Fourwaves vs Sched
Fourwaves
fourwaves.comSched
sched.coSide by side
| Figure | Fourwaves | Sched |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $83.25/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 5 | 3 |
| Spec score · Event Scheduling Software | 9.2 (#1) | 7.4 (#26) |
| Company history | Fourwaves says four PhD students in bioinformatics created the service in Canada in 2012 to simplify symposium logistics. | Sched’s site says it has been helping events since 2008. |
| Founded | 2012 | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Québec, Québec, Canada | Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Security | The privacy policy states that personal data is encrypted at rest and protected by security measures proportionate to the data's sensitivity. | Sched describes itself as SOC 2 certified and FERPA compliant, with SSL encryption across the platform. |
| Support | The pricing page lists AI, chat and email support on Starter and an onboarding call on Advanced. | The listed plans include email, chat, and phone support. |
Plans
Fourwaves
- StarterFree
- StarterFree
- Essential$999 a year
- Advanced$2,599 a year
- ProPriced on request
In their own words
Fourwaves
Fourwaves is a conference management service for academic and scientific events, covering abstract submissions, peer review, registration, event websites, programs and attendee apps. Submission forms can support calls for papers and abstracts, and organizers can export abstract books with author indexes. Review workflows offer single- or double-blind processes, reviewer conflict detection and custom scoring grids. Its iOS and Android app includes the event program, personal agenda, participant list and presentation materials, and works offline. An API with organization-specific keys provides endpoints for event, registration, form, submission and session data. The free Starter plan costs nothing and caps yearly submissions at 25. Essential costs $999 a year with a 100-submission limit; Advanced costs $2,599 a year with a 300-submission limit. Each lists a 3% service fee. When a yearly cap is reached, new submissions pause until an upgrade, though existing submissions, registrations and event websites remain accessible. The company describes its audience as research communities, universities, scientific societies and research networks.