Microsoft CMT
Microsoft CMT: A free, full-featured system for managing academic submissions, reviews, rebuttals, and schedules. Ranked #1 of 24 in Call for Papers Software by our editors (9.0/10); pricing: Free plan; best for free, full-featured academic conferences.
At a glance
- Editor score9.0 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forFree, full-featured academic conferences
- Free planYes
- Paid fromNone
- Blind reviewYes
- Founded1999
- Facts checked21 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Supports submissions, revisions, camera-ready papers, and presentations
- Deep review controls include blind review, conflicts, quotas, and bidding
- Covers multi-track planning, copyright collection, and session scheduling
Where it doesn't
- Web-based delivery limits the platform choice to browser access
- Reviewer capacity is configured by conference chairs, not fixed product-wide
- Its focus on academic peer review may not suit general event management
Our verdict on Microsoft CMT
Microsoft CMT is a free, cloud-hosted conference management system for academic and scientific peer review. It is designed for conference chairs, reviewers, authors, and proceedings editors managing submissions from abstracts through full papers, supplementary materials, revisions, camera-ready versions, and presentations. The web interface supports multi-track conferences, configurable submission and review forms, decisions, feedback, and presentation planning, making it a strong fit for research conferences that need one workflow across the program lifecycle.
Review operations are the product's standout area. Chairs can use single-blind or double-blind reviewing, manual or automatic reviewer assignment, conflict and quota controls, reviewer and meta-reviewer bidding, discussion, author rebuttals, and feedback workflows. These controls provide a detailed structure for conferences with multiple review stages or tracks. TPMS integration adds reviewer-matching support, while export covers submissions, assignments, reviews, and conference data. CMT also extends beyond peer review with IEEE eCopyright collection and planning for presentation sessions, rooms, and schedules.
The pricing model is straightforward: Microsoft CMT is free, with no subscription tier to compare. Its breadth makes it a practical choice for academic conference teams seeking extensive submission, review, rebuttal, copyright, and scheduling capabilities without a software charge. The tradeoff is a focused scope: it is built around academic and scientific peer review rather than general event management, and reviewer capacity is configured by conference chairs. Choose CMT for research conferences needing configurable, multi-track workflows; consider another category of tool for broader event operations or a non-web platform.
Microsoft CMT pricing
Microsoft CMT fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | None |
| Blind review | Yes |
| Submission types | Mixed |
| Review stages | Custom |
| Submission limit | Not verified |
| Reviewer limit | Not verified |
| Schedule builder | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Tickets, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 1 integrations: TPMS (Toronto Paper Matching System) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | cmt3.research.microsoft.com |
| Facts checked | 21 Sep 2026 |
Microsoft CMT integrations
Microsoft CMT lists 1 integrations on its own site.
- TPMS (Toronto Paper Matching System)
Alternatives to Microsoft CMT
- EasyChairA broad academic conference workflow with a useful free tier and usage-based upgrades.8.5
- AirballoonA broad web-based conference system covering CFPs, review, event operations, and attendee engagement.8.2
- SimplyConfA flexible WordPress-based choice for conferences that need self-hosting and add-on control.7.9
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Microsoft CMT vs the competition
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026
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