Airballoon vs HotCRP

Airballoon8.2Visit HotCRP7.6Visit

Higher score Airballoon #3 in Call for Papers Software 8.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Airballoon

vs

HotCRP #6 in Call for Papers Software 7.6/10 Free plan · paid from $7.50 Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit HotCRP

• Airballoon fits best

  End-to-end conferences with attendee operations

• HotCRP fits best

  Technical conferences needing open-source review depth

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Side by side

Feature	Airballoon 8.2/10 Visit ↗	HotCRP 7.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.2	7.6
Ranking	#3 in Call for Papers Software	#6 in Call for Papers Software
Best for	End-to-end conferences with attendee operations	Technical conferences needing open-source review depth
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Docs	Email, Docs
Integrations	9 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Airballoon 2/2 · HotCRP 2/2
Blind review	✓	✓
Schedule builder	✓	✓
Specs
Submission types	Mixed	Mixed
Review stages	Custom	Multi_stage
Submission limit	Not published	Not published
Reviewer limit	Not published	Not published
Our review
Pros	Supports paper, abstract, poster, and proposal submissions Combines blind review, committee management, and custom review stages Extends into websites, schedules, registration, networking, and payments	Multiple review rounds, anonymous review, rebuttals, and discussions Conflict controls, track permissions, and flexible reviewer assignment Hosted or self-hosted deployment with a REST API
Cons	Registration can incur transaction fees Presentation storage can incur storage fees Its broad event scope may exceed the needs of CFP-only teams	Independent plan support is limited to bug fixes Classroom plan provides no support Per-submission pricing may be less predictable for large events
Our verdict	Airballoon is a web-based conference-management platform from Lumvex Labs LLC for academic conferences and workshops. It covers the conference lifecycle from CFP publication and paper, abstract, poster, and proposal submissions through… Read the review →	HotCRP manages submission, peer-review, and publication workflows for academic conferences, workshops, and journals. It is designed for chairs and program committees that need detailed control over paper registration, submissions,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Airballoon — where it wins

  • Supports paper, abstract, poster, and proposal submissions
  • Combines blind review, committee management, and custom review stages
  • Extends into websites, schedules, registration, networking, and payments

  Where it doesn't

  • Registration can incur transaction fees
  • Presentation storage can incur storage fees
  • Its broad event scope may exceed the needs of CFP-only teams

• HotCRP — where it wins

  • Multiple review rounds, anonymous review, rebuttals, and discussions
  • Conflict controls, track permissions, and flexible reviewer assignment
  • Hosted or self-hosted deployment with a REST API

  Where it doesn't

  • Independent plan support is limited to bug fixes
  • Classroom plan provides no support
  • Per-submission pricing may be less predictable for large events

• Airballoon8.2/10 · Free plan

  A broad web-based conference system covering CFPs, review, event operations, and attendee engagement.

  Visit AirballoonFull verdict →
• HotCRP7.6/10 · Free plan · paid from $7.50

  A deep academic review workflow with flexible hosting and a free plan.

  Visit HotCRPFull verdict →