Nori vs WhatsApp groups: A WhatsApp group is a chat. Nori is where your events and community live.
Most groups start on WhatsApp: everyone has it and chats are encrypted. But a group chat has no registration, no guest list, no member profiles and no memory, and members see each other's phone numbers. Nori gives your gatherings sign-up and check-in, and a community space where people who have met can find each other again.
Choose WhatsApp if…
- It's friends or family, not a recurring event
- Everything fits in one message thread
- Nobody should have to sign up for anything
Choose Nori if…
- You host regular events and want to know who comes
- New people should find you and see what you are about
- Members should find each other again, across groups and cities
- Phone numbers should stay private
Feature by feature
| Feature | Nori | |
|---|---|---|
| Event pages and registration | ✓ Email sign-up without a password, ticket on the phone | ✗ Messages and polls, no registration |
| Recurring series | ✓ Each date of a series gets its own page and guest list | ✗ No events or series |
| Check-in at the door | ✓ One scan at the door; helpers get a door role, not admin rights | ✗ No guest list or check-in |
| A community between events | ✓ Discussions, Suche & Biete, member events, groups, wiki, DMs | ± Chats, with Communities linking several groups |
| Verified members | ✓ Members are verified by checking in at a real event | ✗ Anyone with the link can join |
| Local chapters | ✓ Chapter leads run their city; one calendar and member base | ± Communities group chats, without chapter roles |
| Phone numbers | ✓ Members never see each other's phone numbers | ± Numbers are visible in group chats |
| Encryption | ✓ Private member spaces and messages are end-to-end encrypted | ✓ End-to-end encrypted chats |
WhatsApp is a great messenger. When your group meets regularly and should grow into a community, it needs more than a chat thread.