pretalx

Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hostedWeb

What pretalx is

pretalx manages conference submissions from the call for participation through review, selection, speaker communication, scheduling, and publication. Organizers can tailor call pages, set multiple deadlines, accept submissions in several languages, and use a chosen domain. Review tools support reviewer teams, ratings, reviews, and additional questions. The schedule editor considers speaker availability and warns about conflicts; published schedules can include an RSS feed and a public changelog. The software also covers speaker management, session tracks, and room scheduling, with full API access and static schedule exports for hosting elsewhere. pretalx is open-source software under the Apache License and can be installed with pip. Organizers can self-host or use pretalx.com hosting. Self-hosting has no software charge, but server costs and maintenance apply. Hosted pricing is per event, based on conference size and ticket price, and usual terms guarantee schedule and event-page availability for six months after an event. Hosted service includes backups, certificates, updates, maintenance, and assistance. The service says its servers are in Germany and that it does not track attendees using cookies, analytics, or sensitive IP logging.

Who it suits

It suits event organizers managing conferences, festivals, or other events that need submission review, speaker coordination, and scheduling. Teams can choose hosted service or self-hosting.

What it does well

Custom calls support multiple languages and deadlines.
Reviewers can rate submissions and answer added questions.
Schedule editor warns about speaker availability conflicts.
Open-source software is available for self-hosting.
Hosted service includes backups, updates, and assistance.

What to know first

Self-hosting requires server costs and maintenance.
Hosted pricing varies by event and has no listed price.
Security support covers only the current stable release.

Limits

The self-hosted plan costs nothing, with server costs applying. Hosted pricing is per event, and its usual terms guarantee schedule and event-page availability for six months after the event.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Self-hosted	no software charge; server and maintenance costs apply · unlimited users and submissions · self-managed hosting	Free
Self-hosted support contract	EUR 499 per year · 5 hours dedicated support · troubleshooting · configuration and security advice	€499 a year
Additional provider services	EUR 80 per hour when ordered in writing · custom provider services	€80, paid once
pretalx.com hosting	per event; calculated from expected attendees and standard ticket price · unlimited users and submissions · up to 25% community-event discount · pay when event is made public	On request

As pretalx.com lists them, read 15 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit pretalx.com to choose between self-hosting and pretalx.com hosting.
For self-hosting, install the open-source software with pip and provide server costs and maintenance.
For hosted service, use the per-event offering, which includes backups, certificates, updates, maintenance, and assistance.

Verdict

pretalx covers the submission, review, scheduling, and publication workflow for events, with both hosted and self-hosted options. Organizers should weigh the operational work of self-hosting against per-event hosted pricing.

Questions

Is pretalx free?

The self-hosted plan is free, with server costs applying. Hosted pricing is per event and is based on conference size and ticket price.

Is there a free plan or trial?

A free plan and a free trial are available.

Which platforms does pretalx support?

Its listed platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted, and web. It can be installed with pip.

Is pretalx open source?

Yes. It is published under the Apache License.

Who makes pretalx?

It is a product of rixx.de software development, by Tobias Kunze, with a listed address in Weinheim, Germany.

What support is included?

The hosted pricing comparison lists email support. Self-hosted email support is shown with a support contract.

Facts from pretalx's own pages

API status: The REST-style API is documented but explicitly not considered stable and may change between releases. · docs.pretalx.org, 15 Oct 2026
API versions: API documentation lists version 1 from 2025.1.0 and version 2 from 2026.2.0, with legacy API removal announced for the next release. · pretalx.com, 15 Oct 2026
API write limitation: The documented API currently provides no write capabilities. · docs.pretalx.org, 15 Oct 2026
Availability commitment: The service-level annex states an annual minimum availability of 98.5%, excluding force majeure and outside disruptions. · pretalx.com, 15 Oct 2026
Call for papers: Organisers can brand CFP pages, set multiple deadlines, accept multiple languages and use a custom domain. · pretalx.com, 15 Oct 2026
Capacity statement: The service is designed for events with up to 10,000 proposals or 1,000 talks, with possible temporary impact during exceptional demand. · pretalx.com, 15 Oct 2026
Custom calls: Organizers can customize call pages, set multiple deadlines, accept submissions in multiple languages, and use a chosen domain. · pretalx.com, 7 Oct 2026
Documentation scope: Documentation includes user, administrator, API, developer, legal, release-note and support sections. · docs.pretalx.org, 15 Oct 2026
Founded: Project licensing history says pretalx has been developed openly since 2017. · docs.pretalx.org, 15 Oct 2026
Free trial: Users can test pretalx for free and pay only when they want to make their event public. · pretalx.com, 7 Oct 2026
GDPR hosting: Hosted data is processed in the EU and stored in Germany, with pretalx acting as processor and the organiser as controller. · docs.pretalx.org, 15 Oct 2026
Headquarters: The provider’s listed address is Multring 51, 69469 Weinheim, Germany. · pretalx.com, 15 Oct 2026
Hosted infrastructure: Terms state that primary servers are leased from Hetzner in Falkenstein and backups from netcup in Nuremberg. · pretalx.com, 15 Oct 2026
Hosting: The hosted service includes backups, certificates, updates, operational maintenance, and assistance; self-hosting requires server costs and maintenance. · pretalx.com, 7 Oct 2026
Hosting service: Hosted pretalx handles backups, certificates, monitoring, updates and server administration. · pretalx.com, 15 Oct 2026
Independent platform classification: AlternativeTo classifies pretalx as free and open source and lists Mac, Windows, Linux and self-hosted alternatives for it. · alternativeto.net, 15 Oct 2026
Independent repository metadata: SelfhostedWorld records the project as created February 24, 2017, Python-based and installable through package-manager or source methods. · selfhostedworld.com, 15 Oct 2026
Independent repository popularity: SelfhostedWorld displays 946 stars for the pretalx project and reports no community ratings yet. · selfhostedworld.com, 15 Oct 2026
Integrations and exports: The product offers full API access, and organizers can download a static export of schedule pages for hosting elsewhere. · pretalx.com, 7 Oct 2026
Integrations listed independently: VentureGaps lists Mailgun, Vimeo, Mailchimp, WordPress, Mattermost, Slack, Zapier, YouTube, pretix, GitHub and Rocket.Chat integrations. · venturegaps.com, 15 Oct 2026
Intended users: pretalx describes itself as suitable for events ranging from technical conferences to music festivals. · pretalx.com, 7 Oct 2026
Licence: pretalx is released under AGPL version 3 with additional permission and restrictions. · docs.pretalx.org, 15 Oct 2026
Licence copyleft: Modified hosted versions and tightly integrated plugins generally must publish corresponding source under the same licence, subject to the project’s additional permission. · docs.pretalx.org, 15 Oct 2026
Limit: technical setup: VentureGaps says self-hosting requires technical knowledge for setup and maintenance. · venturegaps.com, 15 Oct 2026