ChartStead
ChartStead is free, open-source software for conference programming and speaker management, covering work from call for proposals through the published agenda.
What ChartStead is
ChartStead is free, open-source software for conference programming and speaker management, covering work from call for proposals through the published agenda. Organizers can collect submissions with public CFP forms and review them in shared, track-scoped workflows using approve, maybe, or deny decisions. A speaker portal handles onboarding tasks, biographies, headshots, and logistics. Agenda tools arrange rooms, tracks, and sessions while warning about conflicts. Course Check reviews talks when accepted and again before publication, keeping named schedule clashes visible until resolved. The public program offers an embeddable, mobile-friendly schedule and speaker gallery. Documentation describes a scoped HTTP API and MCP access for agents and automation, using the same keys. Production sign-in uses Better Auth with Google or magic links. The MIT License permits use, study, modification, and sharing when its notice remains. Self-hosting teams handle deployment, access, updates, backups, recovery, delivery setup, and operational support. ChartStead excludes ticketing, payments, advertising, and broad event CRM functions.
Good
- Covers proposals through public agenda publication
- Provides track-scoped collaborative review
- Includes speaker onboarding portal
- Flags schedule conflicts before publication
- Offers HTTP API and MCP access
Watch out
- Self-hosting teams handle operations and backups
- Excludes ticketing and payments
- No broad event CRM
- Production access requires Better Auth sign-in
Who it suits
ChartStead suits conference teams that need proposal review, speaker coordination, scheduling, and a public program. It is especially relevant to organizations prepared to operate a self-hosted open-source system.
Verdict
ChartStead focuses tightly on conference programming, speakers, and schedules, with safeguards for review and clashes. Teams needing registration payments or wider event CRM capabilities will need other tools.
The facts
Each one read from ChartStead's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Agenda
- Agenda tools cover rooms, tracks, session placement, and conflict warnings.checked 4 Oct 2026
- API and agents
- ChartStead documents a scoped HTTP API and MCP access using the same keys.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- The production environment uses Better Auth with Google or magic-link sign-in.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Course Check
- Course Check reviews talks when organizers accept them and again before publication, keeping named clashes visible until resolved.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Demo
- The maker offers an isolated demo with sample event data and no account setup requirement.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Integrations and API
- The docs describe a scoped HTTP API and MCP for agents and automation, using the same keys.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Open source
- ChartStead is released under the MIT License, which permits teams to use, inspect, modify, and share the software while retaining the license notice.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Operations
- Teams running the open-source software are responsible for deployment, access, updates, backups, delivery setup, and operational support.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Production access
- The production environment uses Better Auth with Google sign-in or magic links.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Product scope
- ChartStead covers conference programming through the public program and excludes ticketing, payments, advertising, and broad event CRM.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Public program
- The public program includes a mobile-friendly schedule and speaker gallery that can be embedded.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- ChartStead is conference programming and speaker management software that takes a program from the call for proposals through the public schedule.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Review safeguard
- Course Check reviews proposals before acceptance and checks for named schedule clashes before publication.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Scope limits
- ChartStead leaves out ticketing, payments, ads, and a broad event CRM.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Speaker portal
- The speaker portal keeps bios, headshots, onboarding tasks, and logistics together.checked 10 Oct 2026
- Submissions and review
- It supports public CFP forms and shared, track-scoped review with approve, maybe, and deny decisions.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The marketing site provides the contact email [email protected].checked 10 Oct 2026
- Workflow
- The product covers proposal collection, track-based review, speaker onboarding, agenda building, and publishing an embeddable public program.checked 10 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- The site footer identifies Animas AI as the copyright holder; the contact email shown is [email protected].checked 4 Oct 2026
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