Brownbag
Brownbag is web-based conference management software for academic research.
What Brownbag is
Brownbag is web-based conference management software for academic research. It covers conference pages, paper submissions, peer review, program planning, organizer email, and conference-page analytics. Organizers can create public conference pages and calls for papers with headings, images, tabs, and submission blocks. Submission forms can specify required fields, file types, deadlines, and co-authors, while authors can reuse uploaded details across conferences. Reviewers can be assigned internally or externally, with custom labels and score tracking; conference data can be exported to CSV. Accepted papers can be arranged into sessions, rooms, and time slots, then published for audiences on any device. Organizers can email authors, reviewers, or attendees and schedule messages. Analytics include views, referrers, and devices without a third-party tag. A ChatGPT connection is described for organizer and reviewer tasks, carrying Brownbag permissions across. The Free plan is free, billed per conference, with organizer views capped at 100 submissions. Premium is $1,000, paid once for lifetime access to that conference and removes the submissions limit. Attendee registration is marked “Coming soon.”
Good
- Submission forms support deadlines and co-authors.
- Review workflows include scoring and CSV export.
- Programs can be published for audiences on any device.
- Free plan includes conference management tools and analytics.
Watch out
- Organizer views on the Free plan cap at 100 submissions.
- Attendee registration is marked “Coming soon.”
- Premium costs $1,000, paid once.
Who it suits
Brownbag suits academic conference organizers who need to manage submissions, reviewer workflows, and program publication. Its guides also address reviewers, authors, and attendees.
Verdict
Brownbag covers much of the academic conference workflow, from calls for papers through published programs. The Free plan has a submissions-view cap, while attendee registration is not yet available.
Plans and prices
From Brownbag's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Organizer views cap at 100 submissions · full conference management tools · reviewer workflows and scoring · program builder · analytics and CSV exports · per conference |
| Premium | $1,000, paid once | Everything in Free · unlimited submissions in organizer views · One-time · lifetime for this conference |
The facts
Each one read from Brownbag's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Analytics
- Built-in conference page analytics include views, referrers, and devices, with no third-party tag to install.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Conference pages
- Organizers can create a public conference page and call for papers with an editor that supports headings, images, tabs, and submission blocks.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Organizers can email authors, reviewers, or attendees and schedule messages for a later time.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Integration
- Brownbag describes a ChatGPT connection for organizer and reviewer tasks, with Brownbag permissions carried across.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The help center describes Brownbag as connecting conferences, papers, and researchers, with separate guides for organizers, reviewers, authors, and attendees.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Paper submissions
- Submission forms can include required fields, file types, deadlines, and co-authors, and authors can reuse their uploaded details across conferences.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Payments
- The site says Premium upgrades use secure payments with Stripe and can be made from the dashboard.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Peer review
- Organizers can assign internal and external reviewers, use custom labels, track scores, and export conference data to CSV.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Program builder
- Accepted papers can be arranged into sessions, rooms, and time slots, then published for audiences on any device.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Brownbag is conference management software for academic research, covering conference pages, submissions, reviews, programs, and registration.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Registrations
- The site describes attendee registration as a feature, but labels it “Coming soon.”checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The help center offers guides for organizers, reviewers, authors, and attendees.checked 7 Oct 2026
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