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pretalx

pretalx.com

From €41.58/mo Free plan Open source WebLinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.8 #2 of 34 in Event Scheduling Software

What it is

pretalx manages conference calls for participation and the work that follows, including submission review, talk selection, speaker communication, scheduling, and publication. Organizers can customize call pages, set multiple deadlines, accept submissions in multiple languages, and use a chosen domain. Review teams can rate and discuss submissions, and organizers can add questions for reviewers. The schedule editor uses speaker availability and warns about conflicts; published schedules can include an RSS feed and public changelog. Organizers can use full API access or download static schedule pages for hosting elsewhere. pretalx is open-source software under the Apache License and can be installed with pip. It can be self-hosted or used as a hosted service. Self-hosted software costs nothing, but server costs and maintenance apply. Hosted service includes backups, certificates, updates, operational maintenance, and assistance; pricing is per event and varies with conference size and ticket price, with no price listed here. The hosted service says it uses servers in Germany, encrypts data in transit, and does not track attendees with cookies, analytics, or sensitive IP logging. Event-page and schedule availability is usually guaranteed for six months after an event.

Spec sheet

What it does
pretalx manages a conference from call for participation through proposal review, speaker communication, scheduling and publication.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Purpose
pretalx manages conference calls for participation, submission review, talk selection, speaker communication, scheduling, and publishing.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Intended users
pretalx describes itself as suitable for events ranging from technical conferences to music festivals.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Privacy
The hosted service says it is on servers in Germany, uses transport-layer encryption, and does not track attendees with cookies, analytics, or sensitive IP logging.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Support
The hosted pricing comparison lists email support, while self-hosted email support is shown with a support contract.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Headquarters
The provider’s listed address is Multring 51, 69469 Weinheim, Germany.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Founded
Project licensing history says pretalx has been developed openly since 2017.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Maker
pretalx is a product of rixx.de software development, by Tobias Kunze, with a listed address in Weinheim, Germany.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
API status
The REST-style API is documented but explicitly not considered stable and may change between releases.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
API versions
API documentation lists version 1 from 2025.1.0 and version 2 from 2026.2.0, with legacy API removal announced for the next release.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
API write limitation
The documented API currently provides no write capabilities.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Availability commitment
The service-level annex states an annual minimum availability of 98.5%, excluding force majeure and outside disruptions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Call for papers
Organisers can brand CFP pages, set multiple deadlines, accept multiple languages and use a custom domain.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Capacity statement
The service is designed for events with up to 10,000 proposals or 1,000 talks, with possible temporary impact during exceptional demand.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Custom calls
Organizers can customize call pages, set multiple deadlines, accept submissions in multiple languages, and use a chosen domain.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Documentation scope
Documentation includes user, administrator, API, developer, legal, release-note and support sections.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Free trial
Users can test pretalx for free and pay only when they want to make their event public.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
GDPR hosting
Hosted data is processed in the EU and stored in Germany, with pretalx acting as processor and the organiser as controller.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Hosted infrastructure
Terms state that primary servers are leased from Hetzner in Falkenstein and backups from netcup in Nuremberg.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Hosting
The hosted service includes backups, certificates, updates, operational maintenance, and assistance; self-hosting requires server costs and maintenance.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Hosting service
Hosted pretalx handles backups, certificates, monitoring, updates and server administration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Independent platform classification
AlternativeTo classifies pretalx as free and open source and lists Mac, Windows, Linux and self-hosted alternatives for it.Read 15 Oct 2026 · alternativeto.net
Independent repository metadata
SelfhostedWorld records the project as created February 24, 2017, Python-based and installable through package-manager or source methods.Read 15 Oct 2026 · selfhostedworld.com
Independent repository popularity
SelfhostedWorld displays 946 stars for the pretalx project and reports no community ratings yet.Read 15 Oct 2026 · selfhostedworld.com
Integrations and exports
The product offers full API access, and organizers can download a static export of schedule pages for hosting elsewhere.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Integrations listed independently
VentureGaps lists Mailgun, Vimeo, Mailchimp, WordPress, Mattermost, Slack, Zapier, YouTube, pretix, GitHub and Rocket.Chat integrations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · venturegaps.com
Licence
pretalx is released under AGPL version 3 with additional permission and restrictions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Licence copyleft
Modified hosted versions and tightly integrated plugins generally must publish corresponding source under the same licence, subject to the project’s additional permission.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Limit: technical setup
VentureGaps says self-hosting requires technical knowledge for setup and maintenance.Read 15 Oct 2026 · venturegaps.com
Limit: ticketing and streaming
VentureGaps says built-in ticketing and live streaming are missing and require integrations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · venturegaps.com
Maker legal entity
The imprint identifies rixx.de software development and Tobias Kunze as the product provider.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Notable news: security release
The July 7, 2026 release announced security fixes for stored XSS, rate-limit bypass, token scope errors and unsafe uploads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Open source
pretalx is open-source software published under the Apache License, and can be installed with pip.Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Plugin extensibility
Plugin documentation covers metadata, registration, signals, models, views, forms, testing, configuration, exporters, recording providers and authentication plugins.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Praise: customization
VentureGaps highlights highly customizable submission forms and review workflows as a strength.Read 15 Oct 2026 · venturegaps.com
Praise: open source
VentureGaps praises free open-source self-hosting as a way to reduce long-term cost and vendor lock-in.Read 15 Oct 2026 · venturegaps.com
Price adjustment rule
If actual attendance or ticket price differs by more than 20% in a fee-changing direction, the customer pays the difference or receives half the lower-fee difference.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Pricing limits
Hosted pricing is per event, and the usual terms guarantee schedule and event-page availability for six months after an event.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Pricing model
Hosted pricing is per event and depends on expected attendance and standard ticket price rather than a fixed subscription tier.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
PyPI release
PyPI lists pretalx 2026.2.1 as released July 8, 2026, requiring Python 3.13 or newer and using AGPL-3.0-only.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pypi.org
Rating on VentureGaps
7.0 out of 10 from 0 field reportsRead 15 Oct 2026 · venturegaps.com
Review
Organizers can assemble reviewer teams, collect ratings and reviews, and ask reviewers additional questions.Read 7 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Review workflow
Review teams can rate and review submissions, ask extra reviewer questions and use anonymous or open review.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Scheduling
The schedule editor uses speaker availability, warns about conflicts and supports public updates, RSS and static exports.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Security reporting
Vulnerabilities can be reported by email, with GPG encryption available for confidential communication.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Security support
Security support covers the current stable release only; vulnerability reports can be sent to [email protected].Read 7 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Security support window
Security fixes are provided only for the current stable release because development bandwidth is limited.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Self-hosting operations
Production setup uses Gunicorn, Celery workers, periodic tasks, HTTPS reverse-proxy configuration and systemd services.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Self-hosting requirements
Installation requires Linux administration, Python 3.13+, SMTP, cron or another scheduler, PostgreSQL 16+ or SQLite 3.37+, nginx or another reverse proxy and Redis.Read 15 Oct 2026 · docs.pretalx.org
Speaker communication
Email templates support multiple languages and messages are held in an outbox for editing before sending.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Team size
The organisation-and-funding article says pretalx was maintained by one person, Tobias Kunze, with community contributions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com

Plans and prices

Self-hosted Free no software charge; server and maintenance costs apply unlimited users and submissions · self-managed hosting Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Additional provider services €80, paid once EUR 80 per hour when ordered in writing custom provider services Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
Self-hosted support contract €499 a year EUR 499 per year 5 hours dedicated support · troubleshooting · configuration and security advice Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com
pretalx.com hosting Priced on request per event; calculated from expected attendees and standard ticket price unlimited users and submissions · up to 25% community-event discount · pay when event is made public Read 15 Oct 2026 · pretalx.com

Every pretalx plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Open-source software under the Apache License.
  • Supports multilingual submissions and multiple deadlines.
  • Schedule editor warns about speaker conflicts.
  • Static schedule pages can be hosted elsewhere.

Limits

  • Self-hosting requires server costs and maintenance.
  • Hosted pricing is per event and not listed.
  • Security support covers only the current stable release.

Who it suits

pretalx suits organizers of events ranging from technical conferences to music festivals who need submission review and schedule management. It can suit teams preferring hosted service or those able to handle self-hosting and maintenance.

Verdict

pretalx covers the conference workflow from calls for participation through published schedules, with hosted and self-hosted options. The choice turns on hosting needs and whether per-event pricing or self-hosting maintenance fits the organizer.

Where Specifiction places it

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