, occupancy insights, auto-release for no-shows, mailroom handling, and emergency alerts round it out for busy, multi-site offices.
At the same time, it’s not the best fit for every workplace. The two biggest reasons teams look elsewhere are cost and flexibility:
Pricing that scales with headcount
Here’s a breakdown of Envoy pricing plans (charged per month but billed annually:
- Envoy Workplace:
- Starts at $3 per user/month but doesn’t include desk & room booking.
- Plans with desk & room booking: from $5 per user/month.
- Envoy Visitors:
- Free Plan: Basic functionality, limited features like workplace analytics and visitor photos.
- Basic Plan: $109 per location/month; lacks advanced features like branding and analytics.
- Complete Plan: $329 per location/month; includes full visitor management tools.
- Enterprise Plans: Custom pricing for companies with advanced security, compliance, or complex requirements.
As you can see, Envoy Workplace is priced per active user. This means that costs rise as your employee count grows, even if people share seats. For hybrid teams, this can add up fast. Some Envoy alternatives, like Archie, use a different approach — they charge based on the number of desks or rooms you own, not how many employees you have. This often works out much better for larger companies.
💡 Quick example: Booking 100 desks for 300 employees is about $350 per month with Archie’s per-resource pricing. With Envoy’s per-user model, the same setup lands closer to $1,500 to $2,100 per month once you add features like emergency alerts. Archie still gives you great tools like interactive floor plans, multiple desk booking options, employee search, and workplace usage reports — all at a much lower price.
Envoy Visitors, on the other hand, is billed per location, and many useful items sit in higher tiers. Which brings us to the next point:
Key features often live behind higher tiers
Popular capabilities such as guest Wi-Fi, door access control, emergency notifications, and scheduled reports are not always included on lower plans. To unlock them, you typically need to upgrade or agree to custom pricing.
Booking limits that might affect day-to-day use
Envoy can remember your last desk and lets you select multiple dates, but it does not offer true rule-based recurring bookings like “every Tuesday.” There is also no simple, native setting for room buffer time. Most teams handle padding in their calendar instead.
Hardware and setup considerations
The visitor management app runs on iPad only, which limits hardware choice. Larger rollouts can require careful configuration and third-party connections, so setup may take longer than expected. Some users also mention occasional hiccups such as slow mobile updates or badge printer issues.
So, if you’re looking for something more affordable, easier to set up, or a bit more straightforward to use, consider some of the best Envoy alternatives.
Top 5 Envoy alternatives compared
- Archie: Best Envoy alternative for affordable, scalable hybrid workspace management
- Skedda: Envoy alternative for custom booking workflows
- Tactic: Envoy alternative for organizing hybrid team schedules
- Officely: Envoy alternative that works within Slack or Microsoft Teams
- Kadence: Envoy alternative for AI-assisted resource booking
Software | Desk & room booking | Pricing model | Visitor management |
|---|---|---|---|
Envoy | Hot-desking and conference room booking options | Per user (Workplace ~$5/user/mo for desk and room scheduling features) | A robust visitor sign-in system, priced separately (from $109/mo per location for a basic feature set) |
Archie | Multiple desk & room booking options | Per resource (from $2.8 per desk and $8 per room a month, minimum $159/mo) | An advanced visitor management system, priced separately (from $109/mo per location) |
Skedda | Desk and room bookings with custom rules | Per resource (from $99/mo for 15 bookable spaces) | Add-on module (from $99/mo) |
Tactic | Simple desk and meeting room reservations | Per resource ($3/desk + $6/room per month) | Add-on module (from $99/location per month) |
Officely | Booking desks and rooms within Slack/Teams | Per user (free up to 10 users, then ~$2.5/user/mo) | No dedicated visitor module (focused on workspace booking) |
Kadence | Desk & room booking with smart suggestions | Per active user (from $4/user/mo in a standard plan) | Basic visitor sign-in features included |
#1 Archie
Archie is the best Envoy alternative, known for being both reasonably priced and easy to grow with. It offers similar core features with per-resource pricing, recurring bookings, native room buffers, and a visitor management app that runs on Android or iPad. For many mid-size and large offices, Archie delivers better value and fewer surprises.
🔑 Key features
- Room and desk booking: Easily reserve desks, book meeting rooms, and set up recurring bookings. You can also assign permanent desks to specific employees.
- Interactive floor plans: View office maps and book your preferred desk or room with a single click.
- Employee lookup: Quickly find where team members are sitting or check if they’re in the office.
- Neighborhood zoning: Create dedicated team zones to encourage collaboration while keeping the workspace flexible.
- Visitor management: Touchless check-ins with QR codes and detailed visitor records.
- Mobile access: Book and manage reservations anytime through a free mobile app, with optional branding available for an extra cost.
- Occupancy analytics: Get insights on desk and room usage to optimize layouts and reduce wasted space.
- Integrations: Works seamlessly with office tools like Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and door access systems.
🔎 Pros & cons
➕ Easy to use: The app is designed to be user-friendly, so most people can figure it out quickly without much help. Customer support is also known to be super helpful during setup.
➕ Reasonably priced: Since you only pay for the spaces you manage (not every employee), it’s much more cost-effective if you have a big team using a limited number of desks or rooms. Even though it’s more affordable than Envoy, Archie still offers all the key things hybrid offices need.
➖ Better for larger teams: Archie’s base plan starts at $159 per month. If you only need a few desks or rooms, it may feel like you’re paying for more than you use.
💳 Pricing
Archie starts at $2.8 per desk and $8 per room a month (minimum $159/month). Similar to Envoy, visitor management features are priced separately and start from $109/month. Here’s more on Archie vs Envoy →
#2 Skedda
Skedda is a simple, user-friendly Envoy alternative for space management. Whether you need to book desks, meeting rooms, or other shared spaces like parking spots or studios, Skedda makes it simple. It’s a solid choice for teams that want an easy way to manage reservations and set clear rules, like time limits or cancellation policies, without a complex setup.
🔑 Key features
- Desk & room booking: A drag-and-drop interface to reserve desks or meeting rooms with real-time availability quickly.
- Interactive floor plans: Customizable maps show the office layout, helping employees pick their preferred spot easily.
- Custom booking rules: Time limits, cancellation policies, and user permissions to manage resources efficiently.
- Neighborhood zones: Group desks into team zones for better collaboration while keeping flexibility.
- Visitor sign-in: There’s a visitor management add-on available if you need basic visitor check-in capabilities.
- Third-party integrations: Skedda integrates with tools like Slack and Google Workspace for notifications and calendar synchronization.
🔎 Pros & cons
➕ Easy to use: The intuitive design makes it simple for employees to start using without much training.
➕ Flexible booking rules: Admins can set up booking rules to fit exactly how your office works. For example, you can limit how far in advance people can book or how long they can reserve a space. Skedda is flexible enough to manage other shared spaces too, like parking spots or event areas.
➖ Basic reporting: Skedda gives you some simple booking stats, but if you’re looking for in-depth reports or detailed space usage data, it doesn’t go as deep as some other tools like Envoy or Archie.
💳 Pricing
Starts at $99/month for up to 15 spaces, with advanced plans available for larger needs. The visitor management module is an add-on and costs $99 per month. You can also try it for free to see if it’s the right fit for your team.
#3 Tactic
Tactic is an easy-to-use platform that helps hybrid teams organize their schedules and manage office space. It works well with office apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams, so you can book a desk or room without needing to switch tools.
🔑 Key features
- Meeting room & desk reservations: Book meeting spaces and hot desks easily to avoid scheduling conflicts.
- Desk zones: Group desks by floors or departments so teams can sit together in specific areas.
- Seating assignments: Assign desks temporarily or permanently to fit individual needs.
- Future booking limits: Control how far in advance desks can be booked to ensure fair access.
- Visitor logs: The visitor module lets you log visitors and send host notifications.
🔎 Pros & cons
➕ Simple and intuitive: The layout is clean and simple, so most people can figure it out without any training. It’s quick to get started and easy to make desk and room reservations.
➕ Flexible management: Tactic gives admins plenty of control over how booking works — like setting time limits, assigning desks, or managing who can book what. And setup doesn’t take long compared to more complex systems.
➖ Minor technical issues: A few users have mentioned little glitches now and then — like trouble logging in the first time or the Slack bot not always behaving perfectly.
💳 Pricing
Pricing starts at $3 per desk per month, with additional costs for room scheduling at $6 per room per month and visitor management at $99 per location per month. You can take advantage of a free trial.
#4 Officely
Officely is an Envoy alternative that works right inside Slack and Microsoft Teams. Since it runs directly in apps your team already uses, there’s no need to download or learn a new tool. Booking a desk or marking yourself as “in office” is as quick as sending a message.
🔑 Key features
- Slack-integrated bookings: Quickly reserve meeting rooms and desks directly in Slack.
- Resource management: Easily book desks, parking spaces, bike racks, and pet-friendly areas.
- Office visibility: See who’s coming to the office to better plan and coordinate hybrid team schedules.
- Event planning: Officely simplifies organizing office events, team lunches, and gatherings.
- Space usage insights: Track attendance and see how office spaces are being used.
🔎 Pros & cons
➕ Seamless integration with communication apps: If your team already uses Slack or Teams, Officely fits in perfectly. It feels like just another handy feature in your chat, so people are more likely to actually use it.
➕ Easy to set up and use: It doesn’t take long to get going. Admins can quickly set up office locations, desk limits, and other basic settings.
➕ Good for small teams: There’s a free version for teams with up to 10 users, and even the paid version is pretty affordable, which is perfect for startups or smaller offices.
➖ Slack reliance: Some features, like room booking, only work in Slack. If your team doesn’t use it (or simply prefers a standalone app), it might not be the best fit. There is a web dashboard for admins, but regular users are expected to use it through Slack.
➖ No visitor management features: Officely doesn’t handle visitor sign-ins. So if you need a system for welcoming and logging guests, you’ll need to use a separate tool for that.
💳 Pricing
Starts at $2.49 per user per month and is free for teams with up to 10 users. There’s no visitor management module, though. You can explore all the features with a free trial.
#5 Kadence
Kadence is an easy-to-use Envoy alternative that helps hybrid teams efficiently manage office spaces. It’s not as complex or pricey as big enterprise tools, but it still packs in more features than some simpler options. People also love that it’s easy to use and backed by great customer support.
🔑 Key features
- Desk & room booking: Reserve desks and meeting rooms with just a few clicks.
- Interactive maps: Color-coded office maps make finding available desks and popular spots easy.
- AI-assisted booking: Smart AI features help you book multiple desks and handle changes in reservations.
- Real-time alerts: Employees get notified when teammates cancel bookings or when preferred desks become available.
- Mobile access: Book desks and rooms on the go with the user-friendly mobile app.
- Basic visitor management: Kadence includes basic visitor management capabilities in its suite.
🔎 Pros & cons
➕ Easy to use: The design is clean and modern, so it’s easy for employees to find their way around — whether they’re booking a desk or checking who’s coming in.
➕ Excellent support: Many users say the customer support is fast and helpful, which is a big bonus when you’re rolling out a new system.
➖ Pricing depends on usage: Kadence charges based on active users. That works well if only some people use the office regularly — but if almost everyone comes in often, the cost can end up similar to other tools that charge per user.
💳 Pricing
Starts at $4 per active user per month, with visitor management features included. Custom pricing options for larger enterprises are available.
What’s the best Envoy alternative?
If you’re looking for a more affordable, all-in-one alternative to Envoy, Archie is a top pick — especially for hybrid offices and coworking spaces. While Envoy is packed with features (and a higher price tag to match), Archie offers similar core capabilities with more predictable per-resource pricing.
Archie covers everything you need in one platform: desk booking, meeting room scheduling, visitor check-in, interactive floor plans, and even analytics. Unlike Envoy’s per-user pricing, Archie charges by resources (like desks and rooms), so you don’t pay more just because your team is growing. That makes a big difference for hybrid teams where not everyone is in the office every day.
It’s easy to use, integrates with your calendars, and helps everyone stay on the same page — whether they’re booking a desk, welcoming a visitor, or scheduling a meeting room.
It might sound stressful to migrate to new software — but with Archie, it’s not. Our team can take care of the whole process, so you don’t have to worry about anything at all.
Berenika Teter
Archie's Content Manager, fueled by filter coffee and a love for remote work. When she’s not writing about coworking spaces and hybrid workplaces, you can probably find her exploring one.
