ProgramChair review
A full conference workflow for research events, from submissions through published programs.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
ProgramChair is conference-management software from UpScholar for academic societies and research conference organizers. It brings submissions, author accounts, co-author management, manuscript uploads, proposal editing, peer review, reviewer assignment, decision mailings, scheduling, publishing, proceedings, and backups into one system. Its strongest fit is a research conference where review depth and program coordination matter as much as basic event scheduling.
Pricing is usage-based, with rates set individually for each society and based on registrants. The two deployment options are Self-hosted and Hosted. Self-hosted runs on the customer’s site, uses the customer’s outgoing mail, and includes every feature and stage. Hosted is maintained by the vendor, handles mail on vendor infrastructure, and also includes every feature and stage. Both plans therefore cover the complete workflow, while the main choice is between customer-managed infrastructure and vendor-maintained hosting. Organizations that want a straightforward public price or a free starting tier should look elsewhere.
The product’s standout area is the connection between peer review and program construction. Topic-based reviewer matching, balanced allocation suggestions, anonymised reviews, scheduled reminders, delivery logs, and resend controls support a detailed evaluation process. After decisions, organizers can generate a draft program, schedule by drag and drop, assign rooms and time slots, detect author conflicts, publish a phone-readable web program, archive proceedings, and restore complete conference backups. That breadth suits academic events with complex submissions and scheduling constraints. It is less suitable for teams seeking a dedicated attendee mobile app or a lighter scheduling-only tool.
ProgramChair pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Configurable submissions, anonymised review, and reviewer matching
- Automated draft programs with room, slot, and conflict handling
- Phone-readable programs, proceedings archives, and complete backups
- Where it doesn't
- Pricing requires a sales conversation and usage-based agreement
- No free plan is offered
- Web program rather than a dedicated attendee mobile app
ProgramChair fact sheet, pricing and score →
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