Brownbag

Brownbag is a web service for running academic paper conferences, from the call for papers through peer review and program publication. It suits organizers who want those workflows in one workspace, particularly when the free submission-view allowance is adequate. Premium removes that allowance, but attendee registration is not yet ready.

Overview

Organizers can create a public conference page and build a call for papers with headings, images, tabs and submission blocks. Forms can require particular fields, file types, deadlines and co-author information. Authors can reuse their uploaded details across conferences, reducing repeated data entry for researchers who submit regularly. Brownbag is therefore strongest as an academic paper-management system rather than a full event-commerce platform.

Key features

Review workflows support both internal and external reviewers. Custom labels and score tracking give committees a way to structure decisions around their own process, while CSV export helps move conference records into spreadsheets or other systems. Organizers can email authors, reviewers or attendees and schedule messages ahead of time, which is useful for deadline reminders and decision notices.

The program builder turns accepted papers into sessions with rooms and time slots, then publishes the result for audiences on any device. Built-in analytics show page views, referrers and device types without requiring a third-party tracking tag. Brownbag also describes a ChatGPT connection for organizer and reviewer tasks, with Brownbag permissions carried through; it is an aid to authorized work, not a substitute for committee judgment.

Attendee registration is described as a forthcoming feature. Conferences that must collect registrations now will need another service or a separate registration system. Premium upgrades use Stripe payments from the dashboard, and a help center provides guides for organizers, reviewers, authors and attendees.

Pricing

Free is the practical choice for smaller calls for papers that stay within the 100-submission organizer-view cap. Premium is aimed at larger conferences and removes the central visibility limit for a single conference, but its $1,000 upfront cost makes the decision significant. Both plans cover the core management workflow; neither solves the current registration gap.

Platforms

Brownbag runs on the web, so organizers, reviewers and authors can use the same service without a platform-specific installation.

Who it's for

Choose Brownbag for an academic conference team that needs paper submissions, scored peer review, scheduled communication and a published program together. The free tier fits modest events; teams expecting more than 100 submissions in organizer views should budget for Premium. It is a poor fit for events whose immediate priority is attendee registration or a broader ticketing operation.

Pros and cons

Pros

• End-to-end paper workflow: submissions, reviewer assignment, scoring and program scheduling share one conference workspace.
• Useful publishing controls: sessions, rooms and time slots can become a device-friendly public program.
• Operational exports and analytics: CSV export and first-party page metrics support administration without a tracking tag.
• One-time scaling option: Premium removes the organizer-view submission cap for the life of that conference.

Cons

• Free-tier ceiling: organizer views stop at 100 submissions, which can constrain a growing call for papers.
• High upfront upgrade: Premium costs $1,000 once rather than offering a smaller recurring step-up.
• Registration is pending: attendee sign-up is not currently part of the usable workflow.

Alternatives

Event Abstract Management Software is the broader category to browse when you want to compare conference-submission products. Pick Fourwaves if mobile apps and API access, unlimited registrations, or a low-cost starter tier matter; its Starter plan allows 25 abstract submissions per year and charges a 3% service fee. Choose Indico for free, open-source self-hosting across web and mobile-supported environments. ConfTool suits smaller non-commercial events that can accept a local installation, up to 150 participants and no support on its free license. HotCRP is the alternative for conferences tied to ACM or USENIX sponsorship, with self-hosted options. SimplyConf is worth choosing when unlimited events, submissions and users on a free-forever core plan are more important than Brownbag's conference-specific Premium model. AbstractWiz fits a small event needing a free allowance of 20 submissions or a $270 one-time unlimited plan. Congressio offers forms, review, decisions, program and email for one active event, 100 submissions and three team seats on its free plan. EasyChair is a simpler choice when a 20-submission free tier or per-submission pricing is preferable.

Verdict

Brownbag is a sensible choice for academic organizers who want submissions, review, scoring, communications and program publishing in one web workspace. Its strongest reason to choose it is the coherent paper-to-program workflow, with a one-time Premium path for conferences beyond the free view cap. Look elsewhere if attendee registration is essential now, if you need self-hosting, or if a lower-cost scaling model is a better match.