HotCRP
What it is
HotCRP manages conference paper submissions and reviews, either as open-source software hosted by the user or through the hosted HotCRP.com service. Submission tools include customizable forms, optional registration, program committee conflict collection, and configurable PDF checks. Papers can be assigned manually, in bulk, or automatically, including with globally optimal assignments. Search, sorting, bulk downloads, formulas, and tags support paper management. Review workflows can include custom forms, LaTeX math, multiple rounds, offline reviewing, delegation, and external reviewers. Program committee meeting tools include rebuttals, votes, ranks, a live meeting tracker, custom decision types, and mailing users. The REST API uses bearer tokens that can be scoped, including for read-only access or a subset of papers. HotCRP.com connects to ACM publication services for copyright forms, final versions, PDF checks, proceedings construction, and Digital Library export. Self-hosting requires a web server and software including Nginx, PHP 7.3 or higher, MariaDB, and PHP packages. Free plans apply to certain sponsored and classroom uses; independent conferences, journals, and workshops pay $7.50 per submission after the deadline.
For and against
For
- Supports manual, bulk, and automatic paper assignments.
- Review workflows can include multiple rounds and offline reviewing.
- Program committee tools include rebuttals, votes, and ranks.
- API tokens can be restricted by scope.
- Hosted service integrates with ACM publication services.
Against
- Self-hosting requires a web server and specified software.
- Independent events pay $7.50 per submission after the deadline.
- Independent-site support is limited to bug fixes.
- Classroom use has no support.
The verdict
HotCRP offers a broad workflow for conference submissions, reviews, and committee meetings, with hosted and self-hosted options. The right fit depends partly on eligibility for a free plan and whether organizers want to manage hosting themselves.
Who it suits
It suits conference, journal, and workshop organizers handling submissions, reviews, and program committee decisions. Self-hosting may suit users prepared to run a web server and the listed software requirements.
Plans and prices
ACM-sponsored
ACM-sponsored conferences, journals and workshops
Read 15 Oct 2026 · hotcrp.com
Classroom
Educational classes · approval required · no support
Read 15 Oct 2026 · hotcrp.com
Free test site
Email restrictions · limited lifetime
Read 15 Oct 2026 · hotcrp.com
USENIX-sponsored
USENIX-sponsored conferences, journals and workshops
Read 15 Oct 2026 · hotcrp.com
Independent
Independent conferences, journals and workshops · support limited to bug fixes
Read 15 Oct 2026 · hotcrp.com
IEEE-sponsored
IEEE-financially-sponsored conferences, journals and workshops
Read 15 Oct 2026 · hotcrp.com
On the record
- ACM integration
- ACM-sponsored events receive publication-processing features through the HotCRP site-wide agreement.hotcrp.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- API
- The REST API uses JSON responses, supports GET and POST operations and exposes paper, review, document, search and assignment operations.hotcrp.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- API authentication
- External clients authenticate with bearer tokens created in Account settings, with scopes that can restrict read/write access or paper subsets.hotcrp.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Assignments
- Papers can be assigned by hand, in bulk, or automatically, including globally optimal automatic review assignments.hotcrp.com · read 3 Oct 2026
- CLI tooling
- The project includes a hotcrapi command-line tool for calling HotCRP APIs, including hosted sites.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Conflict collection
- HotCRP collects program-committee conflicts as part of submission management.hotcrp.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Developer activity
- The GitHub repository shows more than 18,000 commits, 439 stars and 137 forks.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Download release
- The project page lists HotCRP 3.4 tarball released in August 2026 with a SHA-256 checksum.read.seas.harvard.edu · read 15 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- The development manual covers advanced configuration, software internals and extension development.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Formula engine
- HotCRP formulas can calculate statistics such as averages, weighted averages, variance and counts and can be used in searches and displays.help.hotcrp.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Help coverage
- The help center documents chair operations, searching, keywords, tags, tracks, review rounds, review ratings, voting, ranking, formulas and bulk assignments.help.hotcrp.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Historical adoption
- The original author reported use at SIGCOMM, USENIX ATC, NSDI, ISCA and SOSP conferences.usenix.org · read 15 Oct 2026
- Independent deployment
- The IACR maintains a HotCRP fork that adds cryptographic-database conflict detection, final-version and rights forms, external slide/video hosting and LNCS front-matter generation.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Installation work
- Installation involves creating or initializing a MariaDB database, editing configuration, routing the site through index.php, tuning PHP and database limits and enabling a mail transport agent.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: OAuth token validation
- The OAuth documentation says HotCRP does not currently verify that returned tokens were cryptographically signed by a provider's public key and instead relies on TLS.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: self-hosting burden
- The required web server, PHP, MariaDB, PDF and mail stack creates operational work for self-hosting teams.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: small-event fit
- A Reddit discussion characterized HotCRP as potentially overkill when a simple submission and review workflow is all that is needed.reddit.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: support
- Independent hosted sites receive bug-fix-only support, while classroom sites have no support.hotcrp.com · read 15 Oct 2026
