Side by side
OpenSession vs pretalx
Both stand on speaker management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source APISelf-hostedWeb
OpenSession covers proposal intake, review, scheduling and speaker coordination, with self-hosting available on Cloudflare Workers. Its scope stops short of CRM, marketing pages and payment processing.
Visit OpenSession
Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
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.
Visit pretalxThe facts
| OpenSession | pretalx | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Self-hosted support contract: €499 a year |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | opensession.dev | pretalx.com |
| On speaker management software | #2 of 28 | #1 of 28 |
OpenSession: what it does well
- MIT-licensed and free forever.
- Submission forms support conditional logic and uploads.
- Reviewers can see aggregate scores without admin access.
- Agenda tools flag room and speaker conflicts.
- Speaker portal supports onboarding and file uploads.
What to know first
- Each speaker can submit at most three talks per event.
- Does not include CRM.
- Does not include marketing pages.
- Does not include payment processing.
pretalx: 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.
Alternatives to OpenSession Alternatives to pretalx The whole list