The programme job, not the $40k suite.

Sessionboard is a $40k suite. Sessionize bills per event. This is the programme job, open source, on an account you control.

Create your eventClone it yourself

Against Sessionboard and Sessionize

  • Programme job (CFP → stage)

    conference-engine
    Full pipeline in one workspace
    Sessionboard
    Program module inside a larger suite
    Sessionize
    Core job; lighter suite

  • Conditional CFP forms

    conference-engine
    Built in; Conference preset by default
    Sessionboard
    Yes (suite)
    Sessionize
    Yes

  • Review scoring

    conference-engine
    Named reviewers, rubric, fail-closed board
    Sessionboard
    Yes
    Sessionize
    Yes

  • Decide ≠ notify

    conference-engine
    Stage decisions; email when ready
    Sessionboard
    Suite workflow
    Sessionize
    Typically coupled

  • Speaker portal + chasing

    conference-engine
    Magic-link portal + live outstanding board
    Sessionboard
    Yes (suite)
    Sessionize
    Speaker profile flow

  • Schedule with conflict checks

    conference-engine
    Drag grid; room + speaker clashes
    Sessionboard
    Yes
    Sessionize
    Scheduling tools

  • Self-host / open source

    conference-engine
    MIT; your Cloudflare account
    Sessionboard
    Hosted only
    Sessionize
    Hosted only

  • Speaker CRM (cross-event contacts)

    conference-engine
    Account-scoped directory, pipeline, import, handoff
    Sessionboard
    Bundled contact database
    Sessionize
    Limited / separate tools

  • Marketing, CMS, ticketing

    conference-engine
    Out of scope on purpose
    Sessionboard
    Bundled (Program + more)
    Sessionize
    Limited / separate tools

  • Typical cost shape

    conference-engine
    Free software; you run it
    Sessionboard
    Enterprise suite ($40k+/yr class)
    Sessionize
    Per-event hosted pricing

The table is positioning, not a feature audit. PARITY.md is the route map.

What we skip

The job is the programme. Adjacent scope stays out even when it looks easy.

  • Ticketing, payments, or registration checkout
  • Marketing automation or a conference CMS. Speaker CRM ships.
  • AI-assisted review. Humans score.
  • Pulling Airtable or Accelevents edits back into the programme. Those are one-way exits.
  • Password accounts. Organizers sign in with a magic link.

You keep the data

Clone it onto your Cloudflare account. There is no per-event invoice.

Full setup in the README
git clone https://github.com/agrimsingh/conference-engine
cd conference-engine
npm install
npm run deploy