Overview

Fourwaves is conference-management software built around the needs of academic and scientific events, from abstract collection and peer review to registration and attendee programs. It best suits universities, scientific societies and research networks that want those workflows together; smaller submission caps and a 3% service fee make volume an important part of the decision.

Founded in Québec in 2012 by four PhD students in bioinformatics, the company set out to simplify symposium logistics. The platform also covers event websites, session tracks, room scheduling, speaker management and hybrid events, so it reaches beyond paper handling into conference operations.

Key features

Submission and peer review

Organizers can build forms for calls for papers and abstracts, then export abstract books with an author index. Single- and double-blind review, conflict detection and custom scoring grids support structured evaluation. This combination is most useful when a research event needs a formal review process; teams seeking only a basic event schedule may not need that depth.

Program and attendee tools

The Android and iOS conference app brings together an event program, personal agenda, participant list and presentation materials, and works offline. Alongside session tracks, room scheduling and speaker management, those tools give organizers a path from accepted submissions to an attendee-facing program. Hybrid event support is also included.

Integrations, payments and safeguards

The API uses organization-specific keys and includes endpoints for event, registration, form, submission and session data. Payment gateway providers include Stripe, PayPal, Global Payments, TouchNet, Moneris, Worldline (Bambora) and Authorize.net, providing several payment options for registration operations.

The privacy policy says personal data is encrypted at rest and protected with security measures proportionate to its sensitivity. The data processing agreement identifies GDPR, UK GDPR, PIPEDA and CCPA among applicable data protection laws and describes safeguards for processing personal data.

Pricing

Fourwaves has a free Starter plan and paid annual plans, with unlimited events and registrations across the three named tiers. The key constraint is abstract volume: Starter permits 25 submissions per year, Essential 100 and Advanced 300. Each carries a 3% service fee. Once an organization reaches its yearly cap, new submissions pause until it upgrades, although existing submissions, registrations and event websites remain accessible.

Plan	Price	What it includes
Starter	0.00 USD per year	25 abstract submissions per year, unlimited registrations and events, and a 3% service fee. AI, chat and email support are listed. Best for small events or organizations validating a low-volume workflow.
Essential	999.00 USD per year	100 abstract submissions per year, unlimited registrations and events, and a 3% service fee. The step up is for organizations whose submission needs exceed Starter's 25-item cap.
Advanced	2599.00 USD per year	300 abstract submissions per year, unlimited registrations and events, and a 3% service fee. It also includes an onboarding call, making it the higher-volume option for teams that want that setup support.
Pro	Custom pricing	Custom number of events, custom submission volume and custom service fee. It is the tier for organizations needing terms beyond the fixed caps and fee.

The free tier is useful, but its cap is a real operational boundary rather than simply a pricing threshold: reaching it stops new submissions until an upgrade. Paid plans retain the same 3% fee, so organizers should weigh that charge alongside the annual price and anticipated registration activity.

Platforms

Fourwaves supports Android, iOS, web and API access. The mobile app makes schedules and presentation materials available to attendees, including offline, while the API exposes organization-specific data endpoints for integrations.

Who it's for

Fourwaves is a strong fit for academic and scientific communities coordinating reviewed submissions as well as event logistics. Universities, scientific societies and research networks can use its combination of submission caps, review controls, registration, scheduling and attendee app. Organizers with very few submissions may find Starter sufficient; those with larger volumes should check the cap and service fee against their event needs. It is less compelling for teams that do not need conference-specific review and program workflows.

Pros and cons

Pros: Formal single- or double-blind review, conflict detection and custom scoring grids suit research events with evaluation workflows.
Pros: Unlimited events and registrations on Starter, Essential and Advanced keep those activities from consuming the listed yearly abstract quota.
Pros: The offline-capable iOS and Android app gives attendees access to agendas and presentation materials without relying on a live connection.
Cons: Starter stops at 25 abstract submissions a year, and reaching any fixed-tier cap pauses new submissions until an upgrade.
Cons: The 3% service fee applies to all three fixed tiers, including the free plan.
Cons: Advanced costs 2599.00 USD per year for a 300-submission cap, while Pro requires custom pricing for custom volume and fees.

Alternatives

For organizers considering a more specialized or differently priced workflow, these options offer distinct trade-offs:

ConfTool has a free license on request for smaller non-commercial events up to 150 participants, but it requires local installation and includes no support on that plan. Choose it when those limits and a local installation suit the event.
Sessionize offers a free Community event plan limited to free community events, excluding internal, private, promotional, marketing, profit or commercial events. It is worth considering when the event fits that community-only rule.
Ex Ordo uses personalized quotes, with features and pricing requiring contact with sales. Consider it when a quote-based purchase process is acceptable.
Airballoon
HotCRP
MeetingHand Abstract Management provides a free plan up to 25 registrations or abstracts and a pay-as-you-go option at 4.90 USD per month. It may suit a team comparing a low initial cap and monthly billing with Fourwaves' annual tiers.
SimplyConf offers a free Core plan with unlimited events, submissions and users. Consider it if those unlimited free-plan allowances matter more than Fourwaves' stated conference and review tools.
EasyChair has a free plan capped at 20 submissions with no technical support, plus a Professional plan at 3.90 USD per submission for up to 60 submissions, payable by credit card. It may suit events comparing per-submission pricing with Fourwaves' annual plans.

Verdict

Choose Fourwaves if your academic or scientific event needs reviewed submissions, registration and attendee-facing conference tools in one system. Its formal review options and connected program workflow are the strongest reasons to select it. Look elsewhere if your submission volume will exceed the fixed caps or the annual plan prices and 3% service fee do not fit your event economics.

	CATALYST	Fourwaves
Free plan	No	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	$83.25/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web	Android, api, iOS, Web
Free plan	—	Yes
Paid from	—	999 /yr

CATALYST vs Fourwaves

CATALYST

Fourwaves