PragmaPlanner vs pretalx

PragmaPlanner is web-based event-organisation software for building multi-track schedules for conferences, interview days and summits. Its solver searches scheduling combinations while considering attendee satisfaction and organiser constraints. You can assign speakers, record participant preferences, set room capacities and blocked times, and lock rooms or time slots. The software flags speaker overlaps, capacity problems and invalid placements. Attendee records can include descriptions, email addresses, availability and preferences, with assignments tracked in the project. CSV and ICS support data exchange, while customizable PDF exports create agendas. ICS import and export work with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook and other digital calendar systems. Roomless sessions can run concurrently without room collisions, and hybrid schedules can combine physical and Roomless sessions. Projects are encrypted on the user's device before syncing or sharing, using AES-256-GCM, ECIES-based key exchange and HKDF-SHA-256. The maker says its servers cannot see schedules or participant data. The free plan costs nothing for up to 30 participants and 50 projects. Pro costs what you agree with the maker, billed plus taxes, with higher limits and priority support.

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.