Callboard vs pretalx

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.

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.