Callboard vs OpenSession
Callboard
callboardhq.com
OpenSession
opensession.devSide by side
| Figure | Callboard | OpenSession |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Speaker Management Software | 8.5 (#7) | 8.3 (#9) |
| License | The project is open source under the MIT license. | The repository publishes the software under the MIT license. |
| Purpose | Callboard manages event proposals, reviews, speaker onboarding, agenda planning, and publishing the public schedule. | OpenSession is an open-source platform for conference organizers to manage calls for papers, abstract review, agenda scheduling, and speaker onboarding. |
| Review | Reviewers get assigned-only workspaces, weighted scoring across two rounds, and organizers can see aggregate scores and outstanding reviews. | Reviewers can vote on submissions, leave comments, and see aggregate scores without admin access. |
| Speaker portal | Accepted speakers can edit session details, upload headshots and materials, complete tasks, and access event resources through a portal. | Accepted speakers receive a separate portal for submissions, profiles, tasks, and materials. |
Plans
In their own words
Callboard
Callboard is an open-source system for managing event proposals and the work from submission through schedule publication. Organizers can build CFP forms with conditional questions, shared character limits, participant rules and close dates, then route proposals to tracks. Reviewers see their assigned submissions, while organizers can apply weighted scores in two rounds. Accepted speakers use a portal to update session details, upload headshots and materials, finish tasks and read event resources.
For planning, organizers place sessions in rooms and time slots and use a conflict view to spot overlaps. Published schedules can be embedded and provide ordered speaker and co-speaker names, calendar invites, CSV exports and API access. Documented integrations include Accelevents CSV export, optional API push, an Airtable mirror and signed webhooks, with optional Svix delivery. AI abstract triage offers an advisory score and recommendation; it cannot write committee reviews or change submission status. The main application is described as one Cloudflare Worker using D1 and R2. Callboard is self-hosted under the MIT license, at free.
OpenSession
OpenSession is a free, MIT-licensed platform for managing conference programs from proposal intake through speaker onboarding and agenda publication. Organizers create call-for-papers forms with MDX, conditional logic, multiple speakers, and file uploads; each speaker may submit up to three talks per event. Reviewers can vote, comment, and view aggregate scores without administrator access. The agenda builder assigns accepted sessions to rooms and time slots while flagging room and speaker conflicts. Schedule changes automatically update RFC 5545 ICS invitations. Accepted speakers receive a self-service portal for profiles, submissions, onboarding tasks, and files. Organizers can publish embeddable agendas and speaker galleries, plus JSON and ICS feeds. The software can be self-hosted on Cloudflare Workers, using D1 for its database and R2 for files. The listed plan is free, billed free forever. Cloudflare’s listed free-tier limits are 100,000 requests daily, 5 GB of D1 storage, and 10 GB of R2 storage. It does not cover CRM, marketing pages, or payment processing.